SAAB Complaints

DIRECT IGNITION CARTRIDGE FAILURES. ON THREE OCCASIONS MY CAR HAS SUDDENLY STOPPED WITH NO WARNINGS. FORTUNATELY IN EACH CASE I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD SAFELY. IN EACH CASE THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE CARTRIDGE CALLING IT "DEFECTIVE". I AM NOT ON MY FOURTH CARTRIDGE IN 35,000 MILES.*AK

THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THIS PART WOULD FAIL, UNTIL IT DID FAIL. I WAS DRIVING AND THE ENGINE JUST SHUT OFF, ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND ROLL OFF AN OFF-RAMP, BUT DID CREATE AN UNSAFE CONDITION WHILE STILL ON THE HIGHWAY. THE PART WAS A "DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE", PART #9197559, AND IT WAS EASILY REPLACED BY MY MECHANIC AFTER THE CAR WAS TOWED TO HIS FACILITY.*AK

OWNER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. VEHICLE "B" REAR ENDED OWNER'S VEHICLE WHILE BEING DRIVEN AT 70 MPH. UPON IMPACT, THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. OWNER SUSTAINED INJURIES, WAS TAKEN TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND RELEASED. *AK

WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 45 MPH VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPPED. VEHICLE WAS TOWED, AND THE IGNITION MODULE WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE, AND WAS REPLACED.*AK VEHICLE DID NOT ACTUALLY STALL, BUT RATHER SPUTTERED LIKE IT WAS RUNNING OUT OF GAS AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE PAST 35 MPH (PER CONSUMER CALL 8/15/05 - C. ROSE)

2001 SAAB 9-3 TURBO-CHARGER FAILED ON START-UP ON FEB. 1, 2005; OIL WAS BLOWN INTO EXHAUST SYSTEM; CAR WAS REGULARLY MAINTAINED, NO PRIOR WARNING; MANUFACTURER DENIED COVERAGE BECAUSE OUT OF 50,000 MILE WARRANTY AND REPAIR SHOP DONE BY LOCAL SHOP, NOT DEALER.*AK

2002 SAAB 9-5 LINEAR SEDAN, PASSENGER SIDE SEAT MOVED BACK ON IT OWNS. *BF THE SEAT PINNED THE CONSUMERS DAUGHTER AND SHE WAS UNABLE TO MOVE. THE CONSUMER STATED SOME PAPERS FELL BETWEEN THE SEAT AND THE DOOR HITTING THE CONTROLS WHICH ACTIVATED THE SEAT MOVEMEN.T EVEN AFTER THE CONSUMER TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF THE SEAT DID NOT STOP MOVING, ONCE THE CONSUMER GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND OPENED THE DOOR THE SEAT STOPPED. *JB

WHILE DRIVING OUR 2004 SAAB 9-5 ON THE HIGHWAY, AT OVER 60 MPH, THE IGNITION HAS BEEN ACCIDENTALLY TURNED OFF. THIS CAUSES AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES, MAKING THE CAR VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND STOP. LUCKILY I WAS IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE DURING BOTH INCIDENTS AND COULD PULL OVER AND STOP WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. IF I HAD BEEN IN ANOTHER LANE, THE RESULTANT LOSS OF SPEED AND AN ATTEMPT TO CHANGE LANES COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. HE IGNITION KEY IS LOCATED ON THE CONSOLE BETWEEN THE TWO FRONT SEATS AND IS NOT PROTECTED NOR LOCKED IN ANY WAY TO SAFEGARD BUMPING THE KEY AND TURNING OFF THE IGNITION. MY LOCAL DEALER HAS NO PARTS OR REPAIR TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND SAAB USA DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A PROBLEM EXISTS.*AK

I OWN A SAAB 9-5 WAGON, 2001. WHEN IT WAS ONLY 3000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY, TWICE THE UNIT (ALARM SYSTEM) FAILED, PRESUMABLY BECAUSE IT HAD GOTTEN WET. SAAB SAYS THAT WHEN THE AC DRAINS ARE BLOCKED, IT CAN BACK UP INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE, THUS CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE TWICE UNIT. WHEN THE TWICE UNIT FAILS, IT BURNS OUT ALL 5 DOOR LOCK MOTORS, SINCE IT ERRONEOUSLY SENDS A CONSTANT ELECTRICAL SIGNAL TO THE MOTORS. I SEE THIS PROBLEM AS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW. THE TWICE UNIT SHOULD NOT BE LOCATED UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT AND SHOULD NOT BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO WATER DAMAGE. ALSO, THE AC DRAINS SHOULD NOT GET BLOCKED SO EASILY, CAUSING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE. AND THE FAILURE OF THE ALARM SYSTEM SHOULD NOT CAUSE THE DOOR LOCK MOTORS TO BURN OUT. SAAB DOES NOT HAVE A VEHICLE SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS PROBLEM AND DOES NOT CONSIDER IT A MAJOR DEFECT OR DESIGN FLAW. IT COSTS THE CONSUMER OVER $2500 TO REPAIR. I HAVE HAD THE TWICE UNIT REPLACE, BECAUSE THE CAR WOULD NOT OPERATE WITHOUT A FAILED UNIT. THE DOOR LOCKS HAVE NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *JB

AFTER SIGNIFICANT VIBRATION UNDER FRONT END AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS APPEARING AT LESS THAN 10,000 MILES, CAR UNDERWENT ALIGNMENT AND 3 HIGH SPEED BALANCES. ACCORDING TO DEALERSHIP, "ALL 4 TIRES WERE WORN ON INSIDES AND COULD ONLY BE CAUSED BY DEFECT." DEALER STATED THAT "ROAD FORCING WILL NOT ALLOW TIRES TO BE WITHIN THE LIMIT. TIRES NEED TO BE REPLACED. SENT TIRES TO MANUFACTURER FOR WARRANTY." SERVICE COMPLETED ON 10.29.04, WITH PIRELLIS REPLACED BY SAME SIZE MICHELINS. WORK ORDER WAS COMPLETED ON 1.7.05, WHICH WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW DETAILS AND CHARGES, DESPITE REPEATED REQUESTS SINCE 10.29.04. MY UNDERSTANDING, AND AUTHORIZATION AT THE TIME, WAS FOR THE PIRELLIS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTS, BUT WITH MICHELINS, TO AVOID POSSIBILITY OF DEFECTS WITH THE REPLACEMENT PIRELLIS, AT A COST OF UP TO $50 PER TIRE BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE. DEALER MAINTAINS I OWE $915. 82 FOR THE MICHELINS, LESS THE $212.80 CREDIT PIRELLI ISSUED ON 1.7.05. IRONICALLY, THE VIBRATION IN THE CAR CONTINUES WITH THE NEW MICHELINS. I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WAS THE INTENT OF THE DEALER TO MISLEAD ME, BUT THAT WAS THE RESULT. A WORK ORDER PROVIDED AT THE TIMES REQUESTED INSTEAD OF OVER TWO MONTHS LATER WOULD HAVE DEFINED THE AGREEMENT AND RESULTED IN A DIFFERENT COURSE OF ACTION. *NM

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, CHECK ENGINE DISPLAY CAME ON, BUT BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD THE CAR COMPLETELY STALLED. CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP (VILLAGE SAAB,ACTON, MA), AND TOLD I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. OIL ALWAYS CHANGED WITHIN SPECIFIED PARAMETERS, W/ 76K MI. SAAB NOTES DEFECT-BUT OFFERS NO HELP. *NM