NHTSA Complaint #10018802 — 2003 SAAB 9-3

THE CAR STALLED ON ME UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS - TWICE. THE FIRST TIME I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND WAS ON A SIDE ROAD GOING ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR WHEN THE GAS PEDAL TOTALLY STOPPED WORKING BECAUSE THE CAR ACTUALLY HAD STALLED. THE SECOND TIME WAS ABOUT A WEEK LATER AND UNFORTUNATELY I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR CRAWLING AT ABOUT 5 MPH AND THE CAR TOTALLY STALLED AGAIN. IN BOTH INSTANCES I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND TURNED IT ON AGAIN AND THE PROBLEM WAS GONE. WHEN I CALLED MY SAAB DEALER AFTER THE SECOND OCCURRENCE, THE SERVICE CONSULTANT TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A REPROGRAMMING EFFORT THAT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. I WAS SURPRISED THAT HE OFFERED A SOLUTION RIGHT AWAY, SO I ASKED IF HE KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND THEY WEREN'T SENDING A RECALL NOTICE TO FIX IT. HE SAID THAT NOT ALL CARS WERE STALLING, ONLY ABOUT A QUARTER OF THEM, AND IF A CUSTOMER CALLED WITH A COMPLAINT THEN THEY WOULD FIX IT. SO I BROUGHT IT IN FOR SERVICE THE NEXT DAY, AND THEY SAID THAT THEY CALLED THE HOTLINE, FOUND A PROBLEM AND WERE ABLE TO REPROGRAM THE CAR SO IT SHOULD BE ALL FIXED. *NLM