SAAB Complaints

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT A CONSTANT 50 MPH, THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. THERE WAS NO INDICATION ON AN IMPENDING FAILURE. ONE MOMENT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING NORMALLY AND THEN SUDDENLY IT STOPPED COMPLETELY. FORTUNATELY, I MANAGED TO GET THE CAR SAFELY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RESTART. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED A FAILED DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE. CONSIDER MYSELF VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN SPITE OF THE HEAVY TRAFFIC.*AK

2000 SAAB 9-5 SEDAN SUDDENLY STALLED OUT AT 60 MPH AS 2 TRACKER TRAILERS NEARLY COLLIDED INTO MY VEHICLE. NO SHOULDERS ON THIS HIGHWAY LEAVING MY FAMILY IN A HORRIBLY DANGEROUS PLACE. VERMONT STATE POLICE RESPONDED TO PROVIDE PROTECTION. THE CASSETTE WHICH HOUSES THE IGNITION FAILED. BOTH THE DEALER AND OTHER OWNERS HAVE EXPRESSED THAT THIS OCCURS AL THE TIME WITH SAABS AND THERE IS NO WAY TO PREVENT THESE CARS FROM STALLING AT ANY TIME!*AK

VACUUM BRAKE BOOSTER DEVELOPED AN INTERNAL LEAK, CAUSING MOMENTARY LOSS OF BRAKING ACTION WHEN FIRST STEPPING ON BRAKE PEDAL DURING AN EMERGENCY STOP. DURING "NORMAL" BRAKING THE BRAKES WORKED FINE. IMPORTANT!...THE BIG DANGER HERE IS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE BOOSTER TILL YOU HAVE TO MAKE A QUICK STOP WHERE YOU NEED TO JAM ON THE BRAKES QUICKLY!! YOU SUDDENLY FINE THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO BRAKES FOR A SECOND OR TWO!! IN NORMAL BRAKING THEY WORK FINE.*AK

DRIVING AT STEADY 65 MPH, CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER, AND ENGINE STOPPED AFTER I PULLED TO SIDE OF INTERSTATE.DIAGNOSED AS FAILED DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE AND REPLACED BY DEALER.*AK

CONSUMER STATED WHEN ACCELERATING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE IT FELT AS THOUGH TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER PERFORMED AN ADAPTATION ADJUSTMENT. *AK

LEASED 2003 SAAB 9-3 ARC ON 9/26 AND THIS IS MY SECOND COMPLAINT (10051379) AND I STILL HAVE NOT HEARD FROM SAAB CUSTOMER CARE REGARDING THEIR FIXING THE LOUD RIGHT REAR RATTLING/KNOCKING NOISE. I HAVE CALLED NUMEROUS TIMES WITH NO CALL BACK. I NOW HAVE TWO MORE PROBLEMS... THE CAR HESITATES, SPUTTERS AND ALMOST STALLS... THE DEALER INCREASED THE IDLE AND THAT WAS THE FIX... I DO NOT FEEL SAFE WHEN STARTING OFF FROM A STOP OR DRIVING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. ALSO THE TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTING HARD BETWEEN GEARS BETWEEN 10 AND 30 MPHS... IT STARTED A FEW DAYS AGO AND IS BECOMING MORE PREVALENT AS EACH DAY PASSES..BOTH THESE PROBLEMS ALONG WITH THE LOUD RATTLING/KNOCKING NOISE FROM RIGHT REAR THAT DEALER SAYS IS NORMAL TELL ME THAT THIS CAR HAS PROBLEMS THAT SAAB DOESN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH AND THAT IS NOT RIGHT. *LA

