There are 9 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2006 Saturn Ionin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK WHILE MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT!!! IT WILL COST OVER $700.00 TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED AND WE DO NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY!!!
I WAS LEAVING A LOCAL GROCERY STORE, STARTED MY CAR AND PROCEEDED TO DRIVE OUT OF THE PARKING LOT TO THE MAIN ROAD, ROUTE 611, A FAIRLY BUSY THOROUGHFARE. AS I TURNED RIGHT AND ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS THE 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT'. DESPITE PRESSING ON THE THE GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE SAFELY INTO THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC (AROUND 40 MPH), MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 10 MILES PER HOUR. I AM SO VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT IN AN ACCIDENT. I FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTION IN THE SATURN ION MANUAL WHICH SAYS TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND THE ERROR SHOULD CLEAR ITSELF AFTER 10 MINUTES. I DID THIS AND THE 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT' WENT OUT BUT NOT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I TOOK THE CAR IMMEDIATELY TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC WHO RAN A INCONCLUSIVE DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THEY CLEARED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THE CAR RAN FINE UNTIL YESTERDAY, 4 WEEKS AFTER THE FIRST INSTANCE. WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY CHILDREN HOME FROM THE DENTIST, IN THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, AT CLOSE TO 40 MPH, THE DASH BOARD CHIMED, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT' LIT UP AND IMMEDIATELY MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 10 MILES PER HOUR. LUCKILY, WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO HOME, AND WERE NOT IN AN ACCIDENT. AGAIN, I LET THE CAR REST, AND 12 HOURS LATER STARTED THE CAR, BOTH LIGHTS CLEARED THEMSELVES. WITHIN IN 5 MILES OF DRIVING TO THE GYM FROM MY HOME, WHILE DRIVING IN THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, THIS ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS REDUCED POWER ISSUE SHOULD BE A RECALL. ONE SIMPLE ONLINE SEARCH SHOWS THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF GM/SATURN CARS WITH THIS VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE. AMONG SO MANY OTHER MANUFACTURER SAFETY ISSUES! THIS CAR HAS HAD 3 OTHER RECALLS, ONE OF WHICH MY LOCAL GM DEALER HAS FAILED OVER 3 TIMES TO FIX. I HAVE TO MANUALLY PUT MY FINGER INTO THE STEERING COLUMN TO RELEASE THE IGNITION KEY. HOLD GM ACCOUNTABLE AND PLEASE MAKE THIS ISSUE A RECALL
JUST ENTERED ONTO A HIGHWAY AND SUDDENLY COULD NOT ACCELERATE. WHEN HITTING THE GAS PEDAL, CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE CAR WAS IN DRIVE AND HAD BEEN MOVING FOR 10 MINUTES PRIOR WITH NO ISSUES. NO PRIOR ISSUES BEFORE THIS. PULLED OFF THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND TURNED OFF CAR. WHEN TURNED ON AGAIN, WOULD NOT CRANK. LIGHTS WORKED FINE BUT CAR JUST WOULDN'T TURN ON. MECHANIC IS NOT SURE WHY CAR WON'T START STILL. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND CRASHED INTO A CURB. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER, THE FRONT PASSENGER, AND THE REAR PASSENGER SUSTAINED NECK INJURIES THAT NEEDED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000. DR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SATURN ION. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT HAD TO FULLY APPLY THE BRAKES WHILE MANEUVERING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT VEHICLE OFF TO BRING IT TO A FULL STOP. THERE WAS A RECALL UNDER NTHSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 14V047000 (AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000.
