2005 Saturn ion this worked wonderfully cut white wire while car was running starts like brand new and 22 degrees this morning crunk like it did when it was new
Did this on my 2003 Saturn Ion, process is exactly the same. Snipped the wire about a week ago and she's worked like a dream ever since. Just a heads up to others, my Passlock light is now permanently lit on the dash, however this is a small price to pay for the car to start reliably. Thanks so much for the good video, the car not starting has been a daily incident this winter and i'm very glad it's now dealt with.
Cut the wire last week and no problems to report! Being a one car household, this became absolutely necessary after the temp drop in MN. If you've experienced the Saturn curse, do not hesitate to do this and it only takes 20 minutes. THANK YOU for the video!! Saves me from having to replace the ignition switch for the 3rd time!!
Cut the white wire 2 weeks ago, cold now here in Fla, has not had any trouble since. Easy to do after whatching your video. I am her Mother and so you see how easy this is. Thanks so much. She was very frustrated before.
My husband just did this on our car and it is working great so far! I am hoping I can come back to this video in a year or so and say that it's still working great. I have been wanting to get rid of this car because of this and only this problem, but I am so glad I found this video. You don't know how many people you have helped with this. Thanks a lot! :)
Hey Dude! I always get my coworkers give me a jump every single day ND then I watched u r video ...I was first scared but I did it..it worked...thanks u so much ..people like u makes RU-vid useful ..may God bless u ND u r family. .thanks again
I too have just cut the white wire minutes ago. The funny thing ( not really) was I took it into Saturn to have the starting fixed. They said it was the remote starter and it wears out the ignition switch faster. I told them to take it out which they did. They even had to cut the white wire and connect it again to get the remote out. Huge headache as we live in Calgary and the weather sucks. Thanks Oblio9, video was great and exactly as shown on our car. .
I have a 2005 Saturn Ion and bought it new, now have 90K miles on it. I have been dealing with this problem for years, and the dealer couldn't figure it out when it was under warranty. Snipped the white wire last night and parked outside, went out this morning and it started right up (15 F in MN, would not have started otherwise). This video was incredibly helpful! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Just did my daughters 2004 ion2 coupe last night! Been having this problem for 3 yrs. I watched your video it was very helpful! Eveything worked out fine. i will keep you posted on how everything goes in the coming weeks! Thanks alot! U - the man!
Thank you for this video! For those of us not brave enough to cut the white wire on our own, I contacted a local auto sound and security system shop that will install a resistor bypass on my 2004 Saturn Ion to override the start up failure (which is now happening in warm weather too). I am in Iowa and the estimate was $80. This will happen in a couple weeks and I'll report back if it works in the event someone else would like to try this option.
TOTAL SUCCESS! The bypass resistor completely fixed my problem. IMPORTANT - If you want to consider doing this, wait until after you have had all recall parts installed. My alarm system works, it starts every time and no icons are lit on the dash. Here is what MAY be happening for some of us dealing with the no-start/no-crank issue. This is a PassLock anti-theft security system issue. Allegedly, it was a well known problem with the Cavalier, but I do not believe there have been any recalls. PassLock and the complex electrical relay system are miscommunicating. The PassLock system believes that the car is being stolen and the PassLock system will not allow the engine to turn over. Don't know why this starts as the car gets older and don't know why the PassLock decides to start turning over after 4-10 attempts. FYI - I have had new relays installed twice. No change. I understand that years ago, the ignition wire and the ignition switch were in "direct" (non-relay) communication. That setup would prevent our problems, but then the car is more easily hot-wired. I hope this may work for some of you. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this video. My 2004 Saturn Ion had an intermediate no-start problem that was driving me crazy. I had to wait 10 min, then it would start. The weather didn't matter, it was the security system, although many people on the web tell they have tried everything with this problem. I'm saying here's the solution. I did it myself following the video. My car cranks every time now, for a year. You nay-sayers do not understand how wonderful this feels after 4 years of grief. THANKS!
I just cut the white wire! My 2006 Ion left me sitting in the cold for 50 minutes this morning and I'd had enough. Thank you for posting this video...you made this so easy!!I have my fingers crossed that this morning was the last time I've been held hostage by that car. Thanks again!
I just did it just now and it worked!!!! Looking forward to no more sitting at the gas pump waiting for my car to start. No more waiting for it to start every time I cut it off. Thank you!!!!
