There are 37 stored owner reports matching the engine leading-label group for the 2004 Saturn Ion in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 37 of 37 matching reports. The list controls page through the loaded reports only.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)I HAVE TAKEN THIS CAR IN SEVERAL TIMES FOR THE SAME REASON... IDLE STICKS THEN IT SHUTS DOWN COMPLETELY OR IT WILL JUST CUT OFF WHILE I'M DRIVING IT. THE SATURN REPAIR SHOP COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I PAID FOR THIS 3 TIMES AND GAVE UP. I'VE ALSO HAD MY IGNITION REPAIRED ALREADY SO THIS RECALL DOES ME NO GOOD. I'VE ALREADY PAID FOR IT. NOW MY TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND I HAVE A CRACKED SEAL IN MY ENGINE. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS TOO BUT THE YEAR OF MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT RECALL.... I SPOKE WITH GM AND THEY'RE TELLING ME THAT MY 100,000 MILE OR 10 YR WARR. STOPPED NOVEMBER 2013. I BOUGHT THIS MAY, 2004 SO I THINK 10 YEARS WOULD BE MAY OF 2014. IS THERE ANYWAY TO GET MY MONEY BACK AND THEM PAY FOR THE TIMING CHAIN? SIGNED: ANGRY CONSUMER. *TR
TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IN THE MORNINGS THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. THE VEHICLE WILL START AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS. THIS FAILURE HAS OCCURRED EVERY DAY OVER A PERIOD OF FOUR MONTHS. THE CONTACT RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTIFICATION RELATED TO NTHSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 14V047000 (AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM), HOWEVER PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO COULD NOT DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,127. RG
THIS CAR WILL NOT START ON COLD DAYS. WHEN YOU TRY TO START IT STARTER ENGAGES AND QUITS. THEN YOU HAVE TO WAIT 10 TO 30 MINS FOR THE CAR TO START. I FOUND OUT THAT SATURN HAS FAULTY IGNITION SWITCHES AND THEY HAVE NO RECALLS ON THIS WHY? THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. PLEASE MAKE THIS A PRIORITY TO HAVE THESE SWITCHES RECALLED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO RESTART AND WAS LATER TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 89,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION L3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER REMOVING THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHUT DOWN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BATTERY CABLES WERE MANUALLY DISCONNECTED SO THE ENGINE COULD SHUT DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 142,750 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 142,800.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY WOULD NOT START. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO PUSH THE VEHICLE UNTIL IT STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,000.
TRAVELING UP A STEEP HILL IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA, THE POWER CUT OUT. ALL DIALS DROPPED TO ZERO. WARNING LIGHT INDICATORS FLASHED AND THEN TURNED OFF. POWER STEERING CUT OUT. I HAD ENOUGH FORWARD MOMENTUM TOO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE STREET AND OUT OF TRAFFIC. AFTER TURNING THE KEY TO THE FULL OFF POSITION I RESTARTED THE CAR AND CONTINUED TO WORK. I HAVE NOT HAD THAT EXACT PROBLEM REPEAT ITSELF SINCE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON IT FAILED TO START. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY, AND ON ONE OCCASION THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE MANUFACTURER TOOK FILED REPORT 71948037911 AND ADVISED THAT THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE, AND THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WILL BE TAKEN TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILES WERE 58,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION 3 COUPE. THE CONTACT WAS APPROACHING A TRAFFIC STOP WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO IDLE HARD AND DISPLAYED SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED AND THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WOULD NEED REPLACEMENT. HE THEN CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS ADVISED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE DEALER ADVISED THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE BECAME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE TO THE POINT WHERE IT WOULD STALL SPORADICALLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 93,640.
