I will never buy a GM product again. My Saturn Aura only has 72,000 miles, and the transmission has already broken. Trying to deal with GM is a joke -everything from the dealership to customer service. Our warranty expired one month ago, but I am still 27,000 miles under the 100,000-mile mark, and of course, GM does not want to do anything about it. My car has been in the shop for over 5 days, and I am constantly being told I have to pay more for diagnostics. How many error codes need to pop up for GM to admit they made lemon of a car? All GM cares about is getting you in the door; once you are there, customer service no longer cares.

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.

In the last four years, Ive had my ignition replaced three times. Saturn designed a faulty ignition and as soon as a service department repairs it, the problems start up (the same day). The key gets stuck in the ignition, the car wont start, or the car wont turn off. The problem cant be fixed because they keep using faulty parts.

I had the ignition replaced in May, 2011. Now that the weather is getting cold, my car has refused to start twice. This is more of a safety issue than not being able to get the key out of the ignition. When is the government going to step in? I havent taken it to the dealership, but I am expecting a grand run-around while they try to bully me into paying for something theyve known is a problem.

My wifes 2008 Saturn Vue has 65000 miles on it. Less than a year out of warranty and without warning, the transmission started to slip. I was told by the transmission repair shop that the transmission would need to be repaired at a cost of $3000.00. The shop said there is a snap ring in these transmissions that is a common point of failure. I would estimate this is a $20.00 part at best. Why would GM continue to put cars on the market when they know there are issues with them? It appears this issue has been know about since at least 2005 and continues to 2010 based on my internet research. I feel GM has a responsibility to current Saturn owners and should recall these vehicles and make all those that have already failed eligible for restitution. I have been a lifelong GM owner but I have to say this one may be my last. If you are thinking about buying GM, I say stay away from them.

I have under 50,000 miles on my Saturn and yesterday, without warning, the transmission quit. Will not move in any gear. I have an estimate to repair of 3,600 dollars from a dealer. This has been an ongoing with Saturns as I am learning. I really feel cheated by Chevy. It is time for someone in this company to step up to the plate. I love my car. I would think twice now about buying any Chevy product.

I had my car fixed when recalled. Yesterday my car would not start and the key is stuck in the ignition. I charged the battery got key out. Today car is dead again. I just bought new battery early this year. I am afraid to go out as even though repaired the key gets stuck and battery dies. It is like ignition never shuts car off completely! I want a new replacement car. This thing has been to shop way too many times.

In January 2010, my family purchased a one owner, 2003 Saturn Vue 6 cyl. It was a great SUV until last week. That was the day the VTI transmission decided to come apart whilst I was driving on the Interstate at 70mph in rush hour traffic. Upon getting it into the old Saturn dealership, I was told by the service manager that this was a known problem, GM had an extended policy on it and I should call the above number to start a claim. I went home and looked this known problem that was not issued as a recall but rather as an internal service memo. Imagine my dismay at finding out that the previous owners had been informed of the problem, traded the Saturn in and were able to buy it all within the space of a month. It seems, according to the attorneys that filed the class action suit against GM, that the notice was to travel with the title (of course it didnt or wed not have bought the car). We were to be offered 5K in credits on a new GM car and there would be no punishment on the trade-in of the piece of junk we now owned. Because it was not recalled, Carfax, NTSB, et al. didnt warn us either.A week later, I finally got a call from GM and was told that I was outside the class, but GM would look into getting me something, no promises. The offer came through today. Theyd give us the 5K in credits toward a new GM car, but nothing else. No trade in (that 5K is the trade in) value and nothing more.

My head just might explode!!! We bought our 2008 Saturn from a certified dealer about 3 years ago. The vehicle had just about 30K miles on it at the time. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, we noticed that the engine light would come on and the service StabiliTrak light would come on. I obviously brought it back to the dealership, as it was under warranty at that time, and they said they figured out the problem and sent us on our way. Of course, no sooner did I pull out of the shop, and they light came on again. So, back we went...they said they repaired it. Sure enough, it did it again and they eventually came to the conclusion it was just a stupid sensor and everything was actually fine!Fast forward to December 2013 and the POS starts acting up. The transmission light came on and I panicked. My brother-in-law suggested we just try putting in more fluid and see if that helps. We did...it helped for about 2 days. And then...HELL BROKE LOOSE!! The entire transmission was shot!! It had something to do about a wave plate and as a result, we needed to get an entirely rebuilt transmission to the tune of about $3,600!!! Literally, on the way home from the repair shop, the engine light started flashing! I immediately turned around and brought it back to the shop. They ran some tests and determined that it was likely some excess crap that just happened to pass through the sensor causing it to get triggered.Now, 8 months later, the engine light keeps going on and whenever I fill my car with gas, I have to rev the accelerator to get it to start!! It seemed to be running ok...but after the last fiasco, we didnt want to risk anything. So, I brought it into the shop. The technician find that there has been over 36K misfires from cylinder 2 and that the spark plug has seized. I leave my vehicle there and drive their 1994 Toyota Corolla with over 232K miles on it over the weekend as a loaner. (amazing how a 1994 Toyota Corolla with 232K miles is still running, but my 2008 with 92K miles on it is toast). Anyways, he said that they wanted to replace the spark plugs and then try moving the cylinder coil that had been connected to the #2 over to a different one to see if maybe the issue was just the cylinder coil and nothing more serious.I receive a call this afternoon telling me that it appears that the issue was not related to the cylinder coil and they suspect we are going to need a NEW ENGINE!!!!! Yep, thats right...A NEW ENGINE!!!! This car does not even have 100K miles on it and I am being told I need to put a NEW ENGINE in it??? After we already replaced the transmission!!! That is seriously wrong and a total load of crap!!It appears that both the transmission and the engine are well-known problems for this model and year of vehicle!! I guess 2007s are experiencing the same troubles!! If you look online you can see discussion board after discussion board all discussing these same issues. Saturn needs to stand up and take responsibility for producing a faulty product!!! There is no reason I should have to put in over $10K worth of repairs on a vehicle with less than 100K miles on it!! It is disgraceful!!!

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.

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.

