1998 Saab 900 Problems

WARM ENGINE WAS RESTARTED AND CAR DRIVEN TO INTERSECTION ROUGHLY 50 YARDS AWAY. AT STOP LIGHT, SRS LIGHT BECAME ILLUMINATED AND THEN PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHILE CAR STILL STOPPED. CAR THEN TURNED TO GO TO OTHER SIDE OF STREET TO PARK. WHILE CAR BEING DRIVEN CROSSING STREET, APPROX 5 MPH MAX, DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. ROAD CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND CLEAN, WITH NO DEBRIS ON ROAD. WEATHER WAS GOOD, WITH NO RAIN, THUNDER OR LIGHTNING PRESENT. DRIVER SUSTAINED SUPERFICIAL BURNS ON LATERAL SIDE OF R FOREARM AND HAND. NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO FACE OR EYES.

CAR STARTED AND DRIVEN APPROX 50 YARDS AND THEN CAME TO TRAFFIC LIGHT AND STOPPED. DRIVER NOTICED THAT THE SRS LIGHT ON THE DISPLAY PANEL WAS ILLUMINATED AT STOP LIGHT. PASSENGER AIRBAG DEPLOYED BEFORE CAR PROCEEDED. CAR DRIVEN TO OPPOSITE SIDE OF STREET TO PARK AND ASSESS SITUATION. WHILE CAR BEING DRIVEN ACROSS STREET, DRIVER SIDE AIRBAG ALSO DEPLOYED. NO COLLISION WITH AND NO TAPPING OF ANOTHER CAR OCCURRED. ROAD CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND W/O DEBRIS. NO RAIN WAS FALLING AND NO LIGHTING OR THUNDER WAS PRESENT. WHAT APPEAR TO BE FIRST DEGREES BURNS WERE SUSTAINED ON THE LATERAL ASPECT OF THE RIGHT FOREARM AND HAND. NO VISIBLE DAMAGE TO EYE OR FACE.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 SAAB 900 SE TURBO. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN STALLING, SPITTING, AND STUTTERING AS IF IT NEEDED GAS. THE VEHICLE THEN SHUT OFF AND RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE FAILURE AND HAS REMAINED PARKED EVER SINCE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 96,000.

MY 1998 SAAB 900 SE TURBO CONVERTIBLE HAS 62,000 MILES ON IT, AND YET I'VE JUST HAD TO REPLACE THE DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE WHICH COMPLETELY FAILED -- THANKFULLY I WAS STILL IN THE DRIVEWAY WHEN IT CONKED OUT, THIS IS RIDICULOUSLY EARLY IN THE LIFE OF THE CAR ACCORDING TO MY SAAB SPECIALIST MECHANIC. I SAW THAT THE 2000 AND 2002 MODEL DI CASSETTES WERE RECALLED BUT NOT THE EARLIER MODELS. WONDERING IF THERE'S A WAY FOR REDRESS. *JB

THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FOR THE RIGHT SIDE MARKER HAS FALLEN OUT TWICE IN 13 MONTHS.*AK

THE TURN SIGNAL REMAINS ON AFTER TURNING. YH

CHRONIC, ABRUPT STALLING PROBLEMS FOR 3+ YEARS. DEALERSHIP HAS TRIED TO REPAIR ON AT LEAST, 15+ OCCASIONS. DEALERSHIP HAD IT AT THEIR FACILITY FOR OVER 3 MONTHS ONE PERIOD, CONDUCTING DIAGNOSTIC TESTS. PARTS CHANGED: SENSORS; MULTIPLE TIMES, WIRING HARNESS, "MAIN COMPUTER CHIP" AND VARIOUS OTHER PARTS. THE CAR ABRUPTLY STALLS. IT WILL STALL AT ANYTIME - WHETHER DRIVING, COASTING, AT A STOP, OR ON THE EXPRESSWAY. IT WILL STALL WITHOUT WARNING AND IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE SAFELY TO THE ROADSIDE MULTIPLE TIMES OVER AND OVER WITHOUT CAUSING A COLLISION. I JUST GOT THE VEHICLE BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN LAST WEEK AFTER THEY "POSSIBLY FIXED IT AGAIN" . I DROVE A DISTANCE OF 15 MILES BEFORE THE CAR STARTED STAMMERING, JERKING AND STALLING AGAIN. IT TOOK ME OVER AN HOUR TO DRIVE THE RETURN FEW BACK HOME, WHICH WAS A HARROWING EXPERIENCE. THE VEHICLE IS KEPT GARAGED BY ME, IN MINT BODY CONDITION INSIDE AND OUT AND ONLY HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT. SAAB HAS OFFERED TO APPLY 4,000 CREDIT TOWARD A PURCHASE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE FROM THEM. IT IS CLEAR SAAB KNOWS THAT THIS VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE OR WOULD NOT HAVE MADE OFFER. UNFORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE IS WORTH MUCH MORE THAN WHAT THEY HAD OFFERED; ASIDE FROM BEING MECHANICALLY DEFECTIVE/UNREPAIRABLE, THEY CAN'T TRACE THE PROBLEM IN THEIR VEHICLE THAT THEY MADE. I CAN'T AFFORD TO GET IN ANOTHER CAR PYMT AND AM IN REAL FEAR THAT WILL BE INVOLVED IN A CRASH IN THIS CLEARLY DEFECTIVE VEHICLE. I HAD PREVIOUSLY FILED A COMPLAINT FOR EXACT THIS SAME MECHANICAL PROBLEM (THAT STILL HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED NOR EVEN INVESTIGATED BY THE ODI OR NHTSA). I SEE POSTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH SAME OR SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH SAAB VEHICLES. SOMEONE NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS VERY SERIOUS AND DANGEROUS TO HAVE THESE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. UNFORTUNATELY, I'M SURE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS NO OTHER OPTION THAN TO DRIVE A VEHICLE LIKE THIS. *JB

