1999 SAAB 9-5 Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 SAAB 9-5. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THERE WAS EXCESSIVELY LOW POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING ROUGHLY AND WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE IGNITION CASSETTES. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR AN IDENTICAL FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 109,000.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A HILL (JACKMAN ST. AT WATER ST., APPLETON WI) WHEN MY '99 SAAB, WENT DEAD. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL THERE IS A BLIND TURN TO THE LEFT, A STOP SIGN, AND A RAILROAD CROSSING JUST BEYOND THE INTERSECTION. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SPOT TO HAVE YOUR CAR FAIL AND HAVE NO POWER TO THE BRAKES OR STEERING. THE REASON MY CAR STALLED WAS A FAILURE OF THE IGNITION CASSETTE. THE FIRST TIME THIS PART FAILED, IN 2002, THE SITUATION WAS NOT AS DANGEROUS, AND THEN IT WAS COVERED BY WARRANTY. I CONTACTED SAAB CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SENT A PHOTO OF THE HILL. THEY RESPONDED BY PHONE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NO RECALLS FOR THIS PART, NOR WOULD THERE BE A RECALL. THEY REFUSED TO COVER THE COST OF THE TOW AND REPAIR. I THINK THAT LEAVES SAAB OWNERS VULNERABLE TO ACCIDENTS. I WAS LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO PULL OFF AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL WITHOUT HITTING A TRAIN OR CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY TO ANYONE. *TR

DASH BOARD DIGITAL DISPLAY (REFERRED TO AS SID) INOPERATIVE AND UNABLE TO REPORT VITAL SAFETY RELATED INFORMATION. *TR

AS REPORTED BY THE AUTO DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT, A SEAM ON THE TOP OF THE NON-METALLIC FUEL TANK HAS SEPARATED AND DEVELOPED A LEAK. *TR

ENGINE SEIZED DUE TO OIL SLUDGING CAUSING THE CAR TO STOP IN TRAFFIC ON AN INCLINE AT NIGHT ON A STREET WITH OUT LIGHTING. IT SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING AND WAS PART OF A RECALL TWO YEARS AGO BUT I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF IT. I FOUND OUT AFTER THE INCIDENT FROM A REPAIR SHOP. *TR

DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE FAILURE. IT CAUSED THE CAR TO STALL IN AN INTERSECTION. I WAS IN A TRAFFIC LANE TURNING LEFT WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN IT FAILED. I REPLACED IT AT THE DEALER FOR $400.00. *TR

I HAVE A SAAB 9-5 1999 WAGON. MY DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE IS OVERHEATING CAUSING THE CAR TO MISS. I CHECKED ONLINE AND FOUND A RECALL ON THESE CASSETTES. THE RECALL THOUGH ONLY COVERS YEARS 2000-2002. MY CAR IS A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE RECALL AND IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

MY SON JUST PASSED HIS DRIVERS TEST AND WE WERE GOING HOME WHEN THE CAR STARTED MAKING NOISES AND THEN STALLED. SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE CAR AND SMELLED LIKE BURNT RUBBER. MY SON LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE (AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT). LIFTED HOOD THOUGHT CAR OVERHEATED. I TRIED STARTING THE CAR AND IT SPARKED AND STARTED SMOKING AGAIN. FOUND OUT IT WAS THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, IGNITION DISCHARGE MODULE. MY CAR IS A 1999 9-5 SAAB. I FOUND THAT THE 2000'S HAD A RECALL DUE TO THIS OVERHEATING AND COULD CAUSE A CRASH. THIS COULD OF CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *TR

1999 SAAB 9-5 V6 (127,000 MILES). NO PRIOR RELATED PROBLEM BEFORE THIS INCIDENT. UPON START UP, VEHICLE RAN ROUGH AT IDLE. LOW POWER WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. PARKED VEHICLE AND RAISED HOOD. NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM IGNITION MODULE ON FRONT SIDE OF ENGINE, STRONG SMELL OF BURNING PLASTIC. ALSO SMELLED RAW GAS COMING FROM EXHAUST. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. ENGINE STALLED AND WOULD NOT RUN AGAIN. THIS ALL TOOK PLACE IN LESS THAN 5 MINUTES. VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK HOME. REPLACEMENT IGNITION CASSETTE CURRENTLY ON ORDER.

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A USED 1999 SAAB 9-5 SE SEDAN WITH A 2.3 LITRE ECOPOWER ENGINE WITH TURBO. BARELY 5 DAYS AFTER MY PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE THERE WAS A VERY SUDDEN ONSET OF A LOUD KNOCKING COMING FROM THE ENGINE. I IMMEDIATELY HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP THE SERVICE MANAGER AT WHICH INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A DAMAGED BALANCING SHAFT AND THAT MY ENGINE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF ENGINE SLUDGE. WHAT I WAS NOT TOLD, HOWEVER I DID FIND OUT WAS THAT ENGINE SLUDGE IS A PROBLEM KNOWN TO SAAB ON THIS CAR. HOWEVER IN ORDER FOR SAAB TO COVER THE COST OF REPAIR, I WOULD HAVE THE UNREASONABLE TASK OF PROVIDING SAAB WITH ALL MAINTENENCE RECORDS FOR A CAR THAT I'VE OWNED FOR 5 DAYS. AFTER MUCH TRACKING I WAS ABLE TO FIND A SATISFACTORY NUMBER OF RECEIPTS, HOWEVER SAAB STILL REFUSED TO COVER THE WARRANTY BECAUSE OF A DATE DISCREPANCY ON ONE OF THE RECEIPTS THAT IS COMPLETELY OUT OF MY CONTROL. *AK