SAAB Complaints

WHILE DRIVING TO WORK 28 APRIL 2006 MY 2002 SAAB 9-6 B308 V6 ENGINE CAR BEGAN SPUTTERING AND THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I MADE IT INTO THE PARKING LOT WHERE I WORK THEN PROCEEDED TO CALL A SAAB DEALERSHIP. SAAB DEALERSHIP MECHANIC STATED THAT THE CAR'S COMPUTER PUT ITSELF INTO "LAME" MODE AND THAT THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE TO DEALERSHIP (15 MILES AWAY)AND THAT IT WAS PROBABLY AN IGNITION MODULE. I SIMPLY PULLED CAR ONTO THE PARKING LOT AND IT SPUTTERED TO A STOP/STALL, SMOKE CAME FROM THE HOOD AND IT WOULDN'T RESTART. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER THE CAR HAD ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS NOTIFIED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE DEFECTIVE PART WAS AN IGNITION MODULE. AFTER LOOKING THIS INFORMATION UP I FIND THAT THIS PART WAS DEFECTIVE IN AND RECALLED IN OVER 100,000 SAAB'S FROM 2000-2002 HOWEVER AFTER CALLING SAAB CORPORATE THEY DENY THAT THIS PART IS RECALLED IN MY PARTICULAR MAKE AND YEAR. MY MAKE, MODEL, ENGINE TYPE AND YEAR HOWEVER ARE LISTED AS RECALLED ON SEVERAL WEB SITES INCLUDING YOUR DOT.GOV WEB SITE. I HAD TO PAY $600 + DOLLARS TO HAVE MY CAR REPAIRED AND HAVE THE IGNITION MODULE REPLACED AS I NEED THIS CAR. AFTER HAVING THE PART REPLACED 2 DAYS LATER THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON; I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO FIND THAT THEY STATE THE CAR NOW NEEDS A NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER (AS STATED BY THE SAAB DEALERSHIP) THE CAT CONVERTER WAS WARRANTED FOR 8 YEARS OR 80,000 MILES BUT HAS BROKEN AFTER THE 90,000 MILE MARK. I FEEL THAT DRIVING THE CAR WHEN THE IGNITION MODULE HAS GONE BAD MAY HAVE DAMAGED THE CAT CONVERTER (AS STATED CAN HAPPEN IF DRIVING CAR WITH BAD IGNITION MODULE) *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 60 TO 65 MPH THE ENGINE LOST ALL POWER WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FOR THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS PULLED OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, UPON INSPECTION THE IGNITION CONTROL MODULE HAD FAILED. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 05V399000, REGARDING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: IGNITION CONTROL MODULE. THE MODEL YEAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THERE WAS ALSO AN NHTSA INVESTIGATION, # PE5017, REGARDING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: IGNITION CONTROL MODULE.

THE AUTOMOBILE THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO INFORM YOU ABOUT IS A 2003 SAAB 9-3 ARC. WE HAVE OWNED THIS CAR FOR 2 1/2 YEARS AND HAVE DRIVEN IT OVER 63,000 MILES. CURRENTLY THE CAR DOES NOT HAVE OPERABLE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. THE WIRING ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT HAS BURNT THROUGH AND IS NEARLY SO ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT. IN ADDITION THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TURN SIGNAL HAS STOPPED WORKING. IN THE TIME WE HAVE OWNED THIS CAR WE HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS REPLACED APPROXIMATELY 7 TIMES. I NOTICED THE WIRING TO THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS BECOMING DISCOLORED LAST YEAR, AT THAT TIME OUR DEALER WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY TSBS CONCERNING THE HEADLIGHTS FOR OUR CAR. THUS FAR NO DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED TO THE VEHICLE EXCEPT FOR THE BURNT WIRING ON THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. WE WILL BE REPORTING THIS TO OUR DEALER AGAIN AND WILL HAVE TO HAVE THEM FIX THIS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, SHOULD SAAB NOT HAVE UPGRADED THE WIRING TO THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT THIS PROBLEM WILL REPEAT. ALSO, AT NO TIME HAVE WE HAD LIGHTS PUT IN THE CAR THAT WERE ABOVE THE WATTAGE SPECIFIED BY SAAB IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL. *NM

