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Never buy a saturn ION

Old 02-27-2008, 12:47 PM
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HpiDrifter420
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Default Never buy a saturn ION

my wife bought a car in may of 06 and we've had nothing but problems with this vehicle. well last time we took it in for problems the service desk manager(NOT A TECH) took the car home for the night without our permission. he drove the car into a ditch and called and told me. so that night i went down to take pictures of the car covered in 2 feet of mud on the passenger side and water in my headlight. well the original reason we took the car in was b/c when its wet/icy out the car tires spin and the car loses power. so while the car was at the body shop for the repairs a service manager drove the car and experienced the issues we did and told us the car is not safe along with the general manager of the dealership(Chris Mancini). now they are telling us its a normal function of the car and they wont and haven't fixed anything except the damage from driving it in the ditch. they changed there story 3 times. first the car went in a ditch then it only went off the road and then when we told them the tow truck driver told us he pulled it out of a ditch and told us where it was they said ok it went in a ditch. me and my wife have a 23 month old so that we don't want to get injured because the car loses power. no one will help us on this and we have to pick up the car today from the dealership. WE ARE SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR IN WET OR SNOWY CONDITIONS. since buying the car it has had to have the engine wiring harness replace and the air conditioner fixed. every time we take it in they say theres nothing wrong with the car then we bring it back in for the same problem and then they notice it. this has been going on for 2 weeks now. all we wanted was a new car that would be safe and reliable for our son and we got the exact opposite. im afraid that when i pull out in the rain the car will lose power again and i will get hit with my son in the car. Saturn corp and Fred Beans could care less they sold us a defective unsafe car...all we want is our money back we dont have the money to get another car and why should we have to when the car is defective. this is me and my wifes only car so it gets a lot of use. we are struggling and this is not helping. we didn't want a problem car so we spent the extra money to get a new car so we wouldn't have problems. this car is a saturn ion 06 with 38,XXX miles on it. does that sound like i should be having all those problems?


just needed to vent
Old 02-27-2008, 12:59 PM
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Paradoxmaker
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

well the original reason we took the car in was b/c when its wet/icy out the car tires spin and the car loses power.
Not debating your problem, but what your decribing sounds like the normal operation of the Trac Control on most Saturns. I know mine (2002 LW300) came with full time traction control that chops power if one wheel starts spinning.

I personally hate it when i try to take off from a Stop sign or light and make a corner when it's wet and the power dies off cause 1 wheel spins. I know it's supposed to be a safety feature but it is dangerous to have happen when you in heavy traffic and are trying to make it across an intersection...
All I have to do is remember to turn off the Trac Control (by pusing the button on the dash) when i turn on the car....

Now the dealer taking it home and crashing it, thats a whole nother story that possibly needs lawyer involvment....
Old 02-27-2008, 01:03 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

the only cars I will buy is, Honda, Toyota, Chevy, ford (maybe) GMC, Nissan, and cars like that, they either have to be made in the USA, Japan, or Europe for me to buy them. but mainly the list I listed are the only ones. oh and Subaru
Old 02-27-2008, 01:07 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION


ORIGINAL: Paradoxmaker

well the original reason we took the car in was b/c when its wet/icy out the car tires spin and the car loses power.
Not debating your problem, but what your decribing sounds like the normal operation of the Trac Control on most Saturns. I know mine (2002 LW300) came with full time traction control that chops power if one wheel starts spinning.

I personally hate it when i try to take off from a Stop sign or light and make a corner when it's wet and the power dies off cause 1 wheel spins. I know it's supposed to be a safety feature but it is dangerous to have happen when you in heavy traffic and are trying to make it across an intersection...
All I have to do is remember to turn off the Trac Control (by pusing the button on the dash) when i turn on the car....

Now the dealer taking it home and crashing it, thats a whole nother story that possibly needs lawyer involvment....
the car doesnt not come with traction control sorry i left it out. its a ion2 base model only option it has is a/c. we dont even have power windows. we wanted something new and safe for our son
Old 02-27-2008, 01:07 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

Sorry, but I don't think your car had a problem [&:].

Traction control works that way, when the tires are losing traction the car takes away power in attempt to regain traction.

*edit* We posted at the same time, didn't know it didnt have traction control
Old 02-27-2008, 01:09 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

i repeat the car does not have traction control. when the tires sping the car loses power to both front wheels. im left stuck dead in the street for about 5 seconds. then the power kicks back on. the dealer had the same problems as me and told me to my face that the car is not safe. saturn corp said theres nothing wrong with the car its a saftey feature
Old 02-27-2008, 01:37 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

saturn corp said theres nothing wrong with the car its a saftey feature
a safety feature that puts you in more danger, what will they come up with next?
Old 02-27-2008, 01:38 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

If my car was drove by an unauthorized employee and wrecked by the dealership id have a new car
Old 02-27-2008, 01:40 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

the dealership and saturn corp say everythings fix but theres no problem...im really stuck here no lawyers want to take the case and the lemon laws dont work b/c its over a year old and has more than 12,000 miles. im thinking about getting the news involved to get the dealerships owners attetion so then maybe he will return my calls
Old 02-27-2008, 01:48 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

I work for a home builder, I get alot of customers threatning to call the news, i've had one or two do it so far, just make sure you have a solid case, because even the news channel won't touch it unless its legit,

