Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Saturn Ion owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving home early one morning and my ignition had shut off like it had many times before this time the weather conditions being snowy and slushy caused me to get stuck and the vehicle was yanked into the ditch. I had called the claims number after my car had sat at the dealership for about 2 months maybe longer and they told me since the claim was not filed as of the recall came out they are not responsible for it. There is nothing that GM can do they will not refund me for the money to replace my radiator, condenser, and cooling fan that I needed repaired at that time to make my vehicle run. I did not have money at the time to fix the cosmetic damage in the fender and the bumper so that is still broken. The claims department advised me since it was so long after the acident they could not check the vehicles records to see if the vehicle had actually shut off. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. When the vehicle was turned off and the key was removed from the ignition switch, a beeping sound was heard. The contact had to close the doors in order for the beeping sound to stop. The contact stated that the driver's side door failed to lock with the remote. The contact had to manually lock the driver's side door. The failures occurred without warning. The dealer (o'rielly Chevrolet inc., 6160 e broadway blvd, tucson, az 85711) was contacted and stated that the contact had to pay to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted at [phone] and stated that they could not do anything. The contact was advised to call NHTSA. A case number was not provided. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the bar fractured that held the trunk open. As a result, the trunk lid struck the contact in the head and right hand twice. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000.
It has rained several times and the water has leaked into the middle console of my car and also around my roof area and all down the sides. The first two time I took it to be fixed they said Saturn couldn't do anything for me because there was no problem and this continued to occur for the next month until it got so bad to start dripping out of my map lights again. Saturn mechanics asked if I was parking on angle, which should not matter, or if I was driving on large angles, and told me again that they were not going to find anything. Saturn just told me that the sunroof had a problem that was unfixable to their knowledge and that scares me. They said that there was no time table on how long it would take to come out with a fix but they were going to do something temporary that should help but if it didn't for me to bring it back in to repeat the process. …
Neither the external or internal door handles will allow one or more doors to open. My drivers side door just stopped working from the external/internal door handles. In the event of an emergency where I might need to get out of my car in a timely manner it will not be possible as I would have to climb over to the passenger side to get out. If something bad happened and both doors had the same problem around the same time someone might have to crawl out the cars windows in order to get out. In the extreme something happened to the electrical system and both doors at the same time you could be trapped in your car until rescue personal arrived. Seems to me that there should not be a single point of failure on a door handles that would cause both the external and internal handles to no longer function as required and cause the door to open. …
The rear bumper is starting to have obvious scratches where the trunk lid comes down. The district service manager says that this is a common problem, that Saturn identified two years ago. During the service visit the technician realized that my bumper was misaligned at assembly and realigned and corrected the problem. Then the problem started again. Now it is in the center of the bumper where the first time it was on the right side. The service department says that the only thing that can be done is to shave the bottom of the trunk lid and re-paint. The car has now been in the shop twice for this problem. I was told by the technician and service advisor that when the car is in motion that air or wind resistance goes through the bumper and pushes the bumper against the trunk lid causing the scratches on the bumper and bottom of trunk lid.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop for a failure with the driver side door and when the mechanic attempted to turn the engine off, it would not shut off. The mechanic had to disconnect the battery which shut down the fuel system and computer system. The mechanic reprogrammed the computer, key code pass system, replaced the ignition and the driver side door motor. The ignition repair did not correct the problem. The contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint. The failure mileage was 74,612 and the current mileage was approximately 75,000. Updated 03/24/11 updated 12/30/11
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact was making a right turn at 15 MPH when the driver's side door opened without being engaged. The contact also stated that he was unable to shut the engine off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where the contact was informed that the ignition barrel switch seized and was fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed the failure and also stated that the door latch was fractured. The ignition barrel switch was repaired but not the door latch failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 59,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact was driving approximately 5 MPH with a sudden loss of power steering. The power steering warning light indicator illuminated. There was extreme difficulty steering the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The power steering motor and steering column would need to be replaced. In addition, the front passenger door would stick unless body pressure was applied to the door. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 30,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Scion tc. The make and model were unavailable in the drop down menu at the time of this complaint. While driving 65 MPH, the sunroof collapsed and shattered on the contact. He took his vehicle to the dealer who stated that because the failure was not the deflector, it is not considered an issue. The deflector was identified as defective, not the sunroof. The dealer informed the contact that he would be responsible for the repair costs. The VIN, engine size, and powertrain were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 17,262.
Body complaints in other Ion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2006 Saturn Ion?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the body & structure of the 2006 Saturn Ion, 2% of the model year's 1,235 complaints. The component named most often is body (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Saturn Ion body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2006 Saturn Ion, though it has 4 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 2006 Saturn Ion body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.