2000 SAAB 9-5 Complaints

IDM CASSETTE FAILURE ON A 2000 SAAB 9-5 SE (6-CYLINDER). THE CAR HAD REDUCED POWER AND ROUGH OPERATION, LURCHING WITH ACCELERATION, AND NEARLY STALLING. I WAS AFRAID THIS PREGNANT WOMAN WAS GOING TO BE LEFT STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF A DARK, COUNTRY HIGHWAY ON A COLD WINTER NIGHT! THE NEXT DAY, POWER WAS REDUCED EVEN FURTHER AND EVENTUALLY, THE CAR STALLED AND WILL NOT START UP. IT WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC WHO THOUGHT THE RECALL ON THE PART (RECALL 05V-399) WOULD REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE IDM CASSETTE. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR REPLACEMENT. THIS PART IS NOT COVERED IN A 2000 9-5 SE. THE RECALL ONLY APPLIES TO 2000-2002 SAAB 9-5'S WHICH ARE 4-CYLINDER AND 2001 9-5'S WITH THE 6 CYLINDER. THIS IS THE SAME PART AS IN THOSE RECALLED VEHICLES AND SHOULD BE REPLACED AND INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AS WELL. *NM

WHILE ROUTINE DRIVING THE ABS, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, BRAKE (INDICATING EMERGENCY BRAKE BEING ENGAGED) AND TCS OFF WILL ILLUMINATE. THE SPEEDOMETER WILL GO TO ZERO. UPON INSPECTION AT THE DEALER, THEIR WORDS, NOT MINE. IS THAT "YOUR ABS CONTROL MODULE IS FRIED". ONCE THIS WAS DIAGNOSED, WE WERE TOLD THAT THE CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE, IF WE DO NOT NEED ABS OR TRACTION CONTROL (TCS OFF). THE PART IS $2800. NOW UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE MANUFACTURER OF THE PRODUCT, BOSCH. SUPPOSEDLY THIS HAS OCCURRED QUITE FREQUENTLY ON SAAB'S , MULTIPLE GM AND FORD VEHICLES AS WELL AS AUDI'S, AND VW'S. THIS PROBLEM COMES AND GOES. IT WILL COME ON AND THEN AFTER 10-15 MIN OF DRIVING WILL EXTINGUISH AGAIN. *JB

FOLLOWING DASH LIGHTS CAME ON: ABS, TCS OFF, WARNING TRIANGLE AND BRAKE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AFTER INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BECAME PERMANENT. SPEEDOMETER AND ODOMETER CEASED TO OPERATE. RESEARCHED TO DISCOVER A COMMON PROBLEM WITH LIKE VEHICLES (SAABNET.COM). SERVICE TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED THAT ABS ECU WAS INOPERATIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. MIKE SHAW SAAB ATTEMPTED TO RESOLVE ISSUE WITH SAAB USA TO REPLACE $2500 PART. I WOULD PAY LABOR. SAAB USA OFFERED TO PAY HALF. I DECIDED TO REPAIR MYSELF. I REMOVED THE ABS MODULE (A BOSCH SUB-PART OF THE ABS ECU) AND SENT IT TO BE RE-BUILT FOR $249. I RENTED A CAR FOR ABOUT $200 AND PAID $120+TAX FOR THE SAAB SERVICE DIAGNOSIS. I RE-INSTALLED THE MODULE, AND THE CAR IS FINE. IT APPEARS THAT THESE BOSCH ABS MODULES ARE CAUSING PROBLEMS IN MANY BRANDS OF VEHICLES. SEARCHING EBAY, I FOUND THERE TO BE MORE INSTANCES OF THIS THAN I COULD COUNT. *JB

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS I WAS LEAVING THE MAINTENANCE SHOP. PERSONNEL DIAGNOSED IT (USING TECH 2) AS A BAD DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE. LOSS OF ENGINE PERFORMANCE. *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS IN SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT AND THE SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS HIT ON HIT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE, AND WAS HIT SO HARD THAT THE BACK PASSENGER'S DOOR WAS STUCK TO THE VEHICLE THAT HIT IT. THE DRIVER OF THE OTHER VEHICLE ADMITTED HE HAD BEEN GOING AT 30 MPH WHEN THE SIDE IMPACT OCCURRED. THIS HAPPENED ON AUGUST 17, 2005. HAD NOT CONTACTED DEALERSHIP, BUT WILL BE CONTACTING THE MANUFACTURER. *AK

