We have a 2001 Saturn 4-dr sedan L-300. Although pleased with the car on the whole, we have recently been experiencing electrical problems that no one seems to be able to fix. When it is raining, the dash lights begin to flicker. This would lead you to believe that there is some kind of short in the wiring caused by the higher humidity; but to this day no one has been able to fix it. Any ideas?

My mother purchased a 2007 Ion and has had problems with the ignition --trying to get the key out of it! She took it to the GM dealer and they said nothing was wrong. She has 3,500 miles only on it and it is not covered under warranty now because of the years. Still, the problem is going on. GM should be made responsible for the repairs! What can be done?

I have a 2007 Saturn ION 3. Bought it used since my last one was such a good car. Had the recall ignition changed a few months ago. It is cold here today, very cold but we had below zero for WEEKS last year and my other Saturn started every morning (no garage but between other cars). I just went out there to warm it up, the steering is turned, like it got turned and locked up (which will happen from time to time). The normal trick is to turn the steering the best you can the direction it does go then turn the key.. NO LUCK.. Tried it for over 30 min. I put heat on the steering and heat on the Transmission stick area in the car just in case cold was an issue. NO LUCK. Ughhhhh I saw where trying to rock the car and try it.. and to try hooking up a jump just in case the battery is low due to electronic steering.. Do not think it is low but always worth a try. Now to even get this thing towed will be a task. The position and gears, steering, etc. is all locked.. Believe if someone wants to steal this car please do so. Quit putting all the anti crap on it LOL.. Not a fan of going to dealerships for repairs, but if it is the new recall ignition then it is covered but if not then $$$ at a dealership... Plus they can just tell me it was something else and lie.

The timing chain in my 2003 Saturn Ion snapped. It is a problem I noticed that was fairly common in these vehicles. My car showed no signs of having an issue, and then just shut off on the highway.

Same as all of the rest. Key will not come out of the ignition. I had to stall the car to kill the engine and unplug a harness to kill elec. I would love to talk to a lawyer if they dont take care of this issue with a recall. I have not taken it in yet. I will not pay for a problem they made. I have removed the plastic under the steering wheel; only 1/2 would come off due to my key being stuck in the ignition. I unhooked the green harness this way. I can still use the car. I risk it being stolen with the key stuck in the ignition, but that would be a gift from God.

I have a 2008 Saturn Outlook. My water pump went out 2 months ago. Then one day my car started jerking... too dangerous to drive. I took it to my auto mechanic. I thought they fixed it. They said it was the throttle... replaced ($558.00). Car still not fixed. Now that I am doing my research, I see the same problems you are all experiencing. I do not have money for any major repairs! GM needs to step up as this is an obvious recall! Very dangerous to drive so it’s parked! Shame on GM for putting their consumers’ lives at risk!

I too have a 1999 Saturn, and my son was driving and it started to jerk. He had to pull over on the side of the road and found that the car would not go into any gears. He had no neutral on it. I had the car towed to a local garage, and the mechanic said it was a transmission problem. I had to have it towed to a transmission shop where they said it would be anywhere from $900 to $1500 to fix it. Now I am reading about all these other customers that have a Saturn, and it is bound to happen again. I think Saturn should have a recall to replace these faulty transmissions. I always thought Saturn was respectable company, but now, I just dont know.

Last night after stopping at a local store, I attempted to turn my 2006 Saturn Ion off. The key would not move backwards and therefore, I could not remove it from the ignition slot. Obviously, I was unable to turn the car off. Since it was about 6:30 when this happened, I tried a couple of auto parts stores, but they found the problem strange. Finally, I drove it to a certified dealership for them to keep overnight. Today I found out that the key, cylinder, and housing would need to be replaced for $650.00! I am the only one earning money for my kids and myself. The consequence is that I do not feel I can afford a new car, so I am stuck paying for a problem that perhaps should be officially recalled. I can tell from this website that I am not the only one with the problem.

My wife recently had an accident where she fell asleep and crashed into a guard rail at 70 miles an hour. The airbags didnt deploy. Onstar didnt call either to check to see if she was alright. I was told that Onstar only calls if the airbags deploy. I am almost certain the car is totaled. I am currently waiting for my insurance company to let me know. They couldnt believe they didnt deploy either, considering my car says everything is ok. What is the purpose of airbags if they dont work? Luckily, my wife walked away without a scratch.

Like many of the complaints above, I also had a problem with the ignition lock. I was going out to dinner, parked my car, but when I went to turn off the vehicle, they key wouldnt turn. I called AAA, and the rep who was dispatched asked if it was a Saturn Ion (its a 2007 Ion with about 65K miles on it), which was interesting to me. He said my best bet was just to take it right to the dealership. When I parked it outside the GM dealership and went in to explain the problem, they too asked if it was a Saturn. Clearly this problem is more wide-spread than I thought. Both the AAA rep and the mechanics at the dealership are aware this is an issue with Saturn vehicles.At the end of the day, theyre replacing the Ignition lock cylinder and housing for $540. I called GM/Saturn to file a complaint, seeing as everyone seems to know this is an issue and there are hundreds of documented cases on this site alone. I was told Ill get a call back next week because they are currently updating their system that deals with manufacturer defects/recalls and special considerations given regarding such issues. Im assuming theyll tell me Im SOL, but heres hoping. Ill provide an update when I hear back from them.

I have a 2008 Saturn Aura XR with 62,000 mile and on two occasions when putting it in Drive and attempting to go somewhere the TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF LOW GEAR. Dealership was closed when this happened. That was when Hurricane Irma was approaching Florida... When we did attempt to take to dealership a week later, we started the car put it in Drive again and it shifted just fine. The problem appeared to have disappeared. Today, we attempted to drive to the grocery store and it did this again... Even though it was in drive and it would not shift out of low gear... Has anyone else had this problem? And, what did it take to correct it? Thank you.

Computer warning and detection symbols go on and off. But, the engine light has been on for more than 2 years. Its been reset, but comes on later. Sometimes the radio shows funky symbols. Took it in for inspection. They reset the engine light. Drove it until it came on. Went back within 50 miles of driving. The code was undetermined by the dealer/manufacturer. Dont know how Ill ever sell it with an engine light on. It can be inspected if the shop tries to repair it and you spend up to $200. But, I have never had a car that the engine light ever came on period. And, Ive had quite a few. Whats up with that.

Within 8 weeks, my 2004 Saturn VUE (V6, FWD 3.5 Honda Motor) has been in the auto repair shop four times for a front brake issue. At first, it was the master cylinder, then it was a caliper and then it was the ABS master switch, all which have been replaced and now today, again the VUE is back in the shop for a defective brake line.

I cannot shut off my car. The key is stuck in the ignition. Had to take out a fuse. A recall is needed on the 2006 model.

When we went out looking for a car we wanted it be spacious but not too big. Comfortable but not overpriced. Reliable and able to be a commuter vehicle we could depend on for a good amount of years. Saturn Aura is good reliable family sedan car that is ready to take commuter miles and still be gas efficient, its a vehicle that only gives problems when its in need of major repairs. But one of the things most frustrating about the car is no paper repair manual and what there is electronic which when you are a true mechanic is not always possible to handle, I would love a repair manual in Spanish paper bound so my husband can make as many repairs as needed.

In June 2011, my 2007 Saturn Ion would not turn off. I took it into Firestone and it was the ignition lock cylinder. It was broken. Firestone replaced it for $222. I wrote GM and told them about this problem. I received a return call from them stating that since there was not a recall on this problem, there was nothing they could do. In December 2011, same issue, car would not turn off. Firestone replaced ignition lock cylinder again. I had to pay $7 for the new key. Cylinder lock under warranty. Today, 1/18/2012, same problem, car would not turn off. I took it back to Firestone and they are at a loss for words. They told me they do not know what could be wrong. They said maybe the first two cylinder locks had manufacturing problems but they cant believe it would happen a third time. I went online and there are many complaints about Saturn ignition locks. Now that Saturn no longer exists, apparently GM will not take any responsibility. I have been very lucky that the three times this has happened, it has been during Firestones business hours.

