2000 SAAB 9-5 Complaints

MY CAR PERIODICALLY WILL NOT START. THE LIGHTS COME ON; THERE APPEARS TO BE POWER; BUT WHEN I TURN THE IGNITION, ALL I HEAR IS A CLICK. THE CAR WILL START ON A BUMP START (MANUAL TRANS) AND WILL TAKE A JUMP. I HAVE HAD THE CAR TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES BUT THEY CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM. HAPPENS MAINLY ON COLD STARTS.*AK

ON 8/11/03 I WAS DRIVING ON US ROUTE 9 IN HUDSON NEW YORK WHEN MY ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD. HAD TO BE TOWED TO SAAB DEALER 40 MILES AWAY. REPLACE IGNITION CASSETTE. WAS ADVISED DUE TO MY ATTEMPT TO RE-START THE CAR, RAW GAS GOT INTO CATALYTIC CONVERTER. TYHAT HAD TO BE REPLACED SEVERAL WEEKS LATER. I AM WRITING THIS SO LATE AS I WAS UNAWARE THIS MAY NOT BE AN ISOLATED INSTANCE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. NO RESTART. INTERNAL FAILURE OF CAT. CONVERTER, REPLACED CAT. CONVERTER. *BF THE PROBLEM WAS THE R & R IGNITION MODULE. AFTER THE IGNITION REPAIR, THE CONSUMER FELT A LOSS OF POWER. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS CLOGGED. *SC *JB

ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. (THE HOOD BURNED) *SC ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, THE FIRE WAS A RESULT IN THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM WHICH ALLOWED FLUID TO LEAK ON THE EXHAUST WHICH CAUSED THE FIRE. *JB

MY 2000 SAAB 9-5 HAS ONLY 39,500 MILES. IT HAS LOST THE ABILITY TO HEAT THE DRIVERS SIDE WHICH IS A SAFETY CONCERN WHILE DRIVING IN THE WINTER. THE SYSTEM CAN NOT GENERATE ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT THE ICE ON THE WINDSHIELD. I HAD THE CAR DIAGNOSED AT THE SAAB DEALER AT THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT A MOTOR SHAFT IN A HEATER BOX WAS BROKEN. LAST WEEK I FOUND THIS SHAFT ON THE FLOOR. IT HAS EXTENSIVE MECHANICAL DAMAGE. IN MY OPINION THE ONLY EXPLANATION IS THAT IT WAS DEFECTIVE WHEN IT WAS INSTALLED IN THE CAR OR THE DESIGN OF THE HEATING SYSTEM WAS NOT DONE PROPERLY. *AK

DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE (DIC) FAILURE 2000 SAAB 9-5 AERO THE DIC ON MY 2000 SAAB 9-5 AERO FAILED AT 65MPH CAUSING ENGINE FAILURE AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. NO RESTART. VIEWED OWNER FEEDBACK AT WWW.SAABNET.COM AND REALISED DIC FAILURE RATE ON 9-5 MODEL (ALL YEARS) SEEMS EXTREMELY HIGH. OWNERS HAVE COMMENTED THAT SAAB RECOGNIZES THE DEFECT AND IN SOME CASES PROVIDES SPARE DIC'S BUT HAS DECLINED TO RECALL. SAAB REFUSED TO COMMENT, TO ME, ON THE FAILURE RATE OR DEFECT TREND FOR THIS DIC. THE DIC FAILS WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING ENGINE TO STALL. FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEED COULD BE CATOSTROPHIC. I HAVE SEEN OTHER OWNERS COMMENT THAT DIC FAILURE CAN BE ACCOMPANIED BY A GREAT DEAL OF SMOKE AND POSSIBLY FIRE. GM RECALLED SATURN IGNITION MODULES AS DID VW. WONDERING WHY SAAB HAS NOT. (1) IRRATIC ENGINE SPEED WITH INTERMITTENT HESITATION DURING ACCELERATION. (2) LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND VEHICLE CONTROL (3) REPLACED DIGITAL IGNITION CASSETTE, DEFECTIVE PART IS AVAILABLE. *AK

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS (5), I WAS UNABLE TO START MY CAR. I WOULD TURN THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND THERE WOULD BE NO RESPONSE, NOT EVEN A CRANK. IT WOULD EVENTUALLY START AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS. I WOULD MENTION THIS TO THE SERVICE ADVISOR EACH TIME I BROUGHT MY CAR IN AND FOR THE FIRST THREE (3) TIMES THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THIS PROBLEM. THE 4TH TIME THEY FINALLY REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH. THOUGHT THIS WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM...AFTER TWO WEEKS, MY CAR DID NOT START AGAIN. MY 5TH TIME TO THE DEALER, THEY SAID IT WAS A FAULTY SAFETY SWITCH. *AK

TEMPERATURE SETTINGS/ADJUSTMENTS ON THE CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM DO NOT WORK AS INTENDED. WHEN IT IS COLD OUTSIDE, A SET TEMPERATURE OF 68 DEGREES INITIALLY PROVIDES WARM AIR, THEN IT TURNS COLD AND THE TEMP HAS TO BE RAISED TO 82 DEGREES FOR WARM AIR. SOMETIMES, THE RIGHT SIDE OPERATES. THE CAR HAS BEEN IN THE DEALER SHOP TWICE, THE SECOND TIME FOR 3 WEEKS, AND THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIX IT. CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER SAYS THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE DESIGN OF THE HEATING/VENTILATION SYSTEM, AND THAT THEY HAVE SEEN OTHER 2000-2001 YEAR MODELS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, AND THAT SAAB HAS REDESIGNED THE SYSTEM SINCE THEN. AFTER THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP, DURING THE SUMMER THE SYSTEM PROVIDED HOT AIR INSTEAD OF AIR CONDITIONING, BUT THAT WAS FIXED. *AK

ON TWO OCCASIONS, THERE HAS BEEN A TOTAL LOST OF POWER TO THE CAR. THE FIRST TIME ON A SIDE STREET GOING ABOUT 25 OR 30. AFTER HAVING THE CAR LOOKED AT A SAAB DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR AND SENT ON MY WAY. OVER THIS PAST WEEKEND WHILE DRIVING ON I-95 AT ABOUT 70 MPH IT HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE. NO STEERING, NO BRAKES, NO NOTHING. EVERY PERSON I HAVE TALKED TO WHO HAS OWNED A SAAB (MODEL AND YEAR DIFFERENCE DO NOT SEEM TO MATTER) HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. THE MECHANICS ARE NOW SAYING THAT THE PROBLEM IS THE THROTTLE BODY, WHATEVER THAT IS. MY GENERAL IMPRESSION OF SAAB'S REPRESENTATIVES (MECHANICS, PERSONNEL, ETC.) IS THAT THIS DEFECT IS NOT A BIG DEAL. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *JB

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER. ECM WAS REPLACED BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. (NAR) *LA *CB