2001 SAAB 9-5 Complaints

ON A 2001 SAAB 9-5 SE (V6 ENGINE) STATIONWAGON WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. AS I PULLED THE CAR OFF THE HIGHWAY ONTO AN EXIT RAMP (WITHIN LESS THAN A MINUTE OF THE MALFUNCTION), THE CAR STALLED AND A BURNING SMELL WAS DETECTED INSIDE THE CAR AFTER WHICH THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND PARKED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL SAAB DEALER WHERE THE IGNITION DISCHARGE MODULE ON THE REAR CYLINDER BANK WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE FAILED. FAILURE OF THE IDM ON ONLY 3 OUT OF 6 CYLINDERS CAUSED UNBURNED GAS TO BE DISCHARGED INTO THE EXHAUST WHERE IT REACTED IN THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, CLOGGING THE CONVERTER AND STALLING THE ENGINE. THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS RUINED WHICH CAUSED THE BURNING SMELL. NO FIRE WAS DETECTED. THE IDM AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER WERE REPLACED. *JB

2001 SAAB 9-5 FUEL PUMP CLIP FAILED SPRAYING GASOLINE UNDER PRESSURE OVER EXHAUST SYSTEM BELOW REAR PASSENGER SEAT. THERE IS AN ACTIVE RECALL FOR THE 2001 SAAB 9-3 FOR THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. NO RECALL FOR THE 2001 SAAB 9-5. *NM

DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE FAILED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, CAUSING CAR TO LOSE POWER AND STOP. VEHICLE IS A SAAB 95, 2001, V6, SE WAGON, DATE OF SECOND INCIDENT IS BELOW.*JB

IGNITION CASSETTE FAILED WHILE DRIVING CAR. CAR SPEED WAS APPX 40 MPH, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED AND I LOST ENGINE POWER. PULLED CAR OVER AND FOUND BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT OF IGNITION CASSETTE. CASSETTE WAS VERY HOT AND I WAS CONCERNED IT WOULD CATCH ON FIRE. CAR WOULD NOT START THEREAFTER. *NM

I HAVE AN '01 9-5 AND HAVE HAD THE DI CASSETTES FAIL TWICE, ONCE CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE FIRST DIC FAILURE WAS ON 8/19/2003 AT 62,453 MILES WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS DRIVING 45 MPH AND THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD ONE DI CASSETTE AND 6 SPARK PLUGS REPLACED ON 8/20/2003. ON 12/22/2003 (4 MONTHS LATER) WITH 64,080 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND SUDDENLY I WAS ONLY ABLE TO TRAVEL AROUND 20-30 MPH WITH MUCH SHAKING TO THE VEHICLE. THIS DIC FAILURE CAUSED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER TO BURN UP. THE TECHNICIAN SAID THAT BOTH DI CASSETTES HAVE TO BE REPLACED WHEN ONE FAILS OR YOU RUN THE RISK OF RECURRENCE. I HAD TWO DI CASSETTE, ONE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, ONE THERMOSTAT, AND SPARK PLUGS REPLACED ON 12/23/2003 (ONE DIC WAS CREDITED BECAUSE OF THE PREVIOUS WORK ON 8/20/2003). I WAS ADVISED ON 7/22/2005 THAT I DO NOT HAVE THE LATEST SAAB 9-5 TRIONIC UPDATE THAT INCLUDES CHANGES TO PROTECT AGAINST DI CASSETTE FAILURES. PERHAPS THERE WERE ERRORS IN THE OLD CODE THAT WERE CAUSING ALL THE DIC FAILURES, OR PERHAPS THIS IS AN UPDATE TO ADD FAIL-SAFES TO MINIMIZE THE CHANGE OF DIC FAILURES.

I OWN A 2000 SAAB 9-3 AND A 2001 SAAB 9-5. I HAV HAD THE LUG NUTS REPLACED ON MY 9-5 TWICE DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUSTING. THE DEALER REPLACED THE NUTS WITH THE IDENTICAL TYPE. AFTER COMPLAINING ABOUT THESE CONTINUING TO RUST THEY SAID, JUST BRING THE CAR BACK AND THEY WILL CONTINUE TO REPLCE THEM. BOTH OF MY CARS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH OTHER SAAB OWNERS WHO ARE FRUSTRATED BY THE SAME ISSUE. ALL WHERE CONCERNED THAT THE LUG NUTS WOULD WEAKEN OVER TIME AND FAIL CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I AM LOOKING FOR A PERMANENT FIX WITH A LUG NUT THAT WILL NOT RUST / FAIL. NONE OF MY OTHER CARS (OTHER BRANDS) HAVE EVRY HAD THIS PROBLEM. CLEARLY THEY ARE EITHER MIS-MANUFACTERED OR NOT SPECED PROPERLY. YOUR ASSISTANCE IS REQUESTED TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION, WITH A PERMANENT FIX.

