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Comments
Does anyone know what could have caused this problem???
Passlock also shuts down the fuel system if the key fails to make the switch at any time ie. key on the edge of being too short.
Thanks
If you have already replaced the ignition switch you should not be facing this issue, unless there is a problem with the BCM. If you got the dealership to replace that switch they would relearn it, you would not need to do anything.
Thanks.
nsk
I replaced the ign switch myself and was going to go through the reprogram myself but after i installed it it started right up. The car was already running again when i installed the switch so i dont know if that fixed it or not.
Saturn says if enough people call they may take action, but they had no figures on how many people have called. 866-790-5700 Call and complain!
Currently Saturn says NO recall is planned and repairs are the customers expense.
I took car to a dealer and he replaced the IGNITION SWITCH for 230.00. Wait...they did give me 31.00 off? 199 "How nice swich was free".
Let's see how this works, and it's gauranteed for 12K or 1 year.
ION such shame CALL SATURN! !! !!!
Call 888-327-4236 to file your complaint.
For those of you who have complained about it, who do I call/email to add my voice? This is ridiculus! And I emailed my local dealership a week ago about this (it's happened twice in the past 2 weeks and it's not even that cold yet!), and they didn't even bother to get back with me! And I used to work there! Anyway, if you guys tell me who to complain to, I will gladly do so...they should be doing a recall for this if this many of us are having problems. From what I've read, it's not just Saturns, it's pretty much all cars with the passlock system.
What year is your Saturn? What color wire did your cut?
It has been about a year and my daughter's car is still fine; no starting issues.
There are a lot more cars out there with similar issues on passlock, not just a Saturn issue. If Saturn, or parent company GM wanted to do any of us a favor they would bring back the EV an all electric automobile that was super popular with everyone who got one under lease; not for sale. Watch "Who killed the electric Car" on dvd. They could sell them now, faster than they could make them, and maybe not have to depend on government bail outs. Or maybe that was the plan.
The 'Man behind the desk' makes all the decisions these days, as in Ford Pinto; cheaper to settle out of court than fix the issue. Even if it does cost human life, doing so. It would be hard to expect moch of anything from Saturn as long as they can sell these switches by the bushell.
If anyone else uses this wire cutting technique, they might list make and model, and wire color. Otherwise I like the idea of leaving the key in the igition; just keep a spare to gain entry.
Also thanks to all the others who posted re-teach and waiting rules for this car, as well as other advice and experience. I wish we could all find a way fix these things that manufactures won't address.
Good Luck!
meron
Thanks
A very annoyed Saturn owner
I tried this also, as the explanation was that saturns sent to KY were with the heavy lube. It did not fix the issue, just worked for a few days.
I posted a fix I used in previous listings, around #84 or so if I remember correctly. I think you can click on my screen name to find them all.
Simply I cut a small white wire on a 2003/4 Ion's starter switch circuit going to the BCM while the car was RUNNING. It is located at the rear of the switch after removing a plastic cover.
Other year saturns could be a different color wire, I am not sure about that. You can check my posts from last year for the links to installing a remote starter to Ions. That's where I found the instructions last year when I had the problems. No problems since I did this mod.
Rockfish has instructions for reteaching the BCM, to get the car started, if you need it.
Hope this helps.
meron
All this is in previous posts # 84. The car starts now and thru all the cold of last winter, since I cut the white wire. I simply put wire nuts on the two severed parts, but you can install a switch. However you must cut the wire while the engine is RUNNING, so to tell the BCM to start from then on.
(If the voltage to the BCM varies more than 10% or so, it will defeat the fuel pump circuit. Cold weather can decrease the voltage by that amount as it is only a few volts to begin with, and a very small wire.)
If your cars restarts after about ten minutes, this is probably this problem.
You should try the cleaner, just to see for yourself. You may have more luck than I did. It took a lot of hours to find the circuits for a remote start that I used to bypass the anti-theft, on the internet, but it was a lot cheaper than the dealer. And many people here have replaced the switch more than once. Some many times. As long as saturn can sell switches, and charge labor, they probably will.
There are links to the remote start circuit on post #84.
The white wire is at the end of the ignition switch behind a plastic cover, wrapped in black electrical tape.
Good luck!
meron
This was for the 2003/4 Ion. I don't know what year model yours is, or the others for that matter.
Anyone who has had luck doing this mod with other year model might post a reply here.
meron
This car has done well for nearly a year, since I cut the white wire. My daughter drives it and puts a bazillion miles on it. I did call several dealerships, and some of them were some help.
