When tires spin transmission disconnects. Then. Vehicle has to be towed. This normally happens when it is snowing. Also, steering wheel turns from left to right on its own.

- West Glover, VT, USA

I purchased my 2003 Saturn Ion in January 2003. It has been a nightmare. The vehicle has been into the dealership a total of 6 times and a grand total of 18 days in service. The transmission downshifts when I try to accerlerate. The service techs at Saturn have been able to duplicate this problem several times. They have recalirberated and replace the transmission; however the vehicle is still down shifting when accerlerating. I am terrified that I will be hit because of this problem. It has now gotten to the point that it will stop for a few seconds when the failure occurs and then take off agian. This is very dangerous. They should not be able to sell vehicles with defects. I have filed a compliant with the BBB and currently have a case pending. I want to be refunded in full for this vehicle.

- Clearwater, FL, USA

I bought a Ion quad coupe in July of this year. I had a problem with the car not moving when placed into gear. They worked on the transmission and replaced some parts. The newly rebuilt tranmission stil slips and has a hard shifting feeling. I brought it in 3 times before it was actually fixed, and still need to go back. This seems to be a safety issue. What if it was to not drive when pulling out into traffic, or fail when I was driving. It has been over a week since I brought it in and the dealership will not give me paperwork on my car. I dont even know what parts were exactly replaced. Paperwork is missing from over 2 weeks ago from the 2nd visit.

- Bongor, ME, USA

My Saturn Ion quad coupe is experiencing a transmission problem. Without warning and for no apparent reason, the transmission will slip, shake violently, and at times completely disengage, resulting in a complete loss of acceleration. This has manifested itself on several occasions, most notably when turning into traffic last week. I pulled into traffic and the transmission engaged, then subsequently disengaged for about 2 seconds. I was nearly hit by several vehicles, which had to take unsafe evasive actions to avoid plowing into me. I am very concerned that this presents a significant safety hazard to the vehicle occupants. I have noticed that I am not the only individual that has experienced this problem, and that being said, sincerely urge you to open a defect investigation to solve this problem before someone gets hurt or worse. Also, this may not be related, but the transmission makes a grinding noise between 1100 and 1300 RPM during deceleration, a metal grinding noise.

- Dearborn, MI, USA

The two Saturn 2003 Ions I have driven (including my current vehicle) have a transmission problem where, when engaging in third gear, the transmission will "freewheel" for several seconds before engaging with a lurch. The problem can be created by accelerating around a corner while the transmission is shifting from second to third. The cars were manufactured in March/April, 2003.

- Stevenson Ranch, CA, USA

My 2003 Saturn Ion down shifts on me when I try to accelerate. It is getting consistently worse and has gotten to the point that it will stop for a second and then take off again. Saturn has been unable to fix this problem. A tech has test drove the vehicle with me and seen it happen first hand. Still on resolved. My vehicle has been in the shop a total of 4 times since I bought it. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and am currently trying to lemon law it.

- Clearwater, FL, USA

Purchase Saturn Ion III in March. Transmssion had hard shift then slip problem almost immediately.

- Joliet, IL, USA

I purchased my 2003 Saturn Ion quad 3 on 6-12-2003. I've had nothing but problems with it since the beginning. The transmission slips constantly. A tech from spring hill says this is normal for this type of transmission. Trying to turn left in front of oncoming traffic is a nightmare. This car is in the shop as we speak. The rear quarter panel is cracked and being replaced. The rear bumper is being painted because of scratches from the trunk rubbing. The front bumper is being painted because of runs in the paint. None of the body panels seem to match up. They're attempting to fix a popping noise in the front end. They're replacing the dr side glass because it is severely scratched. It sometimes runs rough at first crank.

- Bartlett, TN, USA

While driving transmission does not engage properly, causing vehicle to stall.

- Weirsdale, FL, USA

My 2003 Saturn Ion, was delivered on December 3,2002. This was my second Saturn. After about a 1000 miles the transmission started to slip. I took it to the dealer and they replaced that transmission. Another 1000 miles and the transmission started to slip again. I have been back and forth 4 times since then and they still have not fixed it.

- Baldwin, NY, USA

My daughter bought a Saturn Ion III. She has recently had trouble with her automatic transmission. Saturn has acknoweldged a hard shifting problem from 2nd to 3rd, but since a high number of vehicles exhibit this problem, and they don't know what is causing it, it is being considered normal operation. My daughter's car exhibited this problem, but it has now begun to be a way more serious concern because it will completely slip, (lose all power), for what seems to be an ever increasing longer interval and more frequently. She has had this happen while trying to make a left hand turn with oncoming traffic. She now tries to avoid any situation at low speeds that might cause her injury, (she tries to make as many right hand turns to get to and from work as possible). Saturn has had two service employees witness the problem, albeit in a straight line driving situation. They still refuse to repair/replace or admit a problem beyond the hard shifting. My daughter lives in mesa, AZ. Her phone number is [xxx], and name is [xxx]. I mention mesa because of the unusual streets there. The majority of main city streets are six lanes wide with 45mph speed limits. That is a very scary scenario to be making a left hand turn in and lose power. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Lacey, WA, USA