Worst 2004 Saturn Ion Problems
Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.
STEERING
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
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All Problems by Category
Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2004 Saturn Ion.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | 323 | 15 | 1 | 90,522 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 233 | 8 | 3 | 77,126 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 47 | 1 | — | 37,949 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 44 | 1 | — | 45,568 mi | |
| AIR BAGS | 42 | 22 | — | 82,655 mi | |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 36 | — | 1 | 108,185 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN | 26 | 2 | — | 99,123 mi | |
| ENGINE | 23 | — | — | 112,947 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 23 | — | — | 45,733 mi | |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 21 | 1 | — | 92,537 mi | |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 20 | 1 | — | 84,364 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 17 | — | — | 62,727 mi | |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 15 | — | — | 98,626 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE | 14 | — | — | 37,408 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL | 14 | — | — | 26,798 mi | |
| STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 13 | 1 | — | 53,918 mi | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 11 | — | — | 47,550 mi | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 10 | 1 | 1 | 121,872 mi | |
| SUSPENSION | 10 | — | — | 85,052 mi | |
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 9 | 8 | — | 34,307 mi | |
| EQUIPMENT | 9 | 1 | — | 35,567 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 9 | 2 | — | 79,269 mi | |
| STEERING:COLUMN | 8 | — | — | 51,071 mi | |
| VISIBILITY | 7 | — | — | 52,515 mi | |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 7 | — | — | 101,012 mi | |
| WHEELS | 7 | 1 | — | 132,688 mi | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 6 | — | — | 23,351 mi | |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 6 | 1 | — | 131,488 mi | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 6 | 2 | — | 20,533 mi | |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 5 | — | — | 40,438 mi |
Search Owner Complaints
Read what owners actually reported to NHTSA for the 2004 Saturn Ion. Type a keyword (e.g. “transmission”, “stalling”, “brakes”) to filter.
Recalls for 2004 Saturn Ion
4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~7,946,059 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.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
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 2004 Saturn Ion
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