KnownCarProblems2006 Saturn Ion Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,235 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Saturn Ion, most often about the steering (44% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Ion model year since 2000 and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2006 Saturn Ion problems
Steering
544 complaints · 44%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system, hydraulic power assist system, column, column locking.
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…
Tl contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. He stated that intermittently the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel, and then he lost power steering. As a consequence he experienced difficulty while steering. Occasionally he can restart the vehicle and resume normal operation. The dealer was…
Electrical
392 complaints · 32%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, wiring, 12v/24v/48v battery, alternator/generator/regulator.
In november 2007 my 2006 Saturn Ion began having problems with the ignition. I could not start the car or turn the key. The dealership said that the ignition switch was bad, and I had to pay to replace it. Now in june 2008, the key is stuck in the on position, and I can't turn the car off. Now Saturn says that its the…
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…
Fuel system
238 complaints · 19%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, storage.
I own a 2006 Saturn Ion and it has a crack in the fuel pump which is leaking fuel and I'm being told that my VIN is not eligible for the recall that is for this exact problem in the fuel pump.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that there was a fuel leak from the fuel pump area. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact told that the vehicle was not included in recall 09v419000 (fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump) and would be responsible for repair costs.…
Engine
71 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 74,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop for a failure with the driver side door and when the mechanic attempted to turn the engine off, it would not shut off. The mechanic had to disconnect the battery which shut down the fuel system and computer system.…
Timing chain bracket fails causing damage to the timing chain. Saturn knows of this problem and is stocking parts in anticipation of the occurance. I was told this by the service repairman.
Air bags
61 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 79,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
The steering column assembly (including key switch, turn signal, wiper control, etc.) was loose upon getting the vehicle back from the repairs for the key switch recall. This was not like this prior to the recall repairs and represents sloppy workmanship by dealership employees repairing the vehicle or poor design…
The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated there were numerous attempts before the vehicle would start. Additionally, the vehicle stalled and the failure recurred five times. There was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system. The failure occurred after the…
Transmission
36 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, driveline.
I got in my car to go to work on monday march 16, 2008. The car started. When I put the car in reverse to back out of my garage, the doors locked but the car would not go backward. The car is now at the dealers for trouble shooting.
A week ago, I submitted a complaint about losing reverse in my transmission. I would like to add that the dealer replaced my transmission free of charge or labor costs. I applaud jay wolfe Saturn of tiffany springs, missouri. For taking this corrective action.
Other or unspecified
26 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles.
The ignition key would not turn off the vehicle. It was stuck in the on position with the car running. I had to drive to my mechanic and have him disconnect the battery to get it to stop. He rebuilt the ignition, but I continue to have problems with the key getting stuck after shut off. There has been another…
I own a 2006 Saturn Ion level 2 that I bought fairly knew in 2007. I have noticed a clicking noise for several months after I put my key in the ignition to start my car. I have also noticed for several months when I try to turn my car off, that it became more and more difficult to get the key out of the switch. Just…
Body and structure
24 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 68,500 miles. Parts named most often: body.
I recently experienced a malfunctioning door latch actuator. On two separate occasions, driver was trapped in the car because neither the interior or exterior door handle would actuate the door latch, opening the door. Exterior, interior manual, interior power and remote power locks were repeatedly actuated to no…
I was driving home early one morning and my ignition had shut off like it had many times before this time the weather conditions being snowy and slushy caused me to get stuck and the vehicle was yanked into the ditch. I had called the claims number after my car had sat at the dealership for about 2 months maybe longer…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Saturn Ion recalls
Electrical: ignition
Risk: If the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position, the vehicle could roll away: (a) for an automatic transmission, if the transmission is not in the "park" position; or (b) for a manual transmission, if the parking brake is not engaged and the transmission is not in the "reverse" position. This potential for rollaway increases the risk for a crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.
Fix: General motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the ignition cylinder and cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. For vehicles that were built with the redesigned ignition cylinder or had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. The recall began on april 18, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact general
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 chevrolet cobalt, 2006-2011 chevrolet hhr, 2007-2010 pontiac g5, 2006-2010 pontiac solstice, 2003-2007 saturn ion, and 2007-2010 saturn sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position.
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. Gm expects to send an interim notification around may 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 saturn ion, 2009-2010 chevrolet hhr and 2010 chevrolet cobalts. Dealers will replace the eps motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx, 2005-2006 pontiac g6 and 2008-2009 chevrolet malibu, pontiac g6 and saturn aura built from mar
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 chevrolet malibu, 2004-2006 malibu maxx, 2009-2010 hhr (non-turbo), 2010 cobalt, 2008-2009 saturn aura and 2004-2007 ion, and 2005-2009 pontiac g6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (eps) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Air bags
Risk: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on march 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on april 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on april 18, 2014. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737 or saturn at 1-800-553-6000. Gm's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. Gmâs recall nu
Full defect summary
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General motors llc (gm) notified the agency on february 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 chevrolet cobalt, and 2007 pontiac g5 vehicles. On february 25, 2014, gm increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 chevrolet hhr and pontiac solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 saturn ion vehicles and 2007 saturn sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On march 27, 2014, gm notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have be
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module free of charge. A special coverage will be implemented in the same time frame for model year 2006 vehicles registered in alabama, arkansas, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, north carolina, new mexico, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee and texas and model year 2007 vehicles registered in: alabama, arkansas, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, north carolina, new mexico, oklahoma, south carolina and tennessee. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before february 4, 2010. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-63
Full defect summary
General motors is recalling certain model year 2006 chevrolet cobalt and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona and nevada; and model year 2007 chevrolet cobalt, pontiac g5 and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona, california, florida, nevada and texas. The plastic supply or return port on the modular reservoir assembly may crack. If either of these ports develops a crack, fuel will leak from the area. If the crack becomes large enough, fuel may be observed dripping onto the ground and vehicle performance may be affected.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Electric power steering failure
Summary
On march 31, 2014, general motors company (gm) submitted a defect information report (dir) to NHTSA describing a safety defect that may result in a sudden loss of power steering assist in approximately 1,340,447 model year (my) 2004 through 2010 vehicles equipped with electric power steering (eps), including 334,728 my 2004 through 2007 saturn ion vehicles that are the subject of ea11-014.gm has assigned the recall number n140115.the NHTSA recall number is 14v-153.according to the dir, if power steering assist is lost, a message is displayed on the driver information center and a chime sounds to inform the driver.gm indicated that steering control can be maintained in manual (unassisted) ste
Electric power steering failure
Summary
Odi has received 846 complaints and gm identified 3,489 reports alleging sudden loss of steering power assist in model year (my) 2004 through 2007 saturn ion vehicles manufactured and sold by general motors corporation (gm).sixteen of these complaints alleged that the eps warning lamp had illuminated before or during the loss of steering assist and the increased steering effort contributed to a crash. Two of the gm crash claims indicated that the driver was injured in the crash. In a previous preliminary evaluation pe10-005, odi investigated the sudden loss of power steering assist in my 2005 through 2010 chevrolet cobalt vehicles. In may 2011, in response to an odi information request lette
Questions about the 2006 Saturn Ion
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Saturn Ion?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (544 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); electrical (392 complaints, typically around 62,000 miles); fuel system (238 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Saturn Ion have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 10, 2014 (electrical). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Saturn Ion?
- It is the most complained-about Ion model year since 2000, with 1,235 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.