NHTSA Complaint #10156128 — 2002 SAAB 9-5

I WOULD LIKE TO CITE NHTSA CAMPAIGN #05V399000. WHILE DRIVING MY 2002 SAAB 9-5 6 CYLINDER ON 4/20/2006 I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE ROUGH OPERATION AND REDUCED POWER OF THE ENGINE. I WAS A SHORT DISTANCE FROM MY DESTINATION WHERE I PARKED THINKING I WOULD NEED TO BE TOWED. AT FIRST I THOUGHT MY CAR WAS OVERHEATING BECAUSE THERE SEEMED TO BE STEAM COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD BUT THERE WAS AN ODD SMELL. I WENT INTO THE COFFEE SHOP I WAS VISITING AND WITHIN A MINUTE OR TWO I TURNED TO CHECK ON MY CAR AND I SAW THAT THE INTERIOR WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE. I WENT OUTSIDE AND NOTICED SPARKS AND FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE IN THE AREA OF THE BACK SEAT AND I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THEY ARRIVED AND PUT OUT THE FIRE UNDER THE CAR AND IN THE BACK SEAT WHERE THE FLAMES HAD BURNED THROUGH THE CARPET. I CALLED A TOW SERVICE AND WENT BACK INTO THE STORE TO FINISH MY COFFEE AND WAIT FOR THE TOW TRUCK. WHEN I CAME BACK OUT I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS STILL SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD SO I CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AGAIN TO PUT OUT THE REMNANTS OF THE FIRE. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO THE NEAREST SAAB DEALER WHICH IS IN GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, ABOUT 40 MILES AWAY. LATER THAT DAY I CALLED THE DEALER TO ASK ABOUT THE ABOVE REFERENCED RECALL WHICH I HAD DISCOVERED ON THE INTERNET, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY PARTICULAR CAR WAS NOT COVERED. IN THE LETTER OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT DATED SEPTEMBER 13, 2005 FROM GM TO THE NTHSA, GM STATES THAT "A SUSTAINED VEHICLE FIRE IS UNLIKELY AND GM KNOWS OF NONE." DUE TO THE EXACTNESS OF MY SITUATION AND THE RECALL, I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT GM NOW HAS AT LEAST ONE FIRE ON RECORD. *JB