2003 Saturn Ion problems and complaints
Owners have filed 767 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Saturn Ion. The most-reported areas: Electrical System (385), Steering (139), Power Train (60).
Key takeaways
- 767 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 44 involve a crash, 4 a fire, 37 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 385 | 50% |
| Steering | 139 | 18% |
| Power Train | 60 | 8% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 58 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 49 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 38 | 5% |
| Visibility | 33 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 31 | 4% |
| Engine | 21 | 3% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 19 | 2% |
| Structure | 19 | 2% |
| Unknown Or Other | 17 | 2% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Saturn Ion 4-DR. | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Electrical System,unknown Or Other,engine - filed 2026-08-09
I took my 2003 Saturn ion to my local Chevrolet dealership in Lincoln Illinois and they refused to complete the recall issues (2) both are to do with the ignition and keys.thwy told me it was not fixable it needed a whole steering column that would cost me they said around $800.so it has now been 2 weeks my car has bee...
Steering - filed 2025-07-16
After I did the recall several years ago, the problem came back. The key will not come out of the ignition. It's happened many times.
Electrical System - filed 2024-09-19
The contact owns a 2003 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that less than a minute after starting the vehicle, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality, with the power steering failure message was displayed. The contact stated that after shifting to park(P), the conta...
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More for the 2003 Saturn Ion
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.