[Lauren]

Hey everyone,

I have a Saturn Ion 3 and seem to be having plenty of electrical problems. But incredibly intermittent. I bought the car in winter 2010 and about 2wks later I'd be driving like normal then all the power goes out, the engine shuts off, dash goes out (but the gauges stay at the same level) and the windows, radio don't work. Obviously it is hard to operate the vehicle because it's power steering & power brakes so it takes extra effort to safely maneuver the car off the road. The horn is functional however.
After awhile the vehicle turns itself back on, I have had the security light turn on as well, happened so long ago though not sure how long it stayed on.
I let my dealer know and he took the car back but couldn't find anything and could not replicate the problem happening again. It happened probably 5 times that winter, and we could never figure out the problem. The car was completely normal spring to fall not a problem at all, which led us to believe it was a freezing issue.
It happened a couple times in winter 2011/12 I believe and then it began happening in the spring and now summer. My car is currently in my shop I work at (I'm an apprentice) but were having problems diagnosing it. I replaced the ignition switch, also we've determined there is one line in the fuse box that doesnt deliver power, but there is power to the ignition. But this is a VERY intermittent problem! I was wondering if anyone's heard of this happening because it's very frustrating!

Please let me know of any suggestions or thoughts, and feel free to ask me any questions.

 

[Big Knight]

Many people have had problems with the ignition switch that sound like your problem description. However, if you have replaced the switch, that seems less likely. Do you have extra keys or "stuff" hook to your fob? I believe this is one of the sources of ignition switch problems. I have also heard "bad" grease in the switch causing failures in the cold.

The have been some problems with the fuse box not being fully seated that can cause intermittent problems. What year car? How close are you to Powell Racing? He is somewhere in Ontario like you. He is very knowledgeable about these cars.

 

[RedlineWMI]

The ignition switch problem was itself tied to the bad grease. At temps below 15 F (or so) the grease could freeze and lose conductivity. So they key wouldn't be recognized, and the anti-theft system would immobilize the car for 10 minutes until the system reset, then you could try again. Updated replacement switches were made with better grease and remedied the issue as far as I could ever gather. So replacing the switch would have fixed that. Either way, every occurrence I ever saw was start related. The key wouldn't be recognized, and the car wouldn't start. Not the car stopping during normal driving once already running.

TLDR:
The old switch issue only presented a problem when attempting to start at low temperature because it made the anti-theft system malfunction. If it's starting even at low temps but dying at random while driving, there is something else afoot. Does it coincide with wet conditions, or anything?

 

[golden chicken]

Make sure your PCM and BCM are plugged in good and tight.

Also, the ignition control module (top left of the valve cover) is a known failure point on the 2.2L

 

[Lauren]

Thanks for replying, @ Big Knight. I searched Powell Racing which is around Ajax, approx 2 hrs from me. My car is a 2007.

@RedLineMWI, I had seen more of a relation to wet conditions, eg 2 wks ago the car lost the power while I wasnt around it, I was inside (1st time) and it was raining. When I got to it I realized I couldn't get into it with my remote, I had to use the key. My friend I was with thought I should get a battery jump, which didn't do anything which I had expected. So we left the car there then 15mins later I came back with my boss and the power had restored itself.
But it happened a week later, last Sunday when I was driving and it was hot and sunny and all the power went out. So yes I do think it happens more often in rain and snow etc but it does happen at this time as well.

 

[qwikredline11]

Thanks for replying, @ Big Knight. I searched Powell Racing which is around Ajax, approx 2 hrs from me. My car is a 2007.

@RedLineMWI, I had seen more of a relation to wet conditions, eg 2 wks ago the car lost the power while I wasnt around it, I was inside (1st time) and it was raining. When I got to it I realized I couldn't get into it with my remote, I had to use the key. My friend I was with thought I should get a battery jump, which didn't do anything which I had expected. So we left the car there then 15mins later I came back with my boss and the power had restored itself.
But it happened a week later, last Sunday when I was driving and it was hot and sunny and all the power went out. So yes I do think it happens more often in rain and snow etc but it does happen at this time as well.

i would suggest ign. switch...but it could just be a bad ground.

 

[philzoot007]

Bad ground. Look for ur engine harness ground strap. Mine got corodid. Cause a bad ground. Onto of that check the starter. The starter grounds to engine I replaced starter and cleaned ground and presto. No more problem like u r having.

 

[Courtney0120]

hey I was wondering if you have come to a conclusion to this issue because this same thing is happening to 05 redline. not sure where to go with this issue because there are no signs of an issues when the car turns back on, no check engine lights, no weird noises. the car drives great until it randomly just dies and it is very dangerous because there is no sign that it is gonna happen. I love my redline but I'm not sure if this is something that is an easy fix or not or even if it would be worth fixing.

 

[1Redline]

hey I was wondering if you have come to a conclusion to this issue because this same thing is happening to 05 redline. not sure where to go with this issue because there are no signs of an issues when the car turns back on, no check engine lights, no weird noises. the car drives great until it randomly just dies and it is very dangerous because there is no sign that it is gonna happen. I love my redline but I'm not sure if this is something that is an easy fix or not or even if it would be worth fixing.

did you get the ignition recall done?