KEEP HEARING THIS IS COMMON PROBLEM, COULD BE DANGEROUS TO OPERATE WHEN TOP IS STUCK OPEN. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO A 4 YR OLD CAR DEALER WANTS $ 1,700. FOR NEW MOTOR. MR

I HAVE BEEN DRIVING A 1998 900 SAAB SINCE IT WAS NEW. IT HAD ABOUT 155,500 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT DESCRIBED BELOW. RECENTLY, I WAS GOING TO REMOVE THE FRONT SUSPENSION UPRIGHTS TO REPLACE THE SHOCK ABSORBER INSERTS. AFTER REMOVING THE WHEEL ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, I DISCOVERED THAT THE "STEERING PIVOT ARM" (A HOLLOW CLAM-SHELL STAMPING WELDED TO THE UPRIGHT) WAS SO SEVERELY RUSTED OUT THAT I COULD ACTUALLY SLIP MY HAND INSIDE THE ARM. (APPROXIMATELY, 1/2 OF ITS TOTAL SURFACE AREA WAS GONE AND FATIGUE CRACKS WERE DEVELOPING IN THE REMAINING PORTION.) THE STEERING RACK TIE ROD END ATTACHES TO THIS ARM. TO MY KNOWLEDGE ALL SAAB 900S FROM 1994-2000 WERE DESIGNED WITH THIS TYPE OF STEERING LINKAGE THAT USES A RACK MOUNTED HIGH ON THE FRONT-OF-DASH, CONNECTED TO THE WHEEL VIA THIS PIVOT ARM WELDED TO THE UPRIGHT. HAD THIS PIVOT ARM BROKEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF MECHANICAL WORK TO MY VEHICLES OVER THE YEARS, BUT THIS SHOCKED ME SO MUCH THAT I DIDN'T EVEN TRUST DRIVING THE CAR THE 45 MINUTES TO THE DEALER. I ORDERED REPLACEMENT PARTS FROM A REPUTABLE (SAAB ONLY) SAVAGE DEALER IN NEW YORK STATE ($470) AND REPLACED BOTH LH & RH SUSPENSION UPRIGHTS MYSELF. I HAVE RETURNED THE CAR TO SERVICE. I HAVE SPOKEN TO SAAB CUSTOMER SERVICE (REPORT #1-75588105) BUT THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SEVERITY OF THE INCIDENT OR HOW CRITICAL THE INTEGRITY OF THIS PIVOT ARM IS TO CONTROLLING THE CAR. THEY PASSED THIS OFF SAYING THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. DOES STEERING CONTROL GO OUT OF WARRANTY? I HAVE SAVED THE RUSTED COMPONENTS AND HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE THAT WERE TAKEN WHILE THE PART WAS STILL MOUNTED IN THE CAR. MY FEAR IS THAT THERE ARE PROBABLY OTHERS IN THE COUNTRY WITH A SIMILAR PROBLEM.

DIFFICULT STEERING VEHICLE.

ALL 4 LIGHT ALLOY WHEELS BENT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NLM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC SIGNAL BOTH THE FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE CONTROL MODULE SHORTED CAUSING THE DEPLOYMENT. THE DEALER DETERMINED THE CONTROL MODULE, AIR BAGS, AND SEATBELTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

THERE IS NO INTERLOCK ON MANUAL TRANSMISSION TO PREVENT THE CAR STARTING IN GEAR. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

POWER ELECTRIC SEATS FAILED TO RESPOND PROPERLY. DO NOT GO FORWARD/BACKWARDS WHEN BUTTON PUSHED. HAD TO PULL TO SIDE OF ROAD & TURNED VEHICLE OFF & RESTART IT FOR SEATS TO WORK.TOOK TO DEALER TO CHECK IT. *AK