2003 Saturn ION Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 58 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Saturn ION, 8% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 40,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “timing chain” (10% of reports).
- 58engine and engine cooling complaints
- 40,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 47%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Timing chain: mentioned in 6 of 58 complaints (10%)
- Cold weather: mentioned in 5 of 58 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 39 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 58 complaints, 1 a fire, 1 an injury.
Saturn ION engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 2003 Saturn ION. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that when the vehicle was first started, the timing chain would exhibit an abnormally loud noise. The noise would cease once the engine was warm but could still be heard as the contact attempted to accelerate. In addition, the vehicle would…
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saturn ion. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle decelerated and stalled on the highway. The manufacturer was notified, but denied any assistance with repairs of the failure. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle…
2003 saturn ion . Consumer writes in regards to vehicle recall issues *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle was purchased new and she was never informed of a recall regarding the body control module which she was having problems with. The consumer stated the problem first started when the driver…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Saturn IONs have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 58 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 2003 Saturn ION (8% of the 758 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Saturn ION engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 40,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2003 Saturn ION?
The most frequent phrase is “timing chain”, in 6 of 58 complaints, followed by “cold weather” (5).
Other 2003 Saturn ION problems
- Electrical System problems (383)
- Steering problems (139)
- Power Train problems (55)
See all 2003 Saturn ION problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all ION years.