This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Saturn dealer.
9.0
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
$388.00
Average Mileage:
49,799 miles
Total Complaints:
21 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replace ignition cylinder (16 reports)
- not sure (5 reports)
- removed computer chip (1 reports)
accessories - interior problem
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A free service from MechanicAdvisor.comHelpful websites
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA - Via http://www.safercar.gov/ you can file a complaint with NHTSA. NHTSA will investigate your complaint and if they find a trend, they will do an investigation to determine if a recall is warrented, etc. I believe a Seized Ignition Lock Cylinder to be a serious safety problem and, in addition, the car owner is forced to assume the cost of fixing the problem. This problem just happened to me so I filed a complaint with NHTSA because I found no acceptable recourse with the dealership or with the GM Regional Manager I spoke with.
2011Sep 09
Ion 3
- Manual transmission
- 60,000 miles
This was a pain. Had to get the cylinder from the dealer, get it keyed by my local locksmith and install. Was not too expensive, but was just a pain to drive all over town.
2011Jul 22
Ion
- Automatic transmission
- 36,244 miles
Went to the grocery store on Sunday,put car in park and went to turn key-NO drove back home and neighbor pulled fuse to stop car. Monday morning put fuse in car starts fine. Bring it to a dealer can't fix it cause the Cylinder needs to be rebuilt by a GM dealer. I called GM very nice and gives me a case number and On Wednesday bringing Car to new place. I told GM this should not happen to a car that has only 36,000 miles. I will let you know what happens and I hope GM helps me out so I don't have to pay for this. Their are no recalls on Saturn ION so that is good. I just had a Oil change and I stay on top of that. This is my second Saturn and I am sad that they are out of business for my local one was great!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2011Jul 15
Ion
- Automatic transmission
- 13,500 miles
Dealer wants $600 to fix this sounds like alot where else can I get it fixed and has it happened to others?
2010Dec 22
Ion
- Automatic transmission
- 56,432 miles
This was crazy ,I never heard of anyone's key being stuck in the ignition and unable to shut your car off ,I actually showed my boss (cause I didn't think anyone would believe me) before I took it to the local dealer where they acted like they never saw this happen,sure, after 4 hours and $374.79 I got my car back ,Merry Christmas to me and my family,I even ask the dealer if I got a X-mas discount, no way ,the entire thing sucked,
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2010Nov 06
Ion
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
This is the second time this has happened, the last time being six months ago. The key is stuck in the on position. Last time, this problem cost me $535. We'll see what happens this time...
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2010May 18
Ion
- Automatic transmission
- 69,804 miles
When I went to park, the key was just stuck in the on position. I drove across the street to a tire shop and they told me that I needed to go to a dealership because of the ignition computer programming.
I went to a Chevy dealership, since Saturn is out of business. It's a shame, the Saturn people always treated me well and were way more honest then these Chevy hustlers. He said this was rare but gave me a verbal price without even checking a computer. But this isn't about that.
In the end I needed a new ignition switch and new keys made at the tune of $535.69. I wish this were the end of the story but six months later, it happened again...
2010Aug 02
Ion
- Manual transmission
- 53,000 miles
So i'm picking my son up from school. I try to turn my car off, but the key was stuck, i thought maybe I didn't put in neutral, so I checked it a half a dozen times. I ask one parent if they could see if maybe they could try and remove the key. Thinking maybe i was doing something wrong, no victory. I had to call my family to come help me. They watch the running car, unable to turn off , while i went inside to pick up my son. Drove home hoping maybe the drive would loosen the key, no luck. I had to stall the car to turn if off. put in the shop the next day and it's been there for two months. The machanic is having problems many problems with the repairs, in the meantime me and my children have been on the bus borrowing my family members cars. I'm fed up. They can have the car , i will turn it back in. This should have been recalled. I see so many camplaints about the same problem, thought i was the only one.
2010Sep 14
Ion
- Manual transmission
- 54,000 miles
The car won't shut off even after disconnecting the battery. I had to call a locksmith to repair it. This is absolutely ridicoulous! Especially now that I know it is a problem for many Ion owners. I essentially was searching to see if there was a recall and then found this site and realized quickly that we are screwed. This of course right after we just had a recall on a fuel module, that was fixed late last year, now I am waiting on the reimbursment for that.
