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1990 Saab 900 problems

The most common problem on the 1990 Saab 900 is brakes. Its complaint count is close to a typical 900 model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Owner complaints
19
Recalls
0
Service bulletins
1
Worst area
Brakes
Fuel economy
17-22mpg

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.

  • Brakes
    7
  • Acceleration
    3
  • Airbags
    2
  • Electrical
    2
  • Engine
    2
  • Seats
    1
  • Suspension
    1
  • Transmission
    1
  • Visibility
    1

Specific symptoms reported on the 1990 Saab 900

ABS 6

Recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Defect investigations

Fuel pump fails/tank leaksOpened February 28, 1994, closed February 28, 1995

There is no summary currently available

EA94011

Fuel pump fails/tank leaksOpened October 5, 1993, closed February 28, 1994

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.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
2.0L 4‑cylFWD16-1920-2617-22

What 1990 Saab 900 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Feb 6, 2003 · Suspension · 175,756 miles · CA · crash

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]

Filed Jan 27, 2000 · Brakes · HI

When applying brakes in an emergency situation , vehicle will steer to the right, and lose total control.

Filed Jul 16, 1998 · Brakes · MA

While driving experience sintermittent ABS brake failure.

Filed Jun 2, 1998 · Airbags · CO · crash

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.

Filed Jun 2, 1998 · Airbags · CO · crash · 1 injury

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.

Filed Dec 27, 1997 · Brakes · CA

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.

Filed Dec 26, 1997 · Acceleration · CT

Vehicle's engine would suddenly and unpredictably accelerate as the rpms dropped. After replacement of the idle control valve the problem did not reoccur.

Filed Dec 24, 1997 · Brakes · CA

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.

Filed Dec 10, 1997 · Engine · NY

Fron engine mount failed, resulting in vehicle pulling to one side/loss of control.

Filed Oct 3, 1997 · Brakes · VA

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.

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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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