2006 Saturn Ion was traveling through a flat curve at 45 mph when the steering froze and the brake pedal would not depress. Vehicle began to spin and left the road striking trees and brush causing some physical damage to the right front and right side of the vehicle. No warning signals were seen or heard at or before the event. The driver was not injured. The vehicle did not stall when it came to rest and was driven back on to the road. Vehicle was driven home without further incident.

- Eagle, WI, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated as the steering wheel tightened. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was stated that the power steering motor control needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

- Cincinatti, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, there was a loss of power steering with the illumination of the warning indicator. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of road where the engine was turned off. After restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

- Greenville, MI, USA

Steering wheel became nearly impossible to turn. Then power steering light came on. Problem is consistent and dangerous. Took to a mechanic and was estimated $600-$800 to replace necessary parts. I nearly hit another car and almost hit a pedestrian from being unable to steer my own car.

- Houston, TX, USA

Power steering stopped working. When I got home turned car off and back on and it worked but then stopped working again after driving a few minutes.

- Mount Juliet, TN, USA

With regards to the 2006 Saturn Ion, my Ion has suffered three of the major problems described in the complain section of the NHTSA web site. {1} fuel leaking from fuel pump area. {2} ignition key gets stuck in the on position car can not be shut off. {3} power steering stops working while car is running making it difficult to steer. With regards to the last problem I brought my car to a G.M. dealer and was advised that the problem was the power steering motor. They replaced the motor at no charge.telling me it was under warranty. They also advised me that there was a recall regarding the fuel pump modulator. I am now fighting with GM to try and get my money back. With regards to the sticking key in the ignition I believe that if we get enough complainants maybe NHTSA can do something. If you have suffered any of these problems and have not repaired your auto please head straight to your local GM dealer. If you have paid for repairs out of your pocket your GM dealer has proper paperwork for you to submit.

- Orlando, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the power steering failed as the steering wheel locked with the illumination of the power steering light. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000.

- Morrison , IL, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. While driving 25 mph, the contact stated the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The driver merged off the road and had the vehicle towed to his residence. The vehicle was not repaired nor was the failure diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Power steering failed. It became extremely difficult to turn the steering wheel.

- Verona, PA, USA

The pwr str message appears and then the steering goes out. Turn the car off and wait 10 minutes, and the power steering works again.

- Sugar Grove, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated as the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 136,000.

- Woonsocket, RI, USA

I have had repeated instances of having my steering column locking while parked with the engine off. Upon inserting the ignition key, the key would not turn without repeated attempts to rock the steering wheel back and forth. Beginning on the incident date, I parked my car and the ignition key would not turn from the on position. I verified the car was in park and attempted to turn the key again. At one point, I was actually able to pull the key out of the ignition lock assembly while the car was still running. After reinserting the key into the lock assembly and pushing in on it, I was finally able to turn the key to the off position. All subsequent incidents within the last 24 hours (approximately 4 different times) have required me to jiggle the key until it would finally turn to the off position. I drove it to a GM repair facility and at that point, was unable to remove the key or turn off the engine. It now appears that I will have to have the entire ignition lock and housing assembly replaced at a cost of $600. Further online investigation into this problem has turned up hundreds of Saturn owners experiencing this same problem, and many of them have repeat issues with their new lock/housing assemblies. To date, it does not appear that GM has issued any recall/repair notices for this issue.

- Chino, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the power steering assist failed. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who stated that the power steering unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.

- Tamarac, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated as the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 71,500 and the current mileage was 72,000.

- North Versailles, PA, USA

My husband and I were driving through Indiana on an interstate when a notification sounded that the power steering had gone out. The steering wheel seemed to lock up and made it very difficult to turn and maneuver. We changed the fuse in the car's electrical box, but this did not correct the problem. Since then, the problem has persisted and the power steering disables while driving.

- Galesburg, IL, USA

Without warning my power steering went out on the thruway. I stopped at the next rest area and turned the car off. The power steering came back on when I restarted the car. This happened twice more on my trip down and three times on my way back home, for a total of six times. Steering was very hard at low speeds and I almost hit the wall to a parking garage when I stopped at a rest area.

- Ballston Lake, NY, USA

Power steering light flashed and steering became heavy. I had to use lot of force to pull over. I called for help they restarted the car and problem disappeared. It came back again the next day and the day after. Its consistently comes and goes.

- Westbororugh, MA, USA

My Saturn Ion has had to have the ignition and or the steering column replaced on four separate occasions since 29,000 miles.it currently has 143,000 miles and has issues once again. Each time either the key would click back only one notch and could not be removed, the car could not be turned off at all due to the key being "frozen" in the cylinder or the key would not spring back from the starting position to the run position thus making a grinding noise after car started. The last dealership said they were going to report the incident to GM as they have done for other car owners before, but with no result. Each time it has cost me anywhere from $350. To $700 not including towing and renting of an alternate vehicle. I understand that it technically not a safety issue but I feel this should be looked at and recalled so it does not become one when a little kid climbs into a car that can not be turned off or the key removed from the ignition and gets seriously hurt or worse.

- Saint Cloud, FL, USA

As I was driving the power steering light came on and I lost power steering. If the car is turned off it will return. It has become more frequent and intermittent.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

While driving my car the power steering light came on and the power steering went out. After I turned the car off and back on it worked fine. Since then it has been getting progressively worse/more frequent. I can hear a click when the power steering goes out.

- Terre Haute, IN, USA