GM was the bread and butter of our household as a child, and I have always tried to remain loyal, but after this fiasco that may be difficult.
2010Jun 22
Ion
- Automatic transmission
- 50,000 miles
I bought this car brand new in 06 and have had nothing but problems. This year alone I've had to take it in 3 times to a local shop since the Saturn dealer I used is now closed.
I started my car yesterday, drove for about 15 minutes, got to my destination and couldn't shut the car off. I had to take it to the mechanic shop and they pulled the fuse. They will be working on it sometime today. Saturn seriously thumbs down to you.
Needless to say I need a new car and will be using Auto Beef to make my new car decision.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2010Jun 01
Ion LX V6
- Automatic transmission
- 40,000 miles
Bought the car new in 2006, here now in 2010 warranty just days out of coverage, key stuck in ignition and car will not shut off....
Saturn takes bailout money but leaves it's faithful customers hanging in limbo to first find a service repair center for there cars. This problem will cost $400 dollars plus to fix, car service center is keeping my car for three days to fix this problem.
After new ignition is installed of course new keys need to be made. When I pick up my car in two more days I will ask since I have paid for a new ignition installed and you have made me new cheap keys, how long will u warranty your work for the ignition and new keys installed to my car?
There must be a way to file a case against a responsible party for this should of been a recall item. In the meantime, we are left to drive unsafe cars and pay for high dollar fixes when they occur.
maybe it is good that Saturn has vanished and went out of business because if they still physically tangible we could go to their place of business blow off steam and sock them up.
Hopefully, Saturn will recall this problem in the near future and if so, should pay back all the people for there fixes to this same problem recall rebates should be retroactive to all Saturn owners with similar recall problems.
Saturn Sucks.
2009Oct 08
Ion 3
- Automatic transmission
- 66,000 miles
My daughter-in law owns this car,She is 20 years old recently married to an army soldier.this is ridiculas for a problem like this to happen with a car and not have a recall on this.The car will not turn off.Of course the dealer she purchased the car from has closed down and the nearest saturn dealer is 50+ miles away.some-one needs to get off their fat asses and stop waisting my tax paying dollars and bail these bastards out every time it comes around for their vacations and raises.this is a serious problem not to be corrected.My son is defending our country leaving his wife at home with me and my wife so she can drive a piece of sh*t car that the saturn people says that there is no and probably won't recall because not enough complaints from other buyers.
Who in the hell are you kidding some-one needs to read all of the posted complaints on the net about this same problem.WAKE UP YOU BUNCH OF BAILLED OUT BASTARDS AND RECALL THIS PROBLEM!!!!
2009Oct 21
Ion 2 Coupe
- Manual transmission
- 62,000 miles
I purchased my brand new Saturn ion 2 coupe in June of 2006. In the winter of 2006 I had the ignition to lock up on me and I could not get my key out and it wouldn't turn at all. Thankfully my car was under warranty and I had it towed immediately to the nearest Saturn dealer. I was told that the ignition housing and its components had to be replaced. The service guy continued to tell me that this has been a common problem. I didn't think anything else about it because mine was fixed. Now in Oct of 2009 I am faced with the SAME problem but my key was in the on postion and RUNNING. The only way to turn my car off was to stall it out because its a five speed and disconnect the battery. My car is no longer under warranty so therefore I am faced with a mechanic bill that is OUTRAGEOUS and I am a college student. I further investigated this problem on the internet to see if there were similar problems like mine and to my surprise there are numerous unsatisfied Saturn customers that have had to deal with the same problem. I feel that these ignitions should be investigated and recalled because they have caused so many problems. This is a hazard because this leaves drivers stranded on the side of the road, in an empty parking lot, or in unknown territory. As a female, I was stranded in a parking lot not knowing what to do and scared. I was very disappointed that the Saturn customer service man could not help me on the telephone and very unaware of customer safety.
2009Aug 26
Ion 2
- Automatic transmission
- 53,260 miles
My wife called after going to the library and she could not get the key to turn off the car ignition. She tried several things including Park, Neutral, Forward, Reverse, and could not get the key to budge. She brought the car home and I had to disassemble the steering column cover and pull the electrical connector for the ignition.