Thanks for your video, I just used it to cut my own wire. I've never done much under the hood before, and it feels awesome to get this problem fixed. I'm looking forward to two things: - colder weather, to rejoice when my car starts without a problem and...to not have to hear anybody say "it must be your battery" again!! So thanks, I wouldn't have done it without your video! :)
Yes, finally...my 03 Ion was doing this. It was so intermittent and no mechanics could figure it out. There were no codes and of course, "The customer issue could not be reproduced." So I cut the white wire and installed a switch. In Pennsylvania a car will not pass state inspection if the "service vehicle" is on. One mechanic was very reluctant to talk about the "white wire." That is when I looked on RU-vid. Thanks...
Thanks! People like you (and me) are exactly why I taped it. I would never have done it either but after spending $500 to replace the starter and being late for work more times than I can count I had to do something. Glad it helped. Thanks for posting!
it went smoothly - i followed the steps as shown in the video and have had no issues. i find myself using my car a lot more now - i have no reason to be hesitant now. thanks so much for the video!
Almost missed my midterm exam this morning because of this problem but luckily I found a ride. As soon as I got out of school I went and fixed it thanks to this video. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Cut the white wire yesterday. Took 10 minutes tops (after all the tips in this great video...)weather was in the 'teens and it started right up, and continued today;normally would have had to sit for 20 minutes each start-up. This is definitely the fix. Again, thanks Jerry!
Cutting this wire seems to have solved my problem and reading others who have tried it the problem has not come back. I have read of many people who replace the ignition and the problem comes back to them. If you are thinking about cutting the wire it is really pretty straightforward. All the time I lost to being late to work. I missed one of my daughters track meets because of this problem. I am glad I did it. Good luck.
my daugther has 04,almost every morning her car refused to crank but thanks to this video the car problem is fixed;Just followed the steps.I tried new battery and didnt work. Several mechanics had suggested to change the starter but thanks to God an this Guy I didnt have to do it.
I cut the white wire on my 2004 Ion a couple of months ago, and since then I have not had one issue with my car not starting. It start right up every time even in this Polar Vortex weather. Cutting the white wire has saved me this winter.
Would just like to say THANK YOU!! again. I snipped the passlock wire 3 years ago on my 04' ion 2.2l , 5-speed manual, and have still NOT had one problem starting up. never had to replace battery, ignition, fuel pump, NOTHING!! Just want to report back that this works 110% as a simple, FREE solution.
Thank you for posting this video , you have taken away my gut aches wondering if my car won't start when I get in it ! Can't believe it was that easy !
Well people it's been 6 months since i cut the wire on my 05 ion and it has started every single time in this cold canadian winter... thanks for the cheap and easy fix...all it cost me was 2$ for a role of black electrical tape to cover the passlock light in the dash. ( simple to do ...3 bolts and two clips to get the cluster out.)
I have a 2003 Saturn Ion to which i've replaced the ignition already once due to recommendations from the dealer. After paying their ridiculous markup price, the problem still doesn't go away. A technician commented on this video saying this was "stupidity at its best".Well, I've come to a conclusion that stupidity at its best is thinking that car dealers are the solution! I'll give this a try and hopefully make it a succesful outcome! Great video BTW..
Thanks for the video, I did this and had no problems for a year. Had another problem so I took car to dealer and they re-hooked up the wire. So again the problem started, this time I added a switch on the wire and mounted it on the pop out cover. Now my daughter can just flip the switch if she has a problem with starting. Got switch at Radio Shack. Very easy install.
I can't thank you enough for the video. I don't really feel comfortable doing this kind of thing to my car but I had to do something - replacing the ignition switch only worked for about a year. I followed your video exactly and the car starts every time. I did install a toggle switch that I bought from ACE Hardware. Anyways, thanks for taking the time and effort to make this video - it gave me the confidence I needed go actually cut that white wire.
I LOVE forums, it's easily hands down THE best source of knowledge/upgrades/ & fixes of issues that auto manufacturers know about but refuse to make right leaving it to the consumers to deal with, no starting issues with saturn ION since cutting white wire
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU...After dealing with this issue for at 3/4 years..it has been getting worse and worse....finally on Friday after taking about 2hrs I finally thought to goolgle to see if anybody else suffered...wow reading the comments was like describing my car....yesterday I cut the white wire and this morning (while it was cool and damp)...Iona(my car) started right up. Saved me a ton of money I'm sure from what others spent. Again, Thanks.