File a complaint with the Better Buisness Beaura

The case I would argue would be with the car being wrecked by an unauthorized employee

but the car loosing power cause of traction is kinda normal, stops the car from spinning out which would be bad if you where doing 40mph,


Sorry to hear about your luck,
Old 02-27-2008, 02:17 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

the car loses power if the tires spin for more than 2 seconds its not a safty feature.if i pull out from a dead stop and theres snow or ice out my tires will spin for 2 seconds then lose power leaving me my wife and 2 yr old son stuck on busy main rd anda i cant even give it gas to pull it off of the road. thats not safe its dangerous. we've had ford,dodges,mazda,mitsubhishi,honda's,chevy and none of my cars have done this. i know what traction control is and know what it feels like when it kicks in.
Old 02-27-2008, 02:19 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

Goto another dealership and act like you want to buy a car and test drive another ION see if it happens.
Old 02-27-2008, 02:27 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

Switch garages/dealerships. Also check all your fluids, could be as simple as being low on something (although I have no clue what).

I once brought my car to a garage to have my car fixed. All they had to do was change a transmission fluid line and top of the tranny fluid. When I got it back it shifted really jerkily from first to second and I had to add 8 quarts to bring it up to level. The transmission only holds like 10 quarts.....
Old 02-27-2008, 02:37 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION


ORIGINAL: slayerphonics

Goto another dealership and act like you want to buy a car and test drive another ION see if it happens.
already did the dealership got a 05 to do it then they gave us a 07 for the weekend and i got it to do it. not as bad as my car but thats how it all started. they said that its a saftey feature but there cars onli did it for 1-2 seconds mine does it for 5-8 seconds and when you pull out infront of someone or go up a snow/ice covered hill and the wheels spin i loose power and slide backwards almost getting rear ended. ive talked to saturn corp and they wont do anything. i feel helpless in this matter. we bought a new car so we wouldnt have problems and got nothing but problems. if i bought a used car id understand but this car doesnt even have 40K on it yet and the dealership is being shady and saturn doesnt want to help. im trying not to loose my mind over this. i have never been this mad and i dont understand how they can get away with it when the dealership general manager tell me yes your car has a major problem but we dont know how to fix it have a nice day.
Old 02-27-2008, 02:45 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

Going to the news seems to be a good idea... If you have a legit case, they might help you.

Gerry
Old 02-27-2008, 03:23 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

get them to swap cars with you, or trade that one in for something else.
Old 02-27-2008, 04:15 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

See if you can have them take off the safty feature. There are plenty of cars that pass inspection without a feature like that. If its just gonna put your life at risk then why have it?

Sounds like you need to switch garages and get a lawyer involved if it wasn't a tech drivin the car. Thats almost garuenteed money in your pocket for there carelessness. What is a non-tech person doing in your car anyway if their not certified to fix it? Call up your lawyer and see what they can do, The worst they can do is say they can't help.
Old 02-27-2008, 04:25 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

im in the process of talking to lawyers but i have to wait for them to look at everything and its a big mess. this happened 2 weeks ago. the car was getting all its work done at the dealership where i purchased the car. ive learned my lesson never buy a saturn or any other american brand car again. i just cant believe that when the general manager told me my car is unsafe 2 days ago and today hes saying i fixed nothing and take your car back. i think b/c me and my wife are young(21-22) they arent taking us serious. ive tried to get ahold of Fred Beans the guy that owns all 24 dealerships and he wont call me back. they dont care or want return customers they want first time buyers. the thing i find funny is the 04's had major problems causing a class action lawsuit and the car was brought out in 03 and they ended the line in 07. so they only ran the ION for 4 years which tells me they knew the car was a piece of junk so they stopped production. on the dealers lot he has 27 used saturns and 20 are ION's which tells me this problem is bigger then there letting on
Old 02-27-2008, 05:23 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

you're only 21-22 I thought I read somewhere you where like 37 or something.[&:]
Old 02-27-2008, 05:26 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

Its sounding more and more like a scam that an eager reporter might like to get his hands on. Only problem is you have to choose between either waiting for the story to air and maybe getting some sort of service (and being stuck with your car in the meantime) or just going to a honda/toyota/nissan dealership and getting whatever you can as a trade in just so you can feel safe with your new family on the road. Personally i would cut my losses before they get bigger (possible harm to your family) and get whatever i can from honda.
Old 02-27-2008, 07:00 PM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

saturn IS made by GM. it is a domestic vehicle. sounds like it has something to do with the computers. dont take it to the dealership. go get a second opinion, get an affidavit from them and take your dealership to court.
Old 02-28-2008, 01:36 AM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

thats why you dont buy domestic cars...
Old 02-28-2008, 01:47 AM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

i see your from canada...home of hockey, Chronic, and the government taking 30% of your paycheck. u dont have any domestic vehicles. they are imported. and between Ford, GM, and Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge they make some pretty darn good vehicles. sounds like you got a dud.
Old 02-28-2008, 01:52 AM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

theres a reason japanese cars have higher resale values then their american counter parts.
Old 02-28-2008, 02:11 AM
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Default RE: Never buy a saturn ION

ORIGINAL: snoking16
u dont have any domestic vehicles. they are imported. and between Ford, GM, and Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge they make some pretty darn good vehicles. sounds like you got a dud.
Ya.................all automobiles in this country are imported. We have absolutely no car assembly plants or part plants at all. Pretty darn good obviously isn't that good.

If you are going to list things about our country you better make sure they are accurate and unbiased. I could make your country look bad too.

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