I WAS DRIVING VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH WHEN IT SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND DECELERATED TO 3-5 MPH. VEHICLE STALLED ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THIS PROBLEM AND THE CAR SEEMED FINE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE POWER LOSS. I OBSERVED HEAVY SMOKE COMING FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND DETECTED A STRONG BURNING ODOR. VEHICLE WAS TOWED FROM SCENE TO LOCAL SAAB DEALER. PROBLEM WAS DIAGONOSED AS A FAULTY DIRECT IGNITION CASSETE AND REPLACED WITH A NEW PART AT A COST OF $500. DAMAGED PART IS AVAILABLE.

WHILE DRIVING MY 2001 95 SAAB AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH THE ENGINE ABRUPTLY DIED IN TRAFFIC , THIS I FOUND OUT WAS DUE TO THE DI MODULE , IT APPEARS THAT MANY SAABS ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE ACCORDING TO MY DEALER, THEY HAVE HAD MANY FAILURES RECENTLY WITH NO WARNING(S) TO THE DRIVER. FORTUNATLEY I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROD TO AVOID ANY COLLISION. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS A SAFETY HAZARD AND A RECALL FOR ALL SAAB 9-5 VEHICLES BE GENERATED , AS I AM SURE MANY OF THESE INSTANCES ARE NOT REPORTED

ADD MY 2001 SAAB 9-5 WAGON, 6 CYL, TO THE LIST OF THOSE WITH DI CASSETTE FAILURE. TRAVELING AT ABOUT 50 MPH ON A BEAUTIFUL JUNE MORNING THE ENGINE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. WHEN I PULLED OFF THE ROAD, A PUFF OF SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THERE WAS A DISTINCT BURNT ELECTRICAL SMELL WHEN I RAISED THE HOOD. MY MECHANIC BELIEVES THE FAULTY DI CASSETTE MAY HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE FOR THE 2 PREVIOUS CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURES. THE CAR HAS HAD OTHER ELECTRICAL IDIOSYNCRACIES, INCLUDING FREQUENT LIGHT BULB BURN OUTS, LOSS OF PIXELS ON THE MAIN DISPLAY SCREEN, SUDDEN EXTREME BRIGHTNESS OF ALL DISPLAY SCREENS, AND SPORADIC TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS FAILURE WARNINGS ON STARTING. THE LATTER GENERALLY GOES AWAY WHEN THE CAR IS RESTARTED. THE SAAB DEALER IN FLINT AND THE DEALER REP HAVE BEEN UNRESPONSIVE TO THE POINT OF NEGLIGENCE ON THE CAT FAILURES, LUCKILY I HAVE A GOOD AND HONEST LOCAL SAAB MECHANIC AT RALLYE IMPORTS IN MIDLAND. SAAB SHOULD RECALL FOR THE DI CASSETTE AND SHOULD REIMBURSE FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE DISPLAY SCREEN. IN 40 YEARS OF DRIVING, THIS IS THE MOST UNRELIABLE CAR I'VE EVER OWNED.

MY CAR HAS ONLY 50,000 MILES. NO WARNING, NO ESCALATION, JUST SUDDEN. SID L.C.D. DISPLAY IS MISSING DOTS AND LINES CAUSING UNREADABLE DISPLAY. CHECKED SEVERAL "SAAB" DISCUSSION FORUMS AND APPERANTLY THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WHICH DAMAGES THE VALUE OF A $40,000+ CAR. I AM AFRAID TO FIND OUT HOW MUCH THIS IS GOING TO COST TO REPAIR AFTER SEEING HOW MANY 9-5 OWNERS HAVE POSTED "HOME REMEDY" REPAIR METHODS FOR THIS. UPPER RADIATOR HOSE- THIRD ONE IN FIFTY THOUSAND MILES FROM MYSELF AND THE PREVIOUS OWNER WHOM I KNEW. THEY ALL BURST IN THE SAME PLACE. PRESSURE RELIEF CAP TESTED OK. THERE IS NO AFTERMARKET MANUFACTURER OF THIS HOSE THAT I KNOW OF TO FALL BACK ON FOR A POSSIBLY MORE RELIABLE PRODUCT. AND ALSO, I AGAIN AFTER SEARCHING THROUGH DISCUSSION FORUMS DISCOVERED I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM. HOOD BADGE. ENAMEL CRACKED AND FLACKED OFF OF THE HOOD BADGE ON THIS GARAGE KEPT CAR. LUCKILY I HEAR (BECAUSE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE) THAT THESE ARE CHEAP. MY CAR HAS LOST VALUE TO NO FAULT OF MINE AND I AM GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE THESE THINGS REPAIRED (ALTHOUGH THEY SHOULD NOT NEED TO BE) TO REGAIN THAT LOST VALUE.