Government investigating Saturn Ion steering issue

The government is investigating whether General Motors should recall the Saturn Ion compact car for the same steering defect that affected the Chevrolet Cobalt, a similar car.

GM recalled the Cobalt in 2010 to fix power steering motors, which could stop working without warning. That wasn't related to the current recall of 1.6 million Cobalts and other vehicles for defective ignition switches.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has gotten 846 complaints about power steering problems in Saturn Ions from the 2004-2007 model years.

A watchdog group, the National Legal and Policy Center, said Wednesday that GM should recall all 382,474 Saturn Ions.

GM spokesman Greg Martin wouldn't discuss the Ion Wednesday. He says GM is trying to resolve its product reviews quickly and accurately.