Owners have filed 3,501 complaints on the Saturn Ion, covering 2003–2008. The system named most often is Steering (1,463 reports). Worst years by volume: 2006, 2007, 2004; cleanest: 2008, 2005, 2003. 180 reports describe a crash, 16 a fire, 4 a death. On average the car was 6.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Saturn Ion
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 3,501 Ion complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 1,463 Read
I hit my brakes to avoid an accident my car went to left in front of another car. I found out that struts shifted and causing the upper control arm to snap and brake off causing my car to go to the left into another car
In january 2016 while driving on highway to work I had bear to the right at an intersection from 1-90 to 1-76, wheels/steering locked or something and I ended up spinning off roadway. Hit division embankment crashing front end and my air bags never deployed. Traction in the car I later found out was not engaging when…
I slightly was going off the curve to the right I turned the wheel to get straight the steering went out I lost control I mashed breaks and nothing stopped the car veered to the right crashing into a utility pole, flipped and the front driver tire, hub and axe came completely off it was not struck by the pole. I was…
Electrical System 914 Read
Per witnesses my daughter's saturn ion hit the rear of a semi truck that had stopped on northbound I-81 near mile marker 210.5. The witnesses state that the air bags did not deploy. The car caught fire and was destroyed
The contact owns a 2008 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the driver was attempting to close the front passenger's side window when the vehicle stalled. The contact mentioned that smoke was emitting from the driver's side door control panel. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The…
The contact owns a 2007 saturn ion. The contact stated while driving in reverse approximately 2 mph there was a sudden increase in acceleration and the vehicle crashed into a brick wall. The air bags did not deploy. The ignition key independently released from the switch prior to the crash. In addition, the front…
Fuel/propulsion System 231 Read
The year, make, and model of my car has a factory recall for the fuel pump failing. I went to the dealership and they informed me my Vin # wasn't included and their was nothing they could do about it. My vehicle started leaking fuel last week so I dropped the tank and removed the fuel pump. I have done my homework on…
The contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that fuel fumes were emitted in and around the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was park and when she returned the next day the vehicle had caught on fire. The vehicle was not diagnose or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified about the…
It loses alot of gas it leaks all under car and its strong smellimg fire hazard.it does not leak if car is off only when its running.driving down 75 the under carriage of car soaking wet
Fuel System 204 Read
Gas pedal accelerating on it's own causing a wreck of a 2007 saturn ion
I have a 2003 saturn ion coupe. When I would drive for a little while and let the car warm up, there are intermittent occasions where I will slow down suddenly, for example, the changing of a stop light, and when I either come to the stop or when I accelerate again, the car would in essence stall out and turn off.…
The contact owns a 2007 saturn ion. The contact stated that the fuel line was rusted through in two areas. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed that the main fuel line and the fuel vapor line to canister rusted through and there were holes on the fuel lines. The contact stated that the…
Power Train 136 Read
Was travelling on my way home from work and a fox darted out in front of me in the center of the road. I swerved slightly to miss the fox and the power steering in the car went out. I was unable to straighten the wheel and the car went into a 180 degree spin and ended up facing the other direction flipped up on the…
My car feels like a death trap. To start off with only one of my windshield wiper motors work . When I first bought the car from a single individual the passenger side wiper appeared to shake a little more than the driver side. As if it was working a little harder to keep up with the other wiper.. And then less than a…
The contact owns a 2007 saturn ion. While stationary, the vehicle would not start when prompted. The contact engaged the clutch to start the vehicle and all of the warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was…
Air Bags 92 Read
My son lost control of the car hitting a pole head on and then the car spun three times in a 360 and then a 180... Air bags didn't deploy and he and the passenger are badly injured. The air bags could have saved them from several injuries
The contact owns 2008 saturn ion. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in head on crash but the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained unknown injuries. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure…
The contact owns a 2007 saturn ion. The contact stated that he was involved in a crash where a vehicle cut in front of the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact and a passenger sustained shoulder and chest injuries. A police report was filed and the police officer stated that the impact should…
Engine And Engine Cooling 84 Read
I purchased the 2007 in may of 2007. As of today, the car has 18,000 on it. Directly after I got the car, I began to have severe headaches. The car mostly ran without any issues, just that I has very bad headaches, and then began to black out while driving. I have had several medical bills, including a 5 day stay in…
The contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle stalled and had a loss of power steering and brake functionality. The vehicle crashed into two parked vehicles. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of failure. All three vehicles sustained body damage. A…
The contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. While driving in reverse approximately 2 mph, the contact heard a loud noise coming from the engine and suddenly the engine warning indicator began to illuminate. Also, there was smoke emitting from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where they…
Vehicle Speed Control 49 Read
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…
The contact owns a 2006 saturn ion. The contact stated that after starting the engine, the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into a curb. The contact indicated that the front driver, the front passenger, and the rear passenger sustained neck injuries that needed medical attention. The vehicle was not…
On two prior occasions, the vehicle's motor 'revved' or raced just before coming to a stop. A couple of hours later, when pulling into a parking space and applying the brake, the car rapidly accelerated, jumped a curb and ended up finally coming to a stop inside a party store. There were at least 10 feet of skid marks…
Ion years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 31 | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 40 | 6 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 30 | 3 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 44 | 3 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 34 | 3 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 782 |
| Average complaints per series | 4.5 |
| Worst single series | 57 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.1 years |
A model average of 4.5 hides a worst series at 57. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Ion?
By complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2004 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Ion years are the cleanest?
2008, 2005, 2003 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Saturn Ion have?
3,501 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2003–2008. Of those, 180 describe a crash and 16 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.