The transmission in my 2008 Saturn aura just went out about 2 weeks ago. My sister was driving it and it just would not start back up in the middle of Detroit traffic. It only has 80,000 miles on it and of course the warranty just expired about 9 months ago. All of us who are having the same problems should get together and create a class action suit against GM. This repair cost is in excess of $3700.00 according to the GM dealership. I do not have that kind of money to spend, in particular on a vehicle that only has 80, 000 miles on the transmission. Please email me ** and lets do this!

I purchased a 2008 saturn aura xr in May 2013. The first night I realized my alarm and locks didnt work unless I pulled up to unlock each door or pushed the lock on each door down to lock the car which is just irritating. Then 2 days later the left tire sensor went out, 3 weeks after getting the car my check engine light, service esc and traction control came on. We thought those issues were taken care of when I took car back to dealership but here I am 10 different shops later & no one can tell me whats wrong with my car. The car turns on & off while driving making me lose all power steering power brakes & its scary. Ignition lock light randomly comes on. Car will start freaking out while Im driving it with 2 kids in rear facing car seats in the back & Im terrified I will get in an accident with my kids in the car & not one shop can tell me what is wrong with my vehicle. Just got car back after it being in shop for 7 weeks & its worse than its ever been. I cant drive this car. Its not safe, it has a mind of its own & the dash board & everything electrical goes crazy while Im driving the car. Ive contacted saturn & email, called anyone I could. All saturn did was pay for them to diagnose my car & diagnoses was nothing was wrong. I have a video of my gas gauge jumping up & down & everything going crazy on dash board while Im driving the car. I cant get anyone to call me back now even though I have a claim # & I just want to know whats wrong with my only car. I have 2 kids 1 car & need to find out whats wrong with car & saturn wont even call me back.

My transmission went out in my Saturn Vue on February 14, 2012. It did not give me a warning or anything; it just went out while I was driving. I looked up the info about the transmission and contacted both CarMax and GM about this due to the fact that I purchased the car in June 2009. After a month of back and forth with GM and no one wanting to take blame, I was told that though I have the faulty transmission, I am not covered under the warranty because it would have had to go out before March 2011 and I was 2000 miles over the warranty (100,000 miles). I explained to them that the average car comes with the same warranty and I cannot tell my transmission when it needs to go out. GM refused to help pay for a new transmission and refused to give me a credit towards a new car, though they said they were or take responsibility. I am a single mom with 4 kids, and though it is not their fault I am single or have 4 kids, it lets me know they do not care about the consumers. I need transportation to get them back and forth to school and me to work. I have no car and rely on someone to take me to work and take my kids to school, or I am forced to use public transportation to get where we need to go. I have no idea what to do at this point, and I do not have the money for a new car, new transmission; nothing. I just wanted GM to fix the darn car or give me a credit towards a new one without having to take care of the negative equity or putting money down. I am just frustrated. I need to know what to do to resolve this issue,

My 2007 Saturn Aura XR with approx. 80,000 miles would not engage in gear. After towing it to transmission repair shop, was told it had essentially disintegrated and was completely shot. I have been reading hundreds of identical complaints with this model year transmission. When I emailed GM customer service, I was told my VIN was not part of this transmission recall. Many others were told the same thing yet its the same problem with this model year (The door was damaged when it rolled into a pole when I thought it was engaged in park). Repairs are in excess of $3,000 and with no Saturn parts available. Clearly a defect. There should be assistance with repairs. Seems US auto makers get a bailout yet consumers get screwed. Can anything be done?

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 purchased a 2007 Aura, and was told it was recently serviced after two weeks. I was told that the struts were shot in it, and its in need of new tires. I also had to change the brakes right away. The total cost would exceed $1,000.00. I was told by the dealership that the car was in great condition, nothing wrong with it. And the warning light that was on was an indication of low tire pressure. That light stayed on even after air was put into the tires.

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.

In 2006, I purchased a new 2006 Saturn Ion. I loved it at the time, but since then have had numerous problems. It is a lemon. I had to have the ignition system replaced because my key would get stuck in it every time I turned the car off. It is now doing this again. I have had the entire computer system replaced twice because all the gauges went hay wire while driving and wouldnt stop. Recently this has started happening again. Two years ago, my automatic windows stopped rolling down, then suddenly started working again for about 2 months, and now dont work. Talk about fun when going through a drive through and having to open your door because your windows dont work. My cigarette lighter fuse has to be replaced about once every 3 months because it shorts out. Last week I was adjusting my rear view mirror and it just fell off. It didnt come unglued from the window, but the ball and socket joint somehow broke and cant be fixed except by ordering a completely new mirror because for some reason you cant order that one little plastic part that broke. For the last year my gas gauge has been completely inaccurate. After filling up completely it says I only have 1/2 tank of gas and after driving for 20 minutes my gauge is on empty. So I have to rely on my low fuel message to come on, which Im sure wont be long before that breaks as well. The only good thing is that I havent had any engine trouble...yet.

My 2005 Saturn Ion wont start. There is no problem with my car. It has new battery, starter, alternator. It drove just fine the night before. It snowed then in the morning it wont start. The engine lights come on and the radio and inside light but the engine wont click or make a sound of any kind. Its just not right for them to make cars with such horrible defects. I actual have had another bad experience with this car. I came out of Walmart and opened my car and started it. Was about to drive off when I realized it wasnt my car but instead the one next to it. I got out so fast. Embarrassed I called Saturn to complain and was told that its rare but happens. Dont worry because it probably was made at the same facility but rare chance to meet up again. I didnt think too hard on it and drove off. Saturn should be sued for the problems their cars have created for us. I now have a car that doesnt run and when called in to complain was told to contact BBB and leave complaint in which I did. I was also informed Saturn no longer makes cars and that complaints dont hurt GM as they dont affect them. We should start a lawsuit.

I have a 2005 Ion Saturn, which I have had problems with the ignition switch on this car since I bought this new. Before, I couldnt get it to start and they fixed that. Now, I cant get the key to come out of the ignition. I have had numerous people look at this. They have checked the fuses, tried the shifting lever, but to no help in getting it out.I have a child that I take to school and I am afraid I wont be able to get her there on time, also to get her home. Why doesnt anyone fix this? I am on low income as I have not been able to work and have no money to stick into this car. This piece of junk has been nothing but a pain since I bought it, which I didnt want to do in the first place but was talked into by an elder salesman saying this would be a good car for me. Ha! What a laugh!

