NO START INTERMITTENT (NUETRAL SAFETY SWITCH)

Thanks to mike kibler for contributing to this FAQ!

Intermittent no start: I have a 2001 9-3 with intermittent start problem - you turn the key to start, all of your interior/exterior lights work fine but nothing happens under the hood! 5, 10, 30 minutes pass and then
it will start. Check the neutral safety switch. This component bolts onto the top of your transmission and lets the car know if it is in park, neutral, etc. If it doesn't think you are in either P or N, then guess what, no electricity gets to the starter. Try cycling your gear selector a bunch of times to see if you can then get it to start in either P or N. In trying to diagnose my problem, I have changed the starter relay, and the electrical portion of the ignition- no luck. It should take a mechanic slightly more than 1 hour to do the labor or DIY with the instructions provided on this site.