116 of the
5,471 complaints filed about the Saturn ION
are about the throttle and cruise control —
2% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2003.
116
Complaints
2%
Share of all complaints
17
Crashes
0
Fires
Acceleration & Cruise Control complaints by model year
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH with the accelerator pedal depressed, the accelerator pedal was released and became stuck causing the vehicle to unintendedly accelerate to 90 MPH. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to slow down. The contact manually lifted the accelerator pedal and was able to merge to the side of the road. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer but not diagnosed or repaired due to the warranty being expired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
NHTSA complaint #11576699 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the RPM’s rose however, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.
NHTSA complaint #11454570 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
CAR CUTS OFF A/C WONT WORK UNLESS ON MAX AND MAKES NOISE WHEN TURNING. CPU ISSUE LIKE RPM FLUCTUATES I THINK ITS THE FUEL PUMP AND GAS PEDAL ASSEMBLY CPU PROBLEM AND ITS JERKS ALOT DEALER SAID AINT NOTHING THE CAN DO BOUT IT BUT THEY SUPPOSE TO FIX IT WITH IN 30 DAYS OF PURCHASE TIME. SO IT CUTS OFF WHILE RIDING AND JERKS WHILE IM ON THE BREAKS
NHTSA complaint #11281970 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE CAR ONCE AGAIN ACCELERATED AT A STOP SIGN AND I HAD TO AIM FOR A SNOE ENBANKMENT TO NOT GO INTO TRAFFIC. IF NOT FOR THE SNOW I COULD HAVE WENT ON TO THE SIDEWALK ANS POSSIBLY HIT SOMEONE.
NHTSA complaint #11061569 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
DRIVING ON STAIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD MY CAR STARTED SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP WHICH MADE MY DRIVER SIDE CRASH INTO A CEMENT WALL, MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY EVEN THOUGHT THE CAR HIT THE WALL SO HARD THAT IT CRACKED MY RADIATOR, MY CAR THEN SHUT OFF THEN TURNED BACK ON
NHTSA complaint #10971606 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE SPEED INDEPENDENTLY REDUCED AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, BUT FAILED TO MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CVT FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.
NHTSA complaint #10956545 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, A CLICKING NOISE WAS HEARD AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED, THE SPEEDOMETER GAUGES FLUCTUATED, AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER DRIVEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000.
NHTSA complaint #10913681 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THE ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK WHILE MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT!!! IT WILL COST OVER $700.00 TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED AND WE DO NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY!!!
NHTSA complaint #10874789 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TAKATA RECALLS..I HAVE A 2003 SATURN ION I WAS DRIVING FINE HIT CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON ONCE I WAS AT 55 AN MY CAR MADE A CLICKING SOUND STARTED JERKING LIKE THE CRUISE CONTROL KEEPS COMING ON...I'VE TURNED CAR OFF HIT BRAKES WHICH SHOULD RESET IT BUT IT STILL HAPPENS..THE CAR FEELS LIKE ITS DOWN SHIFTING AN TRYING TO ACCELERATE ON ITS ON THE RPMS HUMP REAL HIGH WEN THIS HAPPENS..YOU BE DRIVING DOING 50 MPH AN ALL THE SUDDEN CAR JERKS LIKE ITS TRYING TO STOP U FEEL I T IN GAS PEDAL ALSO...