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD CAR SHUTS OFF, I WAS GOING 20MHP THE ROAD WAS STRAIGHT CAME TO A RIGHT HAND BEND IN THE ROAD AND CAR WAS OFF NO ABS, NO PWR STER, THERE WERE CARS SITTING AT THE STOP SIGN. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR STOPPED. TO GET THE CAR STARTED I HAD TO PUT IN PARK TURN KEY OFF THEN TURN KEY OVER AND IT STARTS RIGHT UP. THIS IS NOW THE 2ND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. FIRST TIME SITTING AT A RED LIGHT CAR WAS RUNNING LIGHT TURNED GREEN GAVE IT THE GAS MID WAY THROUGH INTERSECTION CAR SHUT OFF AGAIN AND DRIFTED TO SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH A BUNCH OF CARS HONKING. I THOUGHT I NEEDED A TUNE UP AND THAT WAS 3MONTHS AGO. THAT HAPPENED UNTIL TWO DAYS AGO. CAR SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING WITH WARNING, IF I WAS GOING ANY FASTER I WOULD HAVE HIT THE BACK END OF THE CAR THAT WAS STOPPED @ A STOP SIGN. 2004 SATURN ION 2.2L I HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING WITH THIS PART DO TO NO INCOME RIGHT NOW. *TR
OUR 4 CYLINDER 2004 SATURN ION HAS HAD UNINTENDED SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEMS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. I AM A PATENT HOLDING SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE ENGINEER AND I CAN STATE ABSOLUTELY AFTER OBSERVING THE BEHAVIOR OVER AT LEAST 4 YEARS THAT THIS IS A SOFTWARE ISSUE AND/OR A SENSOR ISSUE AND NOT A STICKING MECHANICAL CONTROL. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO EVEN TOUCH OR MOVE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IN ORDER FOR THIS TO OCCUR. UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY, EITHER SOME SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS OR SOME CONNECTOR BECOMES INTERMITTENT OR THE SOFTWARE MISREADS SOMETHING. AT STARTUP THE ENGINE RUNS AT AN UNUSUALLY HIGH IDLE (~800 RPM), AND AS SOON AS YOU PUT IT IN GEAR, THE CAR LUNGES FORWARD OR BACKWARD HARD AND YOU HAVE TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL TO AVOID HAVING IT RUN AWAY WITH YOU - ALL THIS WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. WHEN YOU PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL THE ENGINE RUNS AT BETWEEN 3,000 AND 4,000 RPM ON THE TACHOMETER FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN SLOWLY DROPS BACK TO AN IDLE (~800RPM). AS SOON AS YOU PUT IT IN GEAR AGAIN, THE CAR LUNGES ONCE AGAIN - THROW IT IN NEUTRAL - 3,000 - 4,000 RPM, SLOWLY RECOVERS. AFTER TWO - THREE MINUTES THE ENGINE STABILIZES AND THE PROBLEM IS GONE. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS ALL WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR - EVER! THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COLD AND USUALLY DURING HIGH HUMIDITY OR RAINY CONDITIONS. IT IS SO UNPREDICTABLE THAT I HAVE NEVER SOUGHT HELP FROM A DEALER. IT IS NOT REPEATABLE IN A WAY THAT THE DEALER WOULD BE ABLE TO DIAGNOSE SINCE IT HAPPENS FAIRLY RARELY (SOMETIMES A COUPLE OF TIMES A WEEK - SOMETIMES ONCE A MONTH) AND INCONSISTENTLY. IF I WAS AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER AND IF THIS WAS A MORE POWERFUL CAR, I WOULD NO DOUBT HAVE HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT BY NOW. I HAVE LEARNED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE MOTOR WHEN I FIRST START THE VEHICLE. IF IT SOUNDS LIKE IT IS IDLING A BIT FAST THEN I KNOW IT WILL TRY TO RUN AWAY WITH ME WHEN I PUT IT IN GEAR SO I JUST WAIT FOR IT TO IDLE DOWN TO NORMAL BEFORE PUTTING IT IN GEAR. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START WHENEVER THE TEMPERATURES OUTSIDE WERE LOW. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER AND THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNINGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 63270.
I TRIED TO START MY 2004 SATURN ION AT ABOUT 11 PM LAST NIGHT AND IT TOOK FIFTEEN MINUTES FOR IT TO TURN OVER. THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 28 DEGREES (F). THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL DOZEN TIMES OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, ALWAYS WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW FREEZING. I KNOW THAT SATURN IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND THAT IT IS ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION. I HAVE FOUND REPORTS OF HUNDREDS OF OTHER ION OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. I THINK THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED BY SATURN AS SITTING FOR 10-20 MINUTES OR MORE IN FREEZING TEMPERATURES WAITING FOR ONE'S CAR TO START IS NOT SAFE, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. PLEASE MAKE THIS A RECALL ISSUE!! *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. AFTER DRIVING FOR APPROXIMATELY TEN MINUTES THE VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. HOWEVER ON THE INTERNET SHE DISCOVERED MANY COMPLAINTS DESCRIBING THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000 . THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE.
