2005 Saturn Ion Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 34about this part
- Share
- 6%of 573 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 63,053miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 34 complaints about the air bags of the 2005 Saturn Ion, 6% of the 573 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 63,053 miles. 19 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“We bought our 2005 Saturn ION used sept. 4, 2012,(87,812) before even could take off lot they had to install an ignition cylinder and cut new key, and the throttle was stuck could press all the way to floor, and would only get up to about 20mph. This was also fixed. (or so we thought). …”
NHTSA complaint #10566813, filed 2014-03, 100,984 miles“My husband was driving my 05 Saturn ION 2 quad coupe home from work on the interstate.traffic stopped , came to complete stop vehicle behind did not brake and rear ended my vehicle at roughly 50+ MPH causing him to hit another vehicle in turn causing a 6 vehicle accident. The air bags did not deploy causing his head to hit the steering wheel and the driver seat broke in half with him in it landing on the back seat.”
NHTSA complaint #10519991, filed 2013-06, 68,000 miles“Travelling on 580eb in traffic. Came to a stop, vehicle behind me did not. He was travelling at approx 50mph and demolished my vehicle. My air bags did not deploy and the driver seat bent back to fully reclined position. I sustained neck and upper back injuries.”
NHTSA complaint #10519830, filed 2013-06, 58,000 miles“I was driving my car and a deer ran out in front of me, I was able to miss that one but another one came out and I hit it. It hit so hard and my steering was hard like a car without power steering and the brakes were like that too. The airbags did not deploy nor did the safety belts catch me and my granddaughter. It did $3500.00 worth of damage to my car and my head slammed up against the driver window, my granddaughter was in her carseat but I had it in the front seat so it released the carseat. …”
NHTSA complaint #10670847, filed 2015-01, 135,000 miles“My girlfriend and I were in an automile accident by hitting a deer head on then losing control of the vehicle and hitting and embankment head on. We hit the embankment so hard that the 2005 Saturn ION bounced back off and ended up in the middle of the road. The airbags never deployed and the seat belt never caught resulting my girlfriend to be injured by the steering wheel with lacerations to her chin and her teeth went through the back of her lip and also neck and back injuries from the hard impact. …”
NHTSA complaint #10374787, filed 2011-01, 78,000 milesRelated recalls
- 14V047000Feb 10, 2014This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings…Covers: Saturn Ion 2003–2007, Chevrolet Cobalt 2005–2010, HHR 2006–2011 +3 more
Air bags: other model years
Other parts of the 2005 Saturn Ion
265 complaintsElectrical system
227 complaintsExterior lighting
31 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
28 complaintsFuel system
27 complaintsEngine
22 complaintsOther or unknown
20 complaintsVehicle speed control
18 complaintsEngine cooling
15 complaintsBody and structure
10 complaintsBrakes
9 complaintsElectronic stability control
6 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2005 Saturn Ion
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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