NHTSA — Engine And Engine Cooling: Engine: Gasoline Problems

CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2005 Ion still had power steering issues and a defective ignition switch leftover from previous model years, but hey – at least Saturn improved some of its safety rating to marginal, right? Baby steps.

If you had to buy a Saturn Ion – and I would question why anyone would even consider it – I suppose the 2005 could be considered the best of a bad bunch? I mean, GM did finally get rid of that awful VTi transmission, and both the power steering problems and ignition switch defect that plagued owners were recalled. The problem is they waited 10 years to recall the ignition and let over 30,000 warranty claims get filed before they bothered to fix the power steering. So you kind of have to wonder, is GM making these fixes to keep owners safe or just to keep government lawyers from taking all their money? You be the judge.

2.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,000 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Saturn Ion engine problems

engine problem

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2005 Saturn Ion Owner Comments

problem #1

Feb 232007

Ion 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2005 Ion 2 was serviced continuously by the Saturn dealership since its new purchase. This car has never had a engine incident, overheating, or missed oil change/service and at approximately 35,000 miles the engine service light would activate intermittently. The problem was brought to the Saturn technician and deduced to either a gas tank sealing issue or oxygen sensor malfunction. The oxygen sensor was finally replaced on it 48,000 service checkup, yet the light was still active. A complete computer code diagnostic revealed internal misfire issues with the #1 cylinder. The mechanics evaluation was that the engine cylinder or block is warped and causing compression blow by & misfiring. The recommended solution is to change the engine block at a cost of $6, 800. Or work on tearing down the engine at an un-estimated amount. Although I have a 3 year warranty to April 2008, I have exceeded the mileage of this purchased warranty by over 14,000 miles. I am uncertain whether I should go forward with this repair, trade-in the car, or seek my damages through my attorney in los angeles. When I purchased this new Ion, my father in law was so impressed that he bought the same model 5 days later at the same dealership. An interesting note is this is our 3rd Saturn in the last 11 years. We believe in the brand, love the service & sales departments, but are not sure about its future with our family.

- Daly City, CA, USA

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