2003 Saturn Ion Problems
Real NHTSA owner complaints for the 2003 Saturn Ion.
Worst 2003 Saturn Ion Problems
Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
STEERING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
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All Problems by Category
Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2003 Saturn Ion.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 228 | 10 | 3 | 77,922 mi | |
| STEERING | 129 | 3 | — | 107,708 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 68 | — | — | 60,084 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 54 | 1 | — | 75,083 mi | |
| AIR BAGS | 39 | 17 | — | 102,295 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 33 | — | 1 | 53,539 mi | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 32 | 5 | — | 90,165 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 31 | — | — | 39,706 mi | |
| ENGINE | 20 | 1 | — | 113,304 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE | 19 | 1 | — | 44,622 mi | |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 19 | — | — | 125,799 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN | 19 | 1 | — | 101,919 mi | |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 16 | — | — | 117,945 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 14 | — | — | 40,622 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL | 13 | — | — | 41,691 mi | |
| VISIBILITY | 12 | — | — | 63,427 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN | 11 | — | — | 39,734 mi | |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 11 | 1 | — | 86,592 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 10 | 1 | — | 64,420 mi | |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 7 | 7 | — | 16,140 mi | |
| STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 6 | — | — | 54,000 mi | |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 6 | 4 | — | 136,562 mi | |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | 6 | — | — | 33,500 mi | |
| EQUIPMENT | 5 | 2 | — | 36,281 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 5 | 1 | — | 30,000 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 5 | 2 | — | 113,059 mi | |
| STRUCTURE | 5 | — | — | 7,292 mi | |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 5 | 1 | — | 119,896 mi | |
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 5 | — | — | 8,500 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY | 4 | — | — | 75,000 mi |
Search Owner Complaints
Read what owners actually reported to NHTSA for the 2003 Saturn Ion. Type a keyword (e.g. “transmission”, “stalling”, “brakes”) to filter.
Recalls for 2003 Saturn Ion
3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~6,572,882 vehicles.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.
Other Saturn Ion Years
Wider context: See the full Saturn Ion reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.
Check Your Specific 2003 Saturn Ion
Real owner complaints tell you about the model. The VIN tells you about your specific car — accidents, title issues, odometer fraud.
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