My 2006 Saturn Ion, the money pit - Well I dont know how car companies know but just after I hit my 60k mark, the car starts to fall apart. So far my issues have been: 2x key getting stuck in the ignition; 2x bearings for the axle have been replaced; 1x fuel pump went bad, its starting to go bad again; and 1x interior light won’t turn off. Currently, my car leaks when it rains and I guess this triggers the alarm to go off randomly. And finally, my transmission won’t let me go into 5th gear. This repair will cost about $2,400. I have finally had enough. Im getting a new car and it definitely won’t be a GM.

I have a 2007 Saturn Outlook I bought used through a reputable dealer. Which included the extended warranty. The transmission went out 1000 miles over the warranty mileage... That was in August! Now it is January and the transmission jumped out of gear last night on the way home. And the transmission light came on AGAIN!!!! Seems to be a pattern here... great style... shotty design... a real LEMON!

I purchase a 2002 Saturn Vue for my daughter in college. I have been a faithful Saturn owner without any issues prior. Since purchase, nothing but electrical problems - including a near crash on the freeway when the car abruptly slowed down to 10 mph. A recall is needed before someone is killed. Weve invested $2,000 to try and fix a ghost problem.

When I got home in my 2007 Saturn Ion, I couldnt turn the ignition off. I had to pull the ignition fuse to turn the engine off and disconnect the battery cable. After browsing the Internet, this seems to be a common problem which Saturn has not addressed.

I purchased a used 2007 Saturn Ion roughly 2 years ago. For the first year or so, I was very happy with it. Everything seemed fine until 8 months ago, when I was out running errands, came home and couldnt turn my car off. The key wouldnt budge. We had to disconnect the battery to keep it from overheating and proceeded to call a locksmith, who had to take apart my entire steering column and cut my key up just to get it out. That set me back $200. Fast forward to this afternoon, almost 8 months to the day of the last incident, and deja vu. I came home from a few errands and the key wouldnt turn at all. Thus, my car wouldnt turn off. I know its going to cost me another $200 just to get my key out. I cant afford to keep forking over this money every 8-12 months because this is something that GM hasnt put a recall on yet. Clearly, this is a huge problem with hundreds of customers of the Saturn brand. Unfortunately, I am contractually obligated to this car for another 3 years and will never purchase another GM brand vehicle again.

We have had numerous problems with our 2006 Saturn Vue, which all started with having to roll over extra payments from a 2005 Vue that we had multiple problems with. The first major issue we had was the torque converter, where they said they could never recreate the incident so couldnt help us.They finally replaced it (before the recall came out) and at that time, they also replaced the ignition because of the problems we were having trying to turn the key to start the car. We’re unsure if they actually replaced it or not.Now, we are once again having ignition problems and we are out of warranty. The GM dealership wants to charge me $80 for the ignition tumbler and $60 per key to recode them. That is with me installing it by the way.

SATURN ION 2007 IGNITION SWITCH - Ignition switch was stuck in run position; would not turn off cars engine. Roadside service disconnected battery. Dealer replaced switch for $318...OUT OF MY POCKET, OUCH!

From day one when I went and paid cash for my Saturn, I thought I was doing a good thing buying American made. Should have kept my Honda. It has been one thing after another with this car. I cant even remember there has been so many things, and now there is water in my drivers side floor for about the third time. First it was the sun roof, now we really dont know. The AC is not working so maybe that or plugged drains from sunroof. I have had it. And the original warranty was three years. Had to buy extended warranty, and they suck too. There is always some excuse why they dont cover whats wrong.

Small and compact with only so many people could get in. But it carries food in a very tight space to where the groceries will not spill or fall over. Good the features, the graphics are outstanding and its a very reliable vehicle and supportive for my needs as well. But to add some of the fluid, you actually physically have to lift up the car. Also, the repairs on the vehicle can get expensive if youre not sure where to get them from.

For this past year, I have been battling with my 2004 Ion. First, it started with having a hard time starting in colder mornings. Then it took longer and longer to get it going. Finally, I took it in and spent $1,000 for a new timing belt and it was fine for a short while. I took it in again and spent another grand on a new ignition. Within 48 hours of that service, my key has gotten stuck in the ignition and would not allow the car to be turned off. After reading about all these other people suffering for something that is not our fault is complete **. This has convinced me to not ever buy a GM product again. I thought I was doing the right thing by buying an American product to support jobs but this is horrible.

I purchased a 2002 Saturn SL2 in 2006 from an individual who kept it as a summer car. It only had 26,000 miles on it. I drove the car and loved it. In 2011, the transmission suddenly started giving problems when the car had about 77,000 miles on it. I took it to a transmission shop and they put in a rebuilt transmission. It cost me $1,500.00. Now at 114,000 miles, that transmission is doing the same thing - clunking into gear, slipping out of gear, hesitating and then suddenly clunking into gear. I have decided to get a different car even though I love my Saturn.

I bought my Outlook in April 2009. So far the transmission has been replaced (warranty thank goodness) & there have been recalls on the safety airbag light & now power steering. Those are the flaws GM admits to. I have a consistent drip when it rains that can easily turn to a stream of water if Im pointing uphill or downhill. Checked the Internet & its been verified Saturn cut the drain tubing too short. Checked with GM to see if they would fix it but they said I needed to work a deal with the dealer who want going for it. Turns out the water has drained right into my fuse box so now my electrical is messed up. The fuse box is impossible to get to. Among other problems my service airbag light wont ever turn off - fuse issue or real problem, Im not sure. Worried it will cost me a fortune to fix & on one income with 2 kids thats a tough call. Then today, I turned the car off & it kept running. Key was out! Now I read there are ignition problems. Wish all these reviews were out when I bought my first almost new car ever. Teach me!

I have been battling the same issue with the ignition lock - I cant get the keys to come out immediately. I had the ignition lock cylinder and the ignition switch both replaced but still my keys are getting stuck in the ignition. This is making me so angry because Im still making payments on a 2005 Saturn Ion where I’ve got an extreme case of anger developing because of the manufacturing malfunction.

2003 Vue oil filter cover/holder - The original failed to seal well. Two replacements have failed as the overpressure spring broke out of the housing causing the engine to knock and crush the filter. Two in a row - must be defective. Please respond.

Its one of the best we have ever had. We could not be happier with this vehicle. We got it at a reasonable price. Its very dependable and runs great. Third row is a great option to have. Body is in awesome shape and drives awesome. Seats 7 and its comfy for long or short trips. Like dependability, back heating is great. It has drink holders everywhere. Its just amazing. We love it. It has awesome storage space. Only thing is the headlight drops that could be better could come w/ storage containers for the back.

Three months ago, I purchased a used 1995 Saturn sl2 with a manual transmission. The person I bought it from says that she replaced the transmission once already. It has 170,000 miles on it. The past few week, I have heard a light knocking from the transmission. The other day, while going down the highway, the transmission starts slipping badly. I exit and get to a light and the transmission locked up. I couldnt move my car at all, in neutral or any gear. I was less than 1/5 away from my apartment and I had to have it towed home. It cost me $85.00 for less than a 1/5 of a mile because the transmission went out again; twice in 170,000 miles.

