Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) 2007 Saturn Ion - steering: Electronic power assist - GM has recalled this on the cobalt which shares the same exact system with the Saturn Ion aswell as other GM vehicles. My 2007 Saturn Ion is experiencing this defect when I took it to the dealership the mechanic explained that this is a common issue (the power steering system randomly shorts and causes driving hazards) they said it has not been recalled yet but it is seen quite often for all GM vehicles with that system and that it is always 1 of 2 things the eps(electronic power assisted steering) or the steering column. They both have chips which are faulty he explained. Now that my wife and I see that these parts are at someone's attention but not fully we have decided to make this complaint. You may contact us at [xxx] - this problem occurs at random after starting the vehicle and can cause a wreck.

- Kernersville, NC, USA

My daughter was driving her 2007 Saturn Ion coupe across the ben franklin bridge in philadelphia, pa and the power steering failed. The dashboard light came on and the steering cut out 5 times. It was very difficult to maneuver the car and the steering would temporarily go to power and then back to manual. There is no place to pull over. She stayed calm and was able to get to a safe place to pull over and avoided an accident. We took the car to the dealership for a power steering assist replacement today. The cost was $500. I checked on the internet and apparently this is a common problem since 2004. We bought this car because it had a high safety rating and onstar diagnostics. We contacted onstar to check to see what the problem was with the steering. Onstar apparently does not have access to steering failure..at least I would know that she got hurt when it fails again. My question to you is why has this problem been allowed to go on for 6 years. I saw no warning about this when we researched the car. When I made a specific inquiry online, thousands of similar incidents are reported. My daughter is a 20 year old college student..she isn't even done with the payments on the car, yet on a clear day on a routine trip she couldn't keep control of the car. Thank you for your help.

- Clayton, NJ, USA

The power steering in my 2007 Saturn Ion would cut out randomly as I drove down the road. This was a serious safety concern for me.

- Orlando, FL, USA

2007 Saturn Ion has a really big problem. Power steering goes off 3-5 times a day. Car dashboard rings 3 times and power steering light comes on and cars power steering shuts off. Car has 35000 miles. Called Saturn and was told that there was nothing wrong now with car so I would to repair the car and if enough people complained then they would investigate and make a decision or I could drive the car and when it shuts off pull over and restart the car. This is 2010 not 1920 and I do not accept shut a response for a real safety concern.

- North Chili, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. While driving 15 mph the power steering warning light illuminated and she had to use force to drive onto the side of road. She then turned the vehicle on and off when she noticed that the power steering began to work normally. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who stated that there was nothing wrong with it. She will have an additional diagnostic test performed on the vehicle by another dealer. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 36000 and the current mileage was 45554.

- Tyler, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. While driving at speeds under 20 mph the steering wheel became extremely stiff, without warning. The contact was able to maintain control of the steering wheel when the failure occurred. The dealer replaced the entire steering shaft. The ABS warning light would intermittently illuminate on the instrument panel. The dealer was contacted and advised bringing the vehicle in for diagnosis while the warning light was illuminated. The warning light would only illuminate intermittently and the dealer was unable to produce diagnostic codes without it illuminated. No additional repairs were made to the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were under 15,000. Updated 4/30/10 the consumer stated the repairs were made. Updated 05/10/10

- East Islip, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The contact was driving approximately 55 mph. The vehicle loss power steering without warning. There was difficulty turning the steering wheel. The engine was turned off. When the engine restarted the vehicle operated normally. The failure occurred intermittently at any given speed rate. The authorized dealer was notified of the malfunction. The repair cost for a power steering motor was $700. The failure mileage was 67,000.

- Arlington, TX, USA

Saturn Ion 2007- at random times while driving the power steering assist goes out in the car. It has to be restarted for the pwr str light to go off and work properly. As soon as the light comes on it is extremely difficult to steer. This problem happens daily. It started when my car hit approx. 50000 miles about 3 months ago.

