SAAB Complaints

DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE (DIC) FAILURE 2000 SAAB 9-5 AERO THE DIC ON MY 2000 SAAB 9-5 AERO FAILED AT 65MPH CAUSING ENGINE FAILURE AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. NO RESTART. VIEWED OWNER FEEDBACK AT WWW.SAABNET.COM AND REALISED DIC FAILURE RATE ON 9-5 MODEL (ALL YEARS) SEEMS EXTREMELY HIGH. OWNERS HAVE COMMENTED THAT SAAB RECOGNIZES THE DEFECT AND IN SOME CASES PROVIDES SPARE DIC'S BUT HAS DECLINED TO RECALL. SAAB REFUSED TO COMMENT, TO ME, ON THE FAILURE RATE OR DEFECT TREND FOR THIS DIC. THE DIC FAILS WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING ENGINE TO STALL. FAILURE AT HIGHWAY SPEED COULD BE CATOSTROPHIC. I HAVE SEEN OTHER OWNERS COMMENT THAT DIC FAILURE CAN BE ACCOMPANIED BY A GREAT DEAL OF SMOKE AND POSSIBLY FIRE. GM RECALLED SATURN IGNITION MODULES AS DID VW. WONDERING WHY SAAB HAS NOT. (1) IRRATIC ENGINE SPEED WITH INTERMITTENT HESITATION DURING ACCELERATION. (2) LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND VEHICLE CONTROL (3) REPLACED DIGITAL IGNITION CASSETTE, DEFECTIVE PART IS AVAILABLE. *AK

EXPERIENCED A SIDEWALL BLOWOUT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE ON MY RECENTLY-PURCHASED SAAB 9-3 LINEAR. THE VEHICLE HAD 13.5K MILES WHEN PURCHASED, THE TIRE BLEW AT 14.2K. WAS DRIVING 50 MPH ON A LOCAL HIGHWAY, DID NOT HIT ANYTHING, TIRES HAD VERY RECENTLY BEEN INSPECTED FOR WEAR AND INFLATION, THERE WAS NO PRECIPITATING EVENT PRIOR TO HEARING A LOUD "POP"; SHORTLY THEREAFTER FELT AND HEARD THE EFFECTS OF THE DEFLATED TIRE. TIRE REMAINED ON THE WHEEL, BUT WAS FLAT WITH A SIGNIFICANT HOLE IN THE SIDEWALL. THE TIRES ON THE VEHICLE WERE PIRELLI P6 FOUR SEASON TIRES 215/55R16.*AK

RECALL 95V066000 CONCERNING ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT. DUE TO THE VIN THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR RECALL REPAIRS. HOWEVER, BASED ON THE SYMPTOMS IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE DEFECT THIS VEHICLE WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO TOLD CONSUMER THAT BECAUSE THE RECALL INFORMATION DID NOT APPEAR ON THE SAAB WEB PAGE THEY WILL NOT ASSIST THE CONSUMER. *AK

ON APRIL 8, 2004 MY WIFES 2002 SAAB CONVERTIBLE WAS STRUCK BY A VEHICLE THAT FAILED TO YIELD AT A STOP SIGN. THE CAR WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED AND WAS TOWED TO NIMNICHT SAAB, THE ONLY AUTHORIZED SAAB DEALER IN JACKSONVILLE, FL. ALTHOUGH THE ACCIDENT RESULTED IN MORE THAN $8,000 TO OUR VEHICLE AND THE IMPACT ZONE WAS A T-BONE TYPE IMPACT TO THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, THE DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. AS OF THIS WRITING, OUR CAR REMAINS AT THE DEALERSHIP AND HAS YET TO BE REPAIRED. THIS REPAIR DELAY SITUATION HAS BEEN CREATED, IN LARGE PART, BY THE FACT THAT THE PRIMARY REPLACEMENT PART NECESSARY TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN ON FACTORY BACK ORDER SINCE MID-APRIL. OVER FIVE MONTHS LATER, THERE IS STILL NO SPECIFIC TIME-FRAME FOR RECEIPT OF THIS PART. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, NIMNICHT SAAB HAS RECENTLY INFORMED US THAT THEY NO LONGER HAVE INTEREST IN REPAIRING OUR VEHICLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, AND ARE DEMANDING THAT WE REMOVE OUR CAR FROM THEIR LOT AND PAY THEM MORE THAN $1,000 IN STORAGE FEES. ID BE SINCERELY AND ETERNALLY GRATEFUL IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER OUR PLIGHT AND BRING AWARENESS TO YOUR VIEWING AUDIENCE TO THIS SEEMINGLY ENDLESS QUAGMIRE. DOING SO MIGHT CONVINCE THE PARTIES INVOLVED (SAAB CARS USA, NIMNICHT SAAB, ST. PAUL TRAVELERS INSURANCE) TO RESOLVE THIS MATTER TO EVERYONES SATISFACTION. *AK

CONSUMER SMELLED FUEL WHILE DRIVING. STOPPED THE VEHICLE, EXAMINED FUEL RAIL, AND NOTICED ONE OF THE CLIPS BROKE. AS RESULT, VEHICLE WAS LEAKING GAS. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. *AK

VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSES POWER WHEN THE FUSE TO THE FUEL PUMP BLOWS. *MR THE MECHANICS SUGGESTED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THEY DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS. *SC *JB

DI CASSETTE FAILURE I WAS DRIVING IN THE I80 DURING RUSH HOUR (5:30 PM NEAR SAN FRANCISCO-RICHMOND) AT ABOUT 50 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE ENGINE DIED ON ME. I HAD TO CUT ACROSS 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC WITH A DEAD ENGINE TO GET TO THE SIDE. I AM SURPRISED THAT I COULD EVEN DO THIS GIVEN THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC. IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY NASTY SINCE I WAS JUST COMING AROUND A CORNER WHEN IT OCCURRED. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO A SAAB DEALER. APPARENTLY THE DI CASSETTE HAS FAILED AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED PLUS SPARK PLUGS ($725) AND POSSIBLY THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER ($1,100). ACCORDING TO THE DEALER THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNINGS GIVEN ON THIS NOR WOULD IT BE DETECTABLE IN A NORMAL SERVICE. DOING SOME RESEARCH IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE WITH SAAB'S AROUND THE WORLD. VERY INTERESTINGLY MOST COMMENTS DESCRIBE CIRCUMSTANCES SIMILAR TO MINE WHERE THE ENGINE DIES WHILE TRAVELING ON A HIGHWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS HAS TO BE VERY DANGEROUS FOR THE OCCUPANTS AND OTHER USERS OF THE HIGHWAYS. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE CORRECTED IMMEDIATELY. OPTIONS WOULD BE A FULL RECALL OR A PROPER WARNING SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THE PART TO BE REPLACED BEFORE CATASTROPHE. *JB

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING WHEN SOMEONE HONKED THE HORN. AFTER PULLING INTO THE SERVICE STATION GAS WAS POURING FROM THE FUEL LINE. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. *AK

THE LED FOR SID WHICH PROVIDES PERTINENT DATA FOR AUTO ENGINE FUNCTIONS AND INFORMATION FOR THE RADIO, TEMPERATURE, TRIP DATA, ETC. IS ILLIGIBLE DOES NOT FUNCTION AS I AM CERTAIN MANY OTHER SAAB OWNERS EXPERIENCE. OF GREATER CONCERN IS GM'S RESISTANCE TO ACKNOWLEDGE ANY REQUESTS CONCERNING THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM.

WHILE DRIVING BRAKE LIGHT AND THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON. VEHICLE LOST BRAKING OPERATION. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE BRAKE MOTOR WAS REPLACED. *AK