Reliability & cost of ownership
Saturn Ion Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Saturn Ion? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Saturn Ion problems by model year
35 recall entries and 4342 owner complaints on file across 7 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 Ion | 0 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 Ion | 7 | 875 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 Ion | 6 | 1235 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2005 Ion | 5 | 573 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 Ion | 10 | 896 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 Ion | 7 | 758 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 Ion | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Saturn Ion, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- steering1701 complaints
- electrical system1547 complaints
- fuel/propulsion system317 complaints
- air bags262 complaints
- fuel system252 complaints
- gasoline240 complaints
- power train198 complaints
- engine and engine cooling145 complaints