2006 Saturn Ion Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,537 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Saturn Ion, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 65,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2006 sits among all Ion years
What owners report
“The power steering keeps going out sometimes when you start the car it will not have power steering and sometimes when your driving it will go out and is almost impossible to drive”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Ion
“Key gets stuck in ignition and car won't start. Unable to retrieve key from ignition switch. Vehicle was stationary.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Ion
“I started smelling gasoline and seen that the fuel pump was part of a recall. I've only had this car a few months and it came from florida which was one of the states in the recall.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Ion
“Takata recall the engine is on. When i turn the key to turn the engine off, the key doesn't go in the off position. I have to turn the engine on again and then try to turn the engine off.sometimes 2 or 3 times i have to turn the engine on and then try to turn the engine off. The car is parked.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Ion
“I hydraplained, did a 360 and got hit head on. I had my set belt on, but it did not catch and lock in place, and the air bag did not inflate....to stop me from hitting to rear view mirror with my head, my chest on the shearing wheel and my legs with the under part of the dash...i was on a main…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Ion
“Continual computer/electrical problems beginning - 1/12/10 + 1/14/10 + 12/29/10 + 6/21/11 + current problem 6/25/11 dealership charged $120 for diagnosis each incidence since 12/19/10. Current mileage 22,170.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Ion
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,295 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 68,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 48,000 and 96,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
UCI-FRAM Group is recalling certain LS1328 ignition Switches sold as Wells LS1328, Duralast LS1328, Airtex 1S6097, and Carquest 53-27479, and LS1497 Ignition Switches sold as Wells LS1497, Duralast LS1497, Airtex 1S10961, and Carquest 53-27967, for use on…
Fix: UCI-FRAM Group has notified its purchasers to quarantine and return all inventory. Any switches already installed in vehicles will be replaced by GM dealers as part of NHTSA recall 14V-047, free of…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be…
Fix: General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles,…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available,…
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring.…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014, informing them of the…
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 CHEVROLET COBALT AND SATURN ION VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ARIZONA AND NEVADA; AND MODEL YEAR 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT, PONTIAC G5 AND SATURN ION VEHICLES ORIGINALLY…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. A SPECIAL COVERAGE WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE SAME TIME FRAME FOR MODEL YEAR 2006 VEHICLES REGISTERED IN ALABAMA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA,…
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 14V153000.
Technical service bulletins
738 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2006 Saturn Ion. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2006 Saturn Ion reliable?
The 2006 Saturn Ion drew 1,537 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2006).
What are the most common 2006 Saturn Ion problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Saturn Ion are steering (551 complaints), electrical (408), and fuel system (248).
At what mileage do 2006 Saturn Ion problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Saturn Ion problems around 68,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 48,000 and 96,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Saturn Ion have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 Saturn Ion. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.