Acceleration & cruise control

Saab 9-5 Acceleration problems by year

10 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Saab 9-5's acceleration & cruise control. Unintended acceleration, surging, throttle problems and cruise or adaptive cruise faults.

Acceleration complaints by model year

1998 21999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year	Acceleration complaints	Crashes
2007	1	0
2006	1	0
2004	1	0
2003	2	0
2002	2	0
2001	1	0
1999	2	1

Latest 9-5 acceleration complaints

2003 Saab 9-5 Electrical system Acceleration & cruise control Fuel system

I was driving approximately 30-35 mph down a four lane road when the car stalled leaving me with no power at the accelerator. It became very difficult to steer the car and the brake pedal became very hard to depress. Luckily I was able to coast off the road where the car came to a complete stop blocking the entrance/exit of a gas station. I was less then 200 feet from where I was turning onto the entrance ramp of a highway. The gas station attendant was very upset telling me I can not leave my car there. The...

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car would not start after several attempts. The car was towed to the mechanic. The car has been at the service station for over 2 weeks now. The technician is unable to find the reason the car stalled. However he explained that the fuel pump and the fuel pump relay are operational. He also explained that there is no electricity getting to the fuel pump. He has already replaced the crankshaft position sensor and is in the process of checking all sensors and relays. During my own research, I have found that these cars have faulty electrical systems with many recalls on the direct ignition cassette (dic). At this point, we do not know what caused the problem. I am a single mother with 2 young children and rely on this automobile on a daily basis. In fact, I had just dropped my daughter (9 years old) off at dancing school. I was just on the highway 20 minutes prior to dropping my daughter off at dancing school. I am extremely concerned that this will happen again. I can not afford to have this problem happen without cause and warning. Would you please forward me any information via e-mail or regular mail that would help assure me this problem will never happen again. If you know this car is problematic then please inform me to sell the car so I can get a more reliable car that will prevent the risk of injury or death to me and my family. *Tr

2007 Saab 9-5 Acceleration & cruise control

We purchased a 2007 saab 9-5 from cappelino saab on july 27, 2009. The safety problem with the car is the fact that the brake foot pedal is too close to the gas pedal. When my foot is on the gas pedal and I have to move it to the brake it gets stuck because the space between the brake and the wall to the right of the gas pedal is too close. This is a real danger! What does it take to get it corrected ? A death or 2, or 400? I also have a 2001 saab 9-5 and this problem does not exist. How can a car producer be allowed to produce dangerous cars like this? This is an accident waiting to happen! *Tr

2002 Saab 9-5 Electrical system Acceleration & cruise control

Loss of reversing lights, trunk opening warning light and cruise control function with no internal warning indications. Upon investigation, the cause was the failure of trunk wiring harness at 70k miles - 2 wires were completely severed, all others (6) had lost insulation. Failure is at the folding point just prior to entry into the trunk lid. Cause appears to be excessive tightness of the interior wires. The rubber boot was entirely intact, sealed to connectors in the body and trunk lid and there was no...

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visible indication of the internal failure. Wires are separate inside the boot up until the trunk lid entry where they are wrapped with electrical tape. This was discovered only during service, not reported by self-check display which always reports light bulb outages in text messages on the 2 line saab information display (secondary failure). Prior to discovery a number of cars had almost rear ended the car when backing up (reversing light failure was not reported or known). Corrected temporarily by splicing in wires and heat wrapping, waiting for appointment with the saab dealer to replace the harness. *Tr

2006 Saab 9-5 Visibility & wipers Acceleration & cruise control Equipment & accessories

2006 Saab 9-5 with multiple problems. Consumer states that the throttle broke, shut off on its own due to a faulty fuel gauge. Minor problems are radio grill popping out and heat comes on in the summer and cold air comes in the winter. *Kb

2001 Saab 9-5 Engine & cooling Acceleration & cruise control

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds in heavy traffic, the engine stalled without warning. There was a loss of all vehicle power, and the engine would not restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealership who determined the serpentine belt needed to be replaced. After the replacement of the serpentine belt, the problem persisted. The vehicle was again inspected by a dealer who determined the throttle body casing needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified.

2004 Saab 9-5 Electrical system Acceleration & cruise control

I have a 2004 saab 9.5 That I bought new on april 1, 2004. From day 1 the cruise control was working erratically. Dealer said he could not replicate problem. Then cruise control stopped working. Then the electric trunk lock stopped working. I contacted the dealer telling it that even though I was now beyond the 50,000 mile portion of the 4 year warranty (of which only 28 months had elapsed) I wanted the trunk and cruise issues fixed along with a laundry list of items that were not addressed previously the last...

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time I brought the car in under warranty. They have refused to address any of the issues. I found a site on the internet called saabnet. A particular post hit the problem on the head. Http://www.Saabnet.Com/tsn/bb/9-5/index.Html?Bid=125557 it said: turns out to be a badly worn wiring loom were the cables run from the car trunk into the trunk lid. 6 Wires had broken through the insulation and two had completely snapped. This car is less than 3 years old!!!! This is not normal wear and tear - its a design fault. The wires seem to catch on the sharp edge of the plastic protector (!) That fits into the lid. They rub against this as the lid is open and closed. You can check to see if yours is ok simply by pulling off the protective rubber boot that attaches to the end of the plastic protector. I did the very simple check the poster recommended above by pulling the rubber cover back and was somewhat amazed to see 4 wires completely cut and the other 3 with broken insulators. As the poster on saabnet indicated, this is a design flaw and appears as if it could lead to fire. Looking further on saabnet, I see that many people have had this problem as it is discussed quite frequently. I believe this situation presents a potential electrical and fire hazard and that the nhtsa should immediately issue a recall on this item. *Nm

2002 Saab 9-5 Acceleration & cruise control

2002 Saab 9-5 with 54000 miles. The throttle body on the car started to surge badly. If it is not replaced at this point it can go out completely and the car stops immediately in traffic. *Nm

1999 Saab 9-5 Brakes Acceleration & cruise controlCrash

Saab 1999 wagon- prior to event computer indicated rear light failure. Then brake failure occured, and cruise control would not disengage. Car could not be stopped, collision with highway wall. Car destroyed. No injuries. *Jb

1999 Saab 9-5 Engine & cooling Acceleration & cruise control

Dt: the engine just shut down without warning and the vehicle was unable to be restarted. There was only a clicking noise. The engine would not turn over. This has happened twice in the middle of traffic. The first incident, the ignition cassette was replaced, and this subsequently happened again. More repair work was done and this happened for a third time. The vehicle is currently in shop. *Ak the throttle body had tripped and went into limp mode on the third incident. The dealer could not detect the root cause. *Sc *jb

2003 Saab 9-5 Engine & cooling Electrical system Body, doors & structure Acceleration & cruise control

The vehicle stalled on 4 separate occasions from various speeds of 25 mph or more while driving. The vehicle has been to the dealer on 3 separate occasions. The dealer has cleaned and tightened the battery cables, the first time, they replaced the crank sensor, t-7 and the ignition switch, the second time and the third time, they were unable to duplicate the problem. *Jb the ecm was replaced but the vehicle stalled again, the cup holder crack and had broken, the battery cables were loose and dirty, the transmission did not shift properly and caused a jerking motion, the electrical gauges dropped and the vehicle lost acceleration. *Sc

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data