[Santiago]

Hello All! Long time enthusiast and racer- first Saab owner for 2 years now. I drive an 08 Aero and like others, I have recently had the Stability Control Failure/ Cornering Headlamp Malfunction take place. In addition, the TCS, ABS and E-brake lights illuminate. It seems to happen after roughly 3-4 ignition cycles. If battery is reset- it goes away. Car has been running an HP Tuners dyno tune for 9 months flawlessly and has 70k miles on the odo. One thing I want to add and see from others is that since nearly 60 days ago I replaced the battery with an Optima Redtop. Now I am wondering if the battery choice could be the culprit?.? I had the car scanned on Tech2 and the following are what came back: U0212, P1629, U2142, U2143, U2139, and U2103. I understand that pretty much all the signs are pointing to the CIM, however I was hoping for some insight from the PROs on this board since my background mainly involves Mitsu, Porsche/Audi, and Subaru from the past
I look forward to the responses! Thank you in advance!

Santiago

 

[Jaco2k]

Multiple faults like that usually point to a battery failure - if you can get hold of a known good battery to test, that would be the first thing to do.

If your errors are related to CIM, or more concretely, Steering angle sensor, it can be repaired if you are willing to put in the time. Took me a couple of hours doing it all very slowly but I managed to disassemble the CIM and replace the steering angle sensor inside with a used yet working one.

 

[EuroStyle]

Harbor Frieght has a battery load tester, usually on sale for $15. Bring a coupon and it's less. I would load test your battery and see where it is. My '06 Aero seems to eat them every 2 1/2 years or so. I think it's the increased heat of the V6 under the hood....


Sean

 

[Malibu]

Take a look at this thread for more info on the subject, particularly since you are having cornering headlamp malfunctions as well:

http://www.saablink.net/forum/car-problems-new-9-3-only/43822.htm

Essentially, the AHL (Auto Headlamp Leveling) module is the bridge between the ME9 ECU and the ESP/TCM module on the P-Bus. If that starts to have problems, then you have communications issues between the ECU and the ESP/TCM module. People have found broken or frayed wiring around the AHL module which has caused this problem.

In some cases, these Stability Control Failure errors have been traced to the yaw sensor in the CIM, in other cases to the AHL and its associated wiring. In the thread referenced above, it came down to a wiring issue behind the driver's side headlight.

These issues are difficult to track down, but given that you are having headlamp malfunctions in addition to the stability control malfunctions, I would start with the AHL and its wiring.

Good luck! I have this issue too, but it's been too few and far between for me to really try and spend the time to track it down. Mine started happening around the same mileage as yours.

 

[Santiago]

The input is appreciated! Based off that and some more digging, it seems that due to the multiple "U" codes and the varying rate at when the stability warning comes up, it appears to be communication related. (The CIM is not being recognized at times.) The wiring all looks good around the headlights and the grounds as well. So I guess the 2 month old battery will get a test. Hope thats the issue... really not in for a CIM replacement or having the dealer dig into this one...

 

[Jaco2k]

If it points to the failure of the Steering angle sensor (which is inside the CIM...) I really suggest you look into repairing it yourself.

Saab asked me for 800€ for part and labour. I got a spare Steering angle sensor from the internet for 50€, followed a couple of step by step guides to remove steering wheel and dissemble CIM and did the job myself. Only thing needed after is to take the car to a Tech II session to reset the steering angle sensor, which cost me another 50€ - quite a big saving!

 

[0893aero]

Hi Santiago - I just wanted to wish you luck in getting this sorted!

I just got an 08 a couple months back, so these stories make me nervous.

I will be happy to hear when your car is back to normal again. Don't give up!


Jaco2K - The Tech 2 reset is truly required? It wouldn't eventually reset on its own? No? Thanks.

 

[Jaco2k]

Jaco2K - The Tech 2 reset is truly required? It wouldn't eventually reset on its own? No? Thanks.

Pretty sure it is required, yes. When you replace the sensor the center point won't be the same as on the previous sensor so you need to hook it up, center the wheel and tell the sensor "this is center"

 

[Malibu]

Jaco2k, do you happen to have the part number for the sensor, and the instructions for replacing it? I'm know a lot of us would appreciate it! ;ol;

 

[Jaco2k]

Jaco2k, do you happen to have the part number for the sensor, and the instructions for replacing it? I'm know a lot of us would appreciate it! ;ol;

There is no part number cause it is not a serviceable part
I am not home right now but I will put some pics and links up - tomorrow, most likely

 

[Jaco2k]

I will add more info during the weekend but the principle behind it is that you need a donor CIM to fetch the sensor from or someone who has the sensor alone for sale, which is how it got mine, actually from a member from here.

 

[0893aero]

Certainly sounds like an annoying component of for us to have to worry about and affects so many systems of the car.

Oddly, the past warranty information on my car seems to show my car's went out at only 10,000 miles. Yikes. I'm not looking forward to this in the future, fingers crossed, but I will certainly follow the progress of everyone here. Good luck!

 

[Santiago]

Well after a few ground and voltage tests, along with a replacement 800CCA battery that I had- the occurrence remains. A new CIM is eminent. Thanks again to the team. Jaco- I'll look forward to your how to updates as they happen. :lol:

 

[Jaco2k]

So... and as per several requests... here is the information needed to solve a failure of the Steering Angle sensor WITHOUT replacing the CIM.