PURCHASED 2003 9-3 LINEAR IN AUGUST 2003. THE CAR HAS BEEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE SEVERAL TIMES WITHIN THE FIRST FEW MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP.*AK FIRST TIME CAR WAS IN ON COMPLAINT OF FRONT WHEELS OUT OF ALIGNMENT (CAR PULLS TO THE LEFT ALL THE TIME COASTING, UNDER ACCELERATION, ETC.). THE STEERING WHEEL MUST BE HELD SLIGHTLY OFF CENTER TO ALLOW THE CAR TO GO STRAIGHT. DEALER DENIED PROBLEM AND ATTRIBUTED IT TO CURVATURE IN THE ROAD. I HAVE DRIVEN OTHER CARS OVER THE SAME ROAD EVEN THE SAME MODEL LOANER CAR WITHOUT THE PULL TO THE LEFT. COMPLAINED TWO ADDITIONAL TIMES WITH NO RESPONSE FROM DEALER. BECAUSE THE CAR HAS MORE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS I HAVE GIVEN UP ON THIS ONE FOR NOW. SECOND TIME CAR WAS OUT OF SERVICE FOR OVER 20 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WHILE DEALER DIAGNOSED AND FIXED ONSTAR AND STEREO MALFUNCTION. THE STEREO WAS NOT FUNCTIONING AT SEVERAL POINTS IN THE DAY AND THEN WOULD COME BACK ON AUTOMATICALLY AT THE NEXT START-UP. DEALER REPLACED ALL COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM STEREO, CD PLAYER, ONSTAR MODULE, ECT. TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THIRD TIME WAS A MAJOR COMPLAINT. I HAVE EXPERIENCED SLIPPAGE IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AT ALMOST EVERY OTHER SHIFT UNDER MODERATE TO HARD ACCELERATION. THE CAR ACTUALLY REVS RPMS BETWEEN SHIFT FOR 3 TO 4 SECONDS BEFORE SHIFTING TO THE NEXT GEAR. ADDITIONALLY, UNDER HARD ACCELERATION FROM A COMPLETE STOP THE CAR WILL NOT SHIFT UNTIL AFTER FUEL PUMP CUT-OFF IN THE RPM RANGE. DEALER COULD NOT DIAGNOSE VIA COMPUTER; HOWEVER I SUGGESTED A TECH DROVE THE CAR FOR A DAY OR TWO. TECH ACKNOWLEDGED SLIPPAGE PROBLEM AND SAID HE EXPERIENCED A SIMILAR PROBLEM ON OTHER 2003 9-3 VEHICLES; HOWEVER; WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX. HE PUT IN A CALL TO SAAB TECHNICAL TO SEE IF THEY HAVE FURTHER INFORMATION. WE AWAIT SAAB TECHNICAL RESPONSE.

TWISTED SEAT BELTS; FRONT AND REAR ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE DEALERSHIP HAS UNTWISTED THESE BELTS ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. IN A FEW CASES, IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF WEEKS BEFORE I HAD TO RETURN TO HAVE THEM UNTWISTED AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP WAS ALSO VERY FORTHCOMING INFORMING ME THAT THIS IS A ONGOING OCCURENCE IN THIS SAAB MODEL. I CANNOT SEE WHY THEY HAVE NOT BEEN RECALLED, SINCE SAAB KNOWS OF THEIR FAULTY DESIGN. THEY ARE UNSAFE, AND I CANNOT SEE HOW THEY WILL FUNCTION PROPERLY IN AN ACCIDENT.*AK

WITHOUT ANY WARNING, CAR LOST ENGINE POWER, INCLUDING POWER STEERING AND BRAKES AND WOULD NOT RESTART. HAPPENED IN CONGESTED TRAFFIC CIRCLE, CAUSING NEAR MISSES FROM BUSES AND TRUCKS. SAAB ROADSIDE SERVICE TOOK NEARLY 5 HOURS TO SEND A TOW TRUCK. CAR PUSHED TO SIDEWALK BY PASSING POLICEMAN. JSW. *AK

CAR LEASED 9/23/03 AND ONE WEEK AFTER A LOUD RATTLING/KNOCKING NOISE STARTS UP FROM RIGHT REAR. TO DEALER 6 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. RIGHT REAR SHOCK REPLACED TWICE AND ON 12/19/03 DISTRICT SAAB REP CONCLUDED THAT NOISE COMES FROM SHOCK AND IS A NORMAL NOISE. I DISAGREE AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS EXPLANATION. DELEARSHIP WILL NOT MAKE ANY MORE ATTEMPTS TO FIX THIS RATTLING/KNOCKING NOISE. FILED A COMPLAINT WITH SAAB CUSTOMER SERVICE ON 12/23/03 AND HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THEM. AM DISAPPOINTED AND UPSET THAT THE NOISE CAN NOT BE LOCATED AND FIXED.