MY 2004 SATURN ION WILL NOT START ON COLD DAYS. I LIVE IN VERMONT SO THERE ARE PLENTY OF COLD DAYS. IT USUALLY TAKES ME ABOUT 10 MINUTES TO1/2 HOUR TO GET IT STARTED, IF IT STARTS. WHEN IT FINALLY STARTS I HAVE TO LEAVE IT RUNNING SO THE ENGINE WILL WARM UP BECAUSE IF I DON'T I HAVE TO START THE PROCESS OVER AGAIN. THIS IS A HUGE INCONVENIENCE! EVERYONE I'VE BROUGHT IT TO DOESN'T SEEM TO KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I LOVE MY CAR BUT COULD DEFINITELY DO WITHOUT THIS PROBLEM! *TR
ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS I HAVE HAD TO BRING MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE I WOULD LOSE COMPLETE POWER TO MY CAR WHILE DRIVING. I WOULD NOT GET ANY WARNING LIGHTS OR SOUNDS, IT WOULD JUST LOSE COMPLETE POWER. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT SATURN OF DANVERS HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE. I HAVE BEEN IN LOANER CARS ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS WHILE THEY TRIED TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT ISSUE. I HAVE LOST POWER AT LOW RATES OF SPEED AND ALSO ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD. ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008 MY CAR LOST POWER ON I-95 N IN WOBURN, MA WHILE DRIVING, SEVERAL VEHICLES HAD TO AVOID HITTING MY VEHICLE AND OTHER VEHICLES. I NOTIFIED THE SATURN CORPORATE OFFICE AND THEY HAD JOHN CACHURSKI (SP) CONTACT ME, HE STATED I WOULD NEED TO RETURN THEIR LOANER CAR AND GET MY CAR BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT HELP ME BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. AN ONLINE SEARCH FOUND SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY WITH MY MODEL/YEAR WITH THE SAME ISSUE WITHOUT RESOLUTION FROM THEIR DEALERSHIPS. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED. I WOULD APPRECIATE SOME HELP TO TRY TO GET MY VEHICLE UP TO PAR. *TR
I AM 75 YEARS OLD AND THIS IS THE ONLY CAR I HAVE AND I CANNOT RELY ON IT TO START WHEN I NEED IT. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, I HAVE BEEN HEADED TO A DOCTOR APPOINTMENT AND GO TO START THE CAR AND IT WILL BE AS MUCH AS 30 MINUTES OR MORE BEFORE IT STARTS. IT IS CRIMINAL FOR SATURN TO KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM AND NOT ISSUE A RECALL TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I DO NOT KNOW WHEN THEY REALIZED THE PROBLEM AND FIXED IT, BUT I'M ON A FIXED INCOME AND I PUT OUT A LOT OF MONEY FOR THIS PIECE OF JUNK! I THOUGHT SATURN WAS A GOOD COMPANY BUT I SEE NOW THAT DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT THEIR CONSUMERS. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THEM. *TR
POWER STEERING CONTINUOUSLY GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING. FOUND OTHERS ONLINE HAVING SAME PROBLEM. RESTART THE CAR AND IT COMES BACK ON MOST OF THE TIME. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. WHENEVER THE CONTACT ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE IN COLD WEATHER, IT FAILS TO START. ON OCCASION, HE MUST ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO REST FOR 15 MINUTES BEFORE IT WILL START. OTHER TIMES, HE MUST JUMPSTART THE VEHICLE IN ORDER FOR THE ENGINE TO START. THE CONTACT HAS NOT HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED BY THE DEALER OR A REPAIR SHOP. HE FOUND A RECALL ONLINE PERTAINING TO THE FAILURE, BUT IT WAS UNABLE TO BE FOUND ON THE NHTSA WEB SITE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND STATED THAT NO RECALL WAS ISSUED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 95,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000. *TR
Showing 1-20 of 37 loaded complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.