2003 Saturn ION 3 review from North America
"It could be a reliable car if it weren't for the low quality."
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Right Front Passenger door had a scratch in it when the car was delivered. It took many calls and several trips to actually get it fixed.
Left Hub Assembly replaced around 12,000 miles.
Right Front Headlight would turn on and off intermittently. Problem was a bent pin in the fuse box.
Hood Release replaced around 20,000 miles.
When the Hood Release was replaced the dealership cracked the interior trim by the release. The dealership didn't tell me I had to find it myself.
The Headlights have turned a milk white and the parts are on order.
Replaced tires at 32,000 miles. The tires were cupped and I believe it was caused by the defective Swing Arm Bushings.
Swing Arm Bushing replaced at 32,000 miles on left and right front to correct a terrible noise when going over speed bumps or like itmes.
Currently there is a noise in the left front that sounds like the last time when the hub assembly was replaced.
There is a clunking when shifting out of drive/reverse into park/neutral. Seems to be the right front half-shaft causing the problem.
Transmission from time-to-time slips. Would take to dealer, but the problem is so intermittent it is likely they would do anything with it.
Dealership doesn't seem to care too much about customer service. The attitude of the dealership where I take the vehicle is terrible.
General comments?
I really liked the car when I purchased it. Now though I'm looking at trading it in. I'm tired of dealing with the attitude of the dealership and with all the problems. I would go to another dealership, but the next closest on is 90 miles and I'm not traveling that far.
I would not recommend this car to anyone. In the back on my mind I'm thinking if you 've had all these troubles and there aren't many miles on the car, what is it going to be like when there are more miles.
I had less trouble with my 1997 Ford Escort in 129,000 miles than I've had with the Saturn ION at 34,000 miles.
I would recommend that you stay away from this car.
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![]() ![]() | A nice American compact car |
![]() ![]() | No |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.2 Ecotec Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Reliability marks | 4/10 |
| Comfort marks | 4/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 2/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 34 miles |
| Most recent distance | 33000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Escort |
| Date of Entry | 29th June, 2004 |

