1999 SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE Complaints

I WAS TRAVELING ALONG ON THE INTERSTATE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SIDE CURTAIN DRIVER AIRBAG DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. IT NEARLY CAUSED ME TO WRECK FROM THE LOUD POP WHICH BLURRED MY VISION AS WELL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. UPDATED 10/29/14*CN

WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THERE WAS NO COLLISION AND ONLY THE SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED, NONE OF THE OTHERS DID. THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT IF IT HAD BEEN ANY OF THE OTHER AIRBAGS, PARTICULARLY THOSE ON THE LEFT. AS IT WAS, THE NOXIOUS FUMES AND DUST FROM THE AIR BAG CAUSED SOME RESPIRATORY DISTRESS AND REDUCED THE VISIBILITY INSIDE THE VEHICLE. *TR

1999 SAAB 93 CAUGHT FIRE WHILE ON THE OHIO TURNPIKE. SEEMS LIKE THE FIRE ORIGINATED UNDER THE HOOD IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. *KB (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT)*JB

DRIVING ON ROAD AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED ON ITS OWN IN AFTERNOON OF FRIDAY, APRIL 27TH. NO PASSENGER WAS IN THE SEAT. SAAB WAS IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED. CAR WAS TAKEN TO SAAB DEALER MONDAY MORNING. CAR WAS LEFT THERE ALL DAY AND SAAB CORP WAS TO HAVE THE CAR INSPECTED. NOTHING WAS DONE AND CAR WAS PICKED UP ON MONDAY EVENING. WE ARE DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET SAAB TO LOOK AT THE CAR BUT THEY ARE BEING DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH. SAAB CORP IS NOT GIVING ANY INDICATION AS TO WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND ENSURE IT DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. SAAB CORP AND SAAB DEALER DO NOT HAVE A SENSE OF URGENCY TO GET THE CAR LOOKED AT. THE FEAR NOW IS THAT ANOTHER ONE MAY GO OFF UNEXPECTEDLY. DRIVERS EAR HAS NOT BEEN NORMAL SINCE THE INCIDENT. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT TWO VEHICLES WERE TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR REPAIRS ON THE DI CASSETTE OR THE ID MODULE. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TWO VEHICLES MAY BE UNDER RECALL FOR THE PARTS AFFECTED. HOWEVER AFTER AN INVESTIGATION IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THESE VEHICLES. THE VEHICLES WAS REPAIRED THREE TIMES PRIOR WITH THE SAME PART. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 7/19/2006 - *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH NO KEY IN THE IGNITION. WHEN THE CONTACT LEANED OVER TO THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE AIR BAG WAS CUT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE IS DRIVABLE. *NM

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE I WAS HIGHWAY DRIVING; I PARKED THE VEHICLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND DIDN'T USE IT UNTIL THE MECHANIC WAS AVAILABLE. THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST SHOWED DIRECT IGNITION FAILURE, THE PART WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW PART. BEING A LONG-TIME SAAB OWNER, OF SEVERAL MODELS, I AM AWARE THAT CERTAIN MODELS HAVE ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS, SUCH AS THIS PART. *JB

DT: CONSUMER STATES THE FUEL PUMP RETAINING TABS THAT HOLD THE FUEL LINE TOGETHER FAILED ON A 1999 SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE. THE CONSUMER SMELLED GAS, WHILE DRIVING. PULLED OVER AND SAW THAT THE GAS WAS LEAKING OUT EVERYWHERE. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE MODELS 2001-2002 WERE RECALLED ON THE EXACT SAME THING. THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING FINE BEFORE THIS. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD CONSUMER THAT HIS CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER SAID THAT IT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. IF THERE WERE MORE COMPLAINTS THEY WOULD BROADEN THE RECALL YEAR. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REGULARLY MAINTAINED . THE CAR WAS FIXED TODAY.*AK

I HAVE A 1999 9-3 CONVERTIBLE, BOUGHT CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED FROM THE DEALER (SANTA MONICA SAAB) IN 2002. LAST SUMMER, THE CEL CAME ON AT ABOUT 38K, SO I HAD THE ENGINE SERVICED AT THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED BY THE MANAGER THAT THE CODES INDICATED A DI CASSETTE FAILURE AND ALSO POSSIBLE OXYGEN SENSOR FAILURE AS A RESULT. AT THAT TIME, I HADN'T EXPERIENCED ANY ENGINE STALLING OR FAILURE AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM BUT WAS WARNED THAT IT MIGHT FAIL WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING IF THE DI CASSETTE WASN'T REPLACED. I TOOK THAT RISK, DRIVING ONLY LIMITED DISTANCES (IN/AROUND TOWN ONLY) FOR A FEW MONTHS W/THE CEL INTERMITTENTLY ON BUT OTHERWISE NO DISCERNABLE PROBLEMS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND A SAAB MECHANIC AND ASKED HIM TO REPLACE THE DI CASSETTE ON APRIL 1, 2005 (LABOR COST WAS MINOR; THE PART, HOWEVER, WAS $500). I ALSO HAD THE O2 SENSOR REPLACED AS WELL BUT SINCE THEN HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME STALLING AT IDLE, THE CAUSE OF WHICH IS STILL TO BE DETERMINED (THROUGH A PROCESS OF ELIMINATION...AND CONTINUED VISITS TO MY MECHANIC). I SHOULD NOTE THAT I WAS TOLD BY BOTH THE DEALER SERVICE MANAGER AND MY MECHANIC THAT THE DI CASSETTE FAILURE HAPPENS RATHER FREQUENTLY. BUT CONSIDERING THAT MY CAR AT THE TIME OF FAILURE HAD LESS THAN 40K AND WAS WELL-MAINTAINED, I WAS SURPRISED THAT THIS HAPPENED, IN MY OPINION, THROUGH NO FAULT OF MY OWN. THROUGH READING OF AND POSTING TO THE SAABCENTRAL FORUM, I'VE DISCOVERED QUITE A FEW OTHER SAAB OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, ALL OF US WONDERING WHAT GM/SAAB IS DOING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. SOME OWNERS, IT SEEMS, HAVE RESIGNED THEMSELVES TO FREQUENT DI CASSETTE FAILURES. THOUGH I DIDN'T EXPERIENCE THE ENGINE FAILURE AS SOME DRIVERS HAVE, I STILL THINK THAT A $500 PART SHOULDN'T FAIL SO EARLY AND OFTEN,AND I FIND THE SUGGESTED SOLUTION (DRIVING AROUND W/A SPARE DI CASSETTE) UNACCEPTABLE.