2004 Saturn ION

small car / 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria	Rating
Side
Side: original test with optional side airbags
Side: original test without optional side airbags
Head restraints & seats

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.

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.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
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

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.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
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

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
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.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
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

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.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
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

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
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

About the original side crash test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Cloth seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Cloth seats
Geometry
Backset (mm)	48
Distance below top of head (mm)	55
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g)	11.0
Head contact time (ms)	88
Force rating	3
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	252
Max neck tension (N)	601

Seat type: Leather seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Leather seats
Geometry
Backset (mm)	68
Distance below top of head (mm)	75
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g)	10.8
Head contact time (ms)	84
Force rating	3
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	238
Max neck tension (N)	672

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