From what I have been reading on this website I believe a recall should have been initiated a long time ago before GM and their dealerships had so much time to rip us off. This is my last American car!!!!!!!!!! If the American car companies had spent more time on developing a longer lasting product we wouldn't be bailing them out of the hole they have dug for themselves. They rip us off as customers and then rip us off as taxpayers. Wow, what a life- get paid to rip people off?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Aug 02
Ion
- Automatic transmission
- 58,790 miles
I purchased my 2006 Saturn Ion from a local Saturn dealership in my area in the summer of 2007. Up to this point, I haven't had any real complaints about my car. I got to my final destination yesterday and I could not turn my car off. My car sat in my driveway running for 4 hours until I figured out what I was going to do about it. I called the Roadside Assistance number that is listed in the manual, hoping that I still had the service. Of course not. It expired in May of this year. So the lady gives me some "advice"...pull out fuse #16 and she will send a tow truck driver out to pick up the car, but first she needed a credit card number. Seriously?!?! There are no problems with me driving the car, I just can't turn it off. Why would I pay a towing fee when I could drive it to a mechanic myself?? So at this point, I am a little frustrated. I drive my car to my mechanic's shop. It's Sunday at about 6pm, of course the shop is closed. My boyfriend has to pull the ignition fuse and disconnect the battery to kill all power to the car. I go back home and google this issue.....tons of complaints about this!!! My step-father goes to the Saturn dealership where I purchased the car and they told him that this is a very common occurance, ESPECIALLY FOR FEMALES, because their keys are too heavy. WTF?!?!? That's a real nice explanation. If I had it to do all over again, I NEVER would have bought a Saturn!!
Update from Aug 5, 2009: The ignition cylinder had to be replaced in my car.
2009Jul 15
Ion 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 37,000 miles
This is the second Saturn I've owned that had the ignition problem. The firsta was a 2002 coupe with 90000 miles. The key was stuck in park. That time it cost me $400+ dollars to fix. This time it's with a new to me car and the key was stuck and the car was running. I know nothing about cars and the AAA guy pulled fuses to stop the car rather than doing the other simpler things to stop the car. This created a mess for my mechanic to fix because now they had to fix the computer as well as the ignition.
When I was waiting for my car at the shop, the guy in front of me has a Saturn and he's replaced his ignition twice on one car.
This should be a recall problem.
2009Jan 10
Ion 3 6 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 82,000 miles
several months ago this started. The only way to get the key to release is to turn the ignition on, pull the shift knob back, then slam it forward into park--sometimes several times. Finally, yesterday, the shift knob broke off.
2008Sep 17
Ion 2.2L V4
- Manual transmission
- 51,731 miles
My key was stuck in the start position, had to stall out my car and unplug the battery so my car wouldn't fry! Now im told that its gonna cost $500. There has to be a cheaper way!
2008Aug 21
Ion LEVEL3 V4
- Automatic transmission
- 66,000 miles
I was wondering where you purchased the part and how i can get a hold of the instruction to repair as well. My 06 has way more miles over 66,000 but it did this exact thing to me yesterday. First it kept shuttin off on me ( AND OF COURSE I HAD JUST FILLED THE GAS TANK), and then it simply wouldn't turn off once i pulled up in my driveway. HELP!! I CANT BELIEVE IT HASN'T BEEN RECALLED EITHER- ppl are telling me 350 to 500 to repair- u have got to be kidding me
OliviaTX
2008Jul 23
Ion 2.2L V4
- Manual transmission
- 37,000 miles
If you do the research, you find out this is VERY common for 2006 Saturns. I'm lucky that I was able to drive the vehicle home - there are more occurrences where the driver is unable to start the car. Plus, this happened when it was just out of warranty (we hit the 36,000 miles before the 3 years). The dealership quoted me $250 plus labor - we were able to get the part at a discounted price, pulled instructions off the web, and did it ourselves for under $60. We had a 1995 Saturn previously and loved it - that's why we bought the 2006. We will not have another Saturn after this and other small issues that occurred under warranty (drivers side window was stuck - factory didn't install it correct; fan motor replaced; new oil pan was defective; front ball joints replaced - poor design)
2007Jul 30
(reported on)Ion
- Automatic transmission
- 24,000 miles