I own a 2006 Saturn Ion with a little over 50,000 miles (purchased new). My key got stuck in the cylinder as well and the car would not stop running. I took my vehicle to a local auto shop and got the ignition lock cylinder replaced, OEM part 20869121. It was coded to accept my original key (no switch out). Total cost was $178. Time: 30 minutes of labor can take up to an 1 hour. To turn off my car when the incident occurred, I pulled four of the main switch plugs, two 30s and two 40s. They can be found under the hood. A black lid covers this area marked with a round red cap. The switches are easy to pull out and put back in. They help you avoid wearing down the battery or having to deal with it at all. I hope this helps.

Bought my 03 Saturn wagon 5 years ago. Engine light stays on 3 years now. Clears out with mechanic. Get it to pass inspection. Light comes back on. Horn died, trunk lock had to be replaced, eats tires and sway bars like crazy. Put new brakes every year. Everything rusted underneath. New manifold. Needed catalytic converter twice. Now I just cant put any more funds into this car. Seeking a different vehicle now. Only has 167,000 miles. I drove a 96 Subaru wagon into the ground. It had over 200,000 miles and still ran awesome. It was the body that finally gave out. Disappointed in the many needed repairs. Doesnt shift out of first without struggling either. The clock gains a minute every couple weeks.

I bought a GM Certified 2007 Saturn Aura in November of 2008. The vehicle had 14,500 miles on it when I purchased it. The car fax said there were no problems, other than a minor gasket, which was replaced at about 5,000 miles. I immediately went into the dealership for wheel imbalance problems, that the dealership never did satisfactorily fix. My own mechanic later told me he found a bent rim on one wheel right away, when he replaced the tires. The brake pads broke at 15,000 miles, and the seat back airbag housing fell apart at 16,000 miles (no one sits in my back seat). Both door speakers were replaced by 16,000 miles, and I am not a teenager. It was in the shop for steering noise and vibration problems, on three separate times. The new oil pan gasket was done at 16,500 miles. The washer fluid pump failed at 37,000 miles, and the final problem after 4 years at 45,000 miles, the head gasket failed. Most of these things were taken care of under warranty, but the sheer time it takes to wade through all of these problems is not worth it to drive American.I am a GM brat, and this will be the last vehicle that I purchase from them. This is the worst vehicle that I have had, since my 1984 Renault Alliance. I owe more than the dumb thing is worth, so I have no choice but to keep my fingers crossed, and hope that it lasts until I pay it off. 2007 was the first model year for the Aura, but GM had been making the Opel equivalent for at least two years before. You think they would have worked the bugs out, before they brought it to the US.

We have a 2008 Saturn Aura, it has 80 thousand miles. One day, the wife was driving it. It made a noise and bam, the car died. I talk to some people and they said it was the timing chain. So we took in to get looked at and the garage said they took off one of the valve covers off, and all the valves were broke in half. Its going to cost a lot of money. This stinks.

We have had our 2005 Saturn Ion for three years. Nothing but problems! Two months into owning the car, I was leaving to take my daughter to school and the security light came on and would not let me start my car. It took ten minutes to start. I had the ignition replaced and only two months later, it happened again. I took it in again and they told me they didnt see any problems with it. I took it home and now, we have programmed ourselves to leave the house 10-15 minutes earlier to make sure the car will start. Right now, at this very moment, my car will not start. It has not started at all today, I tried numerous times but nothing. When I turn the key, the security light flashes and the engine light comes on too. The dealership doesnt have any open appointments till Tuesday and now are down to one car. Starting tomorrow, I will get to wake my children up at 4am to take my husband to work in Roseville. Ridiculous! How can a dealership be able to stay in business selling faulty vehicles and never have to recall any of the major, not to mention, extremely dangerous problems? An attorney, class action lawsuit? Enough is enough. Maybe after that, then maybe GM will actually do their job and fix the problems that obviously exist.

I had this problem several years ago - after 4 trips to the dealer and replaced starter, it turned out car wasnt recognizing that is was in PARK and therefore would not let me shut car off. Dealer finally fixed the problem. This was 100% fixed after they addressed the gear shift P vs D issue

I, too, will add a complaint about my key getting stuck and my car not shutting off. Also, it often won’t start for 10 to 30 minutes randomly. I live in the desert and have been stuck with my 2 small toddlers in the heat with a car that just wont start. The vehicle says, “Service engine.” And having serviced it, it still happens. This ignition switch problem is a huge safety issue and needs to be recalled. If I end up in a dangerous situation and cant flee because my car won’t start, that’s a problem. I have another baby on the way and I don’t even feel comfortable taking my kids with me in this car because I fear being stranded in the heat with them. Though it eventually works, babies can get heat stroke and so can I, sitting in or out of the car while we wait. When it was diagnosed, I have been told nothing seems to be wrong. In contacting GM, there haven’t been enough complaints to warrant a recall. I am reporting this as a safety issue and will also be contacting the NTSA.

The ignition switch I can put the key fine on it, but when it comes to take it, it gets stuck. Im just frustrated with it. Its just so ridiculous that i have to sit in the car and wait until I heard a clicking sound on the steer wheel column. And now with the winter, if the temperature is low like approximately 20s degrees Fahrenheit, the car wont start at all. I believe myself the company should take the action and responsibility over this. About most of the people who owns a Saturn got the same issues.

I loved my Saturn until now. The first thing that it started doing was the oil pressure light came on saying oil pressure low, turn engine off. I pulled over and turned the engine off, waited a few minutes and turned it back on. Message was gone. Then a couple days later the stabilitrak error message came up saying traction control off service stabilitrak. Engine speed decreasing. Couldnt go above 20 mph. Turned car off. Restarted car error message gone. Then transmission started slipping until it wouldnt go out of 2nd gear. Took the car to the shop and 4000.00 dollars later the transmission was replaced. Now one week later, the stabilitrak message came back on while driving home today and in a curve the steering wheel locked up. This car is horrible. I have never had this many problems out of a car before. Back to the shop where Im sure I will have to break the bank. Again! Saturn needs to make a recall on these cars. How many complaints about the same thing has to be posted before they actually do something about it. Never again. I will tell everyone to avoid buying a GM product.

My son who just graduated and saved his money to buy his first care, brought a 1999 Saturn SL for $1000 as-is. It ran for less than 12 hours and the engine blew up. We went back to the dealer and he would not help us out at all. He said it was his problem, not the dealers problem. His first word out of his mouth was, does it have oil in it? It was really low on oil, barely showed on the dip stick we put two quarts in it and he drove it home and the next morning on his way to work, it blew a rod. We tried to get him to help us, but all he said was the car was no good to him now, so my son is out a car and $1000. Please, I just want everyone to beware of this dealer.

My 3 vehicles were on the recall list. I currently have the Chevrolet and the other two cars were sold. During the first year of purchasing these vehicles, I incurred problems with each of them. The vehicles would sporadically start/stall on me and my son. We both experienced being stranded at work, in parking lots or while running errands. My son worked late hours and in the City of Detroit. He had to sit and wait for my husband to come from Commerce Township to W. 8 Mile-Detroit. Needless to say, those occurrences were frightening and very unsafe. On a number of occasions, my husband had to jump start the both of us.We replaced 3 batteries and that did not fix the problem. After towing the vehicles from repair shops to the dealership, the service dept. told me, the 2002 Oldsmobile Alero needed an ignition switch/cylinder and new key fob. The car worked fine after that. Then, I had to replace the ignition switch on the 2008 Saturn LS. The 2005 Chevrolet Impala was serviced upon the recall notice. My complaint is, I spent money for ignitions on both vehicles before the recall and General Motors denied my claim for reimbursement. There should be a class action suit for customers who experienced the same circumstance.