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.

Common problems with Saturns. The L-SERIES timing chain brakes without warning , so if you are an owner always drive next to the side of the road for ease of stop when this happens (only a matter of time) the ION and VUEs have common transmission problems, the S-SERIES have a common leak issue, pretty much if you are a Saturn owner put about $4000 aside because you will need it sooner or later(sorry to say), and say a prayer before you drive that Saturn car always.

Saturn 2005 Ion, from neutral, when shifting to drive it engages hard. Also, coolant light on dash comes on after car is idling.

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.

Recently purchased a 2001 Saturn SC2. The ignition locked in the off position and there no way I could get it to turn. I broke one key and bent a spare. Finally had to get it towed and its at a local repair shop now. I have read many complaints on this issue, but apparently GM has never issued a recall. I used to be a big GM fan, but not now.

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

2007 Saturn Ion - Over the last few months, when Id try to turn my car off, the key would randomly get stuck and I couldnt pull it out. This morning, I arrived at work and couldnt even turn the car off. I called a local Chevy dealership and they suggested slamming the gear shift back and forth. It didnt work. I took it in to the dealership and got a phone call from them about 40 minutes later saying its going to cost $648 plus tax, because the whole case and cylinder need to be replaced. Ill follow with an update.

Wow, I must not get out much. I had no idea that every other Saturn owner was experiencing the same ignition switch problem! What the ****! Mine was replaced by a Saturn dealer a couple of years ago and now experiencing the same problem again. My windows no longer go down. My power steering is out. I think I purchased an overpriced, plastic Barbie car!

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!

The key stuck in the ignition. It cost over $400 to get it fixed. This should be a recall. I contacted the manufacturer and they have never responded. Currently, the car is in the shop because it is shifting as if it is manual transmission, when it is an automatic. Then, it just quit working totally. The 2007 Saturn Ion was purchased in 2007.

I returned home and the key wouldnt turn off. It was locked in the on position, still running. The temperature outside is over 100 and my husband even had to take the steering column apart just to shut the engine off. So now, you basically have to hot wire the car to start it and disconnect wire to turn it off. I can see that Im not the only one out here with the same problem - mine is a Saturn Ion 2005 with 45,000 miles. We need a recall! Obviously, Saturn has a real problem here. Look at the post and this is just from the people that inquired. Help ** if you know what I should do. I dont have the money to make the repair!

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.

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.

We have had 2 Saturn 2006 Ion ignition problems - they get stuck and we were unable to shut down the car. Now my 2008 Vue is having ignition problems where it is randomly getting stuck. The dealership service recommended that I wait until it completely breaks down. Unfortunately, all of our cars are no longer in warranty so it is out of pocket expense for us.

There was a funny smell in the car then the battery light went on. I called my mechanic and he told me to shut all heaters, radio and lights off in the car. I was about 25 km away from him. Fortunately, I made it to the mechanic without having to call a tow truck.

Does anyone else have issues with their car turning on in cold weather? I say it happens when it is cold because it happens more frequently in the winter! Ive asked and taken it to get it checked and no one can tell me what the issue is! It is so frustrating because I have called the dealership and get no answers from them either! I cannot afford to lose the car but no one wants to buy it so I can buy a different one. It makes life so difficult when I have to go to work or do what I need to do. I hate that this car. It has been so unreliable for the past 3 years!

Saturn Vue original trans failed at 121,500. Based on what I read, I was lucky to have had it last that long. As new GM failed to uphold the results of the lawsuit, that is to cover replacement for a defective product, I had to pay $5000 for parts and labor to replace. I was told warranty is 3-year/36k miles. I went ahead, thinking if I get three years that would be great and worth the money. Now, at 2 years and 34,000 miles, I have a failing trans and am being told that no, the warranty is only 12/12. I am screwed. Even my mechanic was told 3/36 by dealership where he bought it. Get it on paper, people. I cannot afford a new car or $5k to get another bad trans. I am stuck in PA.

My 2000 Saturn LS now has 118,000 miles on it. 2 weeks ago it suddenly began emitting a very loud noise under the hood. It starts up immediately and drives smoothly, but when idling gets very loud. Took to mechanic. They thought maybe rocker arms had broken but they were fine. Could find no reason for the noise. They decided something must be sticking from built-up gunk so they replaced the Valve Cover Gasket, cleaned and put in some oil additive and let it run. The noise stopped, I picked the car up and it has been fine. Now 12 days later and only driven about 50 miles, it began the exact same thing, same noise, etc and it starts up immediately and drives smooth. But the noise is very loud when idling and I can hear a little bit of the noise when driving. I took it to the Mechanic this morning and left it. He did recommend a Power Steering Seal, and the output Shaft Seal has slow leak, but said it is not urgent to fix right now since I do not drive daily nor far. I see no leaks on the driveway. Any clue or suggestions on what could be causing this very loud noise? It does not overheat and oil pressure gauge indicates no problem. All fluid levels are fine and I just had an oil change and have only driven 1,000 miles since that was done. Help please!!

In 2002, we purchased a new Saturn L100 for the purpose of towing it behind our motor home. It could be towed on four wheels and collect no mileage. Now, after replacing the transmission, I was told that it is NOT recommended to tow this car on all four wheels. What gives?

My wife was unable to turn off the engine on her 2006 Ion. The key was stuck in the ignition in the on position. She had to take time off work to take it to a mechanic. Im surprised to see that this is such a widespread problem and there has been no recall. I will probably never buy another GM vehicle.

I have a 2005 Saturn; the ignition will not shut off. I have read all the other reports on here, and feel something should be done about this on going problem. My wife called me at work telling me that she could not turn the key to shut the car off. I had to call a friend; have him come over and pull the fuse, and disconnect the battery. Now we are short one car until I can fix this.

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.

I am furious to find out that GM knew all along about the ignition problems with some of their cars. We bought our daughter a 2003 Saturn Ion in 2004. In less than 2 years the problems with the ignition started. It was a nightmare! She lived 800 miles away and dealt with the car not starting constantly. Sometimes the car would start then shut off and not start again for 15 or 20 mins or longer. The car died on the interstate!!! She could have gotten hit by another car! She had to call the police and they pushed her off the road onto a side road and she waited for AAA to come and haul her car over 100 miles back to her house. This all happened at night. She took the car to mechanic after mechanic to dealership after dealership trying to figure out what the fix was. Finally, a friends boyfriend did some research on the web and saw all the complaints and figured out to take the fob off. That did help but she still had problems with battery needing charged, the battery was being run down even though the car was off. A lot of electric issues. When I read about all the horrible accidents it makes me sick to think these families should not have had to suffer these losses and what could have happened to my daughter. Shameful.

