ATT: NHTSA I HAVE A 90 TURBO CONV AND WHILE DRIVING MY LOWER A-ARM BROKE WHERE THE WELD IS. I HAVE HEARD THIS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH 900'S THAT HAVE OVER 100,000 MILES ON THEM BUT HAVE FOUND NO RECALLS. I WAS DOING 65 MPH AT THE TIME IT BROKE BUT IF THIS HAD BEEN SOMEONE ELSE OR IF I HAD BEEN GOING FASTER YOU COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER WITH MINOR DAMAGE. THIS FAILURE DID NOT HAPPEN IN REVERSE AS MOST PEOPLE CLAIM.........IT HAPPENED WHILE MOVING FORWARD AT 65 MPH.........THIS IS MY CONCERN. IF THE ARM FATIGUES AT THE WELD STRESS POINT AND BREAKS WHILE BACKING UP JUST IMAGINE HOW BAD THE CRACK MUST BE BEFORE THIS HAPPENS. SINCE THE LOAD CAN'T BE AS GREAT ON THE ARM AS IT IS WHEN AT SPEED AND TURNING THIS IS A REAL PROBLEM THAT I WILL INVESTIGATE FURTHER. I WILL POST PIC'S AS SOON AS I GET IT BACK FROM THE SHOP. I SENT THIS E-MAIL TO SAAB CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND I'M WAITING FOR A RESPONSE WHICH I WILL FORWARD. I ALSO POSTED THIS ON SEVERAL SAAB WEBSITES. PLEASE IF ANYONE KNOWS OF SAFETY RECALLS FOR THIS LET ME KNOW, ALSO IF ANYONE KNOWS WHO TO CONTACT TO REPORT THIS I WOULD APPRECIATE A CONTACT SINCE THIS COULD LEAD TO SOMEONE GETTING HURT OR EVEN KILLED. ATT: SAAB USA I POSTED THIS ON SAABNET.COM AND HAVE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE E-MAIL ME. I'M ALSO GOING TO FORWARD THIS TO THE NHTSA SINCE I FEEL THIS IS A POTENTIALLY A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT SHOULD BE FIXED WITH A RECALL. I HAVE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO INFORM OTHERS OF THIS
1990 Saab 900
Owners filed 19 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic › antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Air Bags › Frontal | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
| Visibility › Defroster/Defogger/Hvac System › Windshield › Electrical Heating Element | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control › Cruise Control | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Suspension › Front | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seats › Front Assembly › Recliner | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsWHEN APPLYING BRAKES IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION , VEHICLE WILL STEER TO THE RIGHT, AND LOSE TOTAL CONTROL. *AK
WHILE DRIVING EXPERIENCE SINTERMITTENT ABS BRAKE FAILURE.
WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION WITH AN SUV, BOTH TRAVELING AT 35 MPH, THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG. THE SAAB HAS BEEN TOTALLED. *AK
AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY IN A HEAD-ON 35MPH CRASH. BOTH VEHICLES, TRAVELING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS WERE BOTH TRAVELING AT 35MPH. DRIVER FRACTURED STERNUM AND THE FRONT END WAS FORCED BACK INTO THE ENGINE.
VEHICLE PULLS SEVERLY TO THE LEFT WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THIS IS DUE TO ABS STICKING AND ALL BRAKING POWER IS DIRECTED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF SYSTEM.
VEHICLE'S ENGINE WOULD SUDDENLY AND UNPREDICTABLY ACCELERATE AS THE RPMS DROPPED. AFTER REPLACEMENT OF THE IDLE CONTROL VALVE THE PROBLEM DID NOT REOCCUR.
VEHICLE PULLED TO THE LEFT DURING BRAKE APPLICATION. MECHANIC CLAIMS VALVE IN THE ABS STICKING RESULTED IN ALL BRAKING POWER TO BE DIRECTED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF SYSTEM ONLY.
FRON ENGINE MOUNT FAILED, RESULTING IN VEHICLE PULLING TO ONE SIDE/LOSS OF CONTROL. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ANY SPEED, LOST PART OF BRAKING ABILITY, BRAKES HARD, VEHICLE PULLS TO SIDE, INTERMITTENT PROBLEM, NEARLY CAUSED A CRASH, ACCORDING TO DEALER, ABS SOLENOID FAILED, NEEDS REPLACING. *AK
THE CAR WAS INVOLVED IN A REAREND COLLISION AND THE DRIVER'S SEATBACK FELL BACK, INJURING THE DRIVER. *AK
VEHICLE VEERS TO THE LEFT DURING BRAKE APPLICATION, PROBABLE CAUSE, ABS VALVE BLOCK FAILURE. *AK
CRUISE CONTROL FAILURE. *AK
VEHICLE'S ABS BRAKING SYSTEM INTERMITTENTLY WHEN APPLIED IN SUDDEN STOPPING CONDITIONS VEERS OFF TO THE RIGHT.*AK
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, UNKNOWN SOURCE OF FIRE. TT
TURN ON CAR IN PARK CAR ACCELERATED ON THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY CAR WOULDN'T START WHEN DRIVING AND SLOWING DOWN CAR WOULDN'T CUT OFF . TT
THE HEATER VALVE FAILED THAT CAUSED FLOOR BOARD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE TO GET WET. TT
ORIGINAL/REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION FAILED. *SKD
WHILE DRIVING, ENGINE TIMING CHAIN BROKE; SPEED 35 MPH; ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, BUT WOULD NOT MOVE; SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY. TT
19 of 19 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.