2005 Saturn ION

small car / 4-door sedan

2005 Saturn ION 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side
Side: original test with optional side airbags
Side: original test without optional side airbags
Head restraints & seats

Other available safety features

  • Standard daytime running lights

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2005-07 models

Tested vehicle: 2005 Saturn ION 2 4-door

The Saturn ION was introduced in the 2003 model year as a replacement for the SL. The size of the steering wheel was increased beginning with 2005 models and its number of spokes was increased from two to four. Also, the driver airbag deployment characteristics were changed slightly.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Dummy movement was reasonably well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head hit the B-pillar. Also during the impact, the steering wheel broke off from the column.

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained reasonably well.

Late in the crash test, the steering wheel broke off from its column. None of the dummy injury measures appeared to be adversely affected by this breakage.

Forces on the lower right leg were high enough to indicate the possibility of injury.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0419
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 9
Left (cm) 12
Center (cm) 18
Right (cm) 14
Brake pedal (cm) 15
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 9
Right (cm) 7
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 9
Rearward (cm) 9
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 7

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0419
Head
HIC-15 245
Peak gs at hard contact 87
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 46
Maximum Nij 0.37
Chest maximum compression (mm) 23
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.7
Femur force - right (kN) 2.3
Knee displacement - left (mm) 4
Knee displacement - right (mm) 2
Maximum tibia index - left 0.54
Maximum tibia index - right 0.81
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.6
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 50
Right 112

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2003-07 models

Tested vehicle: 2005 Saturn ION 2 4-door with optional front and rear head curtain airbags

The Saturn ION was introduced for the 2003 model year as a replacement for the Saturn SL.

Two tests of an ION were conducted, one with an optional side airbag for the driver and rear passenger, and one without. These vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbag and damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag. Even so, forces recorded on the head were moderately high.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0426 CES0427
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) 1.0 0.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0426
Head HIC-15 650
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.9
Compression (kN) 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 54
Lateral force (kN) 2.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 51
Average deflection (mm) 45
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 8.34
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 2.13
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.1
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.1
Combined force (kN) 5.2
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 83
A-P moment (Nm) 46

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0426
Head HIC-15 387
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 54
Lateral force (kN) 2.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 44
Average deflection (mm) 38
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.81
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.85
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.6
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.4
Combined force (kN) 3.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.6
L-M moment (Nm) 61
A-P moment (Nm) 59

Rating applies to 2003-07 models

Tested vehicle: 2005 Saturn ION 2 4-door without optional side airbags

The Saturn ION was introduced for the 2003 model year as a replacement for the Saturn SL.

Two tests of an ION were conducted, one with an optional side airbag for the driver and rear passenger, and one without. These vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the intruding barrier, producing moderately high head injury measures.
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the window frame of the rear passenger door, producing high head injury measures.

View of the vehicle just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head being hit by the intruding barrier.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the window frame, which was bent by the impact.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0426 CES0427
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) 1.0 0.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0427
Head HIC-15 739
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.4
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 55
Lateral force (kN) 3.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 53
Average deflection (mm) 42
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 9.48
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.82
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 3.1
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.2
Combined force (kN) 6.1
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 85
A-P moment (Nm) 37

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0427
Head HIC-15 849
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.5
Compression (kN) 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)
Lateral force (kN) 3.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 47
Average deflection (mm) 40
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.07
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.77
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.1
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.3
Combined force (kN) 3.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 86
A-P moment (Nm) 53

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: All seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type All seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 78
Distance below top of head (mm) 60
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.2
Head contact time (ms) 89
Force rating 2
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 208
Max neck tension (N) 622

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.