THANKS for posting this ! Cut the white wire last weekend with confidence after viewing your video ... below-freezing temperatures all this week, not a single starting problem. all hail the power of INTERWEB
you are THE MAN!!! Now my Mother-in-Law thinks I'M the man! Thanks for posting this. The thing that took the longest was putting the cover back on. Right side first is fastest way I think.
The snip worked. I live in Newfoundland Canada where it's as very cold in winter. Today -10c with -22c wind chill. Not happy when the car doesn't start. Works fine now. tks
It's been well over a month now and the Ion has not failed to start first try every try since the white wire cut. I did install connectors on the wire and will plug them back together, with the car running, as soon as the weather warms up to eliminate the alarm during the warm months........ thanks again Oblio9!
I gave her the good old snip an hour ago! I gotta say thank you for this video. I had no problems during the procedure except for the hour I had to wait in order to start the sucker. I swear I could hear the little GM troll inside saying "Noooo!" as I went at it with the wire cutters. And just an FYI for those who are having the same starting issues with their Ion, mine was refusing to start in warm weather with all of the same symtoms as the cold weather starts. Thanks again oblio9!
Thank you so much for posting this video. I just finished doing this procedure in my 2005 Saturn Ion. It is currently in the garage so it is not cold enough to test whether or not it works. However, based on what I've read from numerous sites and forums, I don't think I will have to worry about my car not starting in the cold again. You rock man!!!
I am glad it worked for you. Your message made my day. The only way that I know of to get rid of the light is to get a proper bypass installed. I didn't want to spend another dime on this problem so I just live with the light being on.
This was exactly what I hoped for as all I could find are some photos that were too close to see what I was supposed to cut. Glad it helped! Putting the casing back on was a complete pain in the ass but I figured if you could get it off then I could get it back on eventually. Thanks for the comment.
All I can say is THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for posting this extremely helpful video! Like you, I kept coming back into the house to watch your video as I did it step by step. :) I was worried because you didn't have more about putting the plastic casing back on the steering column, but I figured it out. Between this and the thread over on Edmunds, I'm thrilled I finally solved this problem!
Thanks for this. I already had the gist of the process, but I felt a lot better seeing it to verify what I was doing before actually doing it. My 06 Ion now has started every single time I've tried it without a problem including on several days where the temperature dropped quickly and humidity was high (both conditions that almost guarantee problems and they occurred together one day when I tried it.) No engine light or anything else shows, just the passlock, so 100% solution in my book.
After over a week of car starting every time, I am so thankful for your video. Couldn't have been a more appropriate time for me to check the internet for help. Thank you again!
Glad it helped! I added a switch onto the wire so I can leave it alone during the warmer months and disconnect it during the colder months. Haven't had a problem once since doing this. Thanks for the comment!
my daugther has 04,almost every morning her car refused to crank but thanks to this videothe car problem is fixed;Just fallowed the steps.I tried new battery and didnt work. Several mechanics suggest me to change the starter but thanks to God an this Guy I didnt have to do it.
Welp after many times of car not starting and waiting 10 mins befor it would start I finally decided to do what was shown in this video. I sure hope this solves my problem. Time will tell. Thanks for the video
Thanks a million for putting this up oblio9. I am one among many apparently who have experienced these same problems and after cutting I have not had a problem since. :)
Thank you so much Chelle!!! This has to be the problem with mine. Didn't start this morning, waiting a full 10 minutes for it to "re-set" and then it started right away. I am so happy after years of this to find a solution. Thanks!!!
Excellent video! I just came back from useless Saturn dealer who said they need $100 + $300 to probably fix this. I told them to disable security but they told me it was not possible. Thanks again.
Cold start problem occurs around 20F and below. 1 crank, then nothing. I would wait until the radio shut off, letting me know that ten minutes had elapsed. Then she would start right up. I work outdoors in St Paul MN so I was dressed appropriately for the ten minute deep freeze. Finally took it to the Volkswagen dealer which serves as the Saturn warranty shop now. Explained it to the sales guy and he just smiled. He opened a drawer that held 20 or 30 small ignition switches. He said it's the dielectric grease inside the switch that causes the problem. Ten minutes and 110 bucks later I was out the door. That was three years ago and she's started right up at -22F 😀
Oblio9, Thanks, I am doing it tomorrow to my mother car's, we had that problem for the last 4 years, but believe or not we are in Miami, where we get 3 weeks of low temperature, los meaning low 60s, I know but still the car will fail every day. Testerday we had a cold front, high 60s and the car woudl not start at 11 AM, amazing. So thank you and I will let you know how does it work in Sunny Miami. You are the Guru of Ion's now...