Spring 2011, we bought a 2007 Saturn Ion2 from a local dealer. I noticed that there was a lot of complaints about the ignition switches. I asked the dealer about it, he said he hasnt heard any of it. The car had 80,000 miles but was in excellent condition. The key switch did stick occasionally, we were told to get another key made. I told them if I have a problem with this, I expect them to fix it at their expense. All they said was, if it fails within the 30 day warranty they will replace it. The switch is now locked up. I get the bill. What crap. Saturn should be held liable for using known defective switches.

It looks like I am one of many who own a 2003 Saturn Ion where the ignition lock cylinder locks up & cant remove key. It happens many times, twice this week. I went to the auto store & got a new cylinder. I tried to put in it, but now the key goes in & out easily but the whole cylinder will not turn at all, so the car cant be started! Im going to have to tear apart the steering column maybe. I dont want to have to buy another new part costing $84+ tax especially since the new parts probably are defective also. It does absolutely no good to buy the new part & it doesnt work when you install it. Since now the cylinder is completely stuck & doesnt move at all, I cant even use the car! I have to carpool my wife to her job etc, and cant afford to buy another car. Since Saturn & GM knows about all the Saturn owners having this same problem, there needs to be a major recall and a class action suit to repay all the owners for the expenses they incur because Saturn/GM stopped making new cars, and the local GM mechanics, etc. just throw up their hands and say sorry! This is a consumer nightmare.

I love my car (2005 Saturn ION coupe)! However, as the weather warmed up, my key would not come out of the ignition. I looked up how much it would cost to fix this and the price was outrageous. As with the other comments, why is this not a recall item? You cant get out of the car unless you have the presence of mind to hit the door lock, which may be difficult as we have been programmed to find the door unlocked when the ignition is turned off. Cheap temporary fix: under the steering column is a small diamond-shaped cover and I popped it off and pressed my thumb on a switch on the left-hand side (switch has spongy feeling - and a little greasy) and turned the key at the same time. No problem. This is temporary and will not stop the key from getting stuck again, but Id rather be inconvenienced a bit than pay out the nose for something that is well documented and should be fixed by a recall.

I have a 2005 Vue with a standard transmission. Today, for the 5th time, I went to get into the car and the key would not go in the ignition. I called my old Saturn dealer (now Cadillac) and one of the techs told me to turn the wheel as far as I could to the right and then back to the left (then go back and forth with the wheel rocking it) until the steering column locked. Once that happened, I had to release the lever for the tilt feature on the steering wheel and jam it up and down as hard as I could in the hopes that the movement would realign the pins in the tumblers which would allow the key entry. When that still didnt help, I turned the locked steering column as hard as I could to the left and tried inserting the key. Success finally! I drove home from work. But when I got out of the car in the garage, I tried to reinsert the key again and the ignition would not accept it. So Im hoping I can repeat the above routine just so I can get to the dealer to have the entire assembly replaced. Quote is $325. This should not be happening. With all the reading I have done about GM moving so much of its operations to China, I dont think they really care about us leftover Saturn owners. Never again!

For the past 12 months I have been experiencing some starting problem with my 2005 Saturn Ion. Sometimes, I put the key in the ignition and turn it and the car does not start. However, after taking the key out and waiting between 7 and 10 minutes and trying to start, it starts without any problem. As mentioned, this problem has been going on for the past 12 months. So today, after reading some of the blogs and a posted phone number (**), I decided to call, the lady answering the phone was very polite and helpful. She called a buick dealership and got the service person on the phone. I asked this person if he had ever heard of this problem and he acknowledged that he did not. But after pressing further, he admitted that he had heard of this problem but need the car to further troubleshoot the problem and that they will charge a fee to do.Ill wait and see what happens. I am not ready to contact an attorney yet.

I bought this 2003 Saturn Ion for my son a few months ago. It was a great deal... less than 30,000 miles with a clean title. After reading all these issues, I am worried. He was having the key problem where the key would not come out. NOW (yesterday) we noticed that the key comes out, but will not turn past ACC. You can start his car with just about any key and even your finger with pressure. Problem is, if we cannot get it to turn off, it kills the battery (learned this yesterday also). We live in Hawaii... Not too many places carry the part and once we get it here (shipped express for the cost of a small island itself), I hope it works. This is/was a great deal and the perfect car for my son. Now I am scared.

OK so I have a Saturn ion 2004. When I purchase the car, it had 58000 miles on it. Maybe two yrs and the key stop turning, it wouldnt turn sometimes. So what did once I had it acc. I kept it there and put tape around to cover the key. Now my car is flipping out my lights on my dash, comes on and off. Power steering is not working. I changed the powering steering, still nothing. Im so tired of this vehicle. Frustrated!!!

I have a 2007 Saturn Ion. Last year, during summer, I got in the car to go to work and my key would not turn in the ignition. So, I missed work, had to get a tow, and had to have the ignition lock/cylinder replaced on my car (that I am still making payments on). Now, a year later, my key keeps getting stuck when I try to turn the car off.

I purchased 1995 Saturn with 63,000 miles in 2010. The car reached 75,000 miles on Dec 2011. The cylinder head cracked and needs to replaced for approximate cost of $2000.00. Research shows cars from 1992-1999 had a cylinder head defect in the design and Saturn extended the warranty to 100,000 miles but due to the age of the car, GM will not help out with repair cost. Read from other customers, no one got help. GM does not acknowledge the warranty. I just want consumers to know Saturn cars may look good, have low mileage but after 50,000 miles, trouble awaits around the corner.

Sure would love to know did Gm let their service Departments know about ignition problems. So when customers came in, they would what to do. That way they wouldnt be guessing and charging customers a lot of unnecessary money.

My 2008 Saturn Aura trans just went out today. The check engine light came on this morning, and during my drive to have it looked at, the car just started to speed up and back down so I pulled over. I called AAA and they could not even get the car to go into reverse. I called GM; I was told to take it into a GM dealership and now Im wondering if I am going to be out of a lot of money after reading the known issues. GM states my warranty ended 4 months ago, but I never received anything in the mail.

I bought a 2002 Saturn Ion sl2 and Ive had nothing but problems. How is it that these crooks are allowed to get away with this? My ignition locked up while I was driving leaving me stranded for three hours on a busy road in 100 degree heat with no extra money for a tow truck or to get it fixed, and unable to after replacing the ignition to unlock the vehicle. I am glad that my son was not in the car with me and there was no accident as an outcome of this or GM would be hearing from my attorney. I will be getting rid of this car immediately.And the thing that irritates me the most is that NO ONE from this company cares. They care about making their money and robbing people, people like me who had to save up months to be able to purchase a vehicle hoping it would be reliable and safe to transfer my son and I from daycare, work and school. I will never purchase another vehicle through them again. Now I have to worry about how I will be repairing a vehicle I dont have money to fix and still pay my bills and find a way to work and school. Thank you so much for your poor engineering.

I parked a vehicle. I went to turn it off and the key would not turn back to off position, the car would not stop running. I finished to drive home. I tried access to the switch inside the column as pointed out in the drivers manual. Also, I tried turning the wheel back and forth, shifting, etc. as pointed out in the manual. The key would not come out. I disconnected the battery and pulled the fuse on injectors to get it to stop. I took it to the dealer the next morning, after leaving it parked outside, unlocked with keys inside the car and started it by reconnecting the battery and inserting the fuse. The cylinder kit and housing kit were replaced at the dealership and one set of keys were replaced. I was told that both keys would work. I tested them in the dealer lot, neither set worked well in the trunk or the doors, but they both started and stopped the car. The bill came to $701.11. I left the dealership to get lunch, half a mile away, went through drive-thru and then to the office for another half mile away. I parked the car to go inside. The key turned the vehicle off, but would not come out of the ignition. I drove back to the dealership and they rechecked it, apparently sprayed some graphite into the ignition, tested it several times and at this point, works. But I have no confidence in this not happening again. Research on the internet shows hundreds of others that have experienced this problem and no recall to this point. Not even an investigation.

