Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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 year, make, and model of my car has a factory recall for the fuel pump failing. I went to the dealership and they informed me my Vin # wasn't included and their was nothing they could do about it. My vehicle started leaking fuel last week so I dropped the tank and removed the fuel pump. I have done my homework on this including watching several videos on YouTube concerning this issue and I'm 100% positive this fuel pump has failed in the exact location that all the other recalls have and yet my Vin number isn't on the recall according to this GMC service department manager. I am going to have to put a fuel pump in at my expense today because it's my transportation for work but I'm very upset about this situation and GMCs failure to have my vehicle included and having to replace their defected fuel pump. …
The contact's mother owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact stated that after driving the vehicle to his residence and parking the vehicle in the garage, he observed that a puddle of gasoline had accumulated overnight underneath the vehicle from the fuel tank by the driver's side rear wheel. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure might be related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V419000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
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????
Back in jan. 2016 I started smelling gas when my car was warming up, I'm in mn so it's cold then. After fa couple days of this I looked under my car, omg, I had kinda a slow drip, which turned into a fast drip within a few days. I did research and found out that there was a recall on some saturns that were sold in different states, I called GM, they told me I needed to go to a GM dealer to see if it was the part that was under recall, if it was, they would pay to replace the part under recall and my gas lines, yeah right!! The dealership charged me $50 and told me it wasn't the recall part. So I had to pay to get new gas lines. After it was fixed I could still smell gas..I should've taken it back right away but I didn't. Now, here I sit again, not being able to drive my car because of this again! …
In October of last year (2016) I started smelling gas really bad so I took my car to a local repair shop and had it checked out (my local dealership is about 20 miles away). They said it was the fuel pump and it needed to be replaced right away and in my mind all I was thinking was my car could catch on fire so I had them repair it right away( $437.79). Later I find out that is under a special coverage recall and it could only be repaired by the dealership for the repairs to be covered. I contacted customer care and was told to submit the paperwork and they would check into it . I submitted paperwork in January 2017 and have waited for response , now in March 2017 I decide to contact them because I have had no need they tell me that my request was denied because the reimbursement campaign ended in 2014. …
Within an hour of bringing the vehicle home from getting the fuel pump replaced on April 25, 2014, I received a frantic call from my daughter, panicked she had just been involved in an accident. She states she was driving home in a residential area and the car started veering back and forth uncontrollably. The car careened into the curb damaging the front passenger side and tire. It hit with such force, the vehicle ricochet back into the middle of the road. My daughter then shifted it into park, turned it off and attempted to exit. The doors would not open and could not be unlocked, manually or with the key fob. 2 men driving by stopped and attempted to help her out of the vehicle, with no luck. As a last resort, she had to break out the driver side front window to escape. …
Engine reduction, serious safety concern, was almost hit by a semi, engine reduction light comes on, lose power and car slows at a high rate causing extreme safety hazard in traffic, must pull off interstate turn car off to reset, happening 2-3 times a day, strong smell of gas, have a leak and it is not covered under the warranty, sooner or later someone is going to be cruising down the interstate and their Saturn is going to reduce engine power and they will not have time to get out of the way, they will be plowed down by a semi. Are we going to continue to allow GM to ignore this issue like they ignored the ignition switch probelms until it starts causing deaths, why not solve the issue before the deaths start to occur, it seems the older these year models get the worse this problem becomes. …
I noticed that my car smelled like gas, and then when I parked and got out I saw a puddle of gas under my car. My car is the Saturn Ion 'redline' for some reason I can't pull up my car only a regular Saturn Ion but my car is different. I could tell the gas was coming from the top of my tank. When I dropped the tank I could see that the fuel lines on my fuel pump were broken! The lines were broke right at the pump. On the Saturn and redline forum I see that my car isn't the only redline to have this problem my car only has approx 137000 miles on it, the fuel pump should not have broke like that. There is recalls on some Saturn ions in certain states for the fuel pump lines breaking just like mine did. My car was put together in tennessee I bought it brand new in 2006 in new jersey and now I live in kentucky. …
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. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. The contact smelled fuel fumes inside the vehicle. Gold star Buick GMC (1980 n davis rd, salinas, ca 93907, [phone]) diagnosed that the fuel tank and fuel pump needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired because the dealer did not have the parts and the contact was still required to make a partial payment. The contact asked for a rental vehicle, but her request was denied. The contact had to drive the vehicle home with it leaking fuel. The contact was concerned for her safety. The dealer mentioned that there was special coverage for certain parts under a warranty. The manufacturer was contacted, but did not disclose a lot of information due to the fact that the contact was speaking with her attorney. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 45,000.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
General motors is recalling certain model year 2006 Chevrolet cobalt and Saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona and nevada; and model year 2007 Chevrolet cobalt, Pontiac g5 and Saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona, california,…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module free of charge. A special coverage will be implemented in the same time frame for model year 2006 vehicles registered in alabama, arkansas, california, florida, georgia, hawaii,…
Fuel System complaints in other Ion years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2006 Saturn Ion?
NHTSA has 238 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2006 Saturn Ion, 19% of the model year's 1,235 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (40 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Saturn Ion fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-419 (fuel pump, Oct 29, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Saturn Ion fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 2 fires and 2 injuries to fuel & propulsion 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.