2001 SAAB 9-3 Complaints

MY 2001 SAAB 9-3 BEGAN LEAKING FUEL, CULMINATING WITH A MAJOR LEAK OF FUEL FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE ON 2/26. CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO EXPLAINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WITH TABS HOLDING IN THE FUEL PUMP. RECALL NUMBER 04V557 WAS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM, EXACT SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR BUT DID NOT COVER MY VIN. SAAB MUST NOT HAVE COVERED ENOUGH VEHICLES IN ITS RECALL. VIN ENDS WITH 12050281. I THINK NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE. *NM

DRIVING 70 MPH ON HIGHWAY MY 2001 SAAB SE CONVERTIBLE ENGINE JUST STOPPED - ALL OF THE DASH LIGHTS LIT UP - SMOKE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE HOOD. I, FORTUNATELY, WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER PRIOR TO BEING HIT BY ANY CARS ON THIS 3-LANE HIGHWAY. PREVIOUSLY, I HAVE HAD MY IGNITION CASSETTE REPLACED - IT SEEMS THAT IT HAS FAILED AGAIN. IN ADDITION, ALTHOUGH I HAVE UNDER 50,000 MILES ON THE CAR (NO ACCIDENTS) I HAVE SPENT OVER $4,000 IN REPAIRS TO DATE (NOT COUNTING THE NUMEROUS TIMES IT WAS IN THE DEALERSHIP HAVING REPAIRS DONE UNDER WARRANTY). I HAVE GONE PAST THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON THE LEMON LAW - OTHERWISE I WOULD FILE FOR THAT. CONSTANTLY THE DASH IDIOT LIGHTS COME ON - EVERY TIME I BRING IT IN, THEY TELL ME NOTHING IS WRONG (YET I HAVE TO PAY THE DIAGNOSIS CHARGE).*JB

DT CONTACT STATED THE FUEL LINE WAS LEAKING. THERE WAS RECALL 04V557000. WHEN SHUTTING THE VEHICLE OFF A QUART OF GASOLINE WILL POUR OUT UNDER THE VEHICLE. HE CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND DEALER STATED THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND THEY REPAIRED THE VEHICLE WITH THE RECALL REPAIR KIT. THE KIT WAS A CLAMP TO SECURE THE FUEL LINE FROM COMING LOOSE. *AK PHONE INTERVIEW UPDATE: ESTIMATED LEAKAGE RATE WAS ABOUT ONE QUART OF FUEL EVERY 5 MINUTES.

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE FUEL LINE CAME OFF THE FUEL PUMP. THE CAR WAS SPURTING GAS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE CAR TO THE NEAREST GARAGE. THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. HE FOUND NHTSA RECALL 04V557000/SAAB RECALL 15018 WHICH DEALT WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM AS HIS VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD HIM THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. WHEN THE CONTACT TALKED TO THE MANUFACTURERS, THEY TOLD HIM THAT BECAUSE HE DID NOT TAKE THE CAR TO A GM OR SAAB DEALERSHIP TO HAVE RECALL REPAIR WORK DONE THE REPAIR WORK WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. *AK PHONE INTERVIEW UPDATE: THE COMPLAINANT WAS DRIVING HOME WHEN HE SMELLED FUEL ODOR. THE REPAIRING GARAGE REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP BECAUSE THE FUEL LINE RETAINING TAB ON THE PUMP IS BROKEN WHICH CAUSED THE FUEL LEAK.

I WAS TRAVELING IN A ROTARY THAT IS AN ON-RAMP TO 128 IN READING, MA. AND WAS ABOUT TO ACCELERATE UP THE ON-RAMP WHEN THE CAR DIED, BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON, POWER STEERING FAILED. THIS WAS DURING RUSH HOUR AND THERE WAS NO SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER, LUCKILY A STATE TROOPER PULLED UP WITHIN ABOUT 2 MINUTES AND WAS ABLE TO PUSH THE CAR TO A SAFER LOCATION. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED, CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALER AND DIAGNOSED WITH A DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE (DIC) FAILURE. *JB

