CarComplaints.com Notes: The Saturn Ion was a compact bundle of hurt wrapped up in a cheap, plastic shell. With so many defective components and a safety rating that a bicycle would be ashamed of, it’s a blessing this car only lasted five model years.
The 2003 (and 2004) Ion was cursed with GM’s flawed attempt at a continuously variable transmission, known as the VTi. It had such a high failure rate that a class-action lawsuit was filed against GM, eventually prompting a settlement and a warranty extension. GM discontinued the VTi for the 2005 model year – surprise, surprise.
The 2003 Ion was also part of one of the largest and most controversial recalls of all-time. A defective ignition switch in millions of GM vehicles could accidentally turn the car off and disable important safety components like the power steering and airbags. The problem resulted in at least 13 deaths, but what made it worse was that GM knew about the issue for 10 years before doing anything about it.
So was the transmission warranty extended? Yeah. Was the ignition switch recalled? Eventually. Is this car safe to drive? Not really. Honestly, you’re better off looking elsewhere.
6.0
fairly significant- Typical Repair Cost:
- No data
- Average Mileage:
- 52,000 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 1 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
- not sure (1 reports)
![2003 Saturn Ion seat belts / air bags problems](http://cdn.carcomplaints.com/img/v1/categories/seat_belts_air_bags.png)
seat belts / air bags problem
Helpful websites
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Another call to Saturn Corporate. This was most definitely a defect stemming from faulty material composition. No one would listen to my complaints. I'm not an engineer so how would I know about material composition. Well, guess what, it doesn't take an engineer to come to this conclusion, if the guides broke while buckling the seat belt, within one week..I have to ask the question...What is Saturn making the seat belt guides out of? I can't be the only person with this safety problem.
- Carol G., Copperas Cove, TX, US