Acceleration complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH with the accelerator pedal depressed, the accelerator pedal was released and became stuck causing the vehicle to unintendedly accelerate to 90 MPH. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to slow down. The contact manually lifted the accelerator pedal and was able to merge to the side of the road. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer but not diagnosed or repaired due to the warranty being expired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Saturn Ion. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the RPM's rose however, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.
On two prior occasions, the vehicle's motor 'revved' or raced just before coming to a stop. A couple of hours later, when pulling into a parking space and applying the brake, the car rapidly accelerated, jumped a curb and ended up finally coming to a stop inside a party store. There were at least 10 feet of skid marks present and a witness from behind that saw the brake lights on. There was a lot of damage to the car and store, all repaired, however the problem that caused the accident has not been duplicated and has not been rectified.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Saturn Ion. While driving approximately 45 MPH, a clicking noise was heard and the steering wheel seized, the speedometer gauges fluctuated, and the vehicle accelerated independently. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was later driven to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Saturn Ion. While driving 10 MPH and attempting to depress the brake pedal, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into a building and the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.
This has happened several times in recent months, but here is what happened this morning: I was on the interstate, going about 60mph, and I sped up temporarily to pass the semi next to me so that I could merge into the right lane and catch the next exit. Upon merging, I released the gas pedal but it did not come back naturally with my foot and instead went to the floor and my car started accelerating as I exited the interstate onto a flyover ramp. I immediately hit my brakes and was able to regain control of the speed, but it scared me, especially as the flyover ramp requires a slower speed along the curve. To the best of my recollection, in all cases where this has happened, I have been going at least 35 MPH when it happened, and my cruise control was on but not active (in other words I had it available to me but it was not currently set at any particular speed). …
About three years ago is when I had my first problem with speed acceleration with my Saturn. I left work and turned on my car and started to drive an hour to go home all the sudden my car began to accelerate and I wasn't pressing the gas. My vehicle continued to accelerate and I had to keep my foot on the brake to slow the vehicle down and it was still accelerating. I had to pull over on the side of the road and pop my car into neutral going approximately 70mph. I somehow managed to get home but my car continued to accelerate without me pressing on the gas. When I would turn the vehicle on while it was still in park the RPM's would go crazy as if I had my foot on the gas pedal. I immediately contacted my auto shop who indicated that they could not find anything wrong with my vehicle. I have had several incidents since then and ended up crashing earlier this year. …
I bought this car as a first car for my daughter that is a new driver. I has been off the road more than on the road for recalls. The first ignition recall could have injured or killed my daughter..as we were awaiting parts, we were following directions of no weight on key ring and only key in ignition. The incident still happened causing loss of power steering and loss of speed. As a new driver this incident scarred her and she did not feel comfortable driving the car. I put the car up for sale. Then another recall, the EPS which also causes the car to lose power steering and causes speed loss. So, back to garber and we just drove the car back home on January 2, 2015. Seemed to start out fine, then loss of speed and the car only drove at 35 MPH with a lot of effort. …
Frequently asked questions
Which Saturn Ion years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2003 (38), 2004 (27), 2005 (18), 2006 (17) and 2007 (16) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 5% of all complaints for the 2003.
Is there a recall for Saturn Ion acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for any Saturn Ion model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Saturn Ion acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles; 37% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (14 mentions), followed by the cruise control (8).
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.