1995 Saab 900

ON JULY 22, 2005 I WAS DRIVING MY '95 SAAB ON THE A1 MOTORWAY IN UNITED KINGDOM. I WAS USING THE CRUISE CONTROL AT 70 MPH (POSTED SPEED LIMIT) I HAD NEVER USED THE CRUISE CONTROL IN THIS VEHICLE BEFORE. (MANUAL TRANSMISSION) THE INCIDENT HAPPENED DURING RUSH HOUR HEADING TOWARD LONDON. AS I HAD TO SLOW DOWN, I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO BRAKES! I NEVER HAD ANY ISSUE WITH THE BRAKES PRIOR. DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL AND I WAS HEADING TOWARD THE REAR END OF A CAR AT 70 MPH. I QUICKLY SWERVED TO THE LEFT LANE, THEN OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID HITTING VEHICLES AND CAUSING A MULTI-CAR PILE UP AND POTENTIALLY MANY DEATHS. I FLEW OFF THE ROAD, THROUGH A 5" STEEL SIGN POST AND ROLLED SEVERAL TIMES IN A FIELD. AMAZINGLY, I WAS ONLY BRUISED AND BATTERED, BUT OF COURSE THE CAR IS TOTALED. THIS IS A POTENTIAL SERIOUS DEFECT! EVEN IF THE CAR IS 10 YEARS OLD, IF THERE IS SOME TYPE OF CORROSION THAT HAPPENS TO CAUSE A FAILURE OF BRAKES TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL, MANY LIVES WILL BE LOST. IRONICALLY, IT WAS SAAB ENGINEERING THAT ALLOWED ME TO WALK OUT OF THE VEHICLE, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME CAUSED THE ACCIDENT. POLICE AND WITNESSES WERE ON SCENE WHO SAW MY BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON, YET NOT SLOW DOWN. AS I SAID, THE BRAKES WERE FINE AND I CAN ONLY ASSUME THIS HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL. THE CAR WILL BE INSPECTED BY UK'S VOSA. PLEASE ADVISE. THANK YOU CHARLES EARHART. *JB

NHTSA ID#: 95V068000 RECALL ISSUED 3/20/95 FOR MANUFACTURING DATES AUG 1993 - SEP 1994 WAS DETERMINED NOT TO BE APPLICABLE FOR MY CAR, [XXX] BUT IT SHOULD HAVE APPLICABLE BECAUSE THE RESULT OF THE DEFECT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO MY CAR. ADDITIONALLY, NHTSA ID#: 95VO68000 SHOULD HAVE BEEN APPLICABLE BECAUSE NHTSA ID#95V066000 ISSUED 3/20/94 FOR MANUFACTURING DATED JULY 1994 - DEC 1994 WAS APPLICABLE. A MISTAKE WAS MADE. NHTSA ID#: 95V068000 SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED MY CAR BECAUSE MY CAR ROLLED FROM ITS ORIGINAL PARKED POSITION AFTER MOVING THE GEAR INTO THE REVERSE POSITION AND REMOVING THE IGNITION KEY. MY CAR IS TOTALED. BUT IT WAS NOT MY FAULT. IT WAS PARKED ON A FLAT SERVICE IN MY GARAGE. THERE IS NO OTHER DAMAGE BUT I DO NOT WANT THIS TO BE CONSIDERED "MY FAULT" AND I WANT MY DEDUCTIBLE. THE CAR WAS IN GREAT SHAPE WITH NEW TIRES AND CLUTCH AND I WANTED TO DRIVE IT FOR A FEW MORE YEARS. WHY WASN'T MY CAR INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. AN NHTSA RESEARCH INVESTIGATOR IS GOING TO CONTACT ME WITHIN 48 HOURS. I JUST WANTED TO FILE THIS SAFETY COMPLAINT IF IT WILL HELP THE SAFETY SAFETY OF OTHERS. FOR MY CAR IT IS TOO LATE BUT FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS HURT. I SPOKE TO LATHA AT THE HOTLINE. THANK YOU [XXX]. *NM UPDATED 07/19/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THIS VEHICLE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS MENTIONED IN RECALL 95V066000 CONCERNING IGNITION MODULE FAILURE. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS AFTER STARTING UP. THE MOTOR WAS IDLING HIGH AND THE RPMS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE. HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN TO THE DEALER FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE OWNER DID STOP BY AND SAW IF HER CAR WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, AND IT WAS NOT. WANTED TO WAIT TO AND SEE IF NHTSA OR SABB EXPANDED THE RECALL BEFORE SHE HAD IT CHECKED. *AK

