SAAB Complaints

CAR STALLED WHILE CRUISING AT 75 MILES PER HOUR ON A BUSY INTERSTATE. CAR COULD NOT BE RESTARTED, EVEN AFTER PULLING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. NO PRIOR INDICATION OF IMMINENT FAILURE WAS GIVEN'THE ENGINE SIMPLY CUT OUT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER DIAGNOSED AS THE FAILURE OF AS A BAD THROTTLE BODY. THIS IS A KNOWN WEAKNESS IN THE CAR FOR WHICH SAAB HAS BEEN TRYING TO FIND A SOLUTION FOR YEARS. THE SERVICING DEALER WAS SURPRISED THAT THE PART WAS NOT IN STOCK SINCE IT FAILS OFTEN. MANY PEOPLE HAVE THROTTLE BODY PROBLEMS WHICH TRIGGER LIMP HOME MODE AND REQUIRE A CLEANING AND/OR REPLACEMENT OF THE THROTTLE BODY. REPORTEDLY NEWER SOFTWARE TRIGGERS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE. THIS EARLY WARNING WAS NOT GIVEN THIS CASE. IT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE THAT THIS SHOULD STILL BE AN ISSUE ON A 2003 MODEL YEAR VEHICLE WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST SHOWED ITSELF IN 1998. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE IN A REAR END COLLISION BEFORE SAAB OR THE NHTSA WILL ACT ON THIS? *NM

ON A 2001 SAAB 9-5 SE (V6 ENGINE) STATIONWAGON WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. AS I PULLED THE CAR OFF THE HIGHWAY ONTO AN EXIT RAMP (WITHIN LESS THAN A MINUTE OF THE MALFUNCTION), THE CAR STALLED AND A BURNING SMELL WAS DETECTED INSIDE THE CAR AFTER WHICH THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF AND PARKED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL SAAB DEALER WHERE THE IGNITION DISCHARGE MODULE ON THE REAR CYLINDER BANK WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE FAILED. FAILURE OF THE IDM ON ONLY 3 OUT OF 6 CYLINDERS CAUSED UNBURNED GAS TO BE DISCHARGED INTO THE EXHAUST WHERE IT REACTED IN THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, CLOGGING THE CONVERTER AND STALLING THE ENGINE. THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS RUINED WHICH CAUSED THE BURNING SMELL. NO FIRE WAS DETECTED. THE IDM AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER WERE REPLACED. *JB

THE DIRECT IGNITION MODULE/CASSETTE FAILED ON MY 2001 9-5 AERO AND I HAD TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP. I JUST DISCOVERED ON THE SAAB BULLETIN BOARD (I.E. SAABNET) THAT THIS PART FAILS REGULARLY IN SAABS, PARTICULARLY IN THE 2001 9-5S. *JB

BRAKE PADS & ROTORS, SEAT BELT, BATTERY REPLACEMENT, TIRE, TRANSMISSION, SUNROOF MALFUNCTION. *NM

CAR STALLS WHILE DRIVING, NO WARNING LIGHTS ,NO PRECURSOR-VERY DANGEROUS AS IS UNPREDICTABLE- MECHANIC UNABLE TO FIND CAUSE-OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AND IDLING, AM AFRAID FOR MY FAMILIES SAFETY TO DRIVE CAR. *JB

DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE (AKA DIRECT IGNITION MODULE, IDM, DI, DIC) HAS DIED ON MY 1999 9-3 2 TIMES. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE NEW, IT NOW HAS 66,000 MILES. WHEN THE DI CASSETTE DIES THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY SHUTS DOWN WHICH CAN RESULT IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF ONE IS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. MY DI CASSETTE FIRST DIED AT 50,000 MILES. THE CAR SIMPLY WOULD NOT START, NO PRIOR WARNINGS. A BRAND NEW DI CASSETTE FROM SAAB WAS PUT IN. THE 2ND DI CASSETTE DIED AT 63,000 MILES, WHILE I WAS DRIVING. THERE WAS NO PRIOR WARNING AGAIN. THE CAR SHUT DOWN AS I WAS DRIVING, AND I LOST POWER STEERING. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SINCE I WAS GOING SLOW. DI CASSETTE WAS REPLACED AGAIN, SO I AM CURRENTLY ON DI CASSETTE #3. THE PART IS UNCHANGED, SO I FEAR IT COULD DIE AGAIN AT ANY MOMENT. I'VE HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR ALL OF THE DI CASSETTES. *JB

