Overview & Reviews

The entry-level Ion 1 trim level has been dropped for 2006. Wheel designs have been revised, OnStar is now standard across the board, and air conditioning has moved to the options list for the Ion 2. Upgraded performance is available via an optional Enhanced Performance package, which includes antilock brakes, a sport-tuned suspension and a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 170 horsepower.

• Limited rear legroom, center-mounted instrumentation takes some getting used to, below-average interior materials.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 154.00

• 

  What Next? - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Neveragain - April 21 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car new in 2006 and loved it at first. Then one night during a rain storm my car alarm went off for no reason. The next day I found the foam seal along the top of both doors is badly weathered and rain water runs in along the door panels and puddles on the floor. With 20,000 miles the front struts are shot and just yesterday my key became stuck in the ignition while the car is running. Likely the ignition cylinder will need to be replaced (from the looks of it this is a huge big with the ION). And who will have to pay for it all? My guess is GM will bail on that as well. So here I sit with a car that leaks every time it rains, bad suspension,and a junk ignition cylinder.

• 

  Saturn ION - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Do not buy this car! - September 6 - 11:36 pm

  I bought this car for my daughter on 12/05. The Saturn ION is junk! She has been stranded THREE times with the key stuck in the ignition and the engine still running. The lift motor in the driver side window broke. Now, the passenger rear window is broken. The car was leaking copious amounts of gas until it was unsafe to drive. Ignition cylinder has been replaced three times. The car only has 45,000 miles. I am so upset with this car that I am thinking of trading in my 2009 Silverado and NEVER buying a GM product again! Will be lodging a formal written complaint with the LA Attorney Generals office and recommend that others follow suit!

• 

  Disappointing Clutch - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Disappointed - February 21 - 5:06 pm

  This is my fourth Saturn, and I do not know if there will be a fifth. I have had the car in to fix both of the windows. I had to get the seat cover replaced, and I am having constant issues with the clutch. The car stutters and shakes. It stalls more times than I can count. I have had the car in the shop twice now, and the problem still persists. The guys in service are great ,and have told me that the mechanics of the clutch have changed. I just have to change the way I have been driving it.

• 

  Avoid at all cost! - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Morgan Reid - January 8 - 2:47 am

  When it works, its an easy ride. It only works about 10% of the time. Its in and out of the shop for various reasons. The car is aging of course, but the miles are still low in comparison to the year it was built. The recalls have fixed some of the issues, but new ones seem to arise out of the blue. At one point, my gas tank began pouring gas all over the roadway. When I realized, I had it towed to the mechanic who found that nothing had penetrated the tank, but the seal had worn. Its truly a lemon.

• 

  Dont buy - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Piece of Junk - April 3 - 10:13 pm

  Bought this car in Oct. 2005 brand new. After first year, it all went downhill. Had to replace the Powertrain Module twice already, and now, my dashboard lights go on and off, the speedometer doesnt move, dont know how much gas I have and etc with whatever is on the dashboard. The car been nothing but hell to me and my wife. Truly wish I could get rid of it, but have to wait another year. Do not buy this car used if you ever are thinking about it. Completely garbage !!!

• 

  Terrible Car - 2006 Saturn ION
  By JC - February 15 - 2:00 am

  The transmission started shifting hard. Took it to a transmission shop and had it looked at, was told every- thing seemed ok. It got worse. Months later, took the car to a different transmission shop, I was told it felt like it was skipping from first to third gear. When taking off, the car stays in first gear and you have to take your foot off the pedal to let it shift into second gear.took it to a Saturn dealer, told the transmission might be going out and it would cost $3,000.00 to fix it. was told to just drive the car until it went completely out instead of spending that kind of money. Now when you put the car in gear, all the interior and exterior lights flicker. fuses are fine. stuck!

• 

  RIP - 2006 Saturn ION
  By Surferjoemn - November 17 - 4:00 am

  When I first purchased my Saturn the seat cushions came off on both front seats and the windows fell off the tracks. It would randomly go into break down mode while I was on the freeway. Imagine dropping to 20mph in the fast lane. The engine blew up at 124,000 cause yet unknown - may have been via the transmission.

• 

  brokeTX lady - 2006 Saturn ION
  By disappointed lady - September 23 - 9:40 pm

  The first year I owned the car was great but, since have had numerous problems from car ignition not turning off to drivers side car door not opening as well as drivers window not working. Im not impressed with the inside cloth interior either. It stains easily. The outside sound is loud when driving. I am however happy with the mileage I get which is one good thing I have enjoyed. This was the first new car I purchased. Im still paying new car payments as well as repairs since the warranty has expired. This has surely left a bad taste in my mouth. I have not recommended this brand to anyone I know.

• 

  2006 ION 2 - 2006 Saturn ION
  By michael k - July 19 - 12:00 pm

  The first 4 months it had been back to the dealership multiple times for multiple problems. The drivers seat has been repaired 3 times and has to go back to be replaced again. This is our 6th Saturn, and our 2nd ION. We were assured that all the issues we had with our 03 ION had been rectified. We were lied to. After 6 Saturns we have decided not to purchase any more GM products. We are very dissapointed with our ION and hope that others think twice before making the same mistake we did. The first week we had the car, the drivers front window motor stopped working. The car was on its way back to the dealership for front end problems at the time. We tried to opt out of the car but GM said no

• 

  10000 Mile Alternators - 2006 Saturn ION
  By stony - March 27 - 3:26 am

  Ive only got 10000 miles on my car and have already replaced the alternator. I bought it because I know Saturns are very safe, but this thing is so slow and *ugh* Im over it. This car is not very comfortable, has poor visibility, slow acceleration, poor turning radius, is not agile and when driven after driving a Honda Civic (even the base model) its slow-ness becomes extremely annoying.