NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

2006 Saturn Ion (Page 14 of 16)

CarComplaints.com Seal Of Avoid Like The Plague

CarComplaints.com Notes: When it comes to the 2006 Ion, the biggest questions are: what big problem is going to pop up next? And how long until GM chooses to address it?

The 2006 Ion has a defective ignition switch that gave owners fits. Their keys would get stuck in the ignition, the engine wouldn’t shut off or in some cases it would shut off at the most dangerous time. The ignition was eventually recalled as part of one of the largest recalls of all-time , but it took GM 10 years to do it. Then there’s this car’s temperamental power steering which is prone to stop working randomly while driving. It too was eventually recalled, even if GM took their sweet time about it.

Lastly, it turns out a car built with plastic doors, fenders and bumpers – while fun for a game of “shopping cart bocce” – is horrible for safety.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
12 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 1
Average Mileage:
56,186 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Saturn Ion electrical problems

electrical problem

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2006 Saturn Ion Owner Comments (Page 14 of 16)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #49

Dec 032009

Ion

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car will not always start, it gets a picture of the car with a padlock on the dash but will not even attempt to turn over. It does at least three times a week and today it did it four times alone. It will start in exactly 10 minutes from the first time I tried to start it. So in the mean time my children and I sit there in the cold and wait. Or my asthmatic children hopefully do not stop breathing. I have called Saturn numerous times and all they tell me is its the ignition housing we can fix it for over 300 dollars but it will go out again in three months, which they say will be the pattern for the life of the car.

- Spanaway, WA, USA

problem #48

Nov 212009

Ion

  • 28,000 miles
2006 Saturn Ion does not start although all lights come up on dashboard. Battery is fine(had it checked) but the starter does not roll over. After 45 minutes (and battery reattached) car started. This occurred twice, once on April 1st 2009 and again Nov 21st 2009. Probably weather related as both days were fairly cool and preceded by rain.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #47

Nov 172009

Ion

  • miles
My 2006 Saturn Ion is not starting occasionally in cold and wet weather. I called the Saturn customer service and they didn't seem to know what the problem is. The rep thought it was a security system issue and wanted me to drive it 2.5 hours away to a Saturn dealership, and they might help me out. Hmmm, I look online and hundreds, maybe thousands, of people have the same problem. Can't they issue a recall" if it is so common and the symptoms are identical why can't they simply tell me what to do" cold and frustrated.

- Qualicum Beach Bc, 00, USA

problem #46

Oct 062009

Ion

  • 32,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I had to have the ignition switch cylinder replaced on my 2006 Saturn Ion because the car could not be turn off. While at the dealer I found out that one of the other had the same problem with his Saturn vue. Talking to the service writer he told me that this was a common problem with these two model of cars. I new something was up when I got charge for 1.5hrs labor when it took less then 40min to take the car replace the part and return it to me. When try to talk to various people at Saturn and GM all they waited to say that it was 7 month out of warranty and I did not care about that I wanted to talk about not being able to turn the car off and that I thought it was a safety problem. Being from charleston, SC and two people that had the same problem and the service writer comment and the time it took to replace, to me this is probably a bigger problem then just two cars and that Saturn should be doing a recall on this. I have working on cars in the past and the car being a manual I was able to stall the car and then disconnect the battery. What I did not have that knowledge or it was an automatic. The GM person did not want to talk about that he just wanted to say it was 7 month out of warranty. I thin that Saturn/GM should be forced to recall these car and fix the problem. Thank you.

- Charleston, SC, USA

problem #45

Oct 212009

Ion

  • 62,000 miles
I purchased my brand new Saturn Ion 2 coupe in June of 2006. In the winter of 2006 I had the ignition to lock up on me and I could not get my key out and it wouldn't turn at all. Thankfully my car was under warranty and I had it towed immediately to the nearest Saturn dealer. I was told that the ignition housing and its components had to be replaced. The service guy continued to tell me that this has been a common problem. I didn't think anything else about it because mine was fixed. Now in Oct of 2009 I am faced with the same problem but my key was in the on position and running. The only way to turn my car off was to stall it out because its a five speed and disconnect the battery. My car is no longer under warranty so therefore I am faced with a mechanic bill that is outrageous and I am a college student. I further investigated this problem on the internet to see if there were similar problems like mine and to my surprise there are numerous unsatisfied Saturn customers that have had to deal with the same problem. I feel that these ignitions should be investigated and recalled because they have caused so many problems. This is a hazard because this leaves drivers stranded on the side of the road, in an empty parking lot, or in unknown territory. As a female, I was stranded in a parking lot not knowing what to do and scared. I was very disappointed that the Saturn customer service man could not help me on the telephone and very unaware of customer safety.