I have an 06 Saturn Ion. Several years ago, I had my ignition locked, could not remove or turn the key. The dealer did repairs. Now the ignition problem is returning along with mystery starting problems.

As some have rightly noted, RUN from GM vehicles!! I purchased a 2008 Saturn Outlook, and it has been plagued with problems - overheating, water pump failure, power steering pump leak, cv joints, struts, oil leaks, stabilitrak sensor failure, engine (sensors going out), transaxle leak, master brake cylinder failure, etc. Most of the problems occurred within 5 years of ownership. I decided to buy American and purchased a Saturn because of word of mouth reviews about the brand. Worst mistake ever!!! GM refuses to own the issues with this vehicle and declare it a lemon. I had to purchase another vehicle - a foreign one this time - because of its unreliability. Pre-owned buyers beware - DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE!!! A vehicle I thought I could have for 10 years is just a piece of crap.

I have a 2005 Saturn Ion 3 that I bought new. It has been a great car. In April of 2011, I went to start my car and it would not start. I turned it off and tried to take the key out of the ignition and it would not move. It was stuck in the ignition and I could not get it to do anything. On January 4, 2012, I tried to start my car and it would not start.On the first incident, I had it towed to Firestone who has done all the work on my Saturn 2005 Ion 3 since the warranty expired. The steering wheel column had to be removed to get the key out of the ignition and the battery was replaced. On the second incident, I had it towed again to Firestone. The mechanic was able to start it. He began to research problems with Saturns and found the ignition problem. He advised me to take it to Saturn for an ignition replacement.

I own a 2005 Saturn Ion. I love this car but the ignition lock issue is a big concern. I have been battling this ignition lock for years. I took it twice to the Saturn dealer in 2007. They first said it was the ignition cylinder and then they said it was the ignition switch. It was neither. Fortunately, my warranty covered the service. There is a sensor in the shifter that indicates that the car is in park. Through my trials and errors, if you are parked on a flat angle, inclined or declined, the shifter is not allowed to engage fully into the park position and your key will remain locked up. A huge pain and I have sent my complaint to the FTC but have not heard anything. Dont bother taking it in anymore. Start the vehicle, shift it out of gear and put it back in park. Shut off the vehicle or move the car to a different parking spot (flat, inclined or declined). To know if its engaged or not, you will hear a clicking sound coming from the steering column once you have pressed the brake and put it into park. What a pain and a serious hazard!

Saturn vue 2008, 80000 miles, transmissions than, + many problems and noise in front end.

My fiance has a 2002 Saturn SC2 with low mileage (43,891). I just went outside to check the mileage in order to submit this complaint like so many others and now the key will not come out. The motor turns off but will not release the key. Here is the real safety issue. I can pull the shifter from park through all of the gears without stepping on the brake petal! The car is parked on a hill and anyone can pull the shifter and let it roll down the hill! The problem has just recently started to exist since the temperature has gone below about 40 degrees. The car was in like showroom condition when purchased about 3 years ago.

I have a 2006 Saturn Ion that has a recall for fuel odor and fuel dripping from the tank due to hole in the line. I had this repaired at a GM dealer and then found out about a recall. I called to get reimbursed for my expense and was told my Saturn did not have the recall on it. I do not understand how it would not have been recalled when I am having the same problem, which was described in the recall. The person at the service center could do no more than read from a paper. He was of very little help and did nothing but piss me off. If the Ion has a problem, it should be taken care of.

I have a 2004 Saturn Ion I purchased new. I am on my third try fixing the ignition. I had worked on it in August 2011, June 2012 and now. The dealership has replaced twice in two days the ignition housing, switch and other things; and it still will not work. I have been working on spending $2,000 on this issue. Twice, I could not turn the key and had it towed, and once, it would not shut off.

I called General Motors Saturn to find out about a recall on my car. I am having the same problem that thousands of people are encountering with Saturn L200, the timing chain. But I am not able to get help because my VIN # is not in the batch of whoever randomly selected the vehicles to get fixed.

I am having the same issue as everyone else here as far as the ignition not shutting off on my 2006 Saturn Ion. Thankfully (I guess), I have a manual transmission and was able to turn off the car by popping the clutch. I called GM and they were uncooperative. They would not tell me if the issue was being looked into by them. So, I called Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and filed a complaint. The number is 1-888-327-4236 (Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 8:00pm Eastern). It literally took me under five minutes. Its the only way that anyone will take any notice of this sort of thing. I suggest you call and complain as well.

Last year, my key got stuck in the ignition and I paid $800.00 dollars to have a new ignition in Aug 2010. Now, Im having the same problem again. I brought it to the dealer who said that there was no problem. They lubricated the ignition and the key came out.Now, two weeks later, Im encountering the same problem. I cannot believe that there is no recall on this. I refuse to keep paying for the same ** problem. Apparently, I was not the only consumer with this problem with the 2007 Saturn Ion. It was crazy and expensive to keep repairing it. The dealer informed me that the part has a one-year warranty. Either the U.S. makes crappy parts or there is a major issue with this.

Saturn ion 3 2005 - Key gets stuck, car shuts off when it wants, and steering goes out sometimes. This is a two hand on steering wheel car for sure!! Pretty scary. It awful that some people who have complaints about this car are no longer living human beings. That must have been changing the radio station while making a turn. Remember two hands and hold on tightly!! I no longer drive cars that have internal combustion engines with complex engine starting features, (push button once to engage low power circuit for radio and accessories, push button again to engage high power circuit for electrical traction motor). Simple, no service ever, no transmission, exhaust, sensors, hoses, belts, radiator, water, clutch, etc., no service required. Good luck with those old things.

Folks, run away, and I mean far, far away from GM and most American made cars. Just plain horrible. What they keep churning out every year and yet wont last 10 years. You will be ladened with huge repair cost. I am done with USA made vehicles after a very bad experience with Ford, both Taurus, and Windstar.

My 2006 Saturn Ion began having starting problems locking up. I took my car in due to one of the recalls on this model in hopes this problem would be resolved once and for all. The service department said the locking up problem was not part of the recall and that I needed a new battery or a new starter. I told him that I had already had both of these replaced and the problem was still ongoing. Again he said this had nothing to do with the recall. They supposedly repaired my car and now it is totally locked up and will not start. WORST SERVICE EVER!! WORST VEHICLE EVER!!

My 2008 Saturn Vue is a mess. I need a new heater core, fog comes inside the car, my speedometer is now not working. I am afraid that it is going to blow up while I am driving it. I do not have the money for repair. It is only a 2008 and it is horrible. Help.

I have been complaining about an issue with my 2003 Saturn for just over 3 years. Each time I contacted GM they said that this issue was not a problem in Canada. I found numerous writings on the internet of owners having the same issue. Recently I was driving along when a warning sound came on and my message center lit up with the message PWR STR, the service engine warning light also became illuminated. This time I had a passenger in my car who witnessed how the car was a challenge for me to control and manage. I contacted 3 or 4 GM dealerships presented them with the letter of awareness I received from GM advising that I may experience this issue with my car, I was told they are not aware of the Power Steering issue and that I would need to pay for any repairs. I finally contacted GM and was told to take my car to a dealership and pay to have a diagnostic test completed and if it revealed that there was an issue with the Power Steering I would not have to pay the charge for the diagnostic test. As most people who have posted their complaint online have indicated that they have paid out large sums of money for repairs that did not resolve the issue. I was told by the dealership today November 14, 2011 that I needed to replace the Transmission Control Module @ a cost of $999.50 plus installation charge of $230.00 for a total of $1,413.93. I am posting this as I want to make sure that there is a public record should I be killed or left with injuries so severe that I cannot communicate, at least my family would be aware that this car was defective and GM did not make the necessary repairs.