OUR ION EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING FULL SPEED ON THE INTERSTATE MULTIPLE TIMES BETWEEN 2006 AND 2008. A CAR HAD BACKED INTO THE ION WHILE PARKED IN A LOT AT ONE POINT, SO WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE RELATED TO THAT, BUT OUR EXPERIENCE SEEMS TO BE IDENTICAL TO THOSE REPORTED UNDER THE RECALL. WE ATTEMPTED TO HAVE IT FIXED SEVERAL TIMES AT GM DEALERSHIPS. THE LAST FIX INVOLVED REPLACING ALL THE MAIN WIRES IN THE MOTOR. AFTER THAT, THE IGNITION SEEMED TO BE TIGHTER, AND THE STALLING STOPPED, BUT THE CAR WOULD THEN NOT START, INTERMITTENTLY. IT WOULD RANDOMLY GO INTO LOCK DOWN MODE FOR 10 OR SO MINUTES. JUST THOUGHT WE WOULD ADD OUR EXPERIENCE TO THE STATISTICS. IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS, AND WE EASILY COULD HAVE DIED. WE DO STILL HAVE THE CAR- COULDN'T AFFORD ANOTHER. WE CURRENTLY HAVE A RENTAL CAR AND ARE AWAITING OUR FIX. *TR
I WAS DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS OF VIRGINIA AND JUST GOT ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY CALLED 81 NORTH. I PUT MY CRUISE CONTROL ON AND SET IT AT AROUND 60. I DID THIS RIGHT BEFORE AN UPHILL CLIMB THEN I HELD ONTO THE ACCELERATE BUTTON TO SET IT AROUND 65 WHICH WAS THE SPEED LIMIT ON THAT HIGHWAY. IT ACCELERATED SLOWLY AND WHEN IT GOT TO THE SPEED I WANTED I LET GO. I GOT TO THE TOP OF THE HILL AND IT KEEPS ACCELERATING. SO IM NOW GOING DOWNHILL AND ITS ACCELERATING PLUS THE HILL WAS STEEP AND I HIT MY BRAKE AND IT DOESN'T TURN OFF. I HIT THE CLUTCH SIMULTANEOUS TO WHEN I HIT THE BRAKE AND NEITHER SHUT OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL. I THEN TURN THE CRUISE CONTROL OFF AND ITS STILL GOING. I THEN HIT THE CLUTCH AND YANK THE SHIFTER INTO NEUTRAL (ITS A MANUAL) AND THE RPM'S ARE GOING CRAZY. I TURN THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON BACK ON AND THEN OFF AGAIN AND IT FINALLY STOPPED TRYING TO ACCELERATE (THE RPM'S STOPPED FREAKING OUT). NOT TO MENTION I GET PULLED BY A STATE TROOPER FOR SPEEDING. AFTER HE COMES BACK WITH MY TICKET (STILL SHOCKED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULDN'T LET UP) , I TELL HIM, "WELL WHAT HAPPENED WAS..." AND HE SAYS "I DON'T NEED TO KNOW, I JUST NEED YOU TO SIGN THIS PAPER RIGHT HERE." THIS JUST HAPPENED TODAY IN ROANOKE, VA AND I LIVE IN NORFOLK, VA SO I HAVE TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY BACK TO ROANOKE ON MARCH 13 TO CONTEST THIS TICKET. *TR
TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE 2006 SATURN ION WITH 14000 FAILURE MILEAGE AT 30 MPH AND PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE GOING UP HILL AND WITHOUT WARNING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL GOT STUCK AND THE VEHICLE WAS CATAPULTED UP HILL 90 MPH. THE CONTACT STOMPED ON THE GAS PEDAL TO GET IT TO UNSTUCK, BUT THE SPEED DID NOT CHANGE. THE CONTACT THEN APPLIED THE BRAKE WITH FORCE WITH NO CHANGE IN SPEED. WHILE DRIVING, AND STILL GOING UP HILL THE CONTACT PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL, WAS PRESSING ON THE BRAKE AND PULLED UP THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ALL AT ONCE AND THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP SIDEWAYS JUST BEFORE THE GUARD RAIL. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED AND HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK RETURNED USPS, 2ND ATTEMPT MADE 06/16/07 FAILED. * LJ .
ON TWO PRIOR OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE'S MOTOR 'REVVED' OR RACED JUST BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. A COUPLE OF HOURS LATER, WHEN PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND APPLYING THE BRAKE, THE CAR RAPIDLY ACCELERATED, JUMPED A CURB AND ENDED UP FINALLY COMING TO A STOP INSIDE A PARTY STORE. THERE WERE AT LEAST 10 FEET OF SKID MARKS PRESENT AND A WITNESS FROM BEHIND THAT SAW THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON. THERE WAS A LOT OF DAMAGE TO THE CAR AND STORE, ALL REPAIRED, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM THAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT HAS NOT BEEN DUPLICATED AND HAS NOT BEEN RECTIFIED. *NM
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