1998 SAAB 900 Complaints

WARM ENGINE WAS RESTARTED AND CAR DRIVEN TO INTERSECTION ROUGHLY 50 YARDS AWAY. AT STOP LIGHT, SRS LIGHT BECAME ILLUMINATED AND THEN PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHILE CAR STILL STOPPED. CAR THEN TURNED TO GO TO OTHER SIDE OF STREET TO PARK. WHILE CAR BEING DRIVEN CROSSING STREET, APPROX 5 MPH MAX, DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. ROAD CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND CLEAN, WITH NO DEBRIS ON ROAD. WEATHER WAS GOOD, WITH NO RAIN, THUNDER OR LIGHTNING PRESENT. DRIVER SUSTAINED SUPERFICIAL BURNS ON LATERAL SIDE OF R FOREARM AND HAND. NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO FACE OR EYES.

CAR STARTED AND DRIVEN APPROX 50 YARDS AND THEN CAME TO TRAFFIC LIGHT AND STOPPED. DRIVER NOTICED THAT THE SRS LIGHT ON THE DISPLAY PANEL WAS ILLUMINATED AT STOP LIGHT. PASSENGER AIRBAG DEPLOYED BEFORE CAR PROCEEDED. CAR DRIVEN TO OPPOSITE SIDE OF STREET TO PARK AND ASSESS SITUATION. WHILE CAR BEING DRIVEN ACROSS STREET, DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG ALSO DEPLOYED. NO COLLISION WITH AND NO TAPPING OF ANOTHER CAR OCCURRED. ROAD CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND W/O DEBRIS. NO RAIN WAS FALLING AND NO LIGHTING OR THUNDER WAS PRESENT. WHAT APPEAR TO BE FIRST DEGREES BURNS WERE SUSTAINED ON THE LATERAL ASPECT OF THE RIGHT FOREARM AND HAND. NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO EYE OR FACE.

I OWN A AUTO REPAIR SHOP AND WAS DRIVING A CUSTOMER VEHICLE. I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT DOWN THE STREET AT 20-25 MPH WHEN THE PASSENGER AIRBAG EXPLODED. IT WAS A VERY SCARY EXPERIENCE, I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER A MINUTE I DECIDED I SHOULD PULL THE CAR A LITTLE MORE OFF THE ROAD , AS I WAS DOING THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG WENT OFF.

I HAD JUST PULLED OUT OF A PARKING LOT ONTO A STREET, GOING STRAIGHT, AT ABOUT 20 MPH, WHEN THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. ABOUT A MINUTE LATER, THE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED, HITTING ME. I PULLED OVER. THE CAR HAD NOT HIT ANYTHING PRIOR TO DEPLOYMENT. THE RESULT IS THAT THE WINDSHIELD IS CRACKED, THE INTERIOR OVERHEAD LIGHT DISLODGED AND I WAS DISORIENTED.

I WAS SITTING IN MY CAR IN A PARKING LOT WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. THE CAR WAS IN PARK WHEN THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. GM WILL NOT FIX THE CAR AND HAS OFFERED A VERY LOW REPURCHASE OFFER ($1100.00 LESS THAN KBB TRADE IN VALUE). *TR

BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE SRS LIGHT ILLUMINATED FOLLOWED BY DEPLOYMENT OF THE PASSENGER BAG. THE DRIVER SIDE BAG DEPLOYED APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS AFTER THE PASSENGER BAG DEPLOYED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 SAAB 900 SE TURBO. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN STALLING, SPITTING, AND STUTTERING AS IF IT NEEDED GAS. THE VEHICLE THEN SHUT OFF AND RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE FAILURE AND HAS REMAINED PARKED EVER SINCE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 96,000.

MY 1998 SAAB 900 SE TURBO CONVERTIBLE HAS 62,000 MILES ON IT, AND YET I'VE JUST HAD TO REPLACE THE DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE WHICH COMPLETELY FAILED -- THANKFULLY I WAS STILL IN THE DRIVEWAY WHEN IT CONKED OUT, THIS IS RIDICULOUSLY EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE CAR ACCORDING TO MY SAAB SPECIALIST MECHANIC. I SAW THAT THE 2000 AND 2002 MODEL DI CASSETTES WERE RECALLED BUT NOT THE EARLIER MODELS. WONDERING IF THERE'S A WAY FOR REDRESS. *JB

CHRONIC, ABRUPT STALLING PROBLEMS FOR 3+ YEARS. DEALERSHIP HAS TRIED TO REPAIR ON AT LEAST, 15+ OCCASIONS. DEALERSHIP HAD IT AT THEIR FACILITY FOR OVER 3 MONTHS ONE PERIOD, CONDUCTING DIAGNOSTIC TESTS. PARTS CHANGED: SENSORS; MULTIPLE TIMES, WIRING HARNESS, "MAIN COMPUTER CHIP" AND VARIOUS OTHER PARTS. THE CAR ABRUPTLY STALLS. IT WILL STALL AT ANYTIME - WHETHER DRIVING, COASTING, AT A STOP, OR ON THE EXPRESSWAY. IT WILL STALL WITHOUT WARNING AND IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE SAFELY TO THE ROADSIDE MULTIPLE TIMES OVER AND OVER WITHOUT CAUSING A COLLISION. I JUST GOT THE VEHICLE BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN LAST WEEK AFTER THEY "POSSIBLY FIXED IT AGAIN" . I DROVE A DISTANCE OF 15 MILES BEFORE THE CAR STARTED STAMMERING, JERKING AND STALLING AGAIN. IT TOOK ME OVER AN HOUR TO DRIVE THE RETURN FEW BACK HOME, WHICH WAS A HARROWING EXPERIENCE. THE VEHICLE IS KEPT GARAGED BY ME, IN MINT BODY CONDITION INSIDE AND OUT AND ONLY HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT. SAAB HAS OFFERED TO APPLY 4,000 CREDIT TOWARD A PURCHASE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE FROM THEM. IT IS CLEAR SAAB KNOWS THAT THIS VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE OR WOULD NOT HAVE MADE OFFER. UNFORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE IS WORTH MUCH MORE THAN WHAT THEY HAD OFFERED; ASIDE FROM BEING MECHANICALLY DEFECTIVE/UNREPAIRABLE, THEY CAN'T TRACE THE PROBLEM IN THEIR VEHICLE THAT THEY MADE. I CAN'T AFFORD TO GET IN ANOTHER CAR PYMT AND AM IN REAL FEAR THAT WILL BE INVOLVED IN A CRASH IN THIS CLEARLY DEFECTIVE VEHICLE. I HAD PREVIOUSLY FILED A COMPLAINT FOR EXACT THIS SAME MECHANICAL PROBLEM (THAT STILL HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED NOR EVEN INVESTIGATED BY THE ODI OR NHTSA). I SEE POSTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH SAME OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH SAAB VEHICLES. SOMEONE NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS TO HAVE THESE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. UNFORTUNATELY, I'M SURE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS NO OTHER OPTION THAN TO DRIVE A VEHICLE LIKE THIS. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND UNOCCUPIED, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL, # 01V222000, REGARDING AIR BAGS:FRONTAL. THE CONTACT DID NOT RECEIVE ANY NOTIFICATION ABOUT THIS RECALL.