Thank you so much for posting this, I have a 2006 Ion and have been dealing with this issue for the last couple years. Recently it got worse and sometimes would take 40-50min to start even in warmer weather. I cut the wire a few weeks ago and have not had a start problem since, thanks again!
Mine has power windows, locks. It is an ion3, I believe. Side air bags, yada yada yada. I go tit pretty cheap from a Saturn dealership and wondered why. Now I have my suspicions. It has done this for the last 3 winters. I changed the starter to the tune of $500 and it did it the next morning. It has only been two+ weeks but I have had no problems starting the car and have not foudn anyone on the various forums who says they have done it and had the problem return. Thus far I am VERY happy. :)
11 years later and your video is still going strong and helping people to this day! The doubtful look on my dads face was priceless when I told him I was "just going to cut a wire somewhere in my steering column area" 😂😂😂 But I did it, and it worked. Fired right up this morning in the cold!! Thanks dude! I really appreciate the video. I was starting to look like a total careless shitbag for being late to work, but not from here on out hahaha! Also, I was beginning to really get pissed because I literally barely bought the car from someone about 2 weeks ago, so I thought I got ripped off.... Turned out to be a simple fix thanks to your video!
I did this about 3 years ago on my wife's '03 ion and it worked great. We had her ion in a GM shop about 8 months ago to get the heat/ac controls fixed, and while they had it in the shop, they decided to put the white wire back together. Without telling me! I had to do the white wire cut again. I think they were trying to pull a fast one and make me buy a new ignition again.
I am originally from the northeast. I can't imagine dealing with that car not starting after digging it out. My rage would turn up to 11. Glad the video helped!
Just so you know, you can actually get a toggle switch put in and then that light wont be on. I do not know how to install one but I learned after talking so much about it with mechanic friends. Update on our saturn....it was a pain in my butt for 4 years and I havent had one single problem with it since we cut the white wire. You have to make sure the car is running before clipping. I learned the hard way!
My problems were exclusively on cool/cold days when the humidity was high. If it was dry as a bone I had no problems. Obviously, I was also parking it outside. Lots and lots of people have this problem but I imagine it isn't everyone. This is my second and last Saturn. I loved my first one, drove it into the ground, but Saturn's response to this has made this my last. Glad you don't need to go through these shenanigans. ;)
Today is May 11, 2017 I cut the white wire yesterday May 10th 2017 because I was having the same issue with my 2001 SL2 Saturn. The white wire on my car ran directly to the ignition. There were 3 wires that ran to the ignition, however there was only one solid white wire. This morning it fired up with no issues, waiting to see how the next few mornings will go. I don't have any lock or service lights on my dash everything appears normal. Last week I had a fuel pump and fuel filter installed, $500 later a 4 minute fix for $0. Great video my friend.
I did this and so far so good. Don't be scared to do so. Just watch the video a couple of times before cutting the wire. DONT FORGET TO START YOUR CAR BEFORE CUTTING THE WIRE.
OMG! It worked!!!! It's 5 degrees here in Northern Michigan and it started right up...had the neighbor do this last night, took him 10 minutes. We nearly missed Christmas, it took almost two hours to get it started, not to mention the countless other hours wasted the entire time I have had this car...all solved in 10 minutes. Shame on you, Saturn.
thanks a bunch man this was easy as pie had it done in 10 minutes in parking lot at work . would have done this years ago if i had only known. thanks again. will save the wife a lot of stress in the mornings.
As brief as I can make it, my '04 Ion 2 with 47k miles decided to pull this little stunt yesterday morning when it was 17F. Have been checking various forums and discovered that the switch replacement may only be temporary fix. Was delighted to stumble across this video thanks to someone recommending that this NOT be done. The Ion started fine this morning at 15F, but I bet you can guess what I will be doing in 10 minutes. Borrowing the wife's SL2 is not always an option so I have no choice.
I can't believe I never ever found this video! I've been dealing with this issue for two years now. I thought that it was an electrical issue so I added an extra battery recently (actually I did this due to a loud sound system) in hopes it will work. So thanks Oblio...greatly appreciate it!
I'm definitely gonna try this. My car has made me late for work so many times. I sit in the cold for twenty minutes at a time. I've had enough and I don't have $300 for a remote starter with a bypass. Thanks for the video!!!
