Att: the federal safety agency 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 federal safety agency 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 and will investigate this more to see if anyone has been seriously hurt or killed from this problem. Thanks frank 510‑413‑1663 [email protected]
The worst 1990 Saab 900 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes7
- Acceleration3
- Airbags2
- Electrical2
- Engine2
- Seats1
- Suspension1
- Transmission1
- Visibility1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1990 Saab 900
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect investigations
Fuel pump fails/tank leaks
There is no summary currently available
EA94011
Fuel pump fails/tank leaks
There is no summary currently available
PE93087
Technical service bulletins for the 1990 Saab 900 1
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
1990 Saab 900 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 16-19 | 20-26 | 17-22 |
What 1990 Saab 900 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
When applying brakes in an emergency situation , vehicle will steer to the right, and lose total control.
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.
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.
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.
Compare the 1990 Saab 900
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Questions about the 1990 Saab 900
Is the 1990 Saab 900 reliable?
Owners have filed 19 complaints about the 1990 Saab 900, close to a typical 900 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1990 Saab 900?
Brakes, with 7 complaints. Next is acceleration (3).
How many recalls does the 1990 Saab 900 have?
No recalls on record.
What gas mileage does the 1990 Saab 900 get?
Official estimates for the 1990 Saab 900 range from 17 to 22 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 16-19 city and 20-26 highway.
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