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Engine & cooling

1994 Saab 900 Engine problems

Owners have filed 13 complaints about the 1994 Saab 900's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 30% of all its complaints, most recently on November 15, 2004. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.

Complaints
13
Recalls
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0

Engine complaints

SteeringBrakesEngine & coolingFuel systemElectrical systemLightsVisibility & wipersBody, doors & structureSeats & seat beltsEquipment & accessories

The experience leaking head gasket repeated problem. The engine overheating and brake problems. *Bf the brakes squealed when stopping, the windshield wipers, the passenger door was hard to close, the battery light had run bad, the heat operation was inoperative, there was an oil leak, seat cover left lower cracked, fluid leaked under the vehicle/overnight coolant leak, over heating while the vehicle was in motion, the turn signal assembly, leaking distributor seal, broken turn signal, at a certain position the...

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seat would not operate forward, the antenna would not properly retract, left fog light inoperable, driver side window front and rear for proper rubber alignment, leaking crank pulley seal, oil leak from the transmission, found a lack of fuel pressure, smoke was coming out of the tailpipe, the convertible top was wearing on the left and right side, there was a loose hose clamp in the power steering hose, the battery failed, one tail light was inoperative, the alternator belt was wrapped around the chassis, there was a squealing noise after start up, oil leaked through the valve cover, and the tank clutch leaked fluid. *Sc

Filed Incident Steering · Service brakes, hydraulic · Engine and engine cooling · Fuel system, other · Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Visibility · Structure · Seats · Equipment · Unknown or otherNHTSA 10101475
Engine & cooling

In july of 2003, saab of santa monica, ca replaced the timing belt on my used 1994 saab 900 (65,000 mile service). The labor was complimentary and covered under a change in scheduled maintenance outlined by saab usa in a letter sent out to saab 900 owners in july 1995. The letter amended information in the warranties and service record booklet and owner's manual and stated that rather than every 95,000 miles, saab was now recommending that the belt for the camshaft drive mechanism be replaced beginning with the...

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35,000 mile major service and at intervals of 30,000 miles thereafter. At the time of service, in addition to replacing the timing belt, non-routine labor was done on the tensioners. The work receipt notes that old-style tensioners were noted and replace. Less than 1000 miles after saab of santa monica performed their "complimentary work" my car catastrophically failed. On oct. 17, 2003, I left work at and drove about 1/3 of a mile (35 mph) before I heard a loud clunk and the engine started to putter and clank as the car lost power. The next business day it was towed to a well-respected independent saab mechanic, hung tao (a.R.T. Saab 18440 hart st. Reseda, ca (818) 881-7940 ). Hung tao looked at the car and stated that the timing belt had slipped. The car was towed to the nearest saab dealer (sherman oaks, ca). Saab of sherman oaks first said that the timing belt had slipped, but then changed they're story and said the camshaft had allegedly snapped, causing $5000 worth of damage to the engine. They argued that there was no correlation between the work they'd done on the camshaft drive belt and the failure of the camshaft. They say because the car isn't under warranty they can't help me. *La

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10047020
Engine & cooling

Vehicle stalled in traffic due to engine failure.*Mr the gasket surrounding the timing belt cover became tangled with the timing belt which caused the vehicle not to start.*Ts *jb

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10044446
Engine & cooling

Consumer called complaining about having problems with the timming belt tension on her vehicle. Consumer also stated that she has replaced it once and it was warrantied for 3500 miles and it has happend again this also causes engine failure on the vehicle. Dealer was contacted but refuses to do anything on the vehicle because is no longer under warranty. Ts

Filed Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 8023056
Engine & cooling

Due to a defective timing chain while driving the vehicle the engine seized which may have caused a crash. There was a safety campaign which the owner was unaware. There a newly design for the timing belt. Please provide further information.*Ak

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 864902
Engine & cooling

Serpentine belt pulleys broke off twice, in the last few thousand miles, causing destruction of brand new serpentine belts, loss of steering control, loss of heating and air conditioning, loss of battery charge, and overheating. The most recent incident, in which another pulley broke off the system could have caused death, given that the incident occured up north, and the temperature outside was well below freezing. Luckily, a dunkin donuts restaurant was on hand within walking distance of the car's failure.

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 716441
Engine & cooling

Engine timing belt went out, and causing the engine to stall unexpectedly which may have resulted in a crash. Please provide further information. *Ak

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 848408
Engine & coolingTransmission & drivetrain

Vehicle experiences ongoing / intermittent problem with transmission failure. It will not shift into reverse. Also vehicle stalls while driving. Dealer/manufacturer notified. Seeking help from nhtsa in these matters. *Ak

Filed Incident Engine and engine cooling · Power trainNHTSA 837378
Engine & cooling

Saab provided dealers/mechanics with a technical service bulletin about this problem, but neglected to provide consumers with a safety recall. What could have been a free, 30 minute repair resulted in over $600, 2 days of repairs, and a dangerous situation in which my engine nearly burned out.

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 704359
Engine & cooling

Pulley on the serpentine belt assembly broke, causing loss of steering control. *Ak.Et.

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 833580
Engine & coolingVisibility & wipersAcceleration & cruise control

Smelled sweet smell, thiught it was the vehicle, need a good cleaning. Smell never went away and kept coming up in intervals. Coolant kept leaking into the heater core and heater box. Changed filters, no smell found. Replaced thermostat. However, smell still appeared. In addition, throttle control lever bushing replaced as per recall (97v-046). *Ak

Filed Incident Engine and engine cooling · Visibility · Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 819203
Engine & cooling

ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM LEAKS.

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 503378
Engine & cooling

INTERMITTENT STALLING 2 TIMES. *SD

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 500831

Saab 900 engine complaints by year

900 engine problems, every year

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

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