SAAB Complaints

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THIS VEHICLE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS MENTIONED IN RECALL 95V066000 CONCERNING IGNITION MODULE FAILURE. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS AFTER STARTING UP. THE MOTOR WAS IDLING HIGH AND THE RPMS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE. HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DEALER FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE OWNER DID STOP BY AND SAW IF HER CAR WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, AND IT WAS NOT. WANTED TO WAIT TO AND SEE IF NHTSA OR SABB EXPANDED THE RECALL BEFORE SHE HAD IT CHECKED. *AK

PRIOR TO DI FAILURE, STARTING IMPAIRMENT AND MISFIRES DETECTED WITH CEL. UPON FAILURE, CAR WOULD NOT RUN AND STEERING WAS LOST. TO CORRECT FAILURE, NEW DI WAS FITTED AFTER IT WAS BROKEN. SYMPTOMS SHOULD HAVE BEEN REASON ENOUGH TO CHANGE IT EARLY. *NM

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A BUSY STREET WHEN MY CAR STALLED, AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG PRIOR TO THE CAR DYING. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF THE ROAD INTO A PARKING LOT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL SAAB DEALER. THEY REPLACED THE DI CASSETTE AND DID A SOFTWARE UPGRADE. I WAS NOT INJURED, HOWEVER, I AM FRIGHTENED TO THINK WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED IF I WAS DRIVING 65 ON A BUSY HIGHWAY! *NM

1) I STOPPED AT HOME ON THE WAY TO ANOTHER APPOINTMENT. THERE WERE NO INDICATORS THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. WHEN I RETURNED TO THE GARAGE ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER, THE CAR WOULD NOT START. IT MADE NO NOISE AND GAVE NO INDICATION EXCEPT IT WAS MYSTERIOUSLY COMPLETELY UNABLE TO START. THE LIGHTS WOULD STILL TURN ON, SO IT WAS NOT A BATTERY. I PAID TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A SAAB INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. LUCKILY I WAS NOT DRIVING THE CAR WHEN IT STOPPED WORKING; IT WAS A COMPLETE FLUKE I HAD STOPPED THE CAR FOR A FEW MINUTES. IT HAD STARTED FINE THE OTHER 3 TIMES THAT DAY. 2) THE CAR WOULD NOT START. IT WAS 2 MONTHS OUT OF THE 4-YEAR WARRANTY. LUCKILY, I WAS AT HOME AND WAS NOT INJURED. 3) WHEN THE REPAIR SHOP CHECKED THE CAR, THEY SAID THE IGNITION CASSETTE FAILED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. THEY REPLACED IT. THE CAR NOW STARTS. HOWEVER, IT IS AN EXPENSIVE PART AND SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED SO SOON. I HAVE ONLY ABOUT 40,000 MILES ON THE CAR. I HAVE READ STATEMENTS FROM OTHER SAAB 9-3 DRIVERS THAT THE IGNITION CASSETTES ON THEIR CARS FAILED WHILE DRIVING, WHICH LOST THEM CONTROL OF THE CAR IN BAD SITUATIONS. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND I CONSIDER I HAD A CLOSE CALL. *NM

DIRECTION IGNITION CASSETTE FAILURE. CAR SUFFERED COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER, WITHOUT WARNING, WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROX 65 MPH. *NM

RELATED TO NHTSA ACTION NUMBER (INVESTIGATION #) : PE05017. (1) CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ACTIVATED ON AND OFF. I HAD A TECHNICIAN RUN THE CODES. THE DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE (DIC) WAS SENDING ERROR CODES INDICATED POSSIBLE IMMINENT FAILURE. (2) THE DIC DID NOT FAIL YET ON MY CAR (NOW HAS 68,000 MILES). GIVEN SAAB'S HISTORY WITH THIS PARTICULAR PART AND THE CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE (TOTAL LOSS OF POWER WHEREVER IT HAPPENS), I DIDN'T TAKE ANY CHANCES. (3) ON THE ADVICE OF OTHER SAAB OWNERS AND MY INDEPENDENT SAFE TECHNICIAN, I PURCHASED AND INSTALLED A NEW DIC. THE OLD PART IS STILL AVAILABLE. I'M HOLDING ONTO IT IN CASE THE NEW ONE FAILS. *NM

