Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - SUPPLY - CHECK VALVE | |||||
| PN-128 | 09/07/2011 | 10041585 | Saab: using by replacing check valve, vacuum pipe can be serviced. *pe | 10/11/2011 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - VACUUM - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | |||||
| PN-128 | 09/07/2011 | 10041585 | Saab: using by replacing check valve, vacuum pipe can be serviced. *pe | 10/11/2011 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - VACUUM | ||||||
| PE08005 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/28/2008 | 06/03/2008 | REDUCED BRAKE POWER-ASSIST | ||
| Saab automobile ab, a subsidiary of general motors corp. (gm), manufactured 12,317 subject vehicles through february 15, 2008, equipped with the high feature v6 turbocharged engine identified by regular production option lp9.a tandem vacuum brake booster assembly provides brake power-assist.the engine is the primary vacuum source to the booster and its effect is amplified by a venturi.under certain conditions, such as a cold engine start or at high altitudes, an electric vacuum pump (evp) supplements engine vacuum.a pressure switch measures brake booster vacuum and commands the evp when to turn on/off.check valves are located at the intake manifold, venturi, and pressure switch. gm identified two issues that affect evp performance: corrosion of electrical components inside the pump caused by moisture ingress through the air outlet when the evp shuts off and the vacuum in a section of piping between the evp and the pressure switch is released to the atmosphere; and silicone contamination of the electrical contacts inside the pressure switch resulting in a noisy or impeded electrical signal.gm addressed evp performance with two design changes.in november 2007, gm modified the rubber protective cap that covers the evp air outlet to improve sealing and in february 2008, gm added a check valve to the section of piping between the evp and the pressure switch as close as possible to the evp in an effort to reduce the back flow of moisture through the pump. in total, the office of defects investigation (odi) is aware of 240 subject vehicles affected by the alleged defect.complainants report that symptoms occur immediately after a cold engine start and only for a short duration (30 to 60 seconds), during which period the amount of brake power-assist provided to the operator may be reduced due to an inoperative evp.the symptoms may be more pronounced the longer the vehicle has been parked as there is a natural tendency for the brake booster to slowly release the vacuum over time if it is not replenished.full brake power-assist capability resumes after this brief cold start period or immediately after a warm engine start.the three reported crashes all occurred at low speeds (< 5mph) while reversing from a garage or parking space and resulted in minimal to minor property damage. the subject issue differs from a previous safety recall (05v-236) affecting certain model year (my) 2003-2005 saab 9-3 vehicles equipped with a defective check valve that could become brittle and fracture, resulting in a lasting and total loss of brake power-assist at any time.the defective check valve did not meet lifetime durability requirements and gm predicted a 100% failure rate at less than 4 years of service.in comparison, gm predicts an evp failure rate of approximately 6.4% at 3 years in service for the subject vehicles resulting in reduced brake power-assist for a short duration.the subject issue also differs from a previous odi influenced safety recall (03v-474) to address evp moisture ingress in certain my 2000 volvo s40 and v40 vehicles.the recalled volvo vehicles utilized a steel vacuum pipe between the evp and the brake booster.moisture ingress and subsequent corrosion could compromise the vacuum pipe resulting in a lasting and total loss of brake power-assist.moisture does not appear to have a significant impact on the polyether-ester plastic vacuum pipe used in the subject vehicles. 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 take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - VACUUM - HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS | ||||||
| PE08005 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/28/2008 | 06/03/2008 | REDUCED BRAKE POWER-ASSIST | ||
| Saab automobile ab, a subsidiary of general motors corp. (gm), manufactured 12,317 subject vehicles through february 15, 2008, equipped with the high feature v6 turbocharged engine identified by regular production option lp9.a tandem vacuum brake booster assembly provides brake power-assist.the engine is the primary vacuum source to the booster and its effect is amplified by a venturi.under certain conditions, such as a cold engine start or at high altitudes, an electric vacuum pump (evp) supplements engine vacuum.a pressure switch measures brake booster vacuum and commands the evp when to turn on/off.check valves are located at the intake manifold, venturi, and pressure switch. gm identified two issues that affect evp performance: corrosion of electrical components inside the pump caused by moisture ingress through the air outlet when the evp shuts off and the vacuum in a section of piping between the evp and the pressure switch is released to the atmosphere; and silicone contamination of the electrical contacts inside the pressure switch resulting in a noisy or impeded electrical signal.gm addressed evp performance with two design changes.in november 2007, gm modified the rubber protective cap that covers the evp air outlet to improve sealing and in february 2008, gm added a check valve to the section of piping between the evp and the pressure switch as close as possible to the evp in an effort to reduce the back flow of moisture through the pump. in total, the office of defects investigation (odi) is aware of 240 subject vehicles affected by the alleged defect.complainants report that symptoms occur immediately after a cold engine start and only for a short duration (30 to 60 seconds), during which period the amount of brake power-assist provided to the operator may be reduced due to an inoperative evp.the symptoms may be more pronounced the longer the vehicle has been parked as there is a natural tendency for the brake booster to slowly release the vacuum over time if it is not replenished.full brake power-assist capability resumes after this brief cold start period or immediately after