I am fed up! I bought a 2000 Saturn SL2 just a few months ago; it had 139,000 miles on it at the time of purchase. I bought it from a used car dealership which I have dealt with in the past and I have always gotten good cars from them. They check their vehicles out thoroughly before they are put on the lot for sale. Three months after purchase (and, I might add, being treated as though it were made of gold), the transmission started giving me problems with the gears not wanting to engage when shifted. I contacted the dealership, who referred me to their transmission shop. They diagnosed the problem as a defective valve body and told me that this is a common problem with Saturns. Since they replaced the said valve body, the car shifts worse than ever! It slams into reverse, it slams into second and third gear, and now I am afraid to drive it (I might also add that this car is necessary for my job). I have contacted the shop and they have agreed to look at the car again. But reading all these other complaints against Saturn, I hold very little hope that the problem can be fixed or that the dealership will continue to put out money to fix a car that, by all accounts, will just continue to give me problems. Saturn stinks, and the company should be heartily ashamed of themselves! If this transmission cant be fixed and the dealer decides not to stick any more of their money into it, I will lose my job because I cant get to work; this is the only vehicle I have. I cant afford to have it fixed on my own and I still owe about $4500 on the car.

I recently purchased a 2007 Saturn Aura XE with roughly 108,000 miles on it. The car drove like a dream for a little over a month. Now its the beginning of April and I was on my way to work this morning and suddenly, my car started jerking. So at a traffic light, I put the car in neutral then back in drive and it gave a hard jerk. Mind you this was at 7:20am. So once I got to work, I called the dealer where I got the car from. At about 11:30am I was en route to take the car to the dealer and noticed it wasnt doing it anymore and nor did it do it on the way home this evening, so well see! Hopefully that was an isolated incident but will keep you posted!

Vue 2.2 5MT 2004 - I bought this car after careful consideration. I needed an SUV, 5MT (I love manual) and a gas saver. Saturn Vue was one of very few vehicles on the US market which satisfied my requirements. However, before buying it, do your research (as I did)! The 2.2 engine is good on gas and has chain instead of belt (so no worries about changing it), but stay away from 2.2 CVT vehicles!!! This is the most unreliable transmission I ever heard of. I have never read a single review about CVT where the transmission wasnt changed (which costs about $5000). 5MT Saturns only come with FWD, no AWD versions, but I have never experienced any problems getting stuck even during this horrible winter. And in terms of reliability, 5MT cannot even be compared to CVT, its very difficult to kill it, only if you dont know how to drive a manual at all and shift with grinding all the time - while a CVT can die every moment, without warning.However, with 5MT, dont forget that you should change both your transmission fluid (DEXRON III, dont use VI!!! Or, I use Pennzoil Syncromesh) and brake fluid in the clutch mechanism in time. Some people think these dont have to be changed, and its completely wrong. If your fluid is black, youre certainly killing your clutch or transmission. If youre a DIY person, its very easy to do both.However, there are several serious drawbacks. First, at RPMs above 3000, the engine is noisy. And at the same time, the transmission is built very strangely, so that at 40 mph you can already put it in 5th. As a result, at highway speeds (~70-75 mph) your RPMs are between 3200 and 4000 approximately. So engine noise inside the cab is guaranteed. Its not too loud, but its audible, the only thing that makes it tolerable is the whistling of air (I couldnt understand where its coming from) so that the engine noise doesnt seem so loud. I dont know why Saturn made such a transmission. I was riding with my friend in his Honda, its automatic, but still, at 60 mph his RPMs were only about 2000, while Saturn has at least 2500 on the tachometer even in 5th gear.Why make such a transmission? Of course its noisy when the engine runs constantly between 3300-4000 RPM on a highway! And at the same time, why did they install this dashboard which proudly says that the maximum speed is 130 mph? This transmission cant go even close to that, it will reach maximum RPMs well before. And by the way, if the engine didnt work at such high RPMs, it would have even better highway gas mileage. This is Saturn...I wont say anything about cheap plastic materials in the cab, I dont care about this, and its not a luxury car. If you need extreme comfort and expensive cab interior, buy something like a Cadillac and pay for servicing its numerous electronic devices. For me, the advantage of this car is its simplicity, I can fix or change most of the stuff myself.Also, there are stupid things which are just gross mistakes of the designers. Take the clutch: the bleeder valve is metal, but the tube which holds it is plastic, so if you want to change your old black fluid and then bleed the system, be very careful, because the valve may be rusty and stuck, and you can easily break the plactic tube and disable your car until it is replaced (youll have to buy a new master brake cylinder as this tube is not sold separately). Why couldnt they make this tube metal instead of plastic, knowing that there may be some effort needed to turn the valve??? Probably because its cheaper...And finally, Id like to mention the headlights. In this car they are the most horrible Ive ever seen. They sit in deep wells so the light beam is very narrow and only lights up a small piece of the road, not speaking about street signs - you can forget about it. At the same time, if you try to install a powerful bulb, youll see the other problem - the idiot designers didnt make a glare screen in front of the bulb, instead, theres a strange-looking and completely useless tube! I have specially looked at lots of other vehicles, they all have either projectors or a glare cap! But Saturn decided that Vue drivers dont need them! So if you install a powerful bulb, you have to make sure its the type with end painted, otherwise oncoming drivers are looking directly at your bulb, not covered by anything! At the same time, this light is just wasted, instead of being reflected by the glare cap and thrown onto the main reflector to magnify the beam. Bravo, Saturn! A very wise decision! I also have to mention that the high beams are poor as well, and they are located separately from low beams (different bulbs) but adjusted together. Which is horrible because normal car manufacturers make high beam HIGH - so that its ABOVE low beam cutoff. No such luck with the Vue - the high beams are practically on the same level as low beams, and if you try to raise them so they can do their work, low beams are raised too and start blinding oncoming traffic! But if you adjust low beams so that they dont blind, your so-called high beams point to the ground and are practically useless! Ive never seen more stupid headlights. And worst of all, there are NO aftermarket modified (e.g. projector) headlights for this car, theyre all the same stupid type!But overall, the cars not bad and I didnt have too many issues with it. Just dont buy CVT versions. And check the clutch before buying it, the replacement is expensive. If you dont know what to look for, bring a friend who knows a lot about manual cars.

I purchased my Saturn Outlook as a demo in July of 2007 with about 13,000 miles. My transmission failed at only 48,000 miles and was rebuilt since I was still under warranty. Now less than 20,000 miles and 2 years later, I am having the same gear change, engine light, stalling and jerking problems that I experienced at 48,000 miles. Now no longer under warranty, I am paying all kinds of service and labor fees when GM is well aware of the faulty clutch wave plate destroying transmissions in its vehicles. They need a recall on this product as it is a safety issue for Americans all across this country. Shame on GM for sweeping this issue under the rug and giving American products a bad name. It will come back to bite them in the end!

I love this Saturn, shes 2008 Saturn Aura. Its American-made, it has a nice roomy interior, the colors are beautiful neutral, the truck space is wonderful and there are certain aspects about it like cruise control and sunroof. This is a wonderful car. It has all the things that you need including air conditioning, Heat, great radio comfortable seats, cruise control, large back seat, large trunk, its well-made and easily maintained. It gets decent gas mileage and Ive driven it for over a hundred twenty thousand miles and were still going strong. But the drivers seat is hard to get just ride in terms of distance from the gas pedal and distance from the steering wheel so that youre not up on the wheel but you have some ability to be somewhat back, the rear view mirror never seems to quite be where it needs to be, and it doesnt always have the most energetic get-up-and-go of any car Ive ever owned.