I have a 2005 Saturn Ion 3. The key wont release from the ignition when I shut the motor off. I have to sit in the car and keep trying to remove it, or wait a few minutes until I hear a thud in the column before it will release. I had a 1993 Saturn, and it had the same key release problem. Saturn should have found a remedy or upgrade to this problem by now.

The car has been unreliable since day one--the window has continually fogged up, need to run it with the air on at all time. Every morning, it bucks and chugs for the first half mile. The car only has 50,000 miles on it and now I have had to replace the starter, and of course the ignition. My work around for this has been to pull all the plastic around the steering column. I pulled the key out with pliers and I can now start it by twisting the ignition bezel. I stop it by pulling the electrical connection at the back of the ignition cylinder. It is a manual transmission. Does anyone have an 800 number at GM that I can call and complain to?

I bought a 2004 Saturn Vue, second hand from a dealer in 2007. The first sign of trouble (2008) was a loss of power coupled with clutch to the floor. I managed to get it in gear and drive it to a repair shop (not a dealer, but a very reputable local shop). The master clutch cylinder was shot. Its cost was $400. The mechanic also informed me the car was going into gear, but with a grinding chirp in third. He said it was most likely a synchro ring.I then left on a cross-country trip. A day into my trip the clutch was springy again, so I topped it up with Automatic Transition Fluid (Oops--should have been brake fluid). Four hours later my clutch pedal froze and then finally just fell to the floor. Luckily I was right at an exit with another very nice repair shop. It needed a full clutch system replacement. One week in the shop, and $1500 later, I was back on the road.The second sign of trouble was last winter (1/2011). The car would run and shift, but not go into gear again. The clutch, however, was still feeling normal. Having no money, I started researching possibilities. This was when I learned of all the Saturn transmission problems. Luckily, I noticed an anomaly on the shift linkage. The tension pin in the shift linkage sheared off both sides of the input shaft. I managed to get two thirds of the pin out, but the middle pin was fused. I couldnt get the new pin in more than half way. It was in far enough to shift the car so we just left it at that until I could get back grinding the pin out or whatever.The third problem (3/2011) was a replaced, worn, passenger side, wheel bearing. The fourth problem (6/11) was a severe loss of power and blinking check engine light. The AAMCO repair shop found a bad coil pack, $500 to get fixed, but the engine light is now steady on. (The original repair man said a very narrow fault tolerance on one emissions computer was known to put the light on in this model of car and it would sometimes be on and sometimes off).Finally (10/11) I start having problems getting my car into third, then a clunk and now I can only use 1, 2, 5 and R. It is likely that the synchro ring finally broke. I might replace the transmission myself because I can almost afford $1k; no way I can do or would do more. I emailed Saturn to see what they would do about the transmission which is known to have many problems.

2006 Saturn Ion got to work and could not shut my car off. I work at a jail so I could not go in and go on the internet to find the closest Saturn dealer, which I find out later is an hour away in Stockton. I took it to the first auto repair I found and it cost almost $700.00 to get it fixed. I am submitting my bill to Saturn, with a formal complaint to get this reimbursed. I see lots and lots of this happening and it should be a recall.

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.

I had the same clunking in a 2002 SL1 with 130,000 miles. A former Saturn transmission specialist said that he could have adjusted it for $500 if I had not run it clunking much. The transmission specialist had to replace the case with a used case and fixed it for $1000. You need to find a transmission specialist who knows Saturns. Good luck.

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 bought a 2007 Saturn Ion Red Line edition car from Capital Auto Mall, on the Ford side of the building. Moments after driving the car off the dealership lot, the engine broke down resulting in a new engine being required. From that moment on there was nothing but problems with the company and very poor customer service - being ignored, phone calls not returned, questions not being answered etc.Capital did agree to replace the engine in the car. I had requested my warranty that I paid almost $3000 for to cover the repairs, and Capital refused my request and insisted they cover all the costs of the new engine, because they didnt want to blemish my warranty. They wanted to replace the engine with a used engine, with higher mileage than the original. The car only has 92,000 km. and the engine had 120,000 km. Thats at least 2 years of driving lost on that engine. I told Capital, No, I do not want that engine in my car, and I requested again that my warranty cover the cost of a new engine and, yet again, they refused, went ahead and installed the used engine anyways in their quick lane service.After that moment, I told them that I no longer want the car (this was just days after signing the papers) and I asked if they would just return the car and drop the loan. All they said was, No, you are committed to the loan. So I said, Okay, put me into a different car. They said, Sure, no problem. I took all my financing papers, everything I got for the car. Next day, they called me stating they could not get me into a different car, and that I was stuck with the Saturn and they did not return my paperwork. I asked several times to get my paperwork back and they keep saying, Yeah, yeah, we will find it and get it back to you. Still, no paperwork has been returned.The car sat outside their shop for 3 weeks before they even thought about installing this used engine. I called 2-4 times a week, and every time I talked to them, it was, Yeah, the car is coming into the shop tomorrow, but yet it never did, until I got real mad and personally went in there and complained. Finally, the car went in the shop.A couple of days went by with no word on the car, so I called probably 5-6 times and didnt get a phone call back. Finally, on the last try, someone answered the phone, and said they couldnt figure out what their tech did wrong installing the engine. It ran horrible; they checked the engine light. It was running lean. A couple more days went by. They asked me to come in to talk about the car, so I went in, and they explained to me how the warranty I paid $3000 for was voided by them due to not doing a mechanical inspection prior to selling the car, and that they would have to refund the $3000, and made me sign a paper stating this would happen. After signing, they gave me the keys and told me to have a nice day.At this point, the car was not back to its original condition. It had a slight exhaust leak under the hood; the check engine light was still on. Driving down the road, the whole front end of the car knocked and banged. I asked Capital to pull the car in the shop and check the subframe bolts but they refused and told me, Thats not going to happen. So I then took it to my own work, lifted the car up with a jack and checked the bolts myself. All the subframe bolts were loose as well as both front ball joint bolts, and every motor mount bolt was loose. The next day, I called Capital and asked them if it was a journey man tech that worked on my car. They had said yes, so I asked if I could see his papers and they replied, No. They had that subframe let go on the highway. It could have killed me and my brand new baby that was just born on January 27th, 2013, who I have in my car almost daily.I had given up on Capital and fixed the car myself. I fixed the check engine light, running issue exhaust leak, and tightened all those bolts. Two weeks later, I noticed blue smoke from the tail pipe. I contacted Capital about the warranty on the engine, and they said it would cover any and all repairs for 101 days as per SGI Auto Salvage warranty (engine was supplied by SGI Salvage). Basically every day I contacted Capital about the second replacement engine. They kept telling me they were looking for a new engine for about a week and half. Finally, they gave up looking for an engine told me that SGI themselves wanted to see what was wrong with the engine, and that if it was non-repairable, they would refund me the cost of the engine, and Capital stated they would find a different engine on their own or give me to money to locate one myself. I agreed to this, so I took the car to SGI.The next day, SGI contacted me telling me that there was no warranty on the engine due to it being heavily modified and sent me on my way. I then went right down to Capital Auto Mall, spoke to the quick lane manager and he told me basically that if SGI wont cover the engine, it was not their problem and there was nothing they could or would do for me. How is this fair to me? I didnt mod the car ... how the car sits is how it was bought from Capital. They reinstalled these parts without telling me about them. So now, basically, I was paying $15,000 for a piece of steel in my backyard that doesnt run or move and I have to pay for any and all repairs.This is why I bought that warranty for $3000 - to prevent this. It is not my fault they didnt do their job, nor have they even paid that $3000 back to me. I also paid for a propack auto service which cost close to $1000, and that service has yet to be performed. I have asked at least 15 times to get it done, and they keep telling me, Okay, okay, I will book it in and call you back. They never do call back. I even asked for a refund on the service seeing as they wont do it and got told no, that it wouldnt happen, like really!? I paid for it.It has been a complete gong show mess; I do not want this car anymore. It has been nothing but a headache and now they just straight up dont care. They wont help, wont cover any of their own work. Its complete BS. What can I do about this? Im sure I can supply more details, but for now these are the basics.