DT: THE CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS IN SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT AND THE SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS HIT ON HIT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE, AND WAS HIT SO HARD THAT THE BACK PASSENGER'S DOOR WAS STUCK TO THE VEHICLE THAT HIT IT. THE DRIVER OF THE OTHER VEHICLE ADMITTED HE HAD BEEN GOING AT 30 MPH WHEN THE SIDE IMPACT OCCURRED. THIS HAPPENED ON AUGUST 17, 2005. HAD NOT CONTACTED DEALERSHIP, BUT WILL BE CONTACTING THE MANUFACTURER. *AK

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE I WAS HIGHWAY DRIVING; I PARKED THE VEHICLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND DIDN'T USE IT UNTIL THE MECHANIC WAS AVAILABLE. THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST SHOWED DIRECT IGNITION FAILURE, THE PART WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW PART. BEING A LONG-TIME SAAB OWNER, OF SEVERAL MODELS, I AM AWARE THAT CERTAIN MODELS HAVE ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS, SUCH AS THIS PART. *JB

THE LEASE ON THIS VEHICLE BEGAN ON OCTOBER 6, 2003. IT HAS HAD MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES STARTING LESS THAN 30 DAYS AFTER DELIVERY. MOST RECENTLY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2005. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED THREE TIMES AND HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TWICE. EACH TIME THE ONSTAR DID NOT WORK BECAUSE OF ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS. WE NO LONGER HAVE ANY CONFIDENCE IN THIS VEHICLE AND IF WE OWNED IT WE WOULD SELL IT. PROBLEMS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: * CD PLAYER STOPPED WORKING AND WAS REPLACED WITHIN FIRST 30 DAYS OF LEASE. * BRAKES REPLACED WITHIN FIRST 60 DAYS OF LEASE. * ONSTAR COMPUTER REPLACED WITHIN FIRST 60 DAYS OF LEASE. * VEHICLE COMPUTER UPDATED WITHIN FIRST YEAR OF LEASE. THIS LEFT ME STRANDED AND ALMOST REQUIRED A TOW DUE TO INOPERATIVE TRANSMISSION BUT, THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY SHIFTED INTO LIMP MODE BEFORE THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED ALLOWING US TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. * VEHICLE COMPUTER UPDATED AGAIN WITHIN FIRST YEAR OF LEASE. * ONSTAR COMPUTER REPAIRED AGAIN WITHIN FIRST YEAR OF LEASE. * DOOR HANDLES FADED AND REPLACED WITHIN SECOND YEAR * PARKING BREAK STUCK AND VEHICLE REQUIRED A TOW WITHIN SECOND YEAR OF LEASE. * ENGINE IMMOBILIZER MALFUNCTION REQUIRING ANOTHER TOW OF THE VEHICLE WITHIN SECOND YEAR OF LEASE. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE BATTERY ABRUPTLY DIED. * TRIP COMPUTER MUST BE RESET AFTER GAS IS ADDED IN ORDER TO SHOW CORRECT DISTANCE TO EMPTY. * MILES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES SEEM INCORRECT. WE ARE AT 27000 MILES AND HAVE ONLY HAD ONE OIL CHANGE. THE DEALERSHIP CONTINUES TO TELL US TO WAIT UNTIL THE COMPUTER REQUESTS THE SERVICE. *NM

THREE TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR, THE CLUTCH CABLE ON MY CAR HAS BROKEN. THANKFULLY, EACH TIME I WAS WITHIN FOUR MILES OF MY HOME. WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO SHIFT, I WAS REQUIRED TO ATTEMPT TO DRIVE HOME OR TO THE SERVICE STATION WITH NO STOPPING. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO BLOW THROUGH STOP SIGNS AND AVOID TRAFFIC. I DO NOT LOOK FORWARD TO THREE MONTHS FROM NOW WHEN THE CABLE BREAKS AGAIN LEAVING ME STRANDED IN A LESS CONVENIENT LOCATION. *NM