I PURCHASED A SAAB 9.5 WAGON- YEAR 2000 WITH 53,000 MILES ON IT. NOW IT HAS 63,000 MILES. MY REPAIR BILLS CURRENTLY ARE OVER $7,000 EXCLUDING MAINTENANCE AND ROUTINE SERVICE (THE WARRANTY THAT I PURCHASED W/ THE CAR HAS NOT COVERED ANY OF REPAIRS). ONE DAY ABOUT 5 LIGHTS CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME ON MY DASH. I AM TALKING ABOUT THE LIGHTS/SYMBOLS THAT COME ON WHEN A PARTICULAR PROBLEM ARISES WITH THE CAR. THE ENTIRE BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHTS CAME ON THEY ARE CALLED THE ABS, TCS AND 2 OTHER BRAKE RELATED LIGHTS ALONG W/ THE ENGINE LIGHT. I TOOK MY CAR TO SAAB IN SANTA MONICA AND THE MECHANIC, TONY, RAN A TEST AND TOLD ME THAT I NEED TO REPLACE MY ABS COMPUTER BRAKE COMPONENT. THE PRICE FOR THE PART WOULD BE 2,800 PLUS 200.00- 300.00 FOR LABOR, SO APPROX. 3,000 TO REPLACE THIS COMPUTER UNIT. THE MECHANIC EXPLAINED TO ME THAT I SHOULD FILE A CLAIM WITH SAAB BECAUSE OF THE "TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF FAILURES" WITH THIS COMPONENT. I DID AND I WAS DENIED BY SAAB. UNABLE TO AFFORD THE COST OF THIS REPAIR, MAINLY BECAUSE, LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, I AM WELL OVER $7,000 IN REPAIR BILLS ALREADY AND I SIMPLY CANNOT COME UP WITH 3,000 RIGHT NOW. SO, I WAS DRIVING MY CAR HOME AND BY ACCIDENT THE IGNITION KEY WAS NUDGED WHICH CAUSED THE KEY TO TURN OFF THE CAR. I COMPLETELY LOST ALL BRAKE POWER AND WAS FORCED TO USE MY EMERGENCY BRAKE TO AVOID HITTING PEDESTRIANS WALKING ACROSS THE STREET. THIS WAS A TERRIFYING SITUATION, I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED COMPLETED BRAKE FAILURE AND NOW I AM TERRIFIED TO USE MY CAR AT ALL. SINCE I CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE THIS COMPUTER COMPONENT REPLACED I MAKE AN ATTEMPT NOT TO DRIVE MY CAR. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SAAB SHOULD TAKE A MORE SERIOUS LOOK AT THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD 3 SAAB MECHANICS TELL ME THE SAME THING ABOUT THE THIS ABS COMPUTER COMPONENT, THAT IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED OFTEN, AND THAT IT IS SOMETHING SAAB SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR. IS SAAB AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL DANGER OWNER'S OF SAABS HAVE AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC REGARDING THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM? *JB

DI CASSETTE FAILURE ON MY 2000 SAAB 9-5 AERO. THIS PART HAS BEEN REPLACED AT LEAST TWICE PREVIOUSLY, AND THE SAAB DEALERSHIP IS RECOMMENDING A THIRD REPLACEMENT NOW AT 84K MILES. ADDITIONALLY, THEY STATE THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAS BEEN DAMAGED BECAUSE OF THE DI CASSETTE FAILURE. TOTAL COST FOR THESE REPAIRS NEARS $2000, WHICH IS EGREGIOUS FOR THE TYPE OF FAILURE AND THE APPARENT FREQUENCY OF REPLACEMENT.

I USED THE CAR ONLY FOR WEEK END SKI TRIPS TWICE A MONTH OR LESS THROUGH THE WINTER. THIS OCCASIONALLY REQUIRED JUMP STARTS. THE WEEK OF THE FAILURE THE CAR STARTED OKAY TO MOVE IT TO THE GARAGE SO I COULD TAKE THE SNOW TIRES OFF, I THEN MOVED IT BACK TO ITS SPOT. THAT FRIDAY, I DROVE OVER 100 MILES FROM CT TO BRATTLEBORO, VT, WHERE I WENT TO A SUPERMARKET, THEN A RESTAURANT. IT RAN PERFECTLY, UNTIL I FINISHED DINNER, AND IT WOULD NOT START. IT WOULD CRANK, BUT THERE WAS NO COMBUSTION. AFTER A FEW LONG WALKS AND MANY PHONE CALLS, NO ONE COULD HELP WITH IT AND THERE WAS NO PLACE TO STAY FOR THE NIGHT OR CARS TO RENT. I TOOK A TAXI 20-30 MILES TO MY FAMILY SKI HOUSE IN NEWFANE. THE NEXT MORNING, I CALLED SEVERAL SHOPS AND FOUND ONE THAT COULD LOOK AT IT. (NO DEALERS IN THE AREA) THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THEM, AND I GOT A RIDE FROM MY NEIGHBOR DOWN THE MOUNTAIN AND BACK INTO TOWN. THE SHOP DETERMINED IT WAS NOT A SIMPLE FIX, AND COULD NOT GIVE IT ANY MORE TIME UNTIL LATER IN THE WEEK. I CALLED SOME DEALERS BACK IN CT, AND HAD IT TOWED THERE. I GOT MY UNCLE TO COME BRING ME AND MY DOG HOME. TUESDAY, I CALLED THE DEALER IT WAS AT, AND THEY TOLD ME THE DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE FAILED, AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE SPARK PLUGS. THE REPAIR COST $619.01, AND FIXED THE PROBLEM. *AK

MY 2000 SAAB 9-5 WITH APPROX. 30,000 MILES STALLS WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING. CAR RESTARTS IMMEDIATELY. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT FOUR TIMES IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS. IT ALSO SURGES THEN STALLS WHILE STOPPED AT TRAFFIC LIGHT OR IN TRAFFIC. CAR RESTARTS IMMEDIATELY. HAVE HAD CAR IN FOR SERVICE AT DEALERSHIP THREE TIMES IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS AND THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. SURGING PROBLEM IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND HAPPENING MOST EVERY DAY. HAVE NOT BEEN IN ACCIDENT (MY DRIVING IS LOCAL AND ALOT OF STOP AND GO) BUT I WILL NOT DRIVE CAR ON PARKWAY FOR FEAR OF STALLING. *AK

EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE. IT SEEMS THE ROUTING OF THE CABLE CAUSES WEAR AND HAS ALLOWED WATER TO ENTER THE CABLE AND FREEZE, RENDERING THE E. BRAKE NON FUNCTIONAL DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. AS THE VEHICLE HAS HAD THE ISSUE SINCE IT HAD APP 62,000 MILES I HAVE TRIED TO GET SAAB TO CORRECT A SIT IS A SAFTEY ITEM, BUT TO NO AVAIL.