Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 000310006 | 12/01/2008 | SB-00-03-10-006D | 10021115 | Information on tire radial force variation (rfv). 2008 and prior gm passenger cars and light duty trucks including 2008 and prior hummer h2, h3 and 2005-08 saab 9-7x and 2000-05 saturn l series and 2003-07 saturn ion. *kb updated 4/1 | 03/07/2007 |
| 050309010 | 11/01/2005 | 10018679 | Identifying correct design level of rear axle assembly. *jb | 01/10/2006 | |
| 050307001A | 08/01/2005 | 050307001B | 10013462 | Premature and/or irregular tire wear. *tt | 04/19/2005 |
| 040308013 | 08/01/2004 | 10009801 | Creaking/squeaking noise from the front suspension when turning the steering wheel. *tt | 10/25/2004 | |
| 040308006 | 08/01/2007 | 040308006A | 10007892 | Cluck, thump or rattle noise from front suspension while driving over rough road conditions or when braking (replace front lower control arm rear bushing). *mj updated 10/5/07. *nj | 07/14/2004 |
| 040308005 | 05/01/2004 | 10007550 | Service manual update regarding tightening procedure and specification for the ball joint-to-steering knuckle nut.*mr | 07/01/2004 | |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM | |||||
| 040308006 | 08/01/2007 | 040308006A | 10007892 | Cluck, thump or rattle noise from front suspension while driving over rough road conditions or when braking (replace front lower control arm rear bushing). *mj updated 10/5/07. *nj | 07/14/2004 |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - STABILIZER BAR | |||||
| 040308003 | 05/01/2004 | 040308003A | 10006479 | Squeak, rattle, pop or clunk noise from front of vehicle during suspension movement. *mr *tt | 05/04/2004 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 01/01/2010 | 65000 | 1 | 06/23/2007 |
| I need help, i have a 2003 saturn ion, the front end is broke. it swerves all over the road. they recalled many and know what the problem is. mine they will not fix and i can't afford to pay for it. it's very unsafe and they recalled several models for the same problem and won't fix mine. the warranty just expired and i get no response from any agency. i just bought this car a few years ago and they know its a factory problem and they won't fix my car. please help, i'm just a hard working guy trying to support his family. my wife is disabled and i struggle to get by and i can't get any help from the car company. updated 01/28/11 | |||
| 08/23/2010 | 60000 | ||
| The car wont start and i changed the battery and had the altinator tested and starter both passed i attempt to start the car the ignition switch clicks then stalls, security system kicks in reads service engine soon after about 20minutes the car starts, hear rattling noise in front suspension this is happening all the time for the past year since i bought the car | |||
| 08/27/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving at 50 mph, the steering wheel drifted to the left and was not turning smoothly, it was hard to handle the wheel. the dealer inspected the vehicle, and could not correct the problem. *ak the vehicle was found mis-aligned and was repaired. *scc *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 03/12/2009 | 1 | ||
| There are no events leading up to the failure. from everything i've read from other saturn ion owners this is a frequent and seemingly random problem. at any given time if it is cold outside the car won't start. everything lights up, the engine turns over and catches, only to stall. upon repeated attempts to start the car there will be no response whatsoever. the engine does not turn over. after waiting several minutes it will eventually start. this problem has occurred 4 times in the last month; twice causing me to be late for particularly important engagements. upon reporting the problem to the saturn dealership where i bought the car i was told that they have many complaints of the same problem, but that their staff haven't been able to resolve it. this has been their general attitude towards several issues i've had with my car. i took it to another garage and they can't find a thing wrong with it. saturn seems to be turning a blind eye to a problem that is clearly the result of a poor design somewhere on their part. i have also had to replace control arm bushings when i was at about 80 000 km, and now need to replace struts. i am hesitant to do this though, as the general consensus among saturn ion owners is that bushings and struts are in perpetual need of replacement on these cars. after replacing the parts most people find that they have to make the same repairs again within 2 years. further problems i have with my car are: trunk will not open with key, replaced wires on both front turn signals and one headlight, key would not release from ignition, erratic transmission behavior (i was told that this is a common problem and that i just have to deal with it), seat belt guides broken (front, both sides), rear seat belt female component falls into crevice in seat, paint peeling from front bumper without being chipped prior, and a faulty cruise control switch. every single one of these problems has turned up again and again in the ion owners community. *tr | |||
| 01/13/2004 | 5000 | 1 | |
| While driving at 69 mph, consumer hit a raccoon and damaged the underbody, radiator ,and the front end. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM | |||
| 04/10/2006 | 1 | 02/01/2003 | |
| I have been having some issues with clunking and grinding noises when going over bumps or potholes or while making turns. i took my 2003 ion 2 to have this checked and i found out that the problems was both of my control arm bushings. my car is 2 months out of warranty and has only 38,000 miles on it, so at first i thought that this could be untrue. but, after internet research it seems that many 2003 ion drivers have had this problem. i called my saturn dealer and they acted like they had never heard of this problem and could do nothing to help me or fix it. my other problem with the car, which also seems to be a common problem, is that the service engine soon light comes on intermittently. one day it will be on, and the next it will be fine. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||
| 03/07/2004 | 49000 | 4 | 03/29/2003 |
| Throttle froze during the winter months. consumer contacted manufacturer, and was told that because warranty expired they will not make any repairs without consumer first paying for it. also, headlight covers were covered with a film that made visibility difficult.*ak on 3-7-04 the vehicle was involved in an accident. when the consumer took her foot off the gas but the vehicle did not slow down. the vehicle began to slide then rolled over. the driver sustain double whiplash and left shoulder muscle spasms. the vehicle was not totaled. on 6-16-04 the front passenger side wheel bearing was replaced. *nm | |||