Safari SAHARA problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
3 owner complaints analyzed
1 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1995 to 1996 model years. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 3 complaints (33.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 1 | 33.3% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 1 | 33.3% |
| Steering behavior | 1 | 33.3% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 1 |
| Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | 1 |
| Suspension:Front | 1 |
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 1; Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft: 1; Suspension:Front: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
No usable failure mileage is recorded. 3 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 1 |
| 1999 | 1 |
| 2000 | 1 |
1998: 1; 1999: 1; 2000: 1
Pattern summary
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 701115 · 1998-12-04 (December 4, 1998)
FRONT SUSPENSION BOTTOMS CAUSING FRONT WHEELS TO HIT ON UNDERSIDE OF MOTORHOME FLOOR CAUSING MOMENTARY LOSS OF CONTROL. MAGNUM (CHASSIS MFG) STATES THAT 95 SAHARA WERE BUILT WITH WHEELS TOO CLOSE TO FLOOR. WITH LATER MODELS, WHEELS WERE LOCATED 1 INCH FURTHER AWAY FROM FLOOR. SAFARI IS AWARE OF PROBLEM AND HAS RETROFITTED 95 MODELS WITH LONGER "LEAF SPRING SHACKLE BRACKETS" ONLY FOR THOSE PEOPLE UNDER WARRANTY. SINCE I PURCHASED USED, CHASSIS WARRANTY IS VOID PER SAFARI. PROBLEM OCCURS AT ALL SPEEDS INCLUDING DURING BRAKING DOWN STEEP HILLS.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 701115 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 729088 · 2000-08-25 (August 25, 2000)
WHEN THIS PART FAILS IT SHORT CIRCUITS TO THE STARTER SOLONOID CAUSING THE STARTER TO TURN THE ENGINE. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERIES HOWEVER BY THAT TIME THE WIRING IS ON FIRE. ON MY VEHICLE, THE NEW FUEL CUT OFF PART FAILED ON THE SECOND OR THIRD START OF THE ENGINE, AGAIN BURNING OUT THE STARTER BUT NOT THE WIRING. IF THIS UNIT SHOULD FAIL WHILE DRIVING, AS THE REPLACEMENT DID, A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD OCCUR BECAUSE THE ENGINE DIES LEAVING THE DRIVER WITHOUT ANY POWER FOR STEERING AND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT COULD BE ON FIR…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 729088 at NHTSA ↗
Recalls by model year
All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.
Recall campaigns
Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 0 |
| 1996 | 1 |
1995: 0; 1996: 1
Year-by-year records
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
3 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 1995 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 150.0%ODI 729088WHEN THIS PART FAILS IT SHORT CIRCUITS TO THE STARTER SOLONOID CAUSING THE STARTER TO TURN THE ENGINE. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERIES HOWEVER BY THAT TIME THE WIRING IS ON FIRE. ON MY VEHICLE, THE NEW FUEL CUT OFF PART FAILED ON THE SECOND OR THIRD START OF THE ENGINE, AGAIN BURNING OUT THE STARTER BUT NOT THE WIRING. IF THIS UNIT SHOULD FAIL WHILE DRIVING, AS THE REPLACEMENT DID, A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD OCCUR BECAUSE THE ENGINE DIES LEAVING THE DRIVER WITHOUT ANY POWER FOR STEERING AND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT COULD BE ON FIR… | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 1100.0%ODI 843169WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING DRIVESHAFT FELL OFF. CONSUMER HEARD A BANGING SOUND AND VEHICLE COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD. *AK |
| Suspension:Front | 150.0%ODI 701115FRONT SUSPENSION BOTTOMS CAUSING FRONT WHEELS TO HIT ON UNDERSIDE OF MOTORHOME FLOOR CAUSING MOMENTARY LOSS OF CONTROL. MAGNUM (CHASSIS MFG) STATES THAT 95 SAHARA WERE BUILT WITH WHEELS TOO CLOSE TO FLOOR. WITH LATER MODELS, WHEELS WERE LOCATED 1 INCH FURTHER AWAY FROM FLOOR. SAFARI IS AWARE OF PROBLEM AND HAS RETROFITTED 95 MODELS WITH LONGER "LEAF SPRING SHACKLE BRACKETS" ONLY FOR THOSE PEOPLE UNDER WARRANTY. SINCE I PURCHASED USED, CHASSIS WARRANTY IS VOID PER SAFARI. PROBLEM OCCURS AT ALL SPEEDS INCLUDING DURING BRAKING DOWN STEEP HILLS. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. | ||||
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
1995: 1 complaints · 1996: 0 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1996 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | Suspension:Front |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | — | 0 | 0 |
| Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | 0 | — | 0 |
| Suspension:Front | 0 | 0 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.