SAAB Complaints

I PURCHASED A 2005 SAAB 9-2X AND SHORTLY AFTER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT RESULTING IN MY CAR BEING TOTALED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURED WHEN THE STEERING FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY RESULTING IN THE CAR JUMPING A MEDIAN AND LANDING ON ITS SIDE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE CAR IGNITED INTO A FIRE STARTING IN THE ENGINE, WHICH QUICKLY SPREAD TO THE INTERIOR. LUCKILY THE PASSENGER AND I MADE IT OUT QUICKLY AND SAFELY.

THE CAR SUFFERS FROM VIBRATIONS WHEN THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES ARE REPLACED. THE REPLACEMENT PROCESS REQUIRES MANY REBALANCING AND/OR TIRE REPLACEMENTS AND STILL RESULTS IN MORE VIBRATION THAN EXISTS WITH THE FACTORY TIRES. THE VIBRATION IS MOST PRONOUNCED AT SPEEDS AROUND 70-80 MILES PER HOUR.

VIBRATION AFTER CHANGING TIRES. HAD REBALANCED 3 TIMES AND NOTHING HELPED. I HAD THE CAR CHECKED FOR SUSPENSION PROBLEMS, NOTHING WAS FOUND. AFTER TALKING TO SEVERAL OTHER SAAB OWNERS, I REALIZED THAT I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO IS EXPERIENCEING THIS.

AFTER REPLACING ALL FOUR TIRES ON MY WIFE'S 1999 SAAB 9-5 AND ON MY 1999 SAAB 9-5 A VIBRATION SHOWED UP AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. EACH CAR UNDERWENT NUMEROUS TIRE REBALANCINGS AT DIFFERENT TIRE SHOPS AS WELL AS OUR SAAB DEALER. NOTHING HELPED. ON MY CAR, I RETURNED THE TIRES AND BOUGHT NEW, MORE EXPENSIVE ONES THINKING THAT MAYBE THE PROBLEM WAS IN THE TIRES. AFTER THE NEW SET WERE INSTALLED, THE VIBRATION WAS STILL THERE. I POSTED MY CONCERNS ON A POPULAR SAAB WEBSITE SAABNET.COM FOR ADVICE FROM OTHER SAAB OWNERS. THE RESPONSE WAS OVERWHELMING. SEEMS AS THOUGH MANY OTHER SAAB 9-5 OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS EXACT PROBLEM AFTER CHANGING TIRES. NO ONE HAS FOUND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, SOME WENT AWAY BY THEMSELVES AND OTHERS ARE JUST DEALING WITH IT. I THINK SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE 9-5 AND NOW THAT I KNOW MANY HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, I AM VERY CONCERNED.

AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WITH NO ACCIDENT AND NO IMPACT ROLL BARS DEPLOYED WITH NO ACCIDENT AND NO IMPACT/CONVERTIBLE TOP WAS NOT DOWN. BARND NEW SAAB 9.3 CAR TOWED TO DEALER/CORPORATE HAS BEEN CONTACTED BY OWNER OF CAR/NO RESPONSE FROM CARPORATE FOR ONE WEEK. CAR STILL AT DEALER WITH NO ANSWERS OR REASONS FOR DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAGS AND ROLLBARS. POLICE TOWED VEHICLE/NO REPORT/NO ACCIDENT

MY SAAB HAS HAD A LITANY OF PROBLEMS SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE CAR. IT ALL STARTED WITH LITTLE ITEMS. IGNITION WOULDN'T START THE CAR. HEAD LIGHTS BURNT OUT. DASH PEELING, DOOR HANDLES DISCOLORING, EMERGENCY BRAKE GETTING STUCK AND BEING ABLE TO OPERATE MY CAR. ENGINE WARNING LIGHT BECAUSE MY GAS CAP WASN'T ON CORRECT. STEERING WHEEL LOCKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING. WHEEL LOCK LIGHT REMAINING ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING. BRAKES REPLACED DUE TO FACTORY RETRO FIT. SEAT BELTS BEING RECALLED. COMPUTER CONSTANTLY NEEDING TO BE REPLACED SO THE CAR WOULD FUNCTION. ELECTRONIC KEY FAILING SO I COULDN'T START MY CAR. MY CAR IS A 5 SPEED AND THE SHIFTER HANDLE HAS AN CONTINUES TO COME OFF IN MY HAND. A MINIMUM OF 3 FUSES NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE DASH BOARD GOES BLANK AT TIMES SHOWING NO FUNCTIONS OF THE CAR. WINDOW WOULDN'T GO UP OR DOWN AND REQUIRED THE REGULATOR TO BE REPLACED. ERRACTIC IDLE. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON BUT, DEALER DOESN'T KNOW WHY. BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT 30,000 MILES AND ROTORS TOO.

DT: THE ENGINE JUST SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING AND THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THERE WAS ONLY A CLICKING NOISE. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. THE FIRST INCIDENT, THE IGNITION CASSETTE WAS REPLACED, AND THIS SUBSEQUENTLY HAPPENED AGAIN. MORE REPAIR WORK WAS DONE AND THIS HAPPENED FOR A THIRD TIME. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN SHOP. *AK THE THROTTLE BODY HAD TRIPPED AND WENT INTO LIMP MODE ON THE THIRD INCIDENT. THE DEALER COULD NOT DETECT THE ROOT CAUSE. *SC *JB

THIS COMPLAINT IS REPRESENTS AN ADDITIONAL EVENT UNDER NHTSA ACTION # PE05017. ON MAY 15, 2004 THE AUTOMOBILE WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE FROM MY RESIDENCE, HAVING BEEN USED TO DO LOCAL ERRANDS, WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED BUCKING AND SURGING. GIVEN THE CLOSENESS OF THE RESIDENCE TO THE START OF THE PROBLEMS, THE CAR LIMPED HOME, WAS STOPPED IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE, AND THE IGNITION WAS SHUT OFF. AT THAT POINT, A BURNING SMELL PERMEATED THE AIR. AFTER THE CAR COOLED DOWN, WE TRIED TO START IT AGAIN, TO NO AVAIL. WHEN THE CAR TURNED OVER, WE COULD SEE WISPS OF SMOKE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. A TOW TRUCK WAS CALLED AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP, WHICH INSTALLED TWO DI CASSETTES AT A COST OF $1200.

WHILE DRIVING MY 2001 95 SAAB AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH THE ENGINE ABRUPTLY DIED IN TRAFFIC , THIS I FOUND OUT WAS DUE TO THE DI MODULE , IT APPEARS THAT MANY SAABS ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE ACCORDING TO MY DEALER, THEY HAVE HAD MANY FAILURES RECENTLY WITH NO WARNING(S) TO THE DRIVER. FORTUNATLEY I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROD TO AVOID ANY COLLISION. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS A SAFETY HAZARD AND A RECALL FOR ALL SAAB 9-5 VEHICLES BE GENERATED , AS I AM SURE MANY OF THESE INSTANCES ARE NOT REPORTED

ABS BRAKES LOCK UP WHEN DRIVING. ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS. AS AN EXAMPLE, TYPICALLY BRAKES LOCK UP WHEN IN STOP AND GO HEAVY TRAFFIC, COMMONLY AT MORNING AND EVENING RUSH HOURS. DANGEROUS WHEN TRAFFIC CLEARS UP AND THERE IS SUDDENLY NEED TO ACCELERATE TO KEEP PACE WITH TRAFFIC FLOW AND THE CAR LOCKS UP.