2005 Saturn Ion Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 227about this part
- Share
- 40%of 573 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 53,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 227 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Saturn Ion, 40% of the 573 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 53,000 miles. 5 of these say a crash was involved and 3 a fire, 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.
“When driving my check gas cap light comes on, as well as the coolant light comes on within 5 minutes of driving the vehicle. This has been happening since 2013, it happens during driving on a hwy, in the city everywhere the car is driven, I push the reset button and it clears however it comes back within 5 minutes....”
NHTSA complaint #11010100, filed 2017-07, 100,360 miles“Making a left hand turn the automobile shut off and on dash display read pwr steering coolant the car was difficult to steer to the side of the road. Once pulled to the side of the road I turned the key over and instantly the car was like new driving ok till I got home. Googled the problem and saw many power steering complaints on the Saturn ions.”
NHTSA complaint #10564028, filed 2014-02, 100,000 miles“Turned the key to the on position, dash lights come on but nothing happens, the car will not turn over. Tried to remove the key but it is stuck in acc position. All recalls have been done to my knowledge. After reading other reviews with similar problems I am now concerned with it turning itself off on it's own.”
NHTSA complaint #10788907, filed 2015-11, 87,000 miles“Drove less then a mile, stopped at a stop sign saw smoke pouring out from under the hood my husband opened the car door to see what was going on when flames shot in beside his leg we jump out of the car and he got our son out of his car seat. The car is completely totaled. The fire department said that it started order the hood and they believe that it was electrical.”
NHTSA complaint #10549577, filed 2013-10, 215,000 miles“My car loses power and the battery light comes on and the car stops. The radio and lights stay on. I must restart the car. It does this randomly. Reading is p0300 so anyone that is having this problem it may be a bad ignition module. The ignition switch was replaced on july 14, 2014 and made this problem worse.”
NHTSA complaint #10621006, filed 2014-08, 64,000 milesRelated recalls
- 14V171000Apr 10, 2014General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice…Covers: Saturn Ion 2003–2007, Chevrolet Cobalt 2005–2010, HHR 2006–2011 +3 more
Related service bulletins
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- 11002312Jun 6, 2024This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414…
- 11000162Apr 30, 2024The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential sources for causing multiple customer concerns that do not have other…
- 10252735Mar 28, 2024This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement fasteners with conductive finish.
- 10244214Sep 21, 2023This informational bulletin provides information for the IPC odometer programming method quick reference guide.
- 10239102Jun 29, 2023The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential sources for causing multiple customer concerns that do not have other…
- 10222776Sep 16, 2022The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential sources for causing multiple customer concerns that do not have other…
- 10176649May 20, 2020This informational bulletin provides information for the IPC odometer programming method quick reference guide.
- 10171318Jan 31, 2020This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester…
Electrical system: other model years
Other parts of the 2005 Saturn Ion
265 complaintsAir bags
34 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 28, 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