a warm engine start.the three reported crashes all occurred at low speeds (< 5mph) while reversing from a garage or parking space and resulted in minimal to minor property damage. the subject issue differs from a previous safety recall (05v-236) affecting certain model year (my) 2003-2005 saab 9-3 vehicles equipped with a defective check valve that could become brittle and fracture, resulting in a lasting and total loss of brake power-assist at any time.the defective check valve did not meet lifetime durability requirements and gm predicted a 100% failure rate at less than 4 years of service.in comparison, gm predicts an evp failure rate of approximately 6.4% at 3 years in service for the subject vehicles resulting in reduced brake power-assist for a short duration.the subject issue also differs from a previous odi influenced safety recall (03v-474) to address evp moisture ingress in certain my 2000 volvo s40 and v40 vehicles.the recalled volvo vehicles utilized a steel vacuum pipe between the evp and the brake booster.moisture ingress and subsequent corrosion could compromise the vacuum pipe resulting in a lasting and total loss of brake power-assist.moisture does not appear to have a significant impact on the polyether-ester plastic vacuum pipe used in the subject vehicles. 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 take further action if warranted by the circumstances. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 06/20/2001 | 64440 | ||
| The car failed to brake right after starting it up. the car was started, the brake was engaged, the gear select lever was moved to the drive position, after moving forward out of the parking space the car did not want to stop. we almost ran into the car in front of us. | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 25000 | 1 | |
| Sudden loss of braking power immediately after i start the car. at low speed, i had to engage the emergency brake and transmission to stop the car. brake pedal was depressed to the floor. *tr | |||
| 07/04/2009 | 51000 | 1 | |
| 2007-saab 9-3 aero v-6 engine. on 7-4-09 and 7-6-09 started car and backed out of garage and had no brakes. used e-brake to prevent car from going into street. brakes seemed to work fine after that. however, based on past complaints that i have seen on this web site i feel that it is time to address this issue before someone gets injured. *tr | |||
| 02/23/2009 | 25380 | 1 | |
| My brakes fail to work after starting my car but on feb 23rd. i was accelerating on the highway and my car continued to accelerate after i took my foot off the gas. i tried to brake and the pedal was extremely hard to press on. the car was able to slow down a bit but once i took foot off brake pedal the car would speed up again. i took my car in for service on the 24th of feb. and was told that they could not duplicate the problem and maybe my floor mat caused the problem. my car continues to have trouble braking. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2008 | 1 | ||
| I have a saab 93 aero and the brakes do not work shortly after starting the car. *tr | |||
| 08/29/2007 | 10395 | 1 | 01/20/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 saab aero. the brakes failed while driving 5 mph in reverse on a hill. the contact was only able to stop the vehicle after placing the vehicle in park. the weather conditions were normal. no warning lights appeared on the dash board. this was the first occurrence of this type of failure. the current mileage was 10,395 and the failure mileage was 10395. | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 07/20/2007 | 7500 | 2 | 01/31/2007 |
| The brakes on my 2007 saab 9-3 aero sport combi failed while i was driving. in the first incident i was backing out of my driveway and attempted to apply the brake only to have no brake pressure at all. with the pedal pushed all the way to the floor the car failed to stop and i was forced to use the emergency brake and put the transmission in park to stop the vehicle. the dealership claimed the issue was a faulty brake booster check valve and repaired that part. i drove the car home from the dealership and at the first stop light after leaving the dealership i attempted to stop the car from 65 mph only to have no brake pressure again. i was forced to down shift and use the emergency brake to avoid hitting several cars. i drove the car very slowly back to the dealership and demanded they fix it. the car was in the shop two weeks for what they claim was a bad master cylinder. i suffered brake loss a third time and the dealer said there was nothing more they could do to help me so i parked the car in my driveway for 3 months while saab and my leasing company negotiated a buy back. i no longer have the vehicle. saab repurchased the car in december 2007. *jb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - MASTER CYLINDER | |||
| 07/20/2007 | 7500 | 2 | 01/31/2007 |
| The brakes on my 2007 saab 9-3 aero sport combi failed while i was driving. in the first incident i was backing out of my driveway and attempted to apply the brake only to have no brake pressure at all. with the pedal pushed all the way to the floor the car failed to stop and i was forced to use the emergency brake and put the transmission in park to stop the vehicle. the dealership claimed the issue was a faulty brake booster check valve and repaired that part. i drove the car home from the dealership and at the first stop light after leaving the dealership i attempted to stop the car from 65 mph only to have no brake pressure again. i was forced to down shift and use the emergency brake to avoid hitting several cars. i drove the car very slowly back to the dealership and demanded they fix it. the car was in the shop two weeks for what they claim was a bad master cylinder. i suffered brake loss a third time and the dealer said there was nothing more they could do to help me so i parked the car in my driveway for 3 months while saab and my leasing company negotiated a buy back. i no longer have the vehicle. saab repurchased the car in december 2007. *jb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - POWER ASSIST - HYDRAULIC | |||
| 01/15/2008 | 25000 | ||
| Tl* the contact own a 2007 saab 9-3. he has to repeatedly apply pressure to the brake pedal to stop. the power assist unit was replaced under the warranty. he was in the process of having the power assist replaced for the third time. the failure mileage was 25,000. | |||