I HAVE AN '01 9-5 AND HAVE HAD THE DI CASSETTES FAIL TWICE, ONCE CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE FIRST DIC FAILURE WAS ON 8/19/2003 AT 62,453 MILES WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS DRIVING 45 MPH AND THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. I HAD ONE DI CASSETTE AND 6 SPARK PLUGS REPLACED ON 8/20/2003. ON 12/22/2003 (4 MONTHS LATER) WITH 64,080 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND SUDDENLY I WAS ONLY ABLE TO TRAVEL AROUND 20-30 MPH WITH MUCH SHAKING TO THE VEHICLE. THIS DIC FAILURE CAUSED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER TO BURN UP. THE TECHNICIAN SAID THAT BOTH DI CASSETTES HAVE TO BE REPLACED WHEN ONE FAILS OR YOU RUN THE RISK OF RECURRENCE. I HAD TWO DI CASSETTE, ONE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, ONE THERMOSTAT, AND SPARK PLUGS REPLACED ON 12/23/2003 (ONE DIC WAS CREDITED BECAUSE OF THE PREVIOUS WORK ON 8/20/2003). I WAS ADVISED ON 7/22/2005 THAT I DO NOT HAVE THE LATEST SAAB 9-5 TRIONIC UPDATE THAT INCLUDES CHANGES TO PROTECT AGAINST DI CASSETTE FAILURES. PERHAPS THERE WERE ERRORS IN THE OLD CODE THAT WERE CAUSING ALL THE DIC FAILURES, OR PERHAPS THIS IS AN UPDATE TO ADD FAIL-SAFES TO MINIMIZE THE CHANGE OF DIC FAILURES.

SAAB 95 HAS BAD DI CASSETTE UNIT THAT MAY CAUSE FIRE (QUOTE FROM DEALER), AND HAS CAUSED STALLING ON OTHER CARS (QUOTE FROM DEALER). SOFTWARE FIX WAS AVAILABLE BUT NO MADE AVAILABLE UNTIL AFTER FAILURE, AND EXPENSIVE REPAIR

2 DIRECT IGNITION MODULES FAILED ON MY SAAB 95 SE V-6 CAR WHICH CAUSED RAW GAS TO RUIN THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. REPAIR COST ~$2600. TOOK CAR IN FOR SERVICE IN APRIL COMPLAINING OF SURGING AND JERKING WHILE DRIVING. THREE DAYS LATER SAAB SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM - THEY RESET THE COMPUTER WHICH ALLEVIATED THE SITUATION FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THE PROBLEM RETURNED. IN JULY THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY IDENTIFIED THE DIRECT IGNITION PROBLEM. WITH THE FREQUENCY THAT SAAB'S DI'S ARE FAILING, WHY HAVEN'T THEY RECALLED THE PART? IT CREATES A DANGEROUS SITUATION - BOTH FROM THE CAR FAILING AT HIGHWAY SPEED TO POTENTIAL FIRE. ALSO,IF MY PROBLEM HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED PROPERLY IN APRIL, I WOULD HAVE AVOIDED THE EXPENSE OF A NEW CATALYTIC CONVERTER ($1400 PLUS LABOR & TAX). AFTER INVESTIGATING SAAB USER NETS, THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM. WHY ISN'T SAAB DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS?

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, OUR 2004 SAAB 95 WOULD NOT START. LATER IT WOULD START. SAAB REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROBLEM. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. THERE HAVE BEEN 5 INSTANCES BEGINNING IN MAY OF 2004.