Saturn 200 VUE, Bad Transmission Chain - My CBT transmission chain belt went out, after only a couple of years! The car has been sitting in my drive way (not drivable) for the last 2 years! I have been awaiting a recall! I cannot believe with all the issues viewed here, still no recall has been done. Disgraceful!

I bought my Saturn Aura from a used dealership and couldnt have been happier with my choice. Ive had it for 3 years, just replaced the starter for the first time, gas is wonderful, smooth ride, wonderful seat warmers!!!! I absolutely love my car. The seats are that comfortable so it is great for long trips. I have lower back pain and have absolutely no problems with seats at all. I love the seat warmers, they heat up fairly quickly and its not just the seat it is the back as well. Super cozy for when it is cold outside. So the car sits kind of low and Im short so seeing over the dashboard can be an issue however not in this car, with the electric seat settings I can sit all the way up height wise and it brings me in closer so I can reach the pedals at the same time. I can even angle the seat some for my comfort. Several settings easy to adjust to what you like. The sunroof is absolutely amazing! I havent had any issues with leaks or mechanical. It is so wonderful to have the sunroof open and the windows down on a summers day. Gas mileage is pretty great too, it usually takes about 25-30 to fill up when gas is 2.25 The leather seats are genuine and very smooth. Feels and looks very high end. Very big windshield with huge view! I like to see out across a big windshield and boy this car is full view thankfully! I have owned it for 3 years now. The only thing that could improve would be to bring the car back and add back massagers to the seats. The plastic covers on the inside break off real easily too. Other than that like the old saying is whats not broke dont fix it and why should you.

For the third time/third year in a row, I am having ignition switch problems with my 2006 Saturn Ion. I purchased my vehicle brand-new in 2006. I loved the car. But in 2010, my vehicle would not shut off. I took the vehicle to a crappy GM dealer that took 3 months to fix the problem. I paid $300 to get the ignition chamber switched out. In 2011, I had another problem. I couldnt take the key out of the ignition. Luckily, since it was within one year, they fixed the problem under parts warranty. Now, 4/11/2012, I couldnt turn my vehicle off again and was late to work trying to remove the key. I had to leave the car running, and my husband drove to my job, got in the car, drove it home, and had to remove wiring to shut it off. I called Saturn Customer Care and have to take the vehicle into the nearest dealership. I have to pay for the diagnostic, and so on and so forth. I am upset. This is ridiculous. Once this problem is fixed, I am trading in my vehicle; someone else can deal with this problem. I want to know if I can sue. I will even settle for them just buying the car back from me, so I can buy a new car. I just cant deal with the headaches, time, and money anymore. Anyone with these issues, I suggest calling Saturn Customer Care at 1-800-553-6000. You shouldnt have to pay out of pocket.

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.

I purchased a 2003 Saturn Vue in 2009. Regretfully, I did not do my homework before purchasing. The transmission went out along with the transfer case. I paid $4976.23 for a new tranny and a rebuilt transfer case. The car has lost significant MPGs and will not shift correctly since the new install. It has greatly reduced power at take-off and there is screeching/clunking noise when turning left. GM dealership told me I need a new front differential now, a cost of $5,400. This car is a disgrace. I am still making payments on it. I have paid more in repairs then I have on my monthly payments. Is there any advice on reimbursement for all these expense? Do I have recourse?

My 2006 Saturn Ion with only 43,500 miles on it would not start because of not being able to turn the key. I had to be towed to the GM dealer. They replaced the ignition housing and cylinder at the cost of $413.00. Its still acting up somewhat when I try to turn the key, it seem to stick somewhat. I just hope it keeps starting the car. After reading all the complaints about the same problem, I think its about time there was a recall on this problem. I am going to call the consumer affairs department of Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, I found this number online. I hope everyone who reads this also calls this same number.