The remote start idea came from my daughter, and then I researched the pass lock.
Alls well that ends well.
The voltage on the white wire is only like 6-8 volts. Use insulated cutters if you like. and seal the ends, like with small wire nuts or tape or both, while the car is RUNNING. The BCM thinks there was an accident or something, a failsafe in the system, and allows the circuit to be bypassed.
That's it.
Good luck!
meron
You might post some of that info here, as well as the results of installing the switch on your saturn.
Once I cut the wire I'm pretty sure I just turned the car off and then put wire nuts on th end. Your switch should come with some type of instructions.
Hope all goes well! Let us all know how it turns out!
meron
This is what happens:
I drive to the store to get a gallon of milk, come out of the store and the car will not start. All of the lights are on, the radio works fine. Then I try to start it and if acts like it wants to start but then it just dies and the service engine reads across the screen. Then I try to start it again and nothing but all the lights are still on. Then I will go back in the store and mess around for 10-30 min. Go back to the car and all of a sudden it starts.
I have read everything above and I am definately going to try leaving the key in the ignition and see if that works for now.
Is anyone else having this problem in high temps? If so what did you do? Does anyone know why Saturn has not put out a recall on this?
Thanks
I've been reading these blogs for the last year. My wife has an 03 ion. Her car has been having trouble starting for the last three winters and the ten minute rule seems to work each time. After reading the blogs, I thought maybe heating the ignition switch might work. So, I sat with a hair dryer blowing hot air on the ignition and it starts every time. I'm planning on changing the ignition switch. Is that a full proof cure? I've read many people replace those frequently. I've also read about the wire cutting trick that seems popular. I called Saturn and asked about an ignition switch designed for northern and southern climates, and they didn't seem to know what I was talking about. Although, I didn't specifically ask about a norther "lube" versus southern "lube". Any help would be appreciated.
frustrated and cold husband
I see no one posted to your reply yet. For what it's worth, I noticed that the trouble in my wife's car seems to be happenning earlier in the fall and later into the spring. So, the ignition switch may be just getting worse as it goes. The hair dryer works every time. It's just time consuming (five minutes each start). I'd check out posts aournd #84. I think those have been helpful.
Dave
Cold and Frustrated Husband
Tiffany
I am considering getting a remote starter on my car but I have to wait until the end of the holiday season. Would a new key be a temporary solution? I have also "re-taught" my key (waited the 30 minutes for the pass-lock system to reset itself) but its such an inconvenience
this is their website http://www.concept2000autoaccessories.com/
They charge $175-$200..
Also, I would really like to try the wire idea that Meron suggested but I do not know any mechanic that would do it for me (and I am not comfortable trying it myself).
So until I can get the money for this--I would like to try getting a new key or valet key to see if it would help. Has anyone else tried this approach and found it successful?
Do you know where your husband got his remote starter?
Cold and Frustrated Husband
Did notice that the clutch was a little sluggish when I started it, I doubt there's any connection there, beyond the fact that it's starting when it's out in the cold, and I may need some transmission fluid or something like that.
One thing that I did notice is that I'm getting the Service Vehicle error, everytime I start the car. Is there a way to have that code cleared, or would doing so cause problems with getting it started.
I will be posting up a blog post with picture on how to do this modification, anyone should be able to do it. I only had to buy a shopguide to confirm that I was cutting the right wire.
As far as the vehicle error message, I have been just pushing the trip odometer reset button to get rid of it. I don't know how to prevent it altogether.
My idea to get rid of the padlock light on the dash is to pull the bulb.
Good luck to everyone.
The white wire is located at the end of the ignition switch, opposite from where the key is inserted. Check posts around #84 for more in depth instructions. This was for a 03/04 Ion; some models may be different, but most here have cut the white wire as per the diagrams, as bertbaggins used. It has worked for me for over a year now, and again as the weather has gotten colder, this forum has gotten very busy!
The white wire was wrapped in black electrical tape on our car; it is a very small wire, and needs to be cut while the car is running. See my previous posts to bertbaggins, and others around 84.
good luck!
m
Does the location of the wire depend on if the car is automatic vs. manual? Also, I have a viper car alarm-(not factory) on my car (Saturn Ion 03)--it wont be affected if I cut the wire while my car is running right?
Thanks,
Taina
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregschoen/tags/2004saturnion/
These photos are going to be use if/when I get around to writing out a blog post describing how it's done. Been making sure all is well with my car before I do it. Over a week into the mod and I haven't had an issue with starting the car yet!