2004 Saturn Ion Equipment Problems
- Complaints
- 14about this part
- Share
- 2%of 898 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 41,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 14 complaints about the equipment of the 2004 Saturn Ion, 2% of the 898 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 41,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Below a certain temperature if the car is not warm or the ignition is not warm when trying to start the vehicle; the anti theft system turns on. Once the anti theft system is on I cannot start the vehicle for at least 15 minutes. Usually making me late for something. I have had this replaced and would like compensation if possible.”
NHTSA complaint #10462371, filed 2012-06, 110,000 miles“After only 9 months of owning my ION I have experienced problems with shifting the car in and out of gear. It is a random occurrence and can happen 8 times in a week then not at all for months. However when it does happen it is a life threatening experience as I am usually driving on a major highway. The car will be locked into 4th for example and when I try to shift to 5th I can not get it out of 4th. I have taken the car to the Saturn dealership a minimum of 20 times for this problem, only to be told that they could not do anything. …”
NHTSA complaint #10308874, filed 2010-02, 9,000 miles“The ignition switch in the 2004 Saturn ION has a malfunction. The car is only four years old and will not start in cold weather. Upon calling the local Saturn dealership in springfield, pa the service receptionist was able to tell me exactly what was wrong with the car and that I had to wait 15 minutes to half an hour and then try to start the car again to see if it will start. Gm and Saturn know that the ignition switch is faulty which is proven by the fact that the receptionist knew how to start my car but they have not done anything about it. …”
NHTSA complaint #10250924, filed 2008-12, 79,500 miles“I purchase a 2004 Saturn ION (6/11/04), brand new. The first sign of cold that year, late november, the car would not start at all. After awhile(10-15 min.) it would start up like nothing was wrong. I brought it in 12/28/04, which they replaced the ignition lock module; saying that was the problem . I still had issues with the car through the winter, and they didn't know was what wrong. Everytime I brought it in, they would find nothing wrong and send me on my way since they couldn't reproduce the issue. The next winter than same thing happened. …”
NHTSA complaint #10210720, filed 2007-12, 14,703 miles“This is the third time I've had to push this Saturn into the street to get our other drivers off to work. The first time it was only a few months old and was towed to the dealer. They said my floormats were too thick and not genuine Saturn parts and caused it not to start(no kidding, they said this). A few weeks later it once again failed to turn over. Another tow to the dealer and this time they re-coded the key and ignition switch. Several times over the past few years it has failed to start. If I wait 20 minutes, the anti theft module re-sets and it will start. …”
NHTSA complaint #10216574, filed 2008-01, 58,000 milesRelated service bulletins
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- 10240793Jul 18, 2023This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint…
- 10232287Feb 21, 2023This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
- 10232811Feb 10, 2023This Preliminary information communicates information that will need to be provided to TAC to aid in diagnosing if a vehicle comes in with misfire and DTC Codes P0300 - P0308…
- 10228906Dec 21, 2022This Warranty Administration bulletin provides retail and wholesale service personnel with the policies/procedures and the warranty transaction submission procedures that support…
- 10224820Oct 7, 2022This service bulletin provides information for dealers on how to submit a product information report (PIR) (Canada Only).
- 10211658May 2, 2022This service bulletin provides policy information on warranty administration guidelines for multiple repairs with independent causes (GM Canada Dealers Only).
- 10205737Nov 5, 2021This service bulletin provides a vibration analysis worksheet the technician can use in conjunction with the appropriate Vibration Analysis-Road testing procedure, when…
Equipment: other model years
Other parts of the 2004 Saturn Ion
345 complaintsElectrical system
331 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
60 complaintsAir bags
52 complaintsFuel system
52 complaintsEngine cooling
33 complaintsVehicle speed control
27 complaintsExterior lighting
25 complaintsEngine
23 complaintsOther or unknown
21 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
20 complaintsBrakes
19 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Saturn Ion
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology