I have a 2005 Saab 9-3 with ~210,000 miles. Over the weekend, I attempted to fix my blower motor by replacing its resistor. I disconnected the battery (- then +) and got the resistor out. This is when I learned that the wires were actually melted into the plastic cable connector hub that they share. I managed to get them out and said "screw it, I'll finish this crap later". I knew I had to get some electrical tape to go on the ends of the wires, but I didn't have any and didn't trust myself to drive at that point (Saturday afternoon...) - so I left the wires just sitting there and forgot about the tape completely.
Drove about 30 minutes to & from work. Drove another 10 minutes an hour after I got home, and then as I was driving the TCS & STM failed and a few seconds later the whole thing shut down at a red light - engine, lights, everything. I definitely should've just pulled over when I got it started again, but I kept going and 30 seconds later, going up a hill, it died again... Anyway, I realize it was a boneheaded move to forget about those wires that were just dangling there completely exposed, but could that actually cause the whole thing to shut down? Or would that just blow a fuse and I've got a bigger issue? Need to know before I chance a drive to work today... AAA guy said the battery looked fine and he concluded it was the wires, but it's always best to get a second opinion to avoid causing a 20-car pileup. Oh and my inspection sticker expired months ago, so if it does fail me, I'm risking issues with that.
UPDATE:
Left it idling in the driveway for 45 minutes this morning before getting in and driving to work. Figured it'd shut down while sitting in place if it still had a problem. Drove it 50 feet and it lost power going down a hill. Good thing brakes still work when that happens! But what's going on with this thing? Are there any easy things to look for that I could do in my driveway? Why would driving it such a short distance kill it? I disconnected the battery and reconnected it, then reversed up the hill and parked it. Then I pulled the parking brake, put it in neutral, and put some strain on the engine (3-4k) for 4 or 5 minutes with periodic rests, but it never shut down again.