2003 Saab 9-3 Suspension Problems

I HAVE ALSO BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SUSPENSION. I WOULD HAVE TO CHECK MY RECORDS, BUT I BELIEVE IT STARTED WHEN THE CAR HAD ABOUT 25K MILES ON IT. THE SPRINGS ARE STILL IN TACT, BUT I WOULD NOTICE A VERY LOUD CREAKING NOISE GOING OVER SPEED BUMPS IN PARKING LOTS, ESPECIALLY IN COLD TEMPERATURES. I BROUGHT IT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE DEALERSHIP WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY DID NOT OFFER ANY RESOLUTION. AFTER READING THE LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS OF BROKEN SPRINGS, I NOW KNOW WHY I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR ON THE FREEWAY. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO GET THIS FIXED UNDER A RECALL BEFORE IT CAUSES AN ACCIDENT AND SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *TR

DRIVING DOWN STREET AT 30 MPH. LEFT SIDE FRONT SPRING BROKE. SPRING STUCK OUT AND SHREDDED TIRE. LEFT SIDE OF CAR DROPPED, WHICH THEN CAUSED RIGHT SIDE SPRING TO COME OFF AND CUT RIGHT SIDE TIRE. HAD TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT SPRING / STRUT ASSEMBLIES, AND REPLACE 2 TIRES. RESEARCHED PROBLEM, FOUND THAT GM MANUFACTURED THESE CARS IN 2003 - 2006 AND WAS OFFERING A WARRANTY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. MY SAAB IS SEVERAL MONTHS PAST THE WARRANTY DATES BUT NOT THE MILEAGE LIMIT. HOWEVER, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE ORIGINAL PARTS WERE FAULTY OR DEFECTIVE. VERY DANGEROUS, AS IF CAR WERE TRAVELING FASTER IT COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I WOULD HOPE GM WOULD CORRECT OR PAY FOR A TRUE SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

THIS IS ON A 2003 SAAB 9-3 2.0T LINEAR MODEL. THERE WERE NO INJURIES THIS TIME BUT THE POTENTIAL IS VERY MUCH THERE. MY WIFE WAS PULLING OUT FROM A STOP LIGHT AND HEAR A LOUD POP FOLLOWED BY A LOUD GRINDING NOISE. SHE PULLED OFF IMMEDIATELY. WHEN I ARRIVED ON SCENE, I FOUND THAT THE DRIVERS FRONT WHEEL WAS PUSHED UP INTO THE WHEEL WELL. WHEN I REMOVED THE TIRE I FOUND THAT THE SPRING HAD BROKEN IN TWO (THE BOTTOM LAST RING BROKE OFF) AND HAD DROPPED DOWN TO WHERE THE JAGGED END (STILL ATTACHED/WRAPPED AROUND THE SHOCK) WAS POKING INTO THE TIRE. IT HAD LEFT A RELATIVELY DEEP GOUGE ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TIRE. I AM SURE I DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO YOU WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THE SPRING WERE TO BREAK ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70MPH AND PUNCTURE THE TIRE. I AM QUITE CERTAIN THAT IF MY WIFE WOULD HAVE KEPT DRIVING ANY DISTANCE THAT THE SPRING WOULD HAVE DUG ITS WAY THROUGH THE SIDE WALL AND PUNCTURED IT. REMEMBER, WE CANT ALWAYS JUST PULL OFF THE INTERSTATE OR STOP AT THE DROP OF A HAT. IF YOU HAVE EVER DRIVEN THROUGH ATLANTA YOU WILL KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE ;) ANYWAY, WENT DIGGING ON THE INTERNET TRYING TO PURCHASE REPLACEMENT SPRINGS AND FOUND OUT THAT SAAB HAD ISSUED A SPECIAL WARRANTY FOR SPRING FAILURES ON SOME OF THE 9-3'S (INCLUDING MINE). APPARENTLY,SAAB IS AWARE THAT ROAD DEBRIS CAN GET JAMMED IN THE SPRING MOUNT AND EAT AT THE COATING AWAY ON THE BOTTOM COIL AND ALLOW CORROSION TO WORK ITS MAGIC RESULTING IN THE SPRINGS BREAKING/FAILING. SO, I CALL SAAB. THEY TELL ME THAT I AM NOT COVERED BECAUSE I DO NOT LIVE IN WHAT THEY CONSIDER TO BE THE SNOW BELT. WHICH IS THE UPPER/MORE NORTHERN STATES. THEY TELL ME THAT THE FAILURE HAS BEEN REPORTED MORE IN THESE STATES AND IT IS DUE TO ROAD SALTING. FURTHERMORE, I AM TOLD THAT THEY ARE ONLY REPLACING THE SPRINGS AFTER THEY HAVE FAILED. AS THESE CARS START TO GET SOME AGE ON THEM, I THINK WE ARE GOING TO START SEEING MORE AND MORE OF THESE FAILURES. WILL IT TAKE SOMEONE DYING FOR THEM TO ISSUE A RECALL CAMPAIGN? *TR