have been the owner of a 2006 Saturn Ion for 1 year almost to the dot. Last after returning from filling my gas tank, and pulling into my driveway, the key would not come out of my ignition and my car would not turn off. I turned the wheel from side to side, even drove back around the block and tried switching gears... nothing. I pushed the little blue OnStar button that I pay monthly for and the woman told me that all the service station in my area were closed (it was 12:00 midnight) and she could not send anyone out to help me. She told me I had the option of reading my owner manual for some \"tips\" on how to remove the key or call back and she would connect me to Saturn roadside service. I told her I would try the owners manual and if I still had no luck, I would call back. The owners manual says to remove a small plate underneath the steering wheel and stick your finger inside and move the \"plunger\" towards the drivers side door which should release the key. Well, there is no button, switch, or anything of the sort in that little hole, just some grease and wires. I called her back and she connected me to Saturn roadside service. The man on the phone told me that there was nothing he could do for me. They could not tow my car since it was not \"off\" and they could not send anyone out to do a repair at this time of night. I was thinking to myself \"why do I pay extra for all this stuff that is supposed to help me in situations like this and now no one will help me\" I just wanted a guy to come out and turn my car off somehow! BUt they would not send me any help. They told me I would have to let my car run out of gas, remember I just got home from filling my tank! That means I would have had to let my car run all night, possibly overheating, getting stolen, or catching fire. He also told me that another possibility would me to unhook the battery. I asked him if that was dangerous and he said \"yes\" you need to have someone that knows what they are doing do that. HMMMMMMM maybe a roadside assistance employee?!?!?!? SO no I had to call my uncle at 2:00 am and bribe him with money to drive to my house and see what he could do. We unhooked the battery in the trunk and NOTHING!! THE CAR WAS STILL ON!!! SO finally he unplugged the wire under the hood which runs the computer system and my car turned off. It stayed in the ON position all night with the key stuck in it, until this morning when they finally sent me a tow driver to pick it up. THe tow truck Driver took my car the Saturn dealership and I\'m waiting to hear the results. My car is under warranty, but I don\'t care.. its less than a year old and it should not be doing this. Its like the movie tommy boy, \"i could take a dump in a box and guarantee it\". I m very disappointed at the customer service of saturn and their disregard for my safety. I would strongly recommend taking your business to a company that makes their customers and their safety a priority. They also told me that they have never heard of this situation before! what a lie! They had to recall an older model because of ignition problems. Also you can look up information and find HUNDREDS of customer complaints on the this company and the ignition problems. Is is going to take someone dying to recall this? Saturn needs to realise that this is a common problem with their product and they need to ATLEAST offer someone to come out to shut off the car and tow it. It took my uncle about 15 minutes to figure it out... Changing a tire is just as easy, but they WILL come out and do that for you. That should be part of their roadside service program... they need to be there for the customers that are giving them their paychecks. From what I gathered online Saturn is making alot of money off of the people without warantees that have this problem. They are issuing cheap keys that are tearing up the tumblers. So they are saving money on the keys and making money off of you.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2006Jun 13
Ion
Had the new 2006 Saturn Ion for one day. Returned from lunch & key was stuck in ignition. Engine shut off, but key stuck. Dealer sent out woman w/loaner car & they towed mine back to dealership. Dealer said it was fixed & returned it to me that day. A few weeks later, at night in a mall parking lot, when I tried to start the car the key froze, then turned, I was able to drive home. Next day the key got stuck in the ignition, could't pull it out. It did start & I drove it to the dealer. Missed a day of work while the dealer had to get a new ignition to install. A few months later I was in a parking lot, inserted the key but it was difficult to turn to start. Did drive home, parked in driveway but could not turn off the engine! Dealership was closed. I used OnStar to call for help. OnStar called a California dealer to ask what to do. CA dealer said they never heard of such a thing (I found out later GM knew exactly what was happening). OnStar called a local tow place. When they arrived they disconnected a fuse to stop the engine, then towed it to the Dealership. I got a ride to the Dealer the next day & would not allow them to lie again.
No one wanted to talk to me but I wouldn't leave. Finally a mechanic took me aside to say the ignitions installed in the new Saturns were "re-manufactured" aka "used" and
they internal parts were breaking when the key was turned and it was happening a lot.
I insisted the dealership install, at their cost, a new ignition and I wanted to see the box it came in. It finally was repaired correctly. The problem qualified for the state's Lemon Law, but the dealership somehow "lost" the file on my car. I WILL NEVER, EVER BUY ANOTHER GM VEHICLE. GM DEALERS ARE LIARS.
May M.
Huntsville, Alabama, USA
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