Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Saturn Ion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Was guaranteed that nothing was wrong with it. I originally got a 2007 Ford escape by trading in my vehicle and 500 cash. They wanted me to put down an additional 900 down which I ended up not being able to do. So they offered to put me in another vehicle that was cheaper and I would not have to put any more money on. The 2004 Saturn Ion I received on 08/23/2016 not only had clutch issues which I said I would fix, but the battery light kept coming on and they assured me that nothing was wrong with the car mechanically. We did not even make it down the road before the vehicle broke down and had to have it towed. So now the car sits in my yard and I am out my original vehicle and the 500 cash I used originally plus towing charges and a vehicle I have to pay on that I cannot drive. I want them to come get the car and give back the 500 I wasted on two junk vehicles. …
The Saturn Ion recalled ignition was replaced, but the problem continues to happen. On 3/20/15, I was driving on the freeway in rush hour traffic. The car turned itself off, and the brakes went out. I steered the car to the shoulder, and managed to bring it a stop eventually with the emergency brake and changing gears. I took the car straight to the dealership, per instructions from GM customer service, but haven't been able to get satisfactory information from either the service center at the dealership or GM customer service so far. The new ignition failed, causing the car to turn off while driving and my brakes to fail. This caused a serious safety risk. The recall failed to correct the ignition problem for my vehicle.
While driving home from work my car died in the middle of an intersection. The A/C went off first then everything went off. I put car in park and after several tries the car started again. My ignition also gets stuck in the acc position(even after two ignition recalls) on a regular basis so glad I wasn't fighting that at that problem at the same time. Called GM dealer they said there is no recall but bring it in, they won't provide a loaner car but will give me a ride home because I live within 10 miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 151,000.
This issue has been a long ongoing problem for me, with this car. I do not know the actual dates of the occurrences but it has been frequent enough that I have developed a method for starting my car that if I do not feel rushed, I can get the car to start most every time. If the key is inserted into the ignition and immediately turned to the full on positing in an attempt to start the car, it will, on occasion, turn over once and then go completely dead. If the attempt is repeated, the auxiliary lights will come on but the engine will not turn over. I had my car towed to a garage and replaced the battery, two different times before reading about a potential passlock issue with saturns. …
Tl- the contact owns a 2004 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle will not start upon placing the key in the ignition. The vehicle makes a clicking noise, the service engine soon light illuminates and the vehicle shuts off. The contact has to wait a moment to restart the vehicle. The vehicle also stalls without warning on multiple occasions. The vehicle was diagnosed by an authorized dealer and an independent mechanic multiple times and the failures still recurr. The diagnosis was to replace the power steering magnets and replace the power pack. The repairs were made and the vehicle is still not safe to drive. The power steering shorts out at random. The instrument panel shows an error light for the power steering. After the vehicle was repaired multiple times the failures still recurr. The vehicle was taken to independent mechanics and authorized dealers. …
I used to own one of the GM vehicles in the news lately regarding the ignition switch issue. I want to make sure people are looking at the ignition switch issue correctly. My vehicle was stopped at a red light when the engine simply shut off. This happened twice in the years I had owned it, but I don't remember the key being moved to the accessory position as is indicated on many of the new reports. I thought it weird, but thought I May have banged something, let the oil go far too long, or needed new spark plugs. Additionally, if you search online you'll find many instances where the car owners of this vehicle frequently have a key switch issue where an attempt to turn on the car randomly will activate the anti-theft system when trying to turn on the car despite having a perfectly valid and well used key. …
When starting the Saturn on a cold morning, the ignition fails to start the car. I get a service message. After waiting about 10 minutes the car will start as if the security was resetting itself. I've read several complaints of this problem on the internet. GM will not own up to a faulty product that leaves Saturn owners completely stranded. This problem occurs at random times, even on warm days. A recall must be approved for this massive safety problem. It's a safety concern because in an emergency the cars shouldn't have to sit for an additional ten minutes or stall out in unsafe areas. The problem seems to correct itself after this ignition switch inside of the steering column has been replaced based on hundreds of testaments. …
Driving down the road car shuts off, I was going 20mhp the road was straight came to a right hand bend in the road and car was off no ABS, no pwr ster, there were cars sitting at the stop sign. Luckily I was able to get the car stopped. To get the car started I had to put in park turn key off then turn key over and it starts right up. This is now the 2nd time this has happened. First time sitting at a red light car was running light turned green gave it the gas mid way through intersection car shut off again and drifted to side of the road with a bunch of cars honking. I thought I needed a tune up and that was 3months ago. That happened until two days ago. Car shuts off while driving with warning, if I was going any faster I would have hit the back end of the car that was stopped @ a stop sign. 2004 Saturn Ion 2.2l I have not done anything with this part do to no income right now.
I have taken this car in several times for the same reason... Idle sticks then it shuts down completely or it will just cut off while I'm driving it. The Saturn repair shop couldn't find anything wrong. I paid for this 3 times and gave up. I've also had my ignition repaired already so this recall does me no good. I've already paid for it. Now my timing chain broke and I have a cracked seal in my engine. There was a recall for this too but the year of my car was not included in that recall.... I spoke with GM and they're telling me that my 100,000 mile or 10 yr warr. Stopped November 2013. I bought this May, 2004 so I think 10 years would be May of 2014. Is there anyway to get my money back and them pay for the timing chain? Signed: angry consumer.
Engine complaints in other Ion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2004 Saturn Ion?
NHTSA has 56 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2004 Saturn Ion, 6% of the model year's 898 complaints. The component named most often is engine (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Saturn Ion engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2004 Saturn Ion, though it has 8 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Saturn Ion engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 82,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.