"How reliable is the 2004 Saturn Ion?"

"Based on 1124 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Saturn Ion has a median complaint mileage of 70000 miles. The most common issue is STEERING."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Saturn Ion?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Saturn Ion is STEERING, accounting for a significant portion of the 1124 total complaints filed."

2004 Saturn Ion: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1124 complaints

1124

Total Complaints

70,000mi

Median Mileage

STEERING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

40,000 25th Percentile

70,000 Median Mileage

110,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING

323

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

233

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

AIR BAGS

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ENGINE

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"A BRAKE PAD FELL OFF THE TRAILER IN FRONT AND STRUCK HIS VEHICLE DAMAGING THE TIRE."

"VTI TRANSMISSION CAUSES SUDDEN VEHICLE DECELERATION. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28