Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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).
The contact owned a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated while driving at 50 mph and there was a stopped vehicle in the middle of the road, in order to avoid crashing the contact veered to the right lane but crashed into the rear of a truck. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed. The contact sustained neck, shoulder, arm, and chest injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14V047000 (Air bags, Electrical system). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact to file for the class action lawsuit. The failure mileage was 90,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that the instrument panel and radio were intermittently inoperable. The contact stated that the ignition switch failed to turn to the OFF position as needed intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving and turning the steering wheel to the right to make a right turn, the steering was significantly wobbly. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 14V171000 (Electrical System) and 14V153000 (Steering). Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing a fuel leak. The vehicle was taken to the Subaru dealer, where it was purchased. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. An unknown Chevrolet dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. …
The contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the key was stuck in the ignition switch. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the ignition lock cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer; however, the parts to do the repair were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,764.
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. Even split my passenger side dash open and had to be towed off but no airbags!! Exactly how do I have to be going for me to have protection????
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 contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. While driving 1-50 MPH in wet, slippery, or icy roads, the tires would spin out and cause the vehicle to lose control and the throttle power failed for 5-8 seconds. In November of 2007, the dealer stated that they could not duplicate the failure; however, they stated that the wiring harness needed to be replaced due to the air conditioner. After it snowed, the vehicle also began to spin and lose power while driving uphill and then slid back down. On February 13, 2008, the dealer stated that the failure was due to the fuel regulator and kept the vehicle for over three weeks. An unauthorized driver at the dealer crashed the vehicle into a ditch with two feet of water, causing water to enter the headlights. The contact has 56 photos available. He was advised that his vehicle does not qualify for the lemon law. …
The vehicle stalled and slowed but engine did not stop approaching an intersection on a town road. Days later it stalled again on a town road. The check engine light came on and another light flashed. In both cases stopping the engine and turning it back on remedied the issue and cleared the lights. While in motion on a country highway the passenger airbag light began flashing from on and off although there was only my pocketbook in the passenger seat. Removing the bag did not solve the issue. Stopping and turning off the ignition cleared the problem.the car lost power again on an interstate highway. I managed to get to the shoulder turned off the engine and the problem solved. The car began chiming instead of ticking when the left turn signal was on when the vehicle was exiting from a highway. The seat belt light came on at that time as well. …
This car has been cursed with electronic steering problems. The car has been serviced repeatedly. I have had very little response and zero satisfaction from GM. The key often does not release from the ignition. The car was involved in a violent front end collision that was caused by these issues. I bought the car (based on a false Saturn promise) and I had two daughters in the front of the car during the preventable collision. I couldn't figure out why the bags did not deploy. Now I get it! The car cuts off when making a right hand turn. I do not believe a single thing that GM says to me. I am going in for a rental car tomorrow. I. Do not even believe that this will go according to plan. I take the car for service, they tell me that they, "cannot repeat the problem." GM sucks and so does NHTSA. Earn your money. I earned mine. …
Yet one more ignition has failed. I had the recall done on the other two recalls. Yet, less than a month after the last replacement the key would not come out. I tried looking for the key release on the steering column that on prior recalls they said was there. It is not. I had to pull the battery cables as before to get the interior lights off. I came out to the car about an hour later and was able to remove the key. I spoke to the GM rep who said they would replace it with another one (the same model, etc) and I'd have to come back into the dealership. I told them no, I had received unbelievable hideous service there since buying the car and with the other recalls. Was told to drive the hour and a half to the next nearest one. Again declined. I was told that if I took it to the shop I use they would not pay the labor. This is ignition number four now. …
This car has been cursed with electronic steering problems. The car has been serviced repeatedly. I have had very little response and zero satisfaction from GM. The key often does not release from the ignition. The car was involved in a violent front end collision that was caused by these issues. I bought the car (based on a false Saturn promise) and I had two daughters in the front of the car during the preventable collision. I couldn't figure out why the bags did not deploy. Now I get it! The car cuts off when making a right hand turn. I do not believe a single thing that GM says to me. I am going in for a rental car tomorrow. I. Do not even believe that this will go according to plan. I take the car for service, they tell me that they, "cannot repeat the problem." GM sucks and so does NHTSA. Earn your money. I earned mine. …
Related recalls
Electrical system › Ignition
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the…
Electrical complaints in other Ion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2006 Saturn Ion?
NHTSA has 392 complaints about the electrical system of the 2006 Saturn Ion, 32% of the model year's 1,235 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (56 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Saturn Ion electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-171 (ignition, Apr 10, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Saturn Ion electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 62,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 13 crashes, 2 fires and 8 injuries and 1 death to electrical system 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.