I have a 2003 Saturn Vue originally purchased new by my parents. Ive have began having problems getting the ignition switch out of the locked position. After noticing my one and only key was severely worn and may be causing the problem. Called a local GM dealer who informed me to make a new key would cost $20 and $65 for the dealer to access the key code online. I have never had to pay to get my vehicles key code after supplying proper ID of ownership. Neither my parents or I ever received an amended handbook notifying us of additional fees for key code access. Geesh, I pay less to use the internet for 3 months.

I was running errands yesterday, no problems. Went out last night and when I came home, I could not shut my car off or get the key out of the ignition. Tried to remove a fuse for engine, no luck. Disconnected the battery, no luck. Called roadside assistance from AARP, finally came out about 1:00 am. He did something under the hood and the car did shut off. At least I didnt have to sit up all night till I ran out of gas (3/4 tank full). I just had the gas leak fixed, which was a recall. I had to put out $700 and wait to get reimbursed. Which I had to return to the people I borrowed it from. If this is an on-going problem, I will have to get rid of the car. I am single and 61 and cannot afford to get stuck somewhere with this nightmare.

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.

I bought a Saturn from a dealer who gave me an engine Warranty For Life. At 88,000 miles, while on a trip, my engine blew. I rented a car to finish our journey and returned. I was told at the dealer who took over for the Saturn company that $5500 is needed to replace. I couldnt afford it so I had my son drive my truck down and we rented a towing dolly and towed it home.I traded the car in, as is, but then asked this new dealer if my warranty was any good. They said that GM covered them for a while but not anymore. I was hoping there was a class action suit going on somewhere.

My Saturn is a good car. I had not too much trouble out of my Saturn car, drive nice. I have a 134,000 miles on my car. I purchase my car from a small dealership near Me where I live. I had a 122,000 when I purchase. I had my 2007 Saturn ion 2 for 7 months. The only problems I had was the air bags on and the recall that is on the Saturn. But Saturn is a good brands. Just about every car had a problem or a recall.

My 2007 Saturn Ion recently started having trouble starting. I assumed it was because of the cold weather, then I started smelling gasoline inside and outside my car. I took in the RJ & G Auto Care in Raleigh, North Carolina and they found that I had a crack in my fuel pump on the supply side, meaning it was not something that I did wrong. It was the manufacturer. I dealt with Jerry ** (the manager) and he was very nice and helpful! He checked with Bob ** on whether or not there was a recall on fuel pumps (there were not) and if it was under warranty so it could be replaced for free (which it was). Because RJ & G had to drop my gas tank to find the problem, I was charged $174.74. It was then towed from RJ & G to Bob Murray on Capital Blvd, costing me $85.00. I feel that I should be reimbursed the $259.74 that I had to pay out of pocket for something I did not cause. It is absolutely ridiculous that a 2007 with 53, 580 miles (at time of service) had a crack in the fuel pump! I am so thankful for Jerry who saved me a few hundred dollars but the problem should have never occurred. I asked Jerry if there was anything that I could have done to cause the crack and he said absolutely not. He came to this conclusion based on where the crack was at.

My 2003 VUE (3.0) hit the 100K threshold a few months back. I noticed increasing delay in starting, so decided to change out plugs with iridium ones. Ran great following new plug job. Shortly thereafter, I noticed a few trouble codes causing my Check Engine light to come on. First was for Cam Shaft Position Sensor, and second was for low temp sensor. After ruling out fuses, faulty connectors, etc., I decided to replace the Cam Sensor (easy), and thermostat (especially since it had never been done). When I finally finished the job, the car wouldnt start (turned over though). I pulled my hair out for weeks looking for reason for not starting. Had mobile mechanic come out, and could only tell me it sounded like compression loss and/or timing problem. Finally had it towed to shop. Their diagnosis was a skipped timing belt (4 teeth), which caused a few valves to bend etc, etc... Now I am looking at $3000 to $3500 to fix the problem (I hope). I replaced the water pump and timing belt a few ago and drove it without a problem until what I thought was routing thermostat replacement - boy was I wrong. The cost to repair is about $2K less than getting a rebuilt engine, but is still at that grey point between getting work done or not. The optimist in me is hoping for another 100K miles after all is said and done. Not too happy with GM at the moment. Parts cost an arm and leg since Saturn is no longer produced. Hope it works out in the end.

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.

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 had my ignition switch repaired on my Saturn Ion 2, 3 times already and continue to have problems with key getting stuck in the ignition. Spoke to Cruz Chevrolet today and he is telling me he thinks it is the automatic shifter causing the problem. My warranty just ran out in July 2014 and I told the dealership about this problem a few years ago as well as in June 2014 and July 2014. I am so frustrated. Have to bring car to dealership in 2 days.

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.

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 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.

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!

For the 3rd time now, my 06 Saturn Ion will not allow me to turn the key past on to attempt shutting off the car. I had a mechanic friend fix the problem the first time by removing the ignition lock and realigning the solenoid. When it happened again, he replaced the tumbler. Now that it has occurred a third time, within 2 years of owning the vehicle, I am furious.

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.

My daughter has a Saturn ion redline that was part of the recall. Her car started to have problems starting, so she took it to a repair shop and they ran diagnostics and found nothing wrong with the car. It happened again, so she took it elsewhere and they suggested she change the battery - so she did. The very next day she had difficulty starting the car on two occasions and on the third attempt later that night it would not start at all. Since the recall had been for the car suddenly shutting down - not starting, we didnt think about the recall until after that. She had hit a hidden bump in the road before it stopped completely. She called the former Saturn dealer and told them what happened and they said it was the recall (we had read up on the forums and knew it was by then) and to have it towed to them - which we did. They gave her a Buick to drive. Today they called and said they had replaced the part and it still wouldnt start so it had to be the cars engine. They want to run diagnostics (which we had already done). Understandably, we dont trust them. Has anyone else had this experience?

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 bought my 2006 Saturn Ion with only 30,000 or so miles around this time last year. This past winter, it was constantly not turning on. It would take me about 50+ tries in order for it to start. I took it to several trusted mechanics who couldnt find any problem at all. Now as I am waiting for a potential employer to call me back about a job, I have no vehicle. My transmission just stopped working! The gears change perfectly fine but drive, neutral, and first and second just dont do anything at all. But reverse works perfectly well.

