Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2003 record →
ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON INSTRUMENTAL PANEL, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE FOLLOWING DAY MANUFACTURER CALLED THE CONSUMER NOT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT ALL. DEALER KEPT THE VEHICLE FOR 3 WEEKS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AND MAKING LEFT OR RIGHT STEERING WHEEL IS NOT TURNING SMOOTHLY, IT IS HARD TO HANDLE THE WHEEL. DEALER HAS INSPECTED, AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *AK
VEHICLE STALLED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK UP. *MR THE VEHICLE WOULD LOCK UP AS IF IT WAS TURNED OFF. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS RECEIVED BACK FROM REPAIR, IT HAD BECOME DIFFICULT TO GAIN SPEED, AND SHIFT GEARS AUTOMATICALLY(ESPECIALLY PROBLEMATIC WHEN IN LOWER SPEEDS), AND WOULD RANDOMLY BEGIN TO SHAKE. *SCC *JB
WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FELL APART. *AK THE BOLT THAT CONNECTS THE WEBBING TO THE FLOOR WAS NOT FULLY SCREWED IN AT THE PLANT. THE BOLT BACKED OUT AND THE LOWER PORTION OF THE SEATBELT WEBBING BECAME UNATTACHED. THIS IS NOT A BUCKLE ISSUE OR A RETRACTOR ISSUE. MANUFACTURING DEFECT FROM THE PLANT BECAUSE THE BOLT WAS NOT FULLY TORQUED. DEALER FIXED BY TIGHTENING THE BOLT. CW
WHILE PLACING SEAT BELT ON THE BOLT BROKE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT. *AK
NEW SATURN ION 2003 STALLS WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY, STEERING COLUMN LOCKS UP, MUST STOP SUDDENLY TO RESTART AND GAIN CONTROL OF CAR. *NLM
WHEN THE CONSUMER PLUGGED DEVICES INTO THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER THE TURN SIGNAL WOULD NOT WORK. *NLM
DEAR ADMINISTRATOR: I PURCHASED A 2003 SATURN ION 2 ON DECEMBER 28, 2002. I REPORTED TO BOTH THE SATURN CORPORATION AND THE DEALERSHIP THAT SOLD ME THE VEHICLE THAT THE VEHICLE WASN'T SAFE AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR 80 MILES. THE DEALER AGREED TO FIX THE VEHICLE, SO I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN AND THE DEALERSHIP ON 4 SEPERATE OCCASIONS , TWO OF WHICH THE DEALER REFUSED TO ACCEPT MY VEHICLE. ON JANUARY 10, NOT TWO WEEKS AFTER THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE, SATURN KEPT THE VEHICLE FOR NEARLY ONE WEEK. AFTER THE LOAN WAS APPROVED ON THE VEHICLE, THE DEALERSHIP RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO ME AND SAID THE VEHICLE WAS FREE OF DEFECTS. AFTER NEARLY BEING KILLED IN THE VEHICLE TWICE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE STALLED ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE SATURN DEALERSHIP IN CERRITOS, CALIFORNIA. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED VEHICLE REFUSED TO HONOR MY WARRANTY, REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE VEHICLE AND TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE VEHICLE. I HAD 1,200 MILES ON CAR AND I HAD NOT HAD THE VEHICLE IN MY POSSESSION FOR 30 DAY BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN IN THIS DEALERSHIP'S AUTO REPAIR SHOP FOR 5 DAYS. WHEN I WAS NEARLY KILLED IN THE VEHICLE FOR THE LAST TIME, I WAS FORCED TO HAVE THE DEFECTIVE VEHICLE TOWED AND LEFT AT THE DEALERSHIP. SATURN REFUSED ME TOW SERVICE ON THIS VEHICLE, ALTHOUGH I HAVE PURCHASED TOW SERVICE. SATURN IS NOW IN POSSESSION OF THE VEHICLE AND HAS BEEN SINCE FEBRUARY 1, 2003. THE SATURN OF CERRITOS, MANAGER, MR. VANCE THREATENED ME ON FEBR
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2003 Saturn Ion → · Every Ion year → · How the figures are calculated →