SAAB Complaints

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

FOR MY 1999 SAAB 9-3, BASE ENGINE, I REPLACED THE DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE, AT 128,800 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE PART ALONE WAS $488 AND THE TOTAL INSTALLATION COST AND PARTS (INCLUDING A HOSE AND FOUR SPARK PLUGS) WAS $760. MODEL YEARS 2000 THROUGH 2002 WERE RECALLED FOR THIS PART. *TR

2006 SAAB AERO V6, AT A COLD START AND WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES VERY HARD AND THE CAR WILL NOT STOP FOR 15 -20 FT. *TR

UPON DRIVING OUR 2004 SAAB 9-3 INTO A PARKING LOT WE NOTICED THE CAR WAS NOT HANDLING CORRECTLY. FRONT END WAS VERY LOW TO GROUND, CAR NOT TURNING CORRECTLY, AND MAKING A NOISE. UPON HAVING IT TOWED TO THE DEALER IT APPEARED ONE OF THE FRONT COIL SPRINGS HAD SNAPPED. BASED ON NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTED COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO OURS, WE WERE VERY LUCKY THAT IT HAPPENED VERY CLOSE TO WORK, AFTER GETTING OFF OF THE MASS PIKE OR WE COULD HAVE HAD A BLOWN TIRE AT 70 MPH. AFTER DISCUSSION WITH THE SAAB DEALER AND THEIR DISTRICT MANAGER, SAAB REPLACED BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS AT NO COST TO US WITHOUT ANY ARGUMENT. IRONICALLY A FRIEND OF OURS HAD JUST HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM A MONTH EARLIER WITH THE SAME OUTCOME. *TR

NOTICED A SUDDEN STEERING PULL AND THUMP/RATTLE IN FRONT END. DROVE TO NEAREST SHOP TO HAVE A LOOK AND WAS TOLD MY FRONT COIL SPRINGS WERE BROKEN AND LUCKY THAT THE SPRING DID NOT SHRED THE TIRE AND CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT! I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS HAS BEEN A SOMEWHAT COMMON DEFECT ON SIMILAR YEAR MODELS. SHOP RECOMMENDED REPLACE BOTH SPRINGS BEFORE DRIVING AGAIN. *TR

2003 SAAB 9-3 LINEAR. OEM FRONT SPRING BROKEN (PASSENGER SIDE). NOTICED WHEN DOING BRAKES ONE DAY. NO DAMAGE TO VEHICLE OR ANY PROPERTY, BUT STILL A HUGE PROBLEM. *TR

ON 8/2/09, I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE WHEN SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD BANG. CAR PULLED TO THE EXTREME RIGHT WITH A STRONG ODOR OF BURNING RUBBER. LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL WITHOUT HITTING ANYONE AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE. IT WAS QUITE OBVIOUS THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS LOWER THAN THE BACK. THE SMELL OF RUBBER WAS FROM THE SPRING GOING INTO THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL GARAGE WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THE FRONT PASSENGER SPRING BROKE & ATE INTO THE FRONT TIRE. IT ALSO PULLED OUT THE STRUTS & BROKE THE BRACKET/TOP AS WELL. I WAS VERY SATISFIED WITH SAAB UNTIL THIS. CAR IS 6 YEARS OLD, WELL MAINTAINED WITH ONLY 56,700 MILES. THIS INCIDENT HAS CERTAINLY MADE ME APPREHENSIVE ESPECIALLY WHEN I DID RESEARCH AN FOUND THERE HAS BEEN A RASH OF BROKEN FRONT PASSENGER SPRINGS REPORTED, YET NO RECALLS. PARTS REPLACED: STRUT ASSEMBLY, STRUT TOP, SPRING PAIR, BRACKET, STABILIZER BAR CONTROL LINK, PIRELLI TIRE. *TR

AIRBAG MALFUNCTION LIGHT HAD COME ON 4 DAYS PRIOR. I WAS PACKED THE KEY WAS OFF BUT STILL IN THE IGNITION. I WENT TO START THE CAR AND THE SIDE AIR BAGS WENT OFF. *TR

AS I WAS PUTTING ON MY SEATBELT I HEARD A SNAP AND AN UNROLLING SOUND IN THE DOOR OF THE CAR AND THE SEATBELT LOST TENSION. THE SEATBELT WOULD NOT REGAIN TENSION. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THE RETRACTOR HAD BROKEN. THERE IS A RECALL ON 2004 SAAB 93 SEATBELT RETRACTORS, BUT THEY SAID THAT MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL AND THEREFORE I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR ($455). THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PART IN STOCK TO FIX IT SO THEY SENT ME HOME, WITHOUT OFFERING A RENTAL CAR EVEN THOUGH I EXPRESSED MY CONCERN THAT I WAS LACKING A CRITICAL SAFETY FEATURE OF MY CAR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE. THE ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ILLUMINATED FOR 3 WEEKS. A MECHANIC STATED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE FAILURE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THE SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 05V399000 PE05017 NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE05017 COMPONENT: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE IS RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY RISK AND THE POTENTIAL NUMBER OF UNITS AFFECTED PER THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN NOR YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF HER VEHICLE WAS RELATED TO THE RECALL. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.