2006 Saturn Ion Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 61about this part
- Share
- 5%of 1,235 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 79,413miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 61 complaints about the air bags of the 2006 Saturn Ion, 5% of the 1,235 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 79,413 miles. 24 of these say a crash was involved and 1 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.
“I hydraplained, did a 360 and got hit head on. I had my set belt on, but it did not catch and lock in place, and the air bag did not inflate....to stop me from hitting to rear view mirror with my head, my chest on the shearing wheel and my legs with the under part of the dash...I was on a main hwy...I do not have the police report , but I do have a few picture..”
NHTSA complaint #10984760, filed 2017-05, 145,000 miles“While we we're stop at a stop sign, a vehicle crashed into us while making a turn. Our ION air bags didn't deploy and now ignition switch will not turn off. We had ION fix and also the recall on the power steering has been fix, but still has the problem of ignition switch not turning off. This is a problem with many ions and it alarms me as to safety!”
NHTSA complaint #10610106, filed 2014-07, 87,000 miles“The rpms jump around and the A/C makes noise and lights flicker at times. The car will just stall in the middle of an intersection or when I'm turning onto another road. It's quite scary with children in the car. My main concern is a large SUV put it in reverse and hit the front of my car before ending up on the hood near the windshield. She was going pretty fast and pushed my car pretty far but no airbag! Then on a separate occasion I was doing 55 miles when a large animal darted out in front of me. My front end and radiator and front end were shot. …”
NHTSA complaint #11400399, filed 2021-03, 154,123 miles“While driving the air bag service light appeared. I was told by the dealership that if in a crash the airbags would not deploy. This problem needs immediate attention. My vehicle is going in today to find the exact problem. Diagnostics is right around $100.”
NHTSA complaint #10587793, filed 2014-05, 80,000 miles“While driving my 2006 Saturn ION indicator chimed and pwr str light displayed. I lost steering control and almost wrecked. I pulled off the road killed the car upon restarting engine everything was fine. Five minutes into my trip problem happened again. Also, sometimes when I drive the car the passenger airbag is on at other times it turns off on it own. Both are these are very dangerous especially for me being a single mother.”
NHTSA complaint #10427221, filed 2011-09, 120,234 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 2006 Saturn Ion
544 complaintsElectrical system
392 complaintsFuel system
238 complaintsEngine
41 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
36 complaintsEngine cooling
30 complaintsOther or unknown
27 complaintsBody and structure
24 complaintsVehicle speed control
17 complaintsSuspension
14 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
14 complaintsBrakes
13 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2006 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