NO EVENTS LEADING TO FAILURE. PASSENGER FRONT SPRING BROKE AT 71,000 MILES. BROKE PREVIOUSLY AT 35,000 MILES. CURRENT BRAKE AT 71,000, BROKEN SPRING DUG INTO PASSENGER FRONT TIRE AND PREVENT THE CAR FROM STEERING TO THE LEFT. SPRINGS WERE REPLACED BY THE DEALER AFTER THE 35,000 MILE FAILURE. SPRINGS AND STRUTS WERE REPLACED WITH AFTERMARKET PARTS AFTER THE 71,000 FILE FAILURE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SAAB 9-3. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH SHE HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE SWAY BAR FAILED BECAUSE OF THE RIGHT FRONT COIL SPRING. THE MANUFACTURER TOOK A REPORT. THE MANUFACTURER WANTED TO OFFER $100.00 TOWARDS THE COST FOR REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 83,000.

PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SPRING BROKE ABOUT 4" UP FROM THE BOTTOM. CAR MILEAGE APPRX. 75K. PROBLEM WAS INDICATED BY CLUNKING NOISE AND ODDNESS IN THE STEERING. *TR

ON 8/2/09, I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE WHEN SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD BANG. CAR PULLED TO THE EXTREME RIGHT WITH A STRONG ODOR OF BURNING RUBBER. LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL WITHOUT HITTING ANYONE AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE. IT WAS QUITE OBVIOUS THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS LOWER THAN THE BACK. THE SMELL OF RUBBER WAS FROM THE SPRING GOING INTO THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL GARAGE WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THE FRONT PASSENGER SPRING BROKE & ATE INTO THE FRONT TIRE. IT ALSO PULLED OUT THE STRUTS & BROKE THE BRACKET/TOP AS WELL. I WAS VERY SATISFIED WITH SAAB UNTIL THIS. CAR IS 6 YEARS OLD, WELL MAINTAINED WITH ONLY 56,700 MILES. THIS INCIDENT HAS CERTAINLY MADE ME APPREHENSIVE ESPECIALLY WHEN I DID RESEARCH AN FOUND THERE HAS BEEN A RASH OF BROKEN FRONT PASSENGER SPRINGS REPORTED, YET NO RECALLS. PARTS REPLACED: STRUT ASSEMBLY, STRUT TOP, SPRING PAIR, BRACKET, STABILIZER BAR CONTROL LINK, PIRELLI TIRE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SAAB 9-3. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS EXAMINING HIS VEHICLE, HE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING SPLIT IN HALF. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, HE NOTICED THAT THE STEERING HAD BECOME SLIGHTLY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 60,200. UPDATED 08/04/09 *BF THE DEALER REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AS A GOODWILL GESTURE. UPDATED 08/06/09.*JB

MY 2003 SAAB 93 VECTOR HAD THE FRONT PASSENGER COIL SPRING BROKE, IM STILL DRIVING ON IT WITH THE PARTS ON ORDER. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY OTHER PEOPLES SAABS. AND SOUNDS LIKE THEIR WILL BE NO HELP FROM THE DEALER. I AM ASSUMING ITS GOING TO TAKE A FATALITY OR 2 BEFORE SAAB WAKES UP AND MAKES SOME BETTER SPRINGS OR JUST RECALL THE '!@#$% THINGS. *TR

