SAAB Complaints

FAILURE OF DIRECT IGNITION (DI) UNIT (1) CAR BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH AND STALLING AT STOP LIGHTS. A PROGRESSIVE WORSENING PROBLEM THAT THE DEALER COULD NOT DIAGNOSE AFTER COUPLE OF MENTIONS OF PROBLEM. (2) CAR DIED IN MIDDLE OF STREET, HAD TO CALL SERVICE TO TOW TO DEALERSHIP. (3) UNIT WAS REPLACED (UNDER WARRANTY AT TIME). *NM

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SAAB 93ARC. COULD TAKE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH WITHOUT THE CAR BEING IN PARK. ON JULY 22, 2005 CAR ROLLED DOWN DRIVEWAY, CAUSING PROPERTY DAMAGE. THE CONTACTED CONCERN WAS THAT SOMEONE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM A MAY GET HURT. THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED BY THE DEALERSHIP, WHO REPLACED SOME PARTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNCERTAIN OF WHAT PARTS WERE REPLACED. *AK THE DEAR REPLACED THE IGNITION, IGNITION SWITCH, REPROGRAMMED THE KEY AND INSTALLED THE LATEST SOFTWARE. *NM

DT: CONSUMER STATES ON OCTOBER 6, 2005 WHILE DRIVING ON A ROAD THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FUEL LINE WAS RIPPED, AND ONE SMELLED GASOLINE ALL OVER THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER STATED WHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE IT WILL STALL INTERMITTENTLY. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER AND NO CODES SHOWED UP ON THE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE. THE DEALER CHANGED CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND THE OXYGEN SENSOR TWICE. THE DEALER COULD NOT PIN POINT THE PROBLEM. THE ENGINE FAILURE LIGHT DID COME ON BEFORE THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE DEALER SAID THAT SOME TYPE OF DEBRIS CAME FROM THE HIGHWAY THAT CAUSED THE FUEL LINE TO RIP. *AK

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND INDICATED A MISFIRE CYL. ONE. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED UNTIL TOTAL FAILURE OF THE ENGINE 12 MILES LATER. THE DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE WAS REPLACED AND THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM THROUGHOUT THE 1999-2003 MODEL YEAR RANGE. *NM

WHILE THE LOCKING MECHANISM ON THE PASSENGER DOOR WILL POP TO THE OPEN POSITION. WHEN THE DOOR LOCK IS DEPRESSED THE DOOR LOCK MECHANISM WILL AGAIN POP UP. THEN FROM THE DRIVER DOOR WHEN DEPRESSING THE SWITCH TO LOCK ALL THE DOOR THE MECHANISM WILL LOCK THEN WITHIN SECONDS UNLOCK. I HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO 2 DISTINCT SAAB DEALERS AND THEY CLAIM NO PROBLEM EXIST BUT SITUATION CONTINUES TO OCCUR. SAFETY ISSUE WHEN DRIVING A CHILD CAN OPEN DOOR OR SOMEONE CAN GAIN ENTRANCE TO THE CAR DUE TO FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DOOR LOCKED. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SAAB 93 LINEAR. APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS AGO THERE WAS COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE WHILE TRYING TO STOP AT A STOP LIGHT ON DRY PAVEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP, AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. THIS WAS THE FIRST TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE. BUT SINCE THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED THERE WAS VIBRATION IN THE PEDAL WHILE IN REVERSE AND WHILE TRYING TO STOP. THIS HAS BEEN A CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE SINCE THE DAY OF PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR EVERY TIME THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM . THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE THE SERVICE DEALER SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATES THERE IS RECALL 03V006000 ON THE WHEEL BOLTS, AND BECAUSE HE IS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY TEMPORALLY, MANUFACTURER WILL NOT SEND HIM THE REPLACEMENT PARTS. HE IS ON MILITARY DUTY. *AK UPDATED 11/19/05. *JB

WHILE DRIVING ON A VERY BUSY L.A. FREEWAY ON A SATURDAY EVENING MY CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER WITH NO WARNING TO THE POINT OF ALMOST STALLING. LUCKY FOR ME I SAY MY PRAYERS AND WAS ABLE TO NAVIGATE TO THE OFF RAMP AND COAST ON TO THE STREET WHERE I WAS PUSHED OUT OF TRAFFIC BY A GOOD SAMARITAN (I'M A SINGLE FEMALE DRIVER). I NOTICED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. I WAS ABLE TO START IT AGAIN AFTER AWHILE AND CHUGGED HOME 30 SLOW MILES TO MY HOUSE ( I WAS ALL OUT OF TOWS ON AAA AND NO MECHANICS OPEN AT THAT TIME).NEXT WEEK MY SAAB MECHANIC INDICATES THAT IT IS THE DI FAILING. ESTIMATED COST PART/LABOR IS $550.00. I JUST REPLACED THE DI 9/15/2003 AFTER A SIMILAR INCIDENT HAPPENED AND ALL POWER WAS LOST WHILE DRIVING, I COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND HAD IT TOWED TO SAAB. COST TO ME THE FIRST TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY $450.00 NOT INCLUDING CAR RENTAL. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD ON THE '99S AS ALL THESE POSTED COMPLAINTS INDICATE AND I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING WHY THE CURRENT RECALL IS NOT INCLUDING '99S. I'VE HELD OFF REPLACING THE REPLACEMENT THAT LASTED ONLY 20,000 MI/2 YEARS HOPING TO GET SOME RECOGNITION/HELP FROM SAAB WITH THIS. PART IS AVAILABLE. OBVIOUSLY THE CURRENT (FAILED) DI IN MY CAR IS A 2000 - 2002 SAAB DI - SO WILL THEY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS REPAIR? THIS IS RIDICULOUS! I ADAMANTLY BELIEVE SAAB SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS PROBLEM ON THE 99S AS (I HAVE FOUND OUT) IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AMONG OWNERS. *NM

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