# 2004 SATURN ION — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
> NHTSA complaint `706710` · 2009-02-03 · General Motors, LLC
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 1
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** No
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** SATURN
- **Model:** ION
- **Year:** 2004
- **Manufacturer:** General Motors, LLC
- **Component:** ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
## Narrative
I HAVE A 2004 SATURN ION.  IN COLD WEATHER THE DIELECTRIC LUBRICATION FREEZES AND INTERFERES WITH THE SECURITY SYSTEM - MAKING THE VEHICLE UNABLE TO START.  THIS PROBLEM OCCURS APPROXIMATELY 50% OF THE TIME WHEN THE TEMPERATURE DROPS BELOW FREEZING - MORE FREQUENTLY WITH EVEN COLDER TEMPERATURES. THE PROBLEM IS OFTEN REMEDIED BY WAITING FOR 10 - 30 MINUTES UNTIL THE SECURITY SYSTEM RESETS ITSELF AND THEN TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE AGAIN. I FOUND A LOT OF COMPLAINTS BY CONSUMERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE BY SEARCHING GOOGLE.  I ALSO SPOKE WITH A SATURN DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT.  THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH AT THE SATURN SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID HE WAS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM AND VERIFIED THE DIAGNOSIS I LISTED ABOVE (DIELECTRIC LUBRICATION FREEZING RESULTING THE SECURITY SYSTEM LOCKDOWN) BUT SAID THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS.  I KNOW THREE PEOPLE WITH SATURN IONS AND THEY ALL HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM.  TWO OF THE OWNERS I KNOW TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO SATURN DEALERSHIPS FOR REPAIR AND THEY REPLACED THE STARTER, A THREE-HUNDRED DOLLAR PROCEDURE WHICH DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM.  I HOPE YOU CAN LOOK INTO ISSUING A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE BECAUSE BASED ON PERSONAL SOURCES, A SATURN DEALER, AND GOOGLE SEARCHES, IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM.  ALSO, LIVING IN MINNESOTA THE TEMPERATURES CAN GET DANGEROUSLY LOW - WHERE BEING LEFT STRANDED OUTSIDE FOR 30 MINUTES WITHOUT A HEAT SOURCE CAN RESULT IN FROSTBITE, HYPOTHERMIA, AND EVEN DEATH.  THANK YOU. *TR
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*