RETURNED FROM 2 WEEK VACATION WHERE CAR WAS PARKED IN AN OUTDOOR AIRPORT PARKING LOT. WHEN CAR WAS PUT INTO REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF PARKING SPACE, EXTRA GAS WAS REQUIRED TO START MOVEMENT, THEN LOUD BANG / POP AND THE CAR STARTED TO MOVE. (SOMETIMES AFTER A RAIN, THE DISK BRAKES SEEM TO RUST / WELD TO THE ROTORS AND REQUIRE EXTRA EFFORT TO BRAKE LOOSE. BUT THIS BANG / POP WAS LOUDER THAN NORMAL.) STARTED TO DRIVE OUT OF PARKING LOT, THEN ONTO STREET TO GET ONTO INTERSTATE. SMELLED RUBBER BURNING ODOR. OTHER DRIVERS INDICATED WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM RIGHT WHEEL WELL AREA. STOPPED TO INVESTIGATE AND FOUND RIGHT FRONT SUSPENSION SPRING BROKEN AND CUTTING A GROOVE IN THE SIDE WALL OF TIRE. CAR HANDLED NORMALLY, SO WE WERE GLAD WE HADN'T ENTERED INTERSTATE AND GOTTEN UP TO HIGHWAY SPEED. CAR TOWED TO MECHANIC. HE SAID ONLY RIGHT SIDE HAD PHYSICALLY BROKEN, BUT FELT THE LEFT SIDE WAS ABOUT TO BREAK ALSO. HE REPLACED BOTH LEFT / RIGHT STRUTS, SPRINGS, BRACKET, SUPPORT STRUTS, SWAY BAR LINKS AND RIGHT FRONT TIRE. *TR

MY 2003 SAAB 9-3 LINEAR WITH 79,500 MILES. DRIVING ON AVERAGE ROAD WHEN HEARING A POP. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION (AS RATTLING CONTINUED FOR SOME TIME AFTERWARDS) THE FRONT, DRIVER-SIDE COIL SPRING HAS BROKEN. WHILE THE PIECE HAS NOT (YET) POPPED OUT INTO MY TIRE, ANY FURTHER DRIVING RISKS DOING SO AND BURSTING A TIRE AS WELL. AM WAITING FOR SAAB DEALERSHIP TO ORDER THIS PART. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM, AS INDICATED BY MANY ONLINE FORUMS AND YOUR WEBSITE. HTTP://WWW.SAABCENTRAL.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=155844&HIGHLIGHT=BROKE+SPRING&PAGE=1 HTTP://WWW.SAABSUNITED.COM/2009/05/ARE-SAAB-HAVING-ISSUES-WITH-SPRINGS.HTML. *TR

COIL SPRING FAILED ON 2003 SAAB 9-3 PUNCTURING TIRE AND CAUSING CAR TO CROSS CENTER LINE OF ROADWAY. HAD THERE BEEN ANY ONCOMING TRAFFIC, THIS COIL SPRING INDUCED TIRE BLOWOUT MAY HAVE RESULTED IN A HEAD-ON FRONTAL COLLISION ON A BUSY TWO-LANE STATE HIGHWAY. HAD THIS BEEN ON AN INTERSTATE OR OTHER ROADWAY WITH HIGHER SPEEDS, IT MAY HAVE BEEN FATAL. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SPRING SNAPPED. WHILE DRIVING HOME, I NOTICED A LOUD METAL ON METAL TAPPING NOISE AFTER GOING OVER ANY BUMPS. I KNEW RIGHT AWAY SOMETHING WITH MY RIGHT FRONT WAS WRONG, ABOUT A MINUTE LATER I HEARD A LOUD BANG, FOLLOWED BY METAL BOUNCING ON PAVEMENT. I PULLED OVER AND FOUND A PIECE OF MY SPRING HAD BROKEN COMPLETELY OFF. RIGHT AFTER THIS HAPPENED IT WAS MUCH HARDER TO STEER AND THANK GOD THAT THIS HAPPENED IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE I WAS ONLY DOING 20MPH. SUPPOSE THIS HAPPENED ON A FREEWAY DOING 65? SUPPOSEDLY THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AS I HAVE READ ABOUT IT ON FORUMS. *TR

