Recall Announcement - Wire Chafing Prevention
88saab111-047503U326004 11/21/88 ICS WA16614 00112 MLTN VA 11/21/88 JN70811
STEN O, HELLING SAAB-SCANIA OF AMERICA P.O. Box 697 ORANGE, CT 06477
ATTENTION: SAAB SERVICE MANAGER
SUBJECT: SAFETY RECALL ANNOUNCEMENT
SAAB-SCANIA OF AMERICA HAS NOTIFIED THE NHTSA THAT A SAFETY
RECALL WILL BE CONDUCTED INVOLVING APPROXIMATELY 70,000 1987 AND 1988 MODEL YEAR SAAB 900 PASSENGER CARS.
THESE CARS WILL BE VOLUNTARILY RECALLED TO INSTALL PROTECTION FOR ELECTRICAL WIRES TO PREVENT THE POSSIBILITY OF CHAFING AT CRITICAL LOCATIONS. IF CHAFING OCCURS AT THESE SPECIFIC LOCATIONS, AN ELECTRICAL SHORT COULD EVENTUALLY DEVELOP, RESULTING IN SMOKE OR, POSSIBLY, FIRE IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT.
IN EARLY DECEMBER, 1988, A PRELIMINARY SERVICE INFORMATION WILL BE ISSUED TO BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE COMPLETE SERVICE INFORMATION WILL BE ISSUED IN EARLY JANUARY, 1989, ACCOMPANIED BY RECALL STATUS LISTS AND CLAIM INFORMATION, OWNERS WILL ALSO BE NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME, INITIAL PARTS ORDERS WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY SENT TO YOU SHORTLY THEREAFTER, RECALL CAMPAIGN WORK WILL BEGIN IN LATE JANUARY.
IN THE INTERIM, SHOULD YOU BECOME AWARE OF A PASSENGER COMPARTMENT FIRE INCIDENT POSSIBLY RELATED TO THIS DEFECT, PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR SAAB DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER IMMEDIATELY. ALSO, TAKE CARE TO NOT MISPOSITION OR DAMAGE WIRES WHEN PERFORMING OTHER SERVICE REPAIRS IN THE DASHBOARD AREA.
OWNERS WHO INQUIRE MAY BE ADVISED THAT THE PROBABILITY OF A FIRE OCCURING IS VERY SMALL. THE OWNER NOTIFICATION LETTER WILL ADVISE THE OWNER TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS SOON AS IT IS SAFE AND POSSIBLE TO DO SO. PROMPTLY SWITCH OFF THE IGNITION AND EVACUATE THE VEHICLE SHOULD SMOKE EVER BE NOTICED COMING FROM THE DASHBOARD AREA. ALSO, AND IN MOST CASES, DISCONNECTING THE NEGATIVE CABLE FROM THE BATTERY AS SOON AS SMOKE IS DETECTED WILL LIMIT THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE, THE OWNER WILL BE FURTHER ADVISED TO NOT ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE VEHICLE OR RECONNECT THE BATTERY, AND TO NOTIFY HIS DEALER IMMEDIATELY.