Owners filed 10 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the power train › automatic transmission. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Pads | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED THEN THE ALARM ACTIVATED. AFTER DISCONNECTING AND RECONNECTING THE BATTERY, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SEEN BY A MECHANIC.
I HAVE REPLACED THREE LOCKING ACTUATORS (DRIVER'S DOOR, LEFT PASSENGER'S DOOR, AND THE RIGHT REAR PASSENGER'S DOOR) SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED MY CAR IN 1997. OF COURSE ALL THIS HAPPEN AFTER THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. PRESENTLY, I HAVE ONE DOOR LOCK THAT CAN BE OPENED WITH THE KEY KNOBE AND ON THE CONSOLE WHERE THE LOCK SWITCH IS LOCATED. IN TALKING WITH THE SAAB DEALER, I WAS INFORMED THAT I PROBABLY NEED THESE ACTUATORS WOULD PROBABLY COST ME APPROXIMATELY $300 EACH (A TOTAL OF $900) TO REPLACE. I FEEL THAT SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FOR ALL THREE (SO FAR) NOT TO BE WORKING. I HAVE NOT HAD THEM REPLACED YET BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS TOTALLY RIDICULOUS. GALE E. MOORER - 7/9/04. *AK
1996 SAAB 9000 AERO REAR-ENDED AN IZUZU RODEO. DAMAGE TO THE RODEO WAS ALMOST UNNOTICEABLE. SAAB ENGINE HOWEVER ERUPTED INTO FLAMES AND WAS A TOTAL LOSS. A FACTORY CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN LESS THAN 30 DAYS PRIOR TO FIRE HAD SERVICED SAAB. RESPONSE FROM SAAB CUSTOMER SERVICE - THE ISSUE DID NOT CONCERN SAAB AND WAS BETWEEN MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND ME. WAS TOLD BY SAAB THAT INSURANCE COMPANY WOULD SUBROGATE THE CLAIM IF THEY THOUGHT IT WAS WORTHWHILE. INSURANCE COMPANY (METLIFE) COMMENTED THAT LOSS WAS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO PURSUE SUBROGATION. OBSERVED NO CONCERN THAT A PROBLEM COULD EXIST AND RAN INTO COMPLETE DENIAL OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY. CONCERN IS HOW AND WHY IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED AND UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES WILL OTHERS BE IN DANGER OF A LIKE HAZARD. INCIDENT IS WELL DOCUMENT VIA DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS ALONG WITH EXTENSIVE DETAIL FROM CONVERSATIONS WITH SAAB.*AK
THE DEALER REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION FOUR TIMES IN THE PAST TWO YEARS. *AK THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE DRIVEN MANUALLY AND STAYED IN 4TH GEAR. THE MECHANIC FOUND AN INTERNAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THE REAR BRAKE PADS WERE WORN, THE TRANSMISSION OIL PUMP WAS WORN OUT, THE HAZARDS DID NOT WORK WHEN THE WEATHER WAS HOT, BUT WORKED WITH THE A/C IT DID NOT WORK. *SCC THE MUFFLER WAS REPLACED, THE DRIVE BELT AND PULLEYS WERE REPLACED, THE REAR BRAKE ROTORS WERE OUT OF SPECIFICATION AND THE BRAKE PADS WERE WORN, THE SEAT HEATER LIGHT SWITCH WAS REPLACED, THE OIL PUMP WAS WORN OUT *JB
FAULTY VEHICLE TRANSMISSION IN 1996 SAAB 9000.*MR THE REPLACED TRANSMISSION FAILED RESULTING IN THE CONSUMER HAVING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE MANUALLY. THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM WAS INTERNAL WITH THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, IT STAYED IN 4TH GEAR. THEY HAD TO REPLACE IT WITH A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. *PH
THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES. *PH THE FIRST TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED DUE TO A WORN OUT OIL PUMP(THE FLUID WAS BURNED), AND THERE WAS A WHINING NOISE. THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT SHIFT PROPERLY (HAD TO DRIVE BACK MANUALLY/THE MECHANIC FOUND AN INTERNAL PROBLEM), THE VEHICLE STAYED IN FOURTH GEAR, AND HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. THE REAR BRAKE PADS HAD WORN OUT. *SCC. THE SEAT HEATER LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE, THE DEALER REPLACED THE SEAT HEATER SWITCH, THE EXHAUST SYSTEM WAS REPLACED, THE DRIVE BELT AND PULLEYS WERE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC STATED SOMETHING WITHIN THE VEHICLE WAS BUILT INCORRECTLY TO CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. THE MOTOR FOR THE REAR WINDSHIELD WIPERS HAD TO BE REPLACED, WHICH CAUSED THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS NOT TO WORK, AND THE HAZARD LIGHTS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. *JB
THE REAR CENTER SEAT BELT BUCKLE CAME APART. IT IS HELD ON TO THE BELT BY A LEAD PIN. THAT PIN CAME LOOSE. THE BELT IS NO LONGER USEABLE. IT HAS TO BE REPLACED. A CHILD WAS STRAPPED IN AT THE TIME AND THE CAR WAS IN MOTION. THE SEAT BELT AND LATCH WILL REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. I AM CONCERNED THIS SAFETY FEATURE IS NOT SAFE.*AK
I REPORTED THIS TO YOU THREE WEEKS AGO...STILL DON'T SEE IT IN THE COMPLAINTS SUMMARY. HOWEVER, SINCE MY REPORT, SAAB USA TELLS ME THAT THIS PROBLEM, FRONT SEAT BACKS THAT HAVE OVER 2 CM OF FREE-PLAY FRONT TO REAR IN THEM IS COMMON THROUGHOUT THEIR SAAB 9000 FLEET. I BELIEVE THESE SEATS ARE DANGEROUS IN THAT THEY ADD TO THE FORCES INFLICTED ON A DRIVER IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. WOULD YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOU RECEIVED THIS REPORT BY SENDING ME A RETURN EMAIL ([email protected])? THANKS.
BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED.
GAS GAUGE INOPERATIVE.
10 of 10 complaints, reproduced as filed.
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.