ON MAY 14 I WENT OUT TO MY CAR AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT LEFT OF MY CAR WAS LEANING TOWARDS THE GROUND. AFTER MY HUSBAND TOOK OFF THE TIRE, THE SPRING TO MY CAR JUST FELL OFF. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS ADVISE THAT THIS IS AN GOING ISSUE WITH SAAB. WHEN I CONTACTED SAAB USA THEY STATED THAT THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT HELP ME PAY TO HAVE A NEW SPRING ON MY CAR. THE GENTLEMEN WHO TOWED MY CAR ALSO ADVISE ME THAT THIS WAS HIS 5TH SAAB HE TOWED THIS MONTH WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I HAVE - BROKEN SPRING. *TR

NO ACCIDENT OR ANYTHING YET, BUT ACCORDING TO A FORUM I FOLLOW, {SAAB CENTRAL} THERE ARE ALOT OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING FRONT COIL SPRING FAILURE ON 2003 SAAB 9-3.THIS ON CARS WITH UNDER 100,000 MILES. DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT THIS COULD BE BAD NEWS IF THE BROKEN SPRING PUNCHED INTO THE TIRE AT SPEED. TO ME, HAVING TO REPLACE COIL SPRINGS AS A MAINTENANCE ITEM EVERY 70000 MILES IS UNACCEPTABLE. I WILL HAVE MY 03 SAAB UP ON JACK STANDS TO CHECK OUT THE SPRINGS AS BEST AS I CAN, BUT THIS IS THE TYPE OF FAILURE YOU CAN NOT REALLY SEE UNTIL IT IS TO LATE. I HAVE NO WAY OF CHECKING FOR METAL FATIGUE. HOPEFULLY, THIS IS A PROBLEM YOU CAN MOVE ON BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. *TR

FRONT COIL SPRING BRAKES AND THE BROKEN PIECE LAUNCHES OFF THE CAR INTO THE WHEEL WELL AREA WHICH MAY RESULT IN TIRE DAMAGE AT HIGH SPEEDS. *TR

LEFT FRONT SPRING SNAPPED WHILE IN NORMAL DRIVING CIRCUMSTANCES. POTENTIAL FOR SERIOUS ACCIDENT EXISTS. DEALER REPLACING BOTH FRONT SPRINGS STATING THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE. *TR

LEFT FRONT COIL SPRING FAILURE ON 2003 SAAB 9-3 SS LINEAR. I HAVE READ THAT THERE IS A DEFECT INVESTIGATION ON THIS ISSUE, AND THAT THE NHTSA HAS REVIEWED WARRANTY CLAIMS. MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY, SO IT WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THIS DATA. *TR

THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE SPRING BROKE. HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS SITTING STILL. *TR

2003 SAAB 9-3 ARC. STARTED CAR AND SMELLED TIRE BURNING, DROVE AROUND BUILDING, CHECKED TIRES -- ALL 4 LOOKED FINE, CHECKED, DROVE ABOUT 1 MILE AND RIGHT FRONT TIRE BLEW. HAD AAA CHANGE TIRE, AND WAS SHOWN IT BLEW FROM THE INSIDE. TOOK VEHICLE TO COSTCO FOR TIRE REPLACEMENT. WAS INFORMED THAT THE SPRING COIL BROKE (WAS HANDED ABOUT A 6 INCH PIECE) AND THAT WAS WHAT BLEW THROUGH THE TIRE. CAR WAS TOWED TO THE SAAB DEALERSHIP AND BOTH SPRINGS WERE REPLACED. THE LEFT FRONT IS VERY ERODED FROM RUST AND ALSO APPEARS READY TO BREAK. CONSEQUENCES - 2 NEW TIRES, 2 NEW FRONT COIL SPRINGS AND A TOW. *TR