Ive owned my Saturn Ion for 6 years. About 2.5 years ago I discovered that my key would get stuck in the ignition of the vehicle after turning the car off. The engine shuts off, but the power (lights and radio) remains on. I called Saturn and they told me to bring it in. At this time, I had driven about 58000 miles and was still under waranty. They acknowledged the issue (in writing) and said the entire ignition piece of the car had to be replaced. They also said they would have to order the parts. I took my car back while they ordered the parts. After about a month, I called asking when the part would be in because I hadnt heard anything. They told me Oh, the part came in yesterday. You can bring the car back and well fix it. I brought the car back and since I was now over 60000 miles, they said I was no longer under warranty, and the job would cost more than $500. I argued that they documented the issue while I was still under warranty with no success. The Saturn mechanic said I should have called for the part sooner, and that if I had ordered a pizza and it was not delivered in an hour, would I not call before a month had gone by to check on it? I told him he was full of it since he told me the part had just come in yesterday. He then told me that I should have stopped driving the car to keep the milage under 60000. I told him it was my only car to which he responded I would have paid to rent a car rather than pay $500 to have my car fixed. I told him had I known his willingness to pay, I would have called him and allowed him to rent one and pay the bill for me. Needless to say, I refused to pay for the work, and never got my car fixed. I took the complaint to corporate only to have the complaint closed out with no solution and no notification. I opened another one, and yet again got no solution. Eventually (after about a year of argument), they told me they would perform the job for $100 plus parts. I told them that Saturn would never get another dime of my money and did not take them up on their so-called offer.

I took my 2006 Saturn Vue to Larry Green dealership for simple diagnosis. 2 hours later, I found out that they ran a compression test with the cover off of my timing belt. The belt slipped and bent the valves. This was the beginning of all my major problems. They kept the car for 2 months trying to correct their mistakes. I got the car back and it was never the same. I took it back 2 times, then I didnt see my car for 3 more months, getting the runaround about parts. There were several mechanics working on my car within those months that are now no longer there. I finally got my car back, after they ruined it telling me to go to another GM dealer to have them fix what they couldnt. This car was a great car with 65,000 miles, not even 5 years old, and I am still paying for it at the tune of $29,000. The body and interior are still like new. I take very good care of my vehicles and I have had a Saturn for 21 years.

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 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.

My wife was on errands with the kids in our 2007 Saturn Outlook, which she loves. Well, it just stopped moving. She couldnt put it in forward or reverse. She called a friend to get it towed to his service shop. At the shop, he got it to move a little, then it stopped again. He said he recently had an Acadia, in which a part in the transmission broke and shredded the gears and got into all the innards. As it cost about $3500 to repair, he suggested that we call GM to see if they can help out with it.I found a number and spoke with Heather, who was great, calling me back every step of the way. She put me on the line with Denny, the head mechanic for Matthews Auto Group where we bought the vehicle and where we have the Outlook serviced. We spoke of the incident when it stopped working and he said he would get to it in a few days, which I said was okay. He didnt remember but we spoke before this when the vehicle was brought in for the timing chain recall. It took four times to get it right, but Matthews treated my wife so nice; we felt comfortable with them. So this time, we called OnStar and had it towed to Matthews so Denny could look at it. When he called back, he said that it was a broken wave plate in the transmission, and in a roundabout way agreed that it may cost what the other mechanic said, about $3500.On calling my friend, the mechanic, for an explanation, he said that the wave plate is a cheap $20 part that is known to crack and destroy the transmission. He had called a friend at Country Club Auto who said that he works on an average of 2 GM transmissions per week between Outlook, Acadia, and Traverse. The Matthews customer service rep called the next day and said that they drained some fluid and found metal shavings. I asked how the mechanic diagnosed the problem as a bad wave plate if he didnt open it up? The customer service rep said he had an offer from the district supervisor of GM, to give us $3000 off a new vehicle or split the cost of repair 50/50, approximately $1750 plus tax, our cost.When asked for a breakdown of the cost of services and materials, he got uptight and refused, stating only that the transmission would come out of the box and into the vehicle and the fluid would be added. The old transmission would go into the box and sent back to GM. It was then presented as a one time offer, take it or leave it. I said that I was disappointed in GM for not doing the right thing. This is a known problem with Outlook, Acadia, and Traverse. Its all over the internet. I went on to say that the tow truck operator for OnStar that picked up the vehicle said, Oh, an Outlook. Transmission, right? Ive been picking up a lot of those lately and Acadias and Traverses.I also said to the rep that we were totally surprised by the breakdown since the last OnStar Diagnostic report that we got stated, based on our diagnostics check on 08/19/2012, all systems are normal. Diagnostic: Complete. No action needed. Four days later, my wife and kids are stranded on the roadside.The rep repeated that the offer was a one time offer, one that he did not have to give since the vehicle was five months out of warranty. If it did not make me happy, then he would save the money to make someone else happy. I honestly said that of course I am not happy with having to spend $1800 for a new transmission that only has 73,000 miles on it (27,000 miles under warranty limit). He seemed to be a little taken aback by my knowledge of the wave plate issue with these transmissions, how a $20 part could self-destruct and wreak havoc with the transmissions. Take it or leave it, was the answer. That is all the GM district manager was authorized to offer. I would get back to him.The next day, a GM rep named Keith called to offer the same, but more politely. As a lifetime customer of GM vehicles, I repeated my disappointment in GM, but said that I would get back to him. He asked if I would like to file a complaint with GM. I said, No, but I would like to file a complaint against the Matthews rep. The next day Keith, the GM rep, called and asked of my intentions, and I said, I guess that I would take the 50/50. He left off saying that he would get going on making it happen.The following day I missed a call on the cell phone that I thought was the Matthews customer service guy so I called him. He said, No it wasnt him. I said, Well, youve got me by the balls (pardon me) so I guess I am taking the 50/50 offer. He replied that it was rescinded. I got off the phone with him and called Keith, the GM service guy, to ask about it but he was not in. The next day Keith reversed himself and said that indeed the offer was revoked. I asked if there were anyone else that I can speak to. He said he would have his manager call me. The next day a curtly speaking person called to say that they are not willing to budge on their decision. This is not the customer service that I have come to enjoy and depend on for my family from GM and the Matthews Auto Group. What can be done?

