I've not heard of this in a recent Volvo, either ... SAABs are notorious for weak transmissions. My first SAAB would pop out of reverse and my second would pop out of 3rd gear; the "classic" cause of this is a worn synchro or damaged gearset (there's no synchro on reverse). I never bothered to rebuild the trannies, in part because the repair would have cost more than the cars were worth.

Since the transmission was out of the car, you might want to try the linkage adjustment. Do you like a good clean life? Are you a lucky person?

How much time do you spend driving in second gear?

-bill d cat