A FUEL LEAK FROM THE BRACKETS THAT HOLD THE FUEL TANK TOGETHER. A RECALL HAS BEEN FILED ON SAAB 9-3 2001 -2004 CARS. THIS IS SAAB 9-3 2001, RECALL NUMBER IS 04V557000, VIN NUMBER [XXX], IT SEEMS IF THIS HAS A RECALL ON SOME CARS, IF A CAR HAS THE PROBLEM YOU WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE FIXED BY THE RECALL. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED FOR FIRE POSSIBILITIES. IT HAS BEEN TOWED TO THE SAAB DEALER IN FAIRFIELD OH. THE DEALER IS CLAIMING THAT THIS CAR WAS NOT AFFECTED BY RECALL. I FEEL THAT THIS IS THE RECALL PROBLEM. AND IT SPECIFICALLY STATES SAAB 9-3 2001 - 2002. *NM UPDATED 07/18/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DT: 2001 SAAB 93. THE CONSUMER STATES GAS STARTED COMING OUT WHERE THE FUEL LINE WAS. THIS STARTED LAST NIGHT,ON OCTOBER 4, 2005. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A GARAGE, AND THEY STATED IT WAS THE FUEL CLIP. THE MECHANIC TOLD THE CONSUMER THERE WAS A RECALL 04V557000 ON THIS PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER CALLED SAAB, AND THEY TOLD HIM THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN FIXED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR, I SMELLED GAS AND WHEN I GOT IT BACK TO MY JOB SITE, I LOOKED UNDERNEATH TO SEE GAS LEAKING FROM UNDER MY CAR. I CALLED MY GARAGE AND THEY HAD TO TOW IT IN DUE TO THE SAFETY ISSUES. THEY PUT IN A NEW SEAL AND SNAPPED THE FUEL LINE BACK TOGETHER BECASUE THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING ELSE WRONG WITH IT. 3 WEEKS LATER, I'M DRIVING MY CAR AGAIN AND SMEELLED GAS AGAIN. I PULLED OVER SOMEWHERE SAFE AND LOOKED UNDER ONLY TO FIND GAS LEAKING AGAIN. I CALLED MY GARAGE AND HAD IT TOWED A SECOND TIME. SINCE IT HAPPENED A 2ND TIME AND THERE WAS NO CLEAR REASON WHY IT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED EITHER TIME, MY GARAGE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR. THEY TOLD HIM THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THAT PROBLEM AND THEY HAD NEW CLAMPS PRODUCED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. BUT HTYE ALSO TOLD HIM THAT MY CAR'S VIN DIDN'T FALL WITHIN THE RECALL. THEY SOLD MY GARGAGE THE PART TO PUT ON MY CAR BUT THAT'S ALL THEY WOULD HAVE TO DO WITH IT. I CALLED SAAB USA AND THEY TOLD ME THE SAME THING. MY VIN WASN'T IN THE SELECTION FOR THE RECALL AND THAT'S WHY I WASN'T NOTIFIED AND NHTSA LETS THEM KNOW THE RECALL NUMBERS AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR. MY CAR HAD THE SAFELTY PROBLEM ACTUALLY HAPPEN AND JUST BECAUSE MY VIN WASN'T ONE OF THE ONES SELECTED, I'M NOT COVERED. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT IT DIDN'T RESULT IN A CAR FIRE. I FEEL I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED FOR MY GARAGE BILLS FOR A PROBLEM THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN RECTIFIED IF RECALLED. *JB

1) I STOPPED AT HOME ON THE WAY TO ANOTHER APPOINTMENT. THERE WERE NO INDICATORS THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE GARAGE ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER, THE CAR WOULD NOT START. IT MADE NO NOISE AND GAVE NO INDICATION EXCEPT IT WAS MYSTERIOUSLY COMPLETELY UNABLE TO START. THE LIGHTS WOULD STILL TURN ON, SO IT WAS NOT A BATTERY. I PAID TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A SAAB INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. LUCKILY I WAS NOT DRIVING THE CAR WHEN IT STOPPED WORKING; IT WAS A COMPLETE FLUKE I HAD STOPPED THE CAR FOR A FEW MINUTES. IT HAD STARTED FINE THE OTHER 3 TIMES THAT DAY. 2) THE CAR WOULD NOT START. IT WAS 2 MONTHS OUT OF THE 4-YEAR WARRANTY. LUCKILY, I WAS AT HOME AND WAS NOT INJURED. 3) WHEN THE REPAIR SHOP CHECKED THE CAR, THEY SAID THE IGNITION CASSETTE FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THEY REPLACED IT. THE CAR NOW STARTS. HOWEVER, IT IS AN EXPENSIVE PART AND SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED SO SOON. I HAVE ONLY ABOUT 40,000 MILES ON THE CAR. I HAVE READ STATEMENTS FROM OTHER SAAB 9-3 DRIVERS THAT THE IGNITION CASSETTES ON THEIR CARS FAILED WHILE DRIVING, WHICH LOST THEM CONTROL OF THE CAR IN BAD SITUATIONS. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND I CONSIDER I HAD A CLOSE CALL. *NM

DIRECTION IGNITION CASSETTE FAILURE. CAR SUFFERED COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER, WITHOUT WARNING, WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROX 65 MPH. *NM