My 2005 Saturn ignition switch will not release, leaving the key unable to be removed and unable to restart the car. This is a failure of the security system that is designed to delay the key release for 20 seconds. The timing is off. It may take minutes or never!Emergency release of key: Remove a small round plastic plug on the underside of the steering column housing, just right off the center. Using a finger, find a metal contact inside and above the plug, that when pressed to the left, will release the key for removal. This is done every time I leave the car, and obviously keeps me from loaning my car to anyone!This is an obvious part failure by Saturn, and needs to be addressed by GM. Do we have enough angry Saturn owners with malfunctioning ignition switches to initiate a class action?

Key would not come out of the ignition. Could not shut car off and ran into the same issue. When I spoke with GM, they had never heard of this problem. After giving them my VIN #, I was told there were 2 to 3 recalls for my car but nothing for the ignition problem. The person from GM then got a GM dealer from Austin on the phone with me who proceeded to tell me if I bring it in for $115 they will hook it up to figure out what was wrong. I have got an estimate for approx $400 to fix it. I was told the ignition was about $60 but if the housing is bad that adds another $160, $50 for a new key and programming. Besides the fact that they have to be replaced with the same defective GM parts and that it can happen again at any time.

I chose this Saturn Ion due to cost and availability at the time. I was not familiar this brand of vehicle before purchasing. But the size of the car and the cost was what I needed. Plus the vehicle was very good on gas mileage. But I did not like the car. Disliked the battery compartment in the trunk. I did not like that most of the parts where cheap plastic that wasnt durable. And I ended up having a lot of problems with the wiring system and also the headlights. As soon as I would replace the bulbs, within a few days they would stop working on the passenger side.

It was the second time the key locked, and I was unable to remove it. The first time it happened at 9,000 miles; I was over one hour from home, and drove back home. I pulled the fuse, and it was towed to the dealer. It was under warranty, and the ignition replaced. The second time it happened it was at 37,000 miles. I was in the parking lot for doctor’s appointment when it happened. I missed the appointment. I drove to the dealer, and they replaced the ignition. I paid for labor only, but am going to ask GM to pay for that too. It was very stressful and scary. The comments are that this is a defective part.

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.

The timing chain on my 2002 Saturn L200 broke. The failure caused the valves to bend, which requires a near complete engine overhaul. The estimated cost for a rebuild is $3,855.

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.

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.

If your daughter almost got killed by a product, you would also be angry. I am embarrassed for GM, especially since I could be considered part of the family. I have owned several Corvettes, a Camaro, several Tahoes, I currently drive a Cadillac, etc. Additionally, my brother in law worked for GM over 40 years and my father in law over 50 years. My daughter lost control of her Saturn while doing nothing wrong, totaled it and almost got killed. That was Thanksgiving weekend. The car got totaled. It was inspected, but GM has been 100 percent non-responsive regarding a car that failed through the fault of no one and they dont care. I am blessed my daughter is still alive. Call me a definite ex GM customer. They should be ashamed.

I have a 2007 Saturn Outlook. I am now having problems with the ignition. Sometimes the key will come out on its own but sometimes it gets stuck. I have to drive backwards and forward to get the key to come out. My husband drove it one day and he said that the key got stuck, he disconnected the battery and reconnected it and the key came out. Im seeing a lot of complaints about GM vehicles doing this. Some people say its the Body Control Module and its not covered under warranty after 36k miles. Some have their ignitions and others parts replaced but the problems with the key getting stuck comes back. Its time consuming and costly and GM needs to fix this. Why should consumers have to pay for a manufacturers defect?

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!

2004 Saturn ION: I was involved in a vehicular accident on 03/29/12. This was a 3-car pile up, with me on the tail end. I was driving approximately 40-45mph and hit a car in front of me. My airbags did not deploy. Luckily, I was not seriously injured, but my car was declared total. How can I lodge a complaint in regards to this issue? I have noticed while researching online that this has been a major issue for Saturns.

I have a 2003 Saturn Ion and just spent $649 to have the ignition switch replaced. The light would constantly come on and the key would get stuck and it would lock up on me. This has been going on for about 2 years. It stopped for about a year and then about 2 weeks ago it started up again. When I took it in for repair, I had to go to the dealer. I found out this happens to most Ions. This is unacceptable. And he said he would not be surprised if I am back in 6 months. What can be done if anything? This just does not seem right, other than selling my car. But I cannot afford a new one. Please help!

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 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 have been having the same issues as the rest of you with my 2004 Saturn Ion. I did have the key wont turn off the car problem after just a couple of years and got it fixed, supposedly something to do with the starter. It started doing it again not too long after it was fixed. It has continued to do it off and on. Key is stuck, wont turn car off. I play with the steering wheel and shift stick until it goes back into place and key will turn. Now today, it started letting me slip the key out of the ignition after I thought it was turned off, but car isnt off and now the doors are locked. The button to open the doors wont work. Literally you are locked in the car, save for the back doors manual opener. I had to climb out the back seat of my car tonight. I think the car is turned off, but guess I will find out in the morning. To top all of that off, the a/c wont work now and if I turn it on, it smells like my car is bursting into flames, so I have kept it off. From what I see here, I just need to find another car. It was a nice cheap car, so I thought, but so many things went wrong so quickly. I should have traded it back in. Rest of problems: power windows, Ive had 4 or 5 radios replaced, clock on car cant be changed, headlight recall. Good thing they dont make them any more, because I wouldnt buy one anyway. Now I am going to have to buy another car that I cant afford at this time.

Our Saturn Vue 2006 needs a secondary axle bearing, GM part No. 24460143. Should be simple, right? No! After searching locally and online we called GMs Detroit Headquarters in July, only to be told that they have stopped making this bearing. Their policy is supposedly to continue producing parts at least till the vehicle is 10 years old. The young man we spoke with in July promised to open a case to check into this and get back to us shortly. We waited for 2 MONTHS, with no response. Finally we called back and after about 6 hours of phone calls we were but through to Marie at GM Corporate Headquarters. Explained the problem all over again, waited another week while she looked into the situation, only to be told, sorry about your luck, we dont make that bearing anymore, and that since the problem had been diagnosed by someone other than a GM dealership, they had no responsibility to produce the part. Deduction: General Motors does not stand behind its products, will only consider General Motors Dealership mechanics as qualified to diagnose problems on their vehicles!!!

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.