Skip to content
Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2006 Saturn Ion Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
36about this part
Share
3%of 1,235 total for the year
Median mileage
55,772miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 36 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2006 Saturn Ion, 3% of the 1,235 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 55,772 miles.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I've had my car in the shop twice for the ignition switch. One of the times GM paid for it due to a recall within months the car was back into passlock light coming on car stalling while in movement key stuck in ignition have to wiggle it to get it back into the turn off position. This last time as of today the car will not run you have trouble getting the key out of a lock the passlock is showing on the car dashboard.”

NHTSA complaint #11010114, filed 2017-07, 124,000 miles

“2006 Saturn ION redline 32,000 miles had a loud rattling noise coming from the front passenger side of car at idle. Took the car into a mechanic which informed me that the timing belt and gears were shot and that he was surprised that it didn't fly apart on my way into the shop. The repairs will cost approx $1100. This should not happen at only 32k miles and could have resulted in an accident had it not been caught in time.”

NHTSA complaint #10381237, filed 2011-02, 31,000 miles

“L was driving my 2006 Saturn ION which l bought brand new in 2006 going to pick up my granddaughter in howell mi I was on interstate with my cruise control on as l went on exit interstate,l turned off cruise control when l did that it shut my car down completely ,l was merging on another interstate with no engine running no power steering and unable to restart engine . There was no where to pull over off road safely , l was almost killed car had to come to a complete stop to restart . …”

NHTSA complaint #10583782, filed 2014-04, 35,000 miles

“I have not been able to turn off my ignition or remove my key two separate times. Not only that my power steering went out and was only able to be fixed by the dealership. Most recently along with the key ignition problem, there is a transmission problem. The first time the ignition was fixed it was under warranty but this time it is not. I have read several blogs of similar complaints from suffering consumers.”

NHTSA complaint #10296649, filed 2009-12, 44,000 miles

“2006 Saturn ION-3 automatic 2.4l 1. Power steering: power steering goes out nearly every time I drive the vehicle. Saturn dealership changed a sensor I the steering column, but problem persists. It is very dangerous to be driving in the city without power steering. 2. Ignition: car refuses to start when temperature is below 15-20 degrees fahrenheit. I have been stranded in below freezing weather for almost an hour because of this common Saturn failure.”

NHTSA complaint #10294575, filed 2009-12, 57,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2007192%
2006363%
2005285%
2004607%
2003557%

Other parts of the 2006 Saturn Ion

Steering
544 complaintsElectrical system
392 complaintsFuel system
238 complaintsAir bags
61 complaintsEngine
41 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