I have a 2004 Saturn Vue. Has 108,000 miles, RUNS GREAT, SHIFTS GREAT, DRIVES GREAT!!! But today I was under the car looking at it as I was changing the oil, and noticed the engine cradle was rusty and had little pinholes. So I tapped on it with a claw hammer and big holes came looking at me. Lucky, I can fabricate and weld very well. I wire wheeled the bad area and fabricated a piece of metal to fit the area. Then welded place and made a new plate for the 2 bolts where the back mount of the trans bolted up due to that was rusted out also...It is ok now. BUT SATURN NEEDS TO BUILD THE CRADLE OUT OF HEAVIER STEEL. VERY THIN AND POOR DESIGN FOR DIRT AND MUD TO GET IN THERE AND THEN RUST OUT.

I tried to go to our 9 pm service Christmas eve but could not get my Saturn Ion 2006 to start, or even to turn the key. This is the fourth time this has happened. I have replaced the battery and gone to a mechanic three times and am now stuck.

I have the same problem. I just had the recall from GM done on my 03 Saturn Ion today. They replaced the switch and ignition lock cylinder because of cars going dead because the ignition switch turned off easily with a little weight on the key ring. Accidents occurred and they were sued. This was not for and did not fix the problem of the key not turning all the way off without reaching underneath and pressing the solenoid plunger which feels like a switch (They said nothing when replacing the new switch if this ever happened then). I did not inform them of the problem either.I just found a fairly new video on YouTube that concerns this very problem. Watch the video. Long story short, the shifter micro-switch is not engaging either because of a bad switch or a bad placement fit of the switch to where the plunger of the switch is not being depressed as to close the switch and therefore allow voltage to be applied to the ignition switch solenoid, freeing the cylinder to turn off. The YouTube video title is Saturn Ion key ignition stuck wont come out (solved) manual override & troubleshoot . Search for: video ** by Danroxye01. He made a later one to better explain with audio of what he found out.

My Saturn was purchased used with 49k on it at a Saturn dealership as a certified pre-owned vehicle. That was 13.5 years ago in 2000, to now currently Aug 2014. I have replace brakes in it twice on the front, once on the rear. I forgot how many sets of tires I have had on it. At 90k I put on a new set of struts totally making the ride awesome and feeling like a new car. I have hit 2 deer and 1 deer has ran into the side of the car. The deer collisions I was able to almost stop before hitting them. The shroud that runs under the car for the A/C cooling is now gone because of that. The result is that the A/C does not work super great unless the car is moving in a forward motion. Just sitting in the hot sun at idle with the cooling fan running though the A/C will blow out the vents at about 47 deg. F. It goes down to 40 deg. while rolling down the road. To me this is satisfactory as I dont sit idle for long. Also during the deer collisions the A/C condenser was bent so it almost touches the radiator, it did not leak so Im not messing with it. I installed an hour meter into the vehicle and change my oil every 125 hours. This usually works out to about 3200-4700 miles. It started to use a quart of oil about every oil change when the car had about 165k on it. I then switched from Castrol conventional oil to Castrol High Mileage. Now it uses about a 1/4 quart every oil change. I have noticed that it uses more oil in town than if I cruise down the highway. Also most of the miles I have put on the car are highway miles. I flushed/replaced coolant, replaced the outer tie rod ends not because of wear but because the rubber seal started to crack at 182k. I have had to put on a new catalytic converter at about 88k, replaced the muffler and rear pipe section at 182k. Replace manual trans fluid at 100k and at 182k. Have replace the fuel filter 2 times (should have done this more often). It has 30k on the newest filter so will change it soon. I replace the air filter about every 15k depending on the roads I drive on. Everyone I know says to give them my old air filter because I change them so often. I dont mind, I believe that a good supply of air is the key to the 37-42 mpg on hwy and 27-30 mpg city. Saturn of SLC said the ECTS had to be replaced when the car was replaced at 88k. I have had to replace it one additional time at 160k. When it is really cold outside the engine will idle high when stopping until sitting for a few seconds. Im not replacing the ECTS again as I think this is a normal Saturn thing at really cold temperatures. Also while at Saturn of SLC, they told me that my fuel pump was bad and would replace it for $800. All that is wrong is the check valve is bad. If the key is turned to run then wait about 5 seconds, the fuel pump will bring the system up to pressure and the car starts great. Only problems I have is if someone else uses my car, they get in and turn the key to start right away and it cranks but does not start because of the lack of fuel. To me this is not an issue as every vehicle I have ever owned I turn the key to run, listen for the fuel pump to stop then start. So to save $800 all one has to do is this. 1 get into vehicle, 2 insert key and turn to run, 3 fasten seat belt, 4 start the vehicle. It will be up to pressure by time the seat belt is put on. Oh, and one more thing, the windshield in this car is awesome. I have had some large size rocks fall off trucks and hit the window directly. The angle is just right that they bounce over the car. Mine is pitted from many miles of highway driving but still satisfactory. The other day 205k, it was really hot in the car. I went to shift into reverse, the plastic shifter bushing broke. I was told this usually breaks around 70k so I carried an extra in the glove box. It is made by Dorman ($4). Also the other day my A/C evaporator drain plugged up 205k, easy fix, take an ink pen and stick it in the drain hole, the system drains fine now. That sums up the history of my Saturn for the 157k that I have owned it.I have also owned a 1991 Saturn SL1 Manual trans had an alternator issue at around 7k and was covered by warranty/recall. The starter went bad at 12k. Changed the oil every 3000 miles then at 64k the ex took it in the divorce. No known other issues. A 2004 ION3 Coupe Auto trans. Had a power module go bad at 65k. Dont remember the resolution. Lost the car to another ex. Moms car, a 1998 Saturn SL1, clutch master cyl went bad at 118k. No other known issues. She gave it to brother and he sold it because money burns hole in his pockets.Moms car, a 2001 Saturn SC2 manual trans - she changes oil when the dash light tells her to. I did replace the trans fluid for her in it. Around 50k starter went bad. Re-manufactured started installed and that one went bad at 88k. Replaced again under starter warranty oreilly auto parts. Replaced and brother has the car. He called and said there is a exhaust leak around exhaust manifold 93k. I have not looked at it but to me this is a minor issue. Note, this car has almost all miles city driving to the bank or store and back which are VERY HARD on the car. I hope that I helped someone out with this review.

I have a 2005 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe. I had issues off and on for a couple years from miles 50,000 - 90,000. Currently at 105,000 miles and the last 15,000 miles, the ignition stops at ACC and is locked every single time I turn off the car. I wait and hope every time that my key will come out, but held hostage by the lockout until a miracle occurs and the ignition releases the key without rhyme or reason. Sometimes this takes 1 - 10 minutes. Makes it difficult to valet or go anywhere with friends!

My son lost control of my 2006 Saturn Ion, hit a pole head on going 50 mph. Then the car did a total of three 360s and then a 180. Air bags never deployed and my son and the passenger were trauma cases. The air bags could have saved them and some of the injuries.

I had same problem which turned fatal for some people. Electrical problems from alarm randomly going off while driving, interior lights coming on, stalling out completely while driving. Cost me a fortune to repair. Got rid of it. I have had 6 Saturns since 1990 and from a family of GM employees. In my opinion, and firsthand experience, GM mismanaged Saturn, essentially killing it either out of sheer incompetence or intentional neglect. [I mean, what company copies the same exact cars the Saturn made and advertises them but ignores the marketing for Saturn?] So what was once proudly touted as a 97% American-made car, was now in 2004, a car with parts from all over the world. Coincidence? I think not. It opened in 1990 as the site for Saturn manufacturing and continued through March 2004 as the sole manufacturing plant overseen by the Saturn subsidiary. After the United Auto Workers ratified a new contract in March 2004, the plant became part of General Motors... Wikipedia, accessed 3/13/2015. I own a Saturn Aura 2007 [its an American built Opel Vectra GMs German brand that always has been superior]. I will run it into the ground but then never buy another GM car again. Mismanagement should not be rewarded.

