There are 4 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2005 Saturn Ionin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
METAL FATIGUE ON PASSENGER CAR DOOR OF SATURN ION QUAD COUPE REDLINE, WHERE HINGE ATTACHES: THE PROBLEM OCCURRED OVER A PERIOD OF 2 YEARS DURING WHICH TIME I WOULD OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOOR EACH DAY A MINIMUM OF 10-12 TIMES TO STRAP MY INFANT INTO HIS CARSEAT. THE DOOR METAL CRACKED AND BEGAN TO SEPARATE FROM THE REST OF THE METAL, TO THE POINT WHERE THE DOOR IS READ TO DROP OFF THE HINGE. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A GM DEALER IN RESPONSE TO A RECALL ON THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, AT WHICH TIME I REQUESTED THEM TO LOOK AT THE DOOR. THE DEALERSHIP HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. HOWEVER, THEY CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY SINCE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DISPROVE THE DOOR HAD NOT BEEN FORCEFULLY PUSHED BACKWARDS. *TR
THE SIDE DOOR PANELS OF CAR ARE BUCKLING, DISTORTING AND MELTING....PAINT IS BUBBLING. DUE TO EXTREME HEAT FROM THE SUN REFLECTION OFF HOUSE WINDOWS CLAIMS SATURN. DAMAGE IS TOTALING ALMOST $3,000.00 CONTINUES TO GET WORSE EVERDAY AND IS GROWING ACROSS THE CAR PANELS. EVEN THOUGH IT IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, SATURN WILL NOT PAY DENYING IT'S A WARRANTY ISSUE. CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT OR NEAR ANY FIRES...THERE ARE NO BURN MARKS ON CAR.....EVERYONE SAYS THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. *TR
DOOR PANELS CRACKED DURING EXTREME HEAT CO WORKER POINTED OUT THAT THERE WAS A CRACK ON MY DRIVERS SIDE PASSENGER SIDE AND REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR THE CRACK ON THE REAR DOOR EVENTUALLY BECAME A WHOLE CHUNK VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN NO ACCIDENTS. *NM
CAR PURCHASED ON 2/26/05. FIRST TIME DRIVEN ON HIGHWAY, A 20" PIECE OF THE RAIN DRIP PANEL FLEW OFF. DEALER STATES CAR MUST HAVE BEEN HIT BY ROCK, BUT THERE WAS NO OTHER TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF VEHICLE. DEALER ALSO SAID THIS IS "EXPECTED BEHAVIOR" IF HIT BY DEBRIS AT OVER 35 MPH. IF HIT BY DEBRIS, WAS SMALL ENOUGH THAT THERE WAS NO NOISE UPON IMPACT, NOR WAS IT VISIBLE. SINCE THERE WERE NO VEHICLES TO THE SIDE OR FRONT OF VEHICLE, WE BELIEVE THIS PANEL IS DEFECTIVE. DEALER REFUSES TO REPAIR, AND QUOTES $782 TO FIX. OTHER BODY SHOPS ARE CONSIDERABLY LESS. IF THIS BEHAVIOR IS "EXPECTED" SATURN FALSELY ADVERTISES DURABILITY OF THE VEHICLE, AS THEIR ADS DEPICT GOLF BALLS HITTING THE VEHICLE WITH NO DAMAGE. FURTHER IF THIS IS "EXPECTED" THIS VEHICLE IS A DANGER TO OTHERS AROUND IT ON THE ROAD, IF SATURN BELIEVES IT IS NORMAL AND EXPECTED FOR 20" CHUNKS OF THE VEHICLE TO FLY OFF. *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026