2002 Saab 9-5: check engine light

Filed Oct 2, 2006 · Electrical · 71,000 miles · NJ

Leaving the I-287 in nj friday around 3.30 pm the car started to loose power by not responding to any throttle pressure. I pulled over to the right hand side as soon as I could and came to a faltering halt on the exit ramp. I turned the ignition off and on again to see if any warning display information was given. I looked under the bonnet but could see no sign of any leakage or excess heat. I got back in and started it again and it fired up but only with little power and would hardly rev up. I wanted to move forward off of the exit ramp as I was in a very dangerous position on a fast uphill gradual 90 degree two lane ramp with no shoulder, there was traffic coming constantly, it was friday afternoon and pouring with rain. When ever I put it into gear it would start to move but as it was uphill it was not very productive. I gave up after the engine stalled and would not start again, but did manage to get the car as close to the right hand barriers as possible so that traffic could pass me without straddling lanes. I called my local garage who arranged for a breakdown truck to come and get me. In the 45 mins it took to for them to get me I was extremely nervous that a truck or fast car would hit into the rear of my car, so I had the hazard lights on and kept my foot on the brake to illuminate the brake lights. It was a dangerous position to be in and the traffic was building quickly for the evening rush. The tow truck got to me at around 4.30 pm and took me and the car to my local garage. The garage diagnosed the idm units as failed, and replaced them. Once I had the car back, the very next day the check engine light came on and this has been identified as being the catalytic converter being faulty, which I understand is a result of the ignition units failing and unburned fuel being pumped in to the unit.

Filed Aug 21, 2006 · Electrical · 59,518 miles · PA · fire

August 12, 2006 our 2002 saab 9-5 sportwagon caught fire. Returning home from vacation the check engine light displayed. Information in the owner's manual and a phone call to our saab dealer lead us to believe that the car was safe to drive. As we approached the toll plaza in mays landing, nj the car stalled and began to smoke. We evacuated the car. Toll personnel extinguished the fire and summoned the laureldale fire company and the nj state police. The action taken by the toll personnel prevented a potential disaster. The car was towed to an impound lot in egg harbor ctiy, nj . After a few hours we were able to arrange fora rental to transport us and our vacation baggage home. At this time we did not know the extend of damage to the car other than it could not be driven to our home and it was a saturday. The closest saab dealer in cherry hill, nj was not open for service calls. We arrived home 5 hours later than expected with a rental car that cost $125/day and $0.20 a mile + gas. We droveback to nj in the morning to return the rental because we did not want to incur any unnecessary expenses. Sunday august 13 we traveled back to galloway, nj to return the rental vehicle. This fire should not have occurred and saab should pick up any expenses relating to a car fire of a 2002 vehicle with 59,518 miles. The car has been repaired, we picked it up from the dealer in cherry hill, nj august 19, 2006. Repairsr were covered by saab along with the towing to the dealership. The failure of two ignition cassettes caused a fire in the catalytic converter, damaging the converter, exhaust pipe, and mounts. Saab has not explained why the mechanical failure caused the fire and has given us no assurance that it will not happen again. Saab has declined to pay the additional cost we incurred which total less than $500.00 we filed a complaint with saab customer service and a claim with our insurance carrier.

Filed Jun 15, 2006 · Transmission · 50,000 miles · AZ

While traveling at approximately 45 MPH the transmission warning light and check engine light both came on at the same time. Vehicle went into "limp mode", where power is minimized making for a dangerous driving situation. Took vehicle to kachina saab dealership in scottsdale, az and was told transmission was failing with only 50k miles of all highway driving. Also was told by mechanic at dealership this is common occurrence on all saabs with automatic transmissions, although I had a full vehicle service and inspection done just 2 weeks ago, at this same dealership, and all checked out "great".

Filed May 4, 2006 · Electrical, Engine · 91,000 miles · MA

While driving to work 28 april 2006 my 2002 saab 9-6 b308 v6 engine car began sputtering and the engine light came on. I made it into the parking lot where I work then proceeded to call a saab dealership. Saab dealership mechanic stated that the car's computer put itself into "lame" mode and that the car was safe to drive to dealership (15 miles away)and that it was probably an ignition module. I simply pulled car onto the parking lot and it sputtered to a stop/stall, smoke came from the hood and it wouldn't restart. I had the car towed to the dealership. After the car had arrived at the dealership I was notified by the dealership that the defective part was an ignition module. After looking this information up I find that this part was defective in and recalled in over 100,000 saab's from 2000-2002 however after calling saab corporate they deny that this part is recalled in my particular make and year. My make, model, engine type and year however are listed as recalled on several web sites including your dot.gov web site. I had to pay $600 + dollars to have my car repaired and have the ignition module replaced as I need this car. After having the part replaced 2 days later the engine light came on; I immediately brought the car back to the dealership to find that they state the car now needs a new catalytic converter (as stated by the saab dealership) the cat converter was warranted for 8 years or 80,000 miles but has broken after the 90,000 mile mark. I feel that driving the car when the ignition module has gone bad may have damaged the cat converter (as stated can happen if driving car with bad ignition module)

Filed Feb 24, 2006 · Electrical · 71,940 miles · NH

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40mph in normal conditions, the engine light illuminated and the vehicle smelled hot. The vehicle was pulled to the side of the road for inspection and the engine turned off. However, the vehicle immediately restarted. The vehicle was driven to a service station where oil was added to the engine. The contact decided to have the vehicle towed to the dealer for additional inspection. The dealer performed diagnostic testing and determined the vehicle displayed an internal open circuit in the ignition. The dealer replaced the ignition module and the vehicle performed normally.

Filed May 19, 2004 · Electrical, Engine · 27,700 miles · NY

While driving the vehicle 40+MPH, the engine completely shut down without warning. The diagnosis, throttle failure. Saab replaced the throtte body on 05/14/2004. Then again on 05/17/2004, the engine shut down in the midst of driving without warning. The engine light came on. Saab has not been able to duplicate the problem. The car has proven to be extremely dangerous and unsafe to operate.

Filed Feb 2, 2004 · Electrical · 7,209 miles · NJ

On three occasions I have gotten a "check engine light" with a "transmission" or "coolant" amplifying light. On both occasions the car went into a limp mode as defined in the saab handbook. Two items, a temp sensor and thermostat were replaced without the problem being fixed. Today's fix is a programming update (ECM programming). Don't know if this will fix the problem but beginning to think the car has a basic flaw and don't want to take trips in it.