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Emission warranties have changed over the years. The last change was put in effect in 1995 or 1996.
There are two parts of the warranty. One is performance and the other is component failure. The performance part is 2yrs/24K. This basically means if you fail an EPA mandated emission test then the manufacturer MUST fix the car to pass. This includes such things as air filters, spark plugs and such.
The component failure warranty is 2yrs/24K and 8yrs/80K however, the 8yr/80K only applies to two components. One is the catalytic converter; the other is the engine management computer. In the case of the 9-5, this would be the actual T-7 module.
These warranties are covered in the Service/Warranty book.
Since Saab has a 4yr/50K bumper to bumper warranty, Saab's component warranty is actually more than the Feds require on most components.
So what about the 5yr/50K warranty? Well, it was imposed in the mid 1970s. It covered all emission devices for component failure for 5yr/50K and performance for 2yr/24K. As I understand it, during the hearings for the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, independent car repair shops were upset by the 5yr/50K warranty. They claimed it cost them business because if someone came in with a late model/low mileage car and it had a check engine light on, then the indie would usually send the car to the dealer. Once at the dealer, the repair may or may have not been covered, but it gave the dealer the opportunity to check the car over for other needed work like brakes, tires, whatever. Not all the time, but some of the time, the customer would buy the recommended work and this cut into the indie's business.
Consumer groups complained about the possible increase of the cost to the car owner. As a result, a compromise was reached and Congress directed the current 8yr/80K warranty on the more expensive components (I think I remember $200.00 being the cut point) and dropping the rest to a 2yr/24k warranty
This is my understanding and my opinion of these events.
Steve
posted by 205.157.24...
, Fri, 5 Aug 2005 10:48:02, Wed, 3 Aug 2005 22:10:19
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