NHTSA complaint #10863856 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN RECENT MONTHS, BUT HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING: I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE, GOING ABOUT 60MPH, AND I SPED UP TEMPORARILY TO PASS THE SEMI NEXT TO ME SO THAT I COULD MERGE INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND CATCH THE NEXT EXIT. UPON MERGING, I RELEASED THE GAS PEDAL BUT IT DID NOT COME BACK NATURALLY WITH MY FOOT AND INSTEAD WENT TO THE FLOOR AND MY CAR STARTED ACCELERATING AS I EXITED THE INTERSTATE ONTO A FLYOVER RAMP. I IMMEDIATELY HIT MY BRAKES AND WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE SPEED, BUT IT SCARED ME, ESPECIALLY AS THE FLYOVER RAMP REQUIRES A SLOWER SPEED ALONG THE CURVE. TO THE BEST OF MY RECOLLECTION, IN ALL CASES WHERE THIS HAS HAPPENED, I HAVE BEEN GOING AT LEAST 35 MPH WHEN IT HAPPENED, AND MY CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON BUT NOT ACTIVE (IN OTHER WORDS I HAD IT AVAILABLE TO ME BUT IT WAS NOT CURRENTLY SET AT ANY PARTICULAR SPEED). I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS IN FORUMS ONLINE, BUT I AM NOT AWARE OF A RECALL. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ISSUE, ESPECIALLY AT HIGH SPEEDS IN DENSE TRAFFIC. PLEASE INVESTIGATE FURTHER -- I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE MY MECHANIC REPLACE ALL THE POSSIBLE FAULTY PARTS WITH OTHER POTENTIALLY FAULTY PARTS, AND I WOULD HATE TO BE THE CAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OUT OF MY CONTROL THROUGH NO FAULT OF MINE.
NHTSA complaint #10850009 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
LOOSE SPEED WHILE DRIVING DROP FROM 55 TO 10 ALMOST COMES TO COMPLETE STOP. IT STARTED ON HIGHWAY DRIVING NOW IT DOES IT ON CITY STREETS. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON FOR DAYS AT A TIME.
NHTSA complaint #10824986 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SATURN ION. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A BUILDING AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.
NHTSA complaint #10786097 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I WAS LEAVING A LOCAL GROCERY STORE, STARTED MY CAR AND PROCEEDED TO DRIVE OUT OF THE PARKING LOT TO THE MAIN ROAD, ROUTE 611, A FAIRLY BUSY THOROUGHFARE. AS I TURNED RIGHT AND ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS THE 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT'. DESPITE PRESSING ON THE THE GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE SAFELY INTO THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC (AROUND 40 MPH), MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 10 MILES PER HOUR. I AM SO VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT IN AN ACCIDENT. I FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTION IN THE SATURN ION MANUAL WHICH SAYS TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND THE ERROR SHOULD CLEAR ITSELF AFTER 10 MINUTES. I DID THIS AND THE 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT' WENT OUT BUT NOT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I TOOK THE CAR IMMEDIATELY TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC WHO RAN A INCONCLUSIVE DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THEY CLEARED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE CAR RAN FINE UNTIL YESTERDAY, 4 WEEKS AFTER THE FIRST INSTANCE. WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY CHILDREN HOME FROM THE DENTIST, IN THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, AT CLOSE TO 40 MPH, THE DASH BOARD CHIMED, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT' LIT UP AND IMMEDIATELY MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 10 MILES PER HOUR. LUCKILY, WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO HOME, AND WERE NOT IN AN ACCIDENT. AGAIN, I LET THE CAR REST, AND 12 HOURS LATER STARTED THE CAR, BOTH LIGHTS CLEARED THEMSELVES. WITHIN IN 5 MILES OF DRIVING TO THE GYM FROM MY HOME, WHILE DRIVING IN THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, THIS ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS REDUCED POWER ISSUE SHOULD BE A RECALL. ONE SIMPLE ONLINE SEARCH SHOWS THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF GM/SATURN CARS WITH THIS VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE. AMONG SO MANY OTHER MANUFACTURER SAFETY ISSUES! THIS CAR HAS HAD 3 OTHER RECALLS, ONE OF WHICH MY LOCAL GM DEALER HAS FAILED OVER 3 TIMES TO FIX. I HAVE TO MANUALLY PUT MY FINGER INTO THE STEERING COLUMN TO RELEASE THE IGNITION KEY. HOLD GM ACCOUNTABLE AND PLEASE MAKE THIS ISSUE A RECALL
NHTSA complaint #10764579 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ON 3/16/2015 I WAS MERGING ON THE FREEWAY IN MY 2004 SATURN ION AND I HAD TO BRAKE SUDDENLY DUE TO ANOTHER DRIVER CUTTING ME OFF, ALL OF A SUDDEN MY SATURN BEGAN TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN AND REACHED HIGH RPMS BETWEEN 4K AND 5K AND CAR LAUNCHED AT A HIGH SPEED. I ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE YET MY SATURN STILL CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD I REACTED FAST AND STEERED TOWARD THE EMERGENCY LANE PULLED MY E BRAKE UP AND THREW MY CAR IN NEUTRAL AND SHUT MY CAR OFF YET WHEN IGNITION WAS ALL THE WAY TURNED OFF MY CAR WAS STILL ON FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT 4 SECONDS. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY OCCUR AGAIN. THIS CAN RESULT IN A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR EVEN A FATAL CONCLUSION. I FIND MYSELF VERY NERVOUS AND UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE (SATURN ION) BUT UNFORTUNATELY IT IS MY ONLY WAY TO GET TO WORK.