WE WERE DRIVING ON I-680, HERE IN OMAHA, WHEN WE SUDDENLY LOST POWER. EVERYTHING WENT DARK FOR A SECOND AND THEN STARTED UP AGAIN. A FEW SECONDS LATER IT DID IT AGAIN, THIS TIME WE DID NOT REGAIN POWER AND HAD TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. THE ODD THING IS THAT, ALTHOUGH WE HAD NO ABILITY TO ACCELERATE, NO LIGHTS AND SEEMINGLY NO POWER AT ALL, WE STILL LUCKILY HAD POWER STEERING SO WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OF THE INTERSTATE SAFELY. I SHUT THE IGNITION OFF AND RE-STARTED THE VEHICLE. WE WERE NOT FAR FROM HOME AND WE DID NOT HAVE FURTHER INSTANCES LIKE THIS UNTIL WE GOT THERE. WE WERE BOTH VERY SCARED BUT GLAD THAT THE POWER LOSS DID NOT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE STALLS SPORADICALLY BEFORE START UP AND WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT WARNING AT ANY SPEED. AFTER SITTING A WHILE, THE VEHICLE WILL RESTART. AN NHTSA RECALL, #05V399000 WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE CONCERNING, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: IGNITION: MODULE HOWEVER, THE RECALL DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT OFFER A SECOND REPAIR WITHOUT CHARGE UNDER THE RECALL.

2001 SAAB 9-5 IDM IS DEFECTIVE, CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT ALL THE SPARK PLUGS NEED TO BE REPLACED. *TS *NM***NAR***

THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM SAAB STATING THAT PROBLEMS WITH THE IDM COULD CAUSE REDUCED POWER AND ROUGH OPERATION. THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM WITH HIS 2001 SAAB 9/5. *NM THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH PRIOR TO THE VEHICLE STALLING. *NM

I WOULD LIKE TO CITE NHTSA CAMPAIGN #05V399000. WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 SAAB 9-5 6 CYLINDER ON 4/20/2006 I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE ROUGH OPERATION AND REDUCED POWER OF THE ENGINE. I WAS A SHORT DISTANCE FROM MY DESTINATION WHERE I PARKED THINKING I WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED. AT FIRST I THOUGHT MY CAR WAS OVERHEATING BECAUSE THERE SEEMED TO BE STEAM COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD BUT THERE WAS AN ODD SMELL. I WENT INTO THE COFFEE SHOP I WAS VISITING AND WITHIN A MINUTE OR TWO I TURNED TO CHECK ON MY CAR AND I SAW THAT THE INTERIOR WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE. I WENT OUTSIDE AND NOTICED SPARKS AND FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE IN THE AREA OF THE BACK SEAT AND I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THEY ARRIVED AND PUT OUT THE FIRE UNDER THE CAR AND IN THE BACK SEAT WHERE THE FLAMES HAD BURNED THROUGH THE CARPET. I CALLED A TOW SERVICE AND WENT BACK INTO THE STORE TO FINISH MY COFFEE AND WAIT FOR THE TOW TRUCK. WHEN I CAME BACK OUT I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS STILL SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD SO I CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AGAIN TO PUT OUT THE REMNANTS OF THE FIRE. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO THE NEAREST SAAB DEALER WHICH IS IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, ABOUT 40 MILES AWAY. LATER THAT DAY I CALLED THE DEALER TO ASK ABOUT THE ABOVE REFERENCED RECALL WHICH I HAD DISCOVERED ON THE INTERNET, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY PARTICULAR CAR WAS NOT COVERED. IN THE LETTER OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT DATED SEPTEMBER 13, 2005 FROM GM TO THE NTHSA, GM STATES THAT "A SUSTAINED VEHICLE FIRE IS UNLIKELY AND GM KNOWS OF NONE." DUE TO THE EXACTNESS OF MY SITUATION AND THE RECALL, I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT GM NOW HAS AT LEAST ONE FIRE ON RECORD. *JB

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH THE 2000 SAAB 95 SHUT DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP. *NM THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION MODULE WAS REPLACED. AFTER REPAIR THE CONSUMER LEARNED THAT THE IGNITION MODULE FOR HER VEHICLE HAD BEEN RECALLED. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN AFTER THE IGNITION MODULE WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO DECIDED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *NM

SAFETY RECALL 15018 MY CAR IS A SAAB MODEL: 9-3, IT HAD THE FUEL LINE PROBLEM IN SAFETY NOTICE 15018, WHICH IS STILL AN OPEN FILE. SAAB SAYS THAT BECAUSE MY VIN IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL, I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM. I DID HAVE THE PROBLEM. IT COULD HAVE KILLED US. I NOW UNDERSTAND WHY GENERAL MOTORS IS GOING UNDER. I WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE OF THEIR PRODUCTS. TO ME, THE ISSUE IS NOT THE $263 I SPENT THAT THEY WILL NOT COVER. THE ISSUE IS THAT I BOUGHT THEIR PRODUCT IN GOOD FAITH, DISCOVERED A DESIGN ERROR THEY KNOW ABOUT, AND THEY WILL NOT STAND BEHIND IT. I THINK EVERY SAAB ON THE ROAD WITH THAT CHEAP (THE PLASTIC PART COSTS UNDER $4 RETAIL AT THE DEALER) FUEL SYSTEM ATTACHMENT DESIGN SHOULD BE PULLED OFF THE ROAD. *NM