VehicleVerdict

2003 Saturn Ion airbags problems

The 2003 Saturn Ion has 49 airbags complaints filed with NHTSA — 5% of the year's total, and the first year with meaningful reports in this category.

49

Airbags complaints

5%

Share of year

25

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Airbags complaints by year

Ion airbags complaints by model year65 complaints2003: 49 complaints2004: 52 complaints2005: 34 complaints2006: 62 complaints2007: 65 complaints2008: 1 complaints
Ion airbags complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

14V047000AirbagsFebruary 10, 2014 · 2,190,934 units

Defect

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. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on February 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, and 2007 Pontiac G5 vehicles. On February 25, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHR and Pontiac Solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 Saturn Ion vehicles and 2007 Saturn Sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On March 27, 2014, GM notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.

Consequence

If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy

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 safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on April 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on April 18, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac at 1-800-762-2737 or Saturn at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. GM’s recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.

What owners report

I DON'T FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE, I HAVE EXPERIENCE HOW DANGEROUS IT COULD BE IF THE IGNITION SWITCH DOES MALFUNCTION. I FEAR FOR MY SAFETY AND MY FAMILIES SAFETY THE AIR BAGS DOES NOT WORK AND THERE IS ELECTRICAL ISSUES WITH THE WINDOWS. I DON'T KNOW WHY GEICO INSURANCE DIDN'T FIND THIS CAR NOT…

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Airbags · July 6, 2014 · crash

Common questions

How many airbags complaints does the 2003 Saturn Ion have?

NHTSA has 49 complaints about the 2003 Saturn Ion airbags — 5% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2003 Saturn Ion airbags?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the airbags: 14V047000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.