DT:CONTACT STATES: WHEN HE SHIFING HIS CAR IT IS POSSIBLE TO MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER INTO THE REVERSE GEAR, REMOVE THE KEY, AND STILL HAVE RANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL OR TO ACCIDENTALLY DISENGAGE REVERSE BY STRIKING THE GEAR LEVER. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 10 TIMES , MAKING THE CAR ROLL. HE HAS CITED A RECALL # 95V068000 WHICH WAS THE EXACT SAME THING CAR WAS DOING. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY TOLD HIM THIS VEHICLE WASA NOT INVOLVED IN RECALL DUE TO VIN. HE HAS SPOKEN TO H MECHANIC AND DESCRIBED WHAT THE CAR WAS DOING ,AND THE MECHANIC SAID H THAT THE REMEDY LISTED ON THE RECALL WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA RECALL BULLETIN MODEL 95 SAAB 900 CAMPAIGN NO.95V068000 SPOKE TO SAAB AT 800 955 900 (FILE#14566) ON 5/12 AFTER CAR WAS DIAGNOSED BY SPORTS AND SPECIALIST A SAAB DEALER IN PRINCETON NJ .THE WRITTEN INVOICE #13983 STATESAR WILL NEED NEW SHIFTER LINKAGE AND CLUTCH CUSTOMER DECLINED BOTH SAAB CORPORATE AND THE DEALER INSIST THERE IS NO RECALL CAMP. YET YOUR BULLETIN EXPLAINS THE EXACT PROBLEM THE CONSEQUENCES THE CORRECTIVE ACTION. I WOULD APPRECEIATE ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY THE NHTSA QUICKLY SINCE I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT A CAR FOR 2 MONTHS. THANK YOU M GOLDENBERG

I WAS DRIVING MY SAAB 900 CONVERTIBLE AND WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE PASSANGER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. I IMMEDIATLY PULLED OVER AND AS I WAS CHECKING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE NOISE WAS THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THE AIRBAG BROKE MY WINDSHIELD AND IMMEDIATLY AFTER THEY DEPLOYED THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON AND THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATOR CAME ON. I WILL BE TAKING THE CAR TO HAVE IT INSPECTED BY A CERTIFIED SAAB REPAIR SHOP. THE MECHANIC IS GUESSING AT THIS POINT THAT THE COMPUTER SYSTEM FAILED CAUSING THE SPONTANEOUS DEPLOYMENT. HAD I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON A BUSY ROAD OR A HIGHWAY THIS COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY BEEN AN ACCIDENT CAUSING INCIDENT. FORTUNATLY FOR ME AND OTHERS TRAVELING THIS WAS NOT THE CASE.*AK

RECALL 95V066000 CONCERNING ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT. DUE TO THE VIN THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR RECALL REPAIRS. HOWEVER, BASED ON THE SYMPTOMS IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE DEFECT THIS VEHICLE WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO TOLD CONSUMER THAT BECAUSE THE RECALL INFORMATION DID NOT APPEAR ON THE SAAB WEB PAGE THEY WILL NOT ASSIST THE CONSUMER. *AK

AT ABOUT 1000 A.M. ,MY DAUGHTER JENNIFER AGE 19 WAS DRIVING MY 1995 SAAB 900SE CONVERTIBLE ON THE NYS THRUWAY FROM ALBANY TO OUR HOME IN UTICA , NY WHEN SHE WAS APPROACHING THE HERKIMER T-WAY EXIT. SHE WAS GOING TO EXIT THE T-WAY THERE , SO SHE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN. SHE TOLD ME THAT WHEN SHE STEPPED ON THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE REFUSED TO SLOW DOWN AND BEGAN TO GAIN SPEED. SHE SAYS THAT WHEN SHE TOOK HER FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN FROM 55 MPH TO 85 MPH IN A MATTER OF SECONDS . SHE SAYS SHE BECAME HYSTERICAL AND BEGAN TO PLACE ALL OF HER WEIGHT ON HER FOOT AND APPLIED THE BRAKES FULLY ,BUT TO NO AVAIL. SHE SAYS THAT THE CAR WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND WHEN THE BRAKES FINALLY SLOWED THE VEHICLE JUST ENOUGH WHERE SHE GAINED A LITTLE BIT OF CONTROL, SHE THREW THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK AND TURNED THE IGNITION OFF, STEERING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AS YOU CAN SEE THIS COULD HAVE HAD CATASTROPHIC RESULTS IN ANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCE. THANK GOD THAT MY DAUGHTER WAS NOT INJURED IN ANY WAY OTHER THAN HER INSTANT FEAR OF DRIVING A CAR AGAIN. THE VEHICLE NOW IS AT THE PLACE OF BUSINESS WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED AND INQUIRIES ARE BEING MADE AT THIS TIME TO SEE IF ANYTHING LIKE THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE WITH THIS SAAB PRODUCT. DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE IS UNDETERMINED AT THIS TIME , BUT SUFFICE TO SAY THAT THE BRAKES WERE PRETTY MUCH BURNED UP. WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY ASSISTANCE IN THIS MATTER THAT YOU COULD GIVE US. SINCERELY, ROSE MARY DOUGHERTY *LA