Convertible top intermittently won't go up or down. Same thing 2 weeks ago.

The parking brake warning light does illuminate. Haven't yet removed the rear seat but from a picture it was difficult to see where precisely the power top components would be.

Ok, on the previous generation they were on the driver side, under the lower seat, and there are no a lot of other places it can go in that chassis. You could just put your ear to the seat while having someone press the button. If the relay is getting power, you'll hear it click. EDIT!*** The back of the seat for your model. Use the key, lay the seat-back down. Sorry about that. Driver side being the back of the reAR seat.

Began to follow your instructions to see whether I could hear a clicking sound under the rear seat and, lo and behold, when the person operating the switch raised it to lower the top, the windows went down and the top went down. I also was able to raise the top. Any thoughts? It should be noted that the parking brake was NOT on.

OK, I am nearly convinced the parking brake switch is the issue. That does not mean I would change it, but it does mean I would test it first. I do not know if the switch is separate from the normal parking brake light switch, but either way, there is an issue at that junction. I can walk you through diagnostics if you have a multimeter and some experience working with electrical circuits. You will have to find the last place where power goes, and shake wires while testing to search for an open circuit. It is easy, but some prior knowledge is assumed.

No prior electrical knowledge but I thank you greatly for all of your help. On next occurrence I will bring it to one of the repairpal certified locations and present your diagnosis to the service manager there.

Not for them, but for you it can be. They need the Tech II for faster diagnostics, otherwise it is all done manually. This circuit is nor very complicated, but the control module for the roof may be defective, and the Tech II can aid in checking that very quickly. Check another shop. I am surprised to hear that any shop is not equipped with a Tech II. They are pretty inexpensive. The other part is that most high end scanners can replicate many, if not all functions of the tech ii, so there may be something I'm not aware of.

Saab dealer said it is the switch and the top control module. Total cost $1200+. Sound right?

That makes total sense. If the module is allowing/disallowing the unit to raise/lower regardless of parking brake position, and it is receiving the correct input from the parking brake, then yes, it would need to be replaced. The switch may or may not be faulty, and must be tested independent of the system, especially since the module it communicates with is faulty. I.e. they may think the switch is bad because the module does not recognize when it is pressed. That should be verified, but is really an insignificant part of the bill. $1200 sound's like a dealership price, but if you areally paying for a couple of hours of diagnostics, that could play a part. I can imagine you getting the repair done for less, but it depends on your comfortability level. Also, the module may be a dealer part, specific to Saab, or it may be a standard module found on other GM vehicles. If it is a common component, the dealer price can be bypassed. The other side is that the dealer may roll the cost of diagnostics into the repair bill, or even partially. I always, always recommend having a second estimate completed when a customer is not sure of the price of repairs. Bottom line: $1200 after diagnosis and repair is not insane or unheard of, but it could probably** be beaten.

Saab service manager advised there is no parking brake safety switch on my 2008 9-3 Aero vert.