- Tomball, TX, USA

2007 Saturn Ion, power steering has gone out three times, restart car, problem goes away. Then comes back again.

- New Market, MD, USA

When driving hear a chime and the power steering fails, comes back for a time after the car is shut off and restarted. This will happen sometimes only after one min of drive time others takes a while longer for the power steering to fail and stop working. This has been going on for more then one day I have done research online and found others with the same issue.

- Macon , GA, USA

I am experiencing problems with the power steering on my 2007 Saturn Ion. When I first start my vehicle it drives normally, but after about 2 minutes the "pwr str" alert appears on the dash and it is very difficult to turn steering wheel. I understand that GM recently put out recalls on other models, but there are problems with the Saturn Ion also. I recently visited a website with many other Saturn owners who are having the same problems.

- Macon, GA, USA

Electric power steering is intermittent.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The power steering has failed intermittently while driving various miles. The power steering light illuminated and then shut off when the contact turned the vehicle on and off. The failure mileage was 70,000. The current mileage was 93,059.

- Mount Wolf, PA, USA

Power steering just all of a sudden goes out on my Saturn vehicle while in operation. A chime sounds indicating somethings wrong and the power steering indicator comes on the dash board. You loose all power steering function and its nearly impossible to operate the vehicle to maneuver at all, at high speeds, especially when turning it can be deadly as you can't control the wheel and almost break your arm trying and can either hit someone or something. When you read over the user manual it tells you that the vehicle needs to be serviced and refers you to a Saturn location to have the repair completed. Upon visiting the dealership, they can only offer you a costly repair to replace the motor which they can't guarantee that it will ever go out again. This is not safe at all!

- High Point, NC, USA

I have a 2007 Saturn Ion and read this morning that you are issuing a recall for the Chevy cobalt and Pontiac pursuit/G5. What concerns me is that you are not recalling the Ion because of a lack of reported issues. I have rallied Ion owners from our main Saturn Ion club sites listed below, what can also be found on these sites is the large number of failures of the power steering on these cars, which is the same part number that has been deemed defective on the cobalt/G5/pursuit. The cobalt/G5/pursuit was based off and engineered from the Saturn Ion and shares the entire drivetrain, steering system and wheel/tire sizes with only very minor differences if any in weight distribution and parts. This is so much so, cobalt suspension parts are often put on Ions. Please do not ignore the Ions in this recall, our cars have been ignored by GM in many other cases such as the cvt transmission, lower control arm bushings, and ignition switch failures. www.saturnfans.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?F=18 www.redlineforums.com/forums www.ionforums.net/phpbb3/.

- Kingsford, MI, USA

2007 Saturn Ion, pwr str lights comes on, steering wheel freezes. Consequences = trying to maintain control of a moving vehicle with limited steering. You would have to pull over and turn the automobile off and then back on for the light to go off and steering works fine, however it happens again 5 minutes later. I contacted Saturn however they are aware but have not had enough complaints from NHTSA yet to put it on their recall list.

- Ofallon, MO, USA

1 - 2 weeks ago my steering got very stiff and almost caused me to under compensate in a turn at an intersection. My warning signal and message indicated a power steering problem. 2 - the problem corrects itself when I turn the engine off but reappears shortly after we turn the engine back on. 3 - this vehicle is a 2007 GM Saturn Ion. I contacted the GM dealership who is handling the Saturn in baton rouge about the problem but have not brought it in yet. I have noticed that there is a recall issued today (3/2/10) -- news.yahoo.com/S/ap/20100302/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gm_recall -- by GM on certain compacts but it doesn't include the 2007 Saturn Ion. Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

- Albany, LA, USA

The power steering on my 2007 Saturn Ion failed at 40,000 miles.

- Arlington, VA, USA

Electrical power steering went out in my 2007 Saturn Ion coup. The car became very difficult to drive.

- Madison, AL, USA

The power steering of my 2007 Saturn Ion sedan has failed and it is very difficult and dangerous to turn the steering wheel at low speeds. Apparently, this is a major problem that GM has not yet addressed!

- Temecula, CA, USA