NHTSA Complaint #10018394 — 2003 SAAB 9-3

AFTER SLOWING DOWN IN TRAFFIC, MY WIFE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE, BUT THE ENGINE STOPPED AND THE ENGINE ICON ON THE DASH DISPLAY WAS ILLUMINATED. THE SAAB INFORMATION DISPLAY (SID) DID NOT SHOW ANY PROBLEMS. LUCKILY SHE WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND CONTINUE ON TO WORK. APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES LATER THE ENGINE WAS SLUGGISH AND ALMOST STOPPED AGAIN. IN ADDITION THE RADIO HAS BEEN KNOWN TO CHANGE STATIONS BY ITSELF, AND THE REMOTE MIRRORS WILL SOMETIMES MOVE BY THEMSELVES. THE CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE SAAB DEALER AND A SOFTWARE UPDATE HAS SUPPOSEDLY TAKEN CARE OF THE MIRRORS AND ENGINE/IGNITION, BUT THE RADIO PROBLEM IS NEW. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF SAAB HAD BEEN PROACTIVE AND SOUGHT OUT OWNERS OF THIS PARTICULAR MODEL (9-3 LINEAR) SOONER AND NOTIFIED THEM OF A NECESSARY SOFTWARE UPDATE. AN ENGINE DYING IN TRAFFIC, AN INTERSECTION, A TRAIN CROSSING, ETC., CAN BE A DANGER. ALSO, I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE ONSTAR SERVICE TO BE INSTALLED. WE PURCHASED THE CAR THE FIRST WEEK IN JANUARY, AND NOW IT'S MAY AND STILL NO ONSTAR! *JB