I was driving my VUE on the feeder road of the freeway when I came to the stop sign and as I began to take off my engine just revved up and would not go. I put it in park and turned the car off and it started up fine but when I tried to put in drive it just wouldnt move. I then had it towed to a mechanic shop and they looked at it and said it needed a new transmission which would be about 5,000. I took it to several shops and they all basically said the same thing. I was told by this one shop here in Houston, TX that there was a lawsuit against GM and I would have to pay for the repairs upfront but that GM would reimburse me. So I did a little research and I have seen several blogs on this subject but I guess I didnt do enough. I paid the repair shop $4900.00 to fix the transmission and still it doesnt run right. I have had to take it back to them 2 times for them to fix the transmission. GM should pay for the repair costs and there shouldnt be a time limit when we could have filed a claim. Im sure there are more Saturn cars that will be having the same problem in the future and were going to be stuck paying more for repairs than the car is probably worth.

I am literally fed up with Saturn. I have been having all sorts of problems with this car, from the key being stuck in the ignition, to the car not starting anytime the temperature is below 50 degrees, to the car stopping in the middle of the traffic. I have notified Saturn and even payed them before they went out of business, to fix this problem and yet it still exist. I have contacted the BBB and was stated that nothing could be done because I was past the warranty and lemon laws for the state of TN. Someone needs to help us. Within an hour, I have read about 20 complaints. Does it take that many complaints to get attention about these cars? This is horrible. Im so upset with Saturn, GMC, and BBB, for not supporting their customers.

Saturn Outlook 2008 - The car turns off while driving. I am a mother with 4 kids and I am driving all over the places. This is my second time that I am driving with my kids the car turns off. Im terrified I will get in an accident with my kids in the car. I call to GM and and I ask whats wrong with my car? GM service department told me that I need to change my ignition... OMG!! IGNITION??? I am a AUTOMOBILE LOCKSMITH and the problem is not IGNITION.

The 2006 Saturn Ion key gets stuck in the ignition. It will come out while in ACC position, but the key wont turn all the way back to off. I had no idea that this was a common problem. I am the only owner of this car. It now has 100,000 miles.

Almost a year ago, the throttle body on my 2005 Saturn Ion became gummed up and I had to take it in for service. The throttle body was not a major fix but once my car was at the shop, it turns out a totally unrelated issue occurred as the ignition switch broke or the shop mechanic broke it and that needed to be replace before they were able to determine that the throttle body was only gummed up, a $50 fix but the ignition switch was $200 plus! And guess what is now acting up? I cant get into the car and turn the ignition switch on the first turn 100% of the time. Mind you, there has been only one key on the key ring since the change last year, as to make sure there was no added stress on the ignition switch. I am going to have to take the car in again for the ignition switch because the problem is getting worse and worse. It seems only a matter of time before I wont be able to turn the ignition switch to start my car. There definitely seems to be a flaw in the ignition switch on the 2005 Saturn Ion. When will there be a recall to correct this and what do we do in the mean time? Keep paying $200 plus?

My 2003 Saturn Ion has developed the same ignition lock, and not starting problems, in the last 6 months.

This 2006 Saturn Vue has been comfortable, invaluable and now has 261,000 miles. Original owner and only now is it about time to trade it in.

I have 07 Ion with 30000 miles. Also, I am a mechanic for last five years. I had the ignition lock problem last night when I got home. It seems to be a recurring problem and needs to be addressed by GM. This is a costly problem for most and could result in a bigger issue such as theft. Do not hesitate to call your local dealership and raise hell!

I have loved my 2004 Saturn Ion, bought it in August 2009 with 80k, and now June 2013 146k. No problems up to last month. But now when I put the key in, it wont even turn to the right. My sister and I have figured out that if you take your time to push up and to the right, about the 10th attempt it turns to the right and starts... SUPER ANNOYING! Reading these other reviews makes me want to quickly trade it in! So sad because I have loved not having a payment! :(

They said it was the key; the tumblers were bad, and they re-keyed it. The Saturn still locks up, and cannot get the key out. Another problem is it would not steer the other day. I waited for a while then it steered just fine, and drove home. How do we get a recall on this issue? You buy a car and pay a lot of money, and then it has no reliability. I am concerned about going anywhere using a car that will just get me stranded.

I went out of town in my 2006 Saturn Ion. While I was there, I could not turn the ignition off on my car. The key was stuck and would not turn back so I could turn the car off. Thank God, I had a spare key in my purse and was able to lock the car and leave it running. I had a few things to do in town, so my car was on for 6 hours or more. I just had to make sure that I had enough gas in it. I just found out that its going to cost me $300 to have this problem fixed.

I noticed about a year ago that my ignition would stay on after I removed my key from the slot. I thought this was odd, but not a problem since if I turned to the off position the motor would cut as it should. In December of this year, and again in February as I drove my car along very busy streets it turned off. The wheel froze, nothing worked as I pulled the car to the right with all of my strength. I managed to coast to the side of the road and restart my car. Both times I assumed that I had somehow hit or pulled my key. Ive since (about 10 days ago) received a recall notice in the mail. I urge anyone who knows someone with such a car to take it to a repair shop as soon as possible. My experience was quite scary and potentially dangerous.

I have a 2006 Saturn ION with only 60K miles and it has been in the shop for manufacturer defects 3 times already. I paid 200 for the ignition lock in May since the key will get stuck and I could not turn car off. I am a single parent with kids and it was scary when your car is stuck. I also paid $300 for a new camshaft actuator and selenoid. Now in December another valve malfunctioned and I called customer service and they gave me the run-around. I dealt with a district specialist named Vince and one named Drew and they both laughed at me and told me I am out of warranty since it’s past the 5 year mark and there is nothing they can do even though the dealer told them on the phone that it’s a manufacturer defect. I was told by Drew from Saturn, “Sorry, these things happen…” They had promised to give me at least a 10% discount and the dealership told me that they had no documentation. They never returned my calls. I have paid over $1000 out of my pocket for manufacturer defects and this car only has 60k. It keeps failing—valve, keys, fuel pump. Help.

I have a 2007 Saturn Ion and, like others on here, I have experienced my key getting stuck in the ignition. The only difference is this happened to me when I was on vacation and I have no idea where the nearest mechanic was. I contacted AAA and they tried to come out to help but were unsuccessful. They pointed me to a Sears mechanic in the area and the gentleman there was extremely helpful, but because I was on vacation and needed to have the car to get home, they were only able to offer a temporary fix for the problem, which was to unplug the battery and remove the fuse to force the car to shut off. They were able to remove the key though. I am very disappointed in Saturn and GM that they have neglected to recall this part and am surprised there are so many people out there that have had the same exact problem. Shame on you, GM.

I have a 2007 Ion and it has been the best car I have ever owned. I have not had a minutes trouble out of it. I am so sad that they quit making Saturns. From the salesman to the service department it was the best experience ever. I have 96,000 miles. I bought it with 7 miles on it. There has been a recall on it but it was taken care of in an expeditious manner. I heard in the news media that there may be an airbag issue but I have not received a letter. I have had three Saturns.

Under the steering wheel lock, there is an access cover. Remove the cover and you will be able to feel the mechanism with your finger. There is a metal flange of sort that can be pressed and the key will release. Ive had this problem for a couple of years now, but it is something I can live with.