First, a couple of very important disclaimers:
1. This is NOT a serviceable part so you CANNOT order a replacement steering angle sensor from nowhere. Saab bundles it all as part of the CIM. There is NO part number printed ANYWHERE on the part.
2. You absolutely need a donor CIM to scavenge the sensor from or a used known sensor you find online somewhere
3. Pairing a used CIM with a car is a much more complicated process than replacing the steering angle sensor and then resetting it using Tech II

Now that you made it this far...
In short this is what we need to do:
1. Pop the airbag out without disconnecting it
2. Straighten steering wheel
3. Disconnect battery
4. Remove airbag
5. Remove steering wheel
6. Remove CIM while making sure that you MARK the clock dial position.
7. With the CIM on top of your desk remove the turn sign and wiper stalks
8. Open and disassemble the CIM
9. Replace the broken steering wheel sensor with the "new" one
10. Reverse of all these steps

Unfortunately, I do not have a source for Steering angle sensors - I got mine from a member here.
What I do have are the instructions to remove the CIM from the car and the instructions to disassemble the CIM, which I will post under:

Instructions to remove CIM (and airbag/steering wheel):
http://youtu.be/uhFfhYptL6U
http://youtu.be/7YEaVQfa2k0
http://youtu.be/fbCNonXGrJU

Instructions on how to disassemble the CIM:
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162129

What the actual part looks like:

Also, and VERY IMPORTANT!!!! Make sure you read well the thread about the CIM disassembly and the recommendation to use the ATC fuse to push the flap back and not bend the pins when reassembling the CIM.

Again, this is not for the faint of heart, but if I can do it... most anyone can. Just take your time, which is what I did - took me around 2h from start to finish without hurrying and carefully double-checking every step before making an action.

Hope this is of help to others and allows you to save some money - not sure what is the going rate for a replacement CIM from Saab nowadays, but quite sure it will cost loads more than this repair

Only thing left to mention is that the error is more or less intermittent but after you perform this repair it will be permanently on - do not get scared, it is normal.
You need to take the car either to Saab or a repair shop with Tech II and ask them to reset the Steering angle position. They will just straighten the Steering wheel and press reset on a button.

The error was gone for me after and never came back.

Final noteworthy thing to mention:
The generic fault about the Traction control being disabled that the car displays can have 3 different sources:
- The steering angle sensor (inside the CIM)
- The Yaw rate sensor (somewhere under the handbrake, if I am not mistaken)
- The wheel speed sensors (one inside each wheel hub)

Don't go around buying parts or replacing things without having the codes read with Tech II to check for the exact source of the problem.

Hope this post is helpful!

 

[Diggs]

Thanks Jaco2k. Very impressive. Adding to How to sticky.

 

[Jaco2k]

Thanks Jaco2k. Very impressive. Adding to How to sticky.

Cheers and feel free to - I basically just compiled information, I don't take any credit for the excellent work others have done in the videos or the CIM dis-assembly thread.

Funny thing for me was when I took the car to the local Saab specialists (not dealer) where I have my repairs done and I asked him to reset the Steering angle sensor. He could not believe what I had done and was very interested on how I did it cause he has a 9-3 also

 

[Santiago]

You are the man! ;ol; Thank you for the tutorial and images of the item. I will be doing the same. This group surely is one that differs from many of the other sites for sure. I am happy to be part of the community. I truly love the car too- its just a darn shame that these types of issues happen. This car is by far more temperamental than any other I've owned, tuned, etc... believe me when I say that means allot. Again, thanks All! I will be sure to provide the final feedback after I tackle this one.

 

[Malibu]

Thanks Jaco2k! ;ol; Awesome write-up!

 

[Santiago]

Round 2...

Hello All! Well, in lieu of planning to repair the CIM myself (following the info as so well explained in the previous posts), it turns out that I ended up finding a complete-new unit for a very good price.
After it arrived, I ended up having the local dealer here in N.E. Ohio install and program it with their Tech2. When I brought it to them, it was said in great detail by the both technicians and service advisor that the CIM was the exact culprit after they confirmed details from their diagnostic checks... So now here I am today, and although I no longer have a CEL after 4 or 5 ignition cycles, nor have I had the stability control failure notice happen, I DO now have issues with the car not starting after every 2 or 3 ignition cycles without a battery reset taking place.
In addition, I do not get any notices on the dash other than a false notification stating my right rear tail light bulb being out. (which it is not) After I took it back last week for the techs to look at it, the dealer is now stating the battery is the main issue for being taller than OEM. However, upon my first trip there, the very same techs looked over the battery at the time and assured me it was OK... Now this to me makes no sense at this point since the plastic battery cover would not allow for any arching to take place with the hood closed, etc. So I do not see how that could be the problem. I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point, however wanted to follow back up from this thread to inform others whom may have feedback/input. It is at this point very disheartening to know that the "SAAB Service pros" at the dealership seem to not really know at all what to do with this particular scenario. In fact, they even had the gall to ask for me to purchase a new OEM battery and pay an additional 1hr diagnostics fee to further analyze. Personally, I will not allow myself to be used as a guinea pig for evaluation/ testing.
Should anyone have ideas or info that could be of use- please let me know.

Santiago

 

[Jaco2k]

Well... You just found out in practice why it is a better idea to replace only the sensor and keep your old CIM.

I am going on a limb here now and I will say you have ISM issues... Which, if I am not mistaken, is also a part of the CIM. Might be the reason that the one you currently have got sold in the first place.

Either way, good luck and wait for more opinions!