And the switch popped right in. The switch did not look tacky or out of place since the hole was intended for a switch of some sort anyway. Just buy one that matches the controls already on the car. Hope this was helpful! Along with everyone else, thanks for the video!!
That is pretty much exactly the problem. It is on a 10 minute cycle so to verify this was the issue, before I cut the wire, I would try it. If it didn't start I would watch a clock and at 10 minutes and a few seconds I would try again and it usually started on that second try but not always. It would always happen to me on cold, slightly damp mornings. I have not had the problem since cutting the wire. Good luck if you decide to do it. I am glad I did.
Glad the video helped you out. The light is annoying but now that most of us are probably stuck with these things until they fall apart I am not so worried. ;)
Obilo9, Thanks for taking the time to help the rest of us find the right wire to cut. For a lengthy explanation of this go to the Pontiac Grand Am forum on Edmonds and thread #394. The wires are yellow on Pontiacs :-)
I'm primarily a computer nerd too. I can't emphsize enough how little I know about cars but I was hoping it woul dhelp people. Glad to see it helped a fellow geek.
In my book the hardest part was getting the stupid shroud back on. I tried the hair dryer trick numerous times before cutting the wire and it never worked for me. Or if it did I don't know that it wasn't just that I waited long enough that the car would start. In any case I am glad it worked for you! Happy Holidays to you!
Well, after a bunch (hours) of looking around on the Net, I think I will try the switch, and keep this wire cutting thing in my back pocket. Only because I have smog coming up. I sure appreciate all the tips I have found regarding this thing.
Here's an update as the weather here continues to be unseasonably cold (our winter doesn't usually start til February and then only last for a few days). My '04 Ion starts EVERY TIME, I simply reset the 'idiot center' and ignore the pass-lock icon. One oddity I have noticed is now when turned off, my car now likes to sound it's chimes, flash it's tail lights and lock it's doors by itself. It never did that before and could be an issue for people who leave their keys in their car! Thanks again!
I had to cut something due to how long this is and unfortunately it had to be reassembly which is a pain in the ass. I figured though if you got as far as cutting the wire you could figure out how to put it back together eventually. :) Glad it helped and glad you were able to score some points. ;)
Glad it helped. I remember stressing over it every morning wondering if it was going to start. Haven't had a problem since January. I'm not a car guy at all. I know where the gas goes, that's about it. Glad it helped you! Happy Holidays!
Love to have this info that I will not be passing on to the ex. She can continue using her broom when this issue comes up. If I still had the car I would fix it and let you know the results but she wanted everything.
Thanks, I am glad it is working for you. It's been a little over a month for me now and haven't had a problem since. This definitely seems to have fixed it. Glad the video helped!
I did this a year ago on mine, and it's still working :) Had the issue for years. I ended up putting a switch on it, so in the summer I can get ride of the service car light.
@saturntuner88 Yeah, but this was free and it works. Too many stories about replacing the ignition and it coming back for me, and many other people, to bother. Thanks for watching!
I have not but it was really straight forward. If you know which end is the hot end of a soldering iron you'll be fine. Just used an "automotive" on off switch from radioshack. Made sure it was in the off position. Soldered the wires to it. Started the car and switch it to the on position. Leave it that way until it starts to get cold again.
have a 2004. Starting issue is worse & worse. Have searched the Townhall message thread & tracked the comments for the past year. Looks as if this is the 1 surefire fix. will post after cutting the wire over the weekend. Thanks Oblio!
Well not being a mechanic I decided to fix the problem in the most straightforward and cheapest manner I was able to find. Maybe if the Saturn mechanics had been worth a damn and were able to diagnose and fix it beyond simply replacing ignitions I would have taken it to them. But they weren't. And the problem is now FIXED. The car didn't start, now it does. Five years of selling lousy cars with shoddy service may make you an expert but it didn't help any of the rest of us. Thanks though!
I'm so happy that you post this video my car just start everytime now because of you they told me change ignition change the key but nobody seem to undestand the problem in fact all theses person i see in garage they know they just don't want to do it ...finally i show your clip to a mecanic For 30$ he fixe the car buy cutting this fuck and white wire passlock GM and now i can go on because here in Canada winter is coming no more fighting in the morning for 10 minutes
Hey bro... thanks so much. Just cut the wire and car's still running. No service engine light either, just the passlock light stays on but WHO CARES! :) 2005 Saturn Ion 2. Excited for tomorrow morning's 35 degrees :)
