Body complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The hood latch is having to be replaced for the second time in 6 years. It will latch but the spring will not go over all the way so the hood latch does not stay in place. I was driving from nc to ny and after driving for about 400 miles I got gas and the hood latch had loosened and I could not get it to close tight. I pulled up on it and it secondary part of the latch stayed connected so I continued to drive. Once in ny I called the dealer and the entire latch needed to be replaced and it cost me $200 and the best part is that it had been replaced once before roughly 6 years ago. The fact that I had to pay $200 for something that in my opinion is a safety issue is ridiculous especially since it had been replaced once before.
I experienced sudden loss of control of my 2007 Saturn Ion while traveling at 35-40 MPH. I swerved back and forth 3 times before crashing front end into a mountain (rock wall). No driver airbag deployment. No passenger airbag deployment. Complete/total loss of vehicle. No reported injuries.
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.
I believe that the power steering issue (recalled recently and received letter) caused my vehicle to be very hard to control on a downslope hill at 12 MPH coming up to red light. My car went from the right lane to the left Land of 4 lane street and I hit car in front of me. Now, having received information today about the power steering recall, I have an appt. At my local dealership to check on the alignment/suspension and the piece of metal that I believe to be brake pad that a few hours later shot out and hit car next to me in a parking lot when I applied brakes and turned off vehicle ignition. I will know more of what happened once dealershjp runs diagnostics.
Vehicle was delivered to local car dealership for GM factory warranty recalls. The car was being driven by two service technicians when the vehicle ignited in the trunk and rear seat area. The fire department determined that the cause of the fire were the rear break lines that had sagged onto the exhaust system. Service technicians were unaware of the work to be done on the vehicle. The vehicle was supposed to receive NHTSA recalls 14V047, 14V171, and 14V153. None of the recalls were furnished while in the possession of the car dealership and could possibly have contributed to the fire.
Was traveling at approx 35mph power steering assist was lost, turned into manual steering. I am a fairly new driver, 21, so I didn't really know how to react. It happened very quickly. Hit a center island, for a lack of a better term. Called GM, they had someone inspect the car. Said there was no DTC codes detected. So there for they are calling me a liar. My parents also had this experience with this same vehicle shortly before I purchased the car. GM refuse to make damage repairs. Only do recall repairs. I only bought the car one week before all this happened.
After stopping at an intersection and preparing to turn left, the car could not steer to the left. As he car drifted forward the steering became easier and the car was able to negotiate the turn. As the car picked up speed, the steering appeared to be normal until approaching another 90 degree right hand turn (1/2 mile away from the stop in which it was hard to turn). Not knowing what was happening with the vehicle, he slowed down to negotiate the right hand turn and the car failed to steer right leading him straight thru and into an oncoming vehicle. This vehicle was in the shop one week after we purchased it to have the ignition switch replaced. After having the ignition switch replaced the problem with the steering occurred. There was much damage done to the car and our insurance picked up the cost of the other drivers damages. This was our sons first car and a terrible experience. …
Related recalls (1)
Structure › Body › Bumpers
On certain passenger vehicles, some welds between the passenger's side motor rail and the front bumper bracket do not meet engineering specifications.
Remedy: All vehicles are still in dealer's possessions.
Frequently asked questions
Which Saturn Ion years have body problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2006 (24), 2003 (19), 2004 (16), 2005 (10) and 2007 (6) model years. Body complaints make up 2% of all complaints for the 2006.
Is there a recall for Saturn Ion body problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 04V-002 (bumpers, Jan 6, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Saturn Ion body problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles; 48% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the body (28 mentions), followed by the body › door (13).
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.