- Kenton , TN, USA

problem #44

Sep 292009

Ion

  • 73,000 miles
I own a 2006 Saturn Ion 3. over the past few months I have had the car not start only an hour later to try and it did. I have done research and have found many people have and are having this same problem. When I spoke with the dealership where I bought the car they hadn't heard of this. This has been going on for years and nothing is being done. The safety issue with is my wife has been stuck at work at 3am with the car not starting by herself. We (Ion) owners need help with this since the maker of this car isn't doing anything.

- Ypsilanti, MI, USA

problem #43

Sep 222009

Ion

  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving my 2006 Saturn Ion when the electric power steering went out. There was no warning - the indicator light came on and the power steering was gone. I took the car to the dealer and they said it is an electrical problem and the steering column would need to be replaced. This is a $900 repair since the car is just out of warranty. There are several other complaints related to this same problem. The woman at the dealer says she has seen this several times before and that if you turn off the car it resets the power steering.

- Fort Wayne, IN, USA

problem #42

Aug 252009

Ion

  • 50,000 miles
2006 Saturn Ion, mileage 50,000. Ignition key will not turn off. Dealers nor Saturn accepting responsibility. Pervasive problem, complaints and no action. Costly repair bills, loss of income from lost time at work. Imminent safety hazard. Recall action should never be initiated only after a disaster occurs.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #41

Jul 082009

Ion

  • 41,000 miles
Steering wheel will not lock. When taking key out of ignition, and opening driver door, it chimes very fast, as if key was still in ignition or lights have been left on. It's as if the key was never removed at all, which means the anti-theft device probably does not engage and the ignition could easily be manipulated and started without the key. I have not contacted my dealer because the car is no longer under warranty and I do not have the money to pay for such a repair. However, I will be turning the car over to gmac once the smartbuy period is up. I also had a problem with the window falling off the track; I had this fixed while under warranty, but at 35,500 miles and I don't drive it that much.

- Rancho Cucamong, CA, USA

problem #40

Aug 012009

Ion

  • miles
The power steering keeps going out in the car. When this happens it becomes very dangerous to drive. It first started once every couple of days. Now it happens every time I turn it on and drive more then 100 yards. L have contact the dealership and they have told me that there is no recall for it. But I have looked online and numerous people have complained about this issue. The car is a lease and they said I am over my warranty even though I only have 36,000 miles in 5 years.

- Belleville, NJ, USA

problem #39

Jul 312009

Ion

  • 38,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle stalls from unwanted key cylinder rotation. Key cylinder rotates due to tilt steering wheel adjustment. Has occurred while vehicle is in motion. Can reproduce easily while vehicle is in park. Nothing done to correct. Dealer indicated a bulletin exists telling customers to not add other items to keyring since extra mass on keyring makes the failure more likely.

- Ypsilanti, MI, USA

problem #38

Jun 272009

Ion

  • 90,000 miles
2006 Saturn Ion had less than 100K miles on it. Power steering went out while driving. Soon after, the key became stuck in the on position and I could not remove. Ignition needs to be replaced.

- Emeryville, CA, USA

problem #37

Dec 022006

Ion

  • miles
We bought our Saturn Ion 2 from my husbands sister when it had 10,000 miles on it. That winter ('06) the car began a pattern of not starting when the weather was cold, 20 degrees or less. All the lights, radio, ect. Worked fine but the theft lock system locks the ignition for 10 minutes, and this can happen several times in a row! it was fine come spring, but then came winter '07 and the problem only got worse. Saturn refuses to help. They think you don't know how to start your car and tell you that they can't "replicate" the problem or find any record of it in the cars computer. Now, after enduring a horrible winter of trying to get the car to start almost every day no matter what temperature, the car is doing it in the late spring! we have had 50's to 70's every morning, yet half the time it still will not start! how can we rely on this car when GM says nothings wrong?