NHTSA complaint #10700954 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AFTER OWNING THIS CAR FOR A FEW YEARS NOW AND BECOMING HIGHLY INVOLVED IN THE FORUMS. I'VE LEARNED THAT IT'S A COMMON ISSUE FOR THE CLOCK SPRING TO BREAK. WHEN IT DOES, IT CUTS POWER PERMANENTLY TO THE DRIVER AIR BAG, AND CRUISE CONTROL UNTIL REPAIRED. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY CONCERN AS NO POWER TO THE AIRBAG WOULD RESULT IN MORE SERIOUS INJURY OR POSSIBLY DEATH.
NHTSA complaint #10694742 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I WAS DRIVING MY SATURN TONIGHT AND NOTICED THAT EVEN WHEN I WOULD LET OFF THE BRAKE, THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE AND RPMS WOULD STAY ELEVATED. I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 35-40MPH. I WAS COMING UP TO AN INTERSECTION AND IT SIMPLY DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT, LIKE IT WAS PULLING FORWARD. THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNS RED AND I START TO APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES. IT FELT LIKE THE BRAKES WERE RESISTING AND IT WAS TAKING A LOT MORE PRESSURE THAN USUAL TO SLOW DOWN. MY CAR WOULD NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND I WAS GOING ~5MPH RIGHT UP TO THE CROSSWALK. THE CAR STARTED VIOLENTLY LURCHING FORWARD AND STILL, WASN'T COMING TO A STOP. THE RPMS WERE REVVING AND I WAS ABLE TO REACT IN TIME TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL, KEEP BRAKING, AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF RIGHT BEFORE THINGS WOULD HAVE ENDED VERY BADLY. I KEPT MY CAR IN PARK AND TURNED IT ON, AND IT WOULD SHOOT UP IMMEDIATELY TO 4000 RPM. I DIDN'T TRUST THE CAR AT ALL AT THIS POINT AND SAT IN -18 DEGREE WEATHER PROCESSING WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED AND WHAT TO DO NEXT. AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES I HEARD WHAT CAN BE DESCRIBED AS THE ACCELERATION PEDAL RELEASING OR POPPING BACK UP IN PLACE. THERE WAS NOTHING IT COULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT ON TO CAUSE IT TO STICK. TERRIFYING.
NHTSA complaint #10689732 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
COMING TO A STOP IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ALARMS AND LIGHTS WENT OFF, THE CAR LOST POWERING AND WOULDN'T GO INTO GEAR FINALLY WHEN THE GEAR ENGAGED IT WOULD ONLY STAY IN FIRST GEAR. LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE BUSY HIGHWAY AND GET SAFELY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH NO ACCIDENTS OR INJURIES.
NHTSA complaint #10672576 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.