2005 Saturn Ion consumer reviews

this automobile is a frustrating electrical nightmare.mechanics run when you pull a saturn ion into the shop.it's a 2005 saturn ion with 90,000 miles.bought it new and was the worst purchase of anything we have ever owned.

I lost this car in an accident back in July of 2016, and I wouldnt be here today if it hadnt. Great on gas, lots of space for larger people(I'm about 6") great first car. Only problem I ever had with this car was the AC, but that only didnt work when the car wasn't moving. If yo are looking for a good budget car i wouldnt recommend this car more. But parts can be a bit hard to find at a good price.

Fun to drive and own and a sense you are one with road. Features unique and appreciated by everyone who seeks practicality and versatility.

Car doesn't start much in the winter due to security system malfunctioning at random. Recent deep freeze in the Midwest, we kept it in garage, & it started every morning. Temps warmed up this week, dead in garage. The security system shuts down when battery is dead so you can't pop the trunk where the BATTERY IS LOCATED. (Genius design, I tell you.) Hooked up a battery charger to post in engine compartment & fooled security system into thinking it had power, thus allowing us to pop trunk. Jumped it, it starts, it shudders, engine misses, timing's off, won't accelerate past 20 mph. Next day, dead. Jumped it to get it to a garage, ran like a champ. For now. Totally random & unreliable, uncomfortable, & a cheaply made interior. Best thing I can say is it has a large trunk.

I love this car. I bought it used around 36m. I've had no problems and have spent zero dollars on it. The only problem is operator error with the clutch. I had it towed in three times because I thought it wouldn't start. Come to find out, I was the problems starting it. This car has over 126k miles on it and it still looks and runs great. I would recommend this car to anyone.

I've had my 2005 Saturn Ion for 4 years, bought it used with 36K miles. Haven't had too many problems. First problem was the anti-theft system right after I got it which wouldn't let me start the car for 10 minutes. This required a new ignition, under a $100 fix & hasn't acted up since. Had some issues with the windows coming off their track. Gets good gas mileage and gets me where I need to go. Current has just under 90K miles.

Sure, the Ion 2 quad-coupe looks really cool. The 2.2l ecotec has some surprising muscle for this little car. Heck, I was even able to tow a utility trailer with it. I put about 40K on it in a few years, finally trying to trade it in now in 2012. Problems? Galore. - Ignition column has been broken for years, as I've not wanted to spend hundreds of dollars but I have to press a button inside the column to release the key. - The power steering is ELECTRIC, which probably sounded like a cool idea at first, until it shorts out on you during a tight turn. It nearly killed me. - Sunroof stopped going back. Now it's a moon-roof. Woot. - If you don't blow pressurized air (or water) through the drain vents, the sunroof clogs easily on you and floods the cabin. - It had a ghost in the electrical system that took over a thousand bucks for a certified dealer to diagnose and fix in two visits. - Don't expect anyone over the age of 7 to be able to comfortable sit in the back seat--I mean the L shaped pieces of foam. I am 5'11, so perhaps not the best for this car, but still. I had to roll the seat all the way forward to fit anyone. But it looks cool. What a ridiculously designed GM car. The more features and electrical pieces it has just makes it more of a pain to fix and maintain. An over-complicated design is the sign of an inferior engineer.

I bought an '05 Saturn Ion seven months ago. I have already put over a grand into it. The ignition continues to break and fails to recognize the key. If you know whats good for you, do not buy this car.

I've had a 2005 Ion Redline fr 3 years. I put an exorbitant amount of miles on it (70k in 3 years) and I beat it (avid autocrosser and occasional road course or drag strip days) and it's been great. Plenty of power (1/4 mile in 14.5 @ 98 mph at 2200 ft altitude with me driving, completely stock), handles well, roomy, big trunk, half doors are great, and it's been bulletproof reliable. My only gripe is an engineering oversight from GM - the transmission to wheel geometry is off, resulting in horrible wheel hop under hard acceleration. This breaks axles and car damage the tranny if left unfixed. A set of aftermarket motor/transmission mounts that rotate the engine up and forward about a 1/4" completely cures the problem and gives you a a fast, fun, reliable car.

Bought the 2005 Ion 2 new. Good price when compared to similar models. For city pep and motorway driving (interstate driving -top end pick up) it is excellant for its class and 2 speed trani. The interior is very average and sometimes cheap with consol panels falling off. Service is terrible. There are known failures (see net) with this vehicle that have not been recalled by GM. The ignition will leave you in the lurch, lock up any time when starting, or not start in winter and act like your batteries dead when its not. There are fixes on line, but not for the non mechanical. The steering column is faulty and ours had to be replaced (dealer had done this so many times he knew to recommend used st column). The trunk lock, including interior button is faulty. The car handles nice on dry road, the electronic steering is nice. On slippy or snow covered roads the back end tries to come around on you on swerves. SNOW TIRES ALL ROUND ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED, if in harsh winter areas. Had the rear deicer fixed four times and still does'nt work (2 lines only operating. (Dealer problem). THIS VEHICLE HAS GENUINE ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL PROBLEMS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON A RECALL. DO NOT RELY ON IT, IF YOU HAVE A SERIOUS TIMED APPOINTMENT LIKE A JOB INTERVIEW!! Instead of fixing the known problems GM just ditched the whole vehicle line.