- Saint Peters, MO, USA

problem #36

Apr 202009

Ion

  • miles
When the weather is really hot my car doesn't start until it cools down in the evening.

- Perryhall, MD, USA

problem #35

May 052009

Ion

  • 63,000 miles
I have a 2006 Ion Saturn and I was driving on a highway (NY) 684 when a beeping sound came on and the "power steering" light came on and my car locked up. I was doing 65 in the left hand lane and no shoulder to go onto. Thank goodness I was able to somehow get to a safe spot on the highway and call for help. This is a very serious problem and needs to be addressed by Saturn. I am not the only one.

- Hopewell Jct, NY, USA

problem #34

Nov 012008

Ion

  • 40,000 miles
Vehicle initially had trouble starting, made strange sounds, check engine light on, would not go over 25-30mph., followed towtruck to Saturn dealer, was told this was a common problem with this make & model, there were thousands of complaints known and that GM was aware of it but had not recalled. Turned out that it was the ignition module, switch, coil, harness etc., just under $800 to repair. It's still sitting in the garage. Thing is...I purchased this car almost new B/C I had an older car & wanted a new car in case the other quit! wow. Who new? power steering also groans and its full of fluid. Because of this, (ignition), the key had to be manually pulled out, to get the engine to stop running, all the electrical system remained on, had to disconnect the battery, was told do not know what else may have been damaged as a result, the dealer said the transmission may have been damaged as a result. Yet they don't want to recall because of the re-organization" what about my safety" god knows what could have happened if I was on the highway when this happened!

- Frederick, MD, USA

problem #33

Apr 062009

Ion

  • 60,012 miles
On four occasions, the car failed to start. The lights, horn work, but there is no ignition noise. After waiting at least 15-25 minutes each time, the car eventually started. On April 6th, 2009 as I was coming home on the freeway, the car suddenly lost power, without any type of warning. I was able to cross a lane to get into the slow lane and pull off the road. This happened on a busy stretch of highway at approximately 12 :48pm. The consequences could've been very tragic. I later took the car to a repair shop for a diagnostic test, and the engine failure wasn't recorded in my vehicle's computer system. Outrageous. I don't feel safe!

- Gilroy, CA, USA

problem #32

Jan 012008

Ion

  • miles
Ignition problem. Car will not start. Passlock engaged. Turn key until passlock light stops flashing. Wait 10mins and car will start. Service bulletin is out for problem. The bulletin number is 04-08-45-005D and it's titled ignition system - no crank / no start / dtc's B2960/B3033. It's dated March 15, 2006. Covering models: 2003-2006 Saturn Ion. This issue is wide spread and is know by GM. This is a known defect. NHTSA should do the correct thing and make GM issue a recall.

- Allen, TX, USA

problem #31

Oct 152008

Ion

  • 38,261 miles
Vehicle intermittently fails to start. Passlock anti-theft system prevents starter from cranking. This is a known problem with Saturn, yet they refuse to remedy the defect without charging for parts and labor.

- Thousand Oaks, CA, USA

problem #30

Feb 192009

Ion

  • 68,700 miles
Failure of 2006 Saturn Ion to start in cold weather, usually +10 Fahrenheit or below. This problem occurs without exception when temperature is in that range unless warm are is sufficiently blown into ignition lock to warm it up to the point were it will recognize the key. Otherwise the pass lock system engages and must wait about 10 min. To attempt to start the car again. Took to dealership and an unrelated problem was fixed(computer reprogramming). Both before and after repair I was treated like an idiot by service woman and told in a very discourteous manner that the repair would certainly correct the cold start problem. And if not then it was because mice (or other such creatures) were "nesting" in my engine compartment and eating the wiring. My wife drive this car to her job in joliet, il which is by no means a 24/7 bastion of safety. I am very concerned for her safety, especially when she must work later into the evenings. I have seen hundreds of complaints regarding this very issue and wonder why there still is no recall of this defective ignition system.

- Lockport, IL, USA

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