Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | ||||||
| PE09032 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 07/15/2009 | 12/16/2009 | ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE | ||
| The office of defects investigation (odi) is aware of 7 subject vehicles that have allegedly experienced engine compartment fires originating at the coil-on-plug (cop) ignition coil assembly and 28 alleged non-fire thermal events resulting in damage limited to the subject component and associated wiring. all reported incidents occurred while the vehicles were attended and in all but one case the subject vehicles were repaired and returned to service after the incident involving the alleged defect. according to general motors (gm), a ceramic capacitor used in the electromagnetic noise filter circuit inside the subject component may have been damaged during the manufacturing process. a fracture inside the capacitor may, depending on its size and location, result in a resistive short circuit. when energized, the resistive short circuit may cause heat that can melt the potting epoxy around the circuit board and lead to smoke, odor and in some instances fire. other symptoms may include a misfire condition resulting in rough running and/or illumination of the service engine soon telltale light. all 7 fires occurred relatively early in the service life of the vehicle at 120, 171, 198, 207, 297, 365 and 394 days in service, respectively. odi analysis indicates that approximately 98% of the subject vehicle population is now beyond the exposure age at which fire incidents were observed. the last known fire incident occurred in may 2009 on a vehicle that had 394 days in service and the last know fire incident previous to that occurred in december 2008 on a vehicle that had 198 days in service. a safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted. accordingly, this investigation is closed. the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist. the agency will continue to monitor the field experience of the subject vehicles as it relates to the alleged defect and will take further action if warranted by the circumstances. additionally, the manufacturer will provide the agency with an update of complaint and warranty information in 6 months from the closing date of this investigation and until that time it will notify the agency within 5 business days of any fire incidents it becomes aware of that relates, or may relate, to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 08/27/2012 | 33000 | ||
| On august 27, 2012, while shopping in the mall, i came out side to the fire department putting a fire out that looks to have occurred while i was in the store. i don't understand how the care caught fire while it was parked. when i got out of the car it seemed to be fine. the fire marshall report side that it was an electrical fire that started because a defect from the manufacturer. | |||
| 01/10/2012 | 49000 | ||
| I was driving my 2007 saab 93 aero. there must have been something faulty with the wiring of my seat warmer. it had gave me a slight burn on my left bottom/leg area. good thing i turned it off in time because i also started smelling as if an electrical fire had been starting. it smelt of burned leather and possibly other components. after contacting the dealership there where unwilling to take care of this issue for no cost but in my opinion that should be the least of there worries. this to me is a liability issue and a possible fire hazard. | |||
| 06/01/2009 | 28000 | 1 | |
| On cold engine starts (starting the car after it being at rest for a few hours), the power braking does not work for the first 1-3 minutes that the car is on. happens consistently. first noticed months ago. appointment scheduled for repair. vehicle is a 2007 saab 9-3 aero. *tr | |||
| 07/14/2009 | 14500 | 1 | |
| 2007 saab 9-3, wouldn't start and had to be towed to the dealer. the error message received when inserting the key was lock malfunction. pull over safely. this message and the incident is identical to the problems experienced with my 2005 saab 9-3, which had to be towed on numerous occasions because it wouldn't start. the problem happens when the key is inserted into the ignition. i know at least three other saab owners who have experienced the same problem, one who just purchased his 2009 saab this year. i actually filed a claim with saab for my 2005 vehicle, vin , file no. 71-557354191 and because this was a recurring problem with my prior vehicle i believe it will happen again with my 2007 saab causing me considerable inconvenience and possibly putting me in danger if it happens to occur in a an unsafe location. it would appear that saab would acknowledge this problem and notify their customers of this problem. i have checked the recall record and find no evidence that there has been any attempt by the company to recall or correct this situation. i will be taking action under the song-beverly consumer warranty act to recover the full purchase price of this vehicle because bsed on the service record and my conversations with the dealer there does not appear to be a remedy for this defect. the technicians don't seem to know why this continues to happen. it appears to be an electrical problem related to the computer. *tr | |||