2008 Saab 9-3 Complaint Log

THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER WHEN TRYING TO START THE ENGINE FROM A COLD START. IF THE TEMPERATURES WOULD LOWER CLOSE TO FREEZING THE CAR WILL JUST CRANK AND NEVER TURN OVER. IF I WERE ABLE TO GET THE CAR STARTED, ONCE IT WARMED UP, IT RAN JUST FINE. READING ONLINE, IT SEEMS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 2007 & 2008 SAAB 9-3'S. IT'S A FAULTY INTAKE VALVE AND BEGINS HAPPENING ANYWHERE BETWEEN 60,000 TO 80,000 MILES. I BELIEVE SAAB SHOULD LOOK INTO THIS AS IT SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING TO A LOT OF 2007 & 2008 SAAB 9-3'S. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. THE COST TO GET IT FIXED IS OVER $2000. *TR

I FIRST NOTICED A DIFFERENCE IN HOW MY CAR WORKED ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. I PURCHASED IT CERTIFIED PRE-OWED FROM A CERTIFIED SAAB DEALER AT THE TIME. WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THE "COLD-STARTS" I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND MAYBE NEEDED AN OIL CHANGE. I ALWAYS USE PREMIUM GASOLINE AND GET THE VEHICLE SERVICED REGULARLY BY THE DEALER. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER IN THE BEGINNING OF 2014, THE TECHNICIAN SAID HE'S FAMILIAR WITH THE PROBLEM THAT I WAS HAVING. HE SAYS THE ISSUE IS WITH THE COMPRESSION VALVE. HE TOLD ME THAT I WAS "UNLUCKY" THAT I PURCHASED THIS CAR BECAUSE SAAB MANUFACTURED 2007-2009 9-3 MODEL ENGINES WHERE THE VALVES WERE MADE OF WEAKER METALS THAT WHEN SURROUNDING METALS. AS THE EDGES OF THE VALVES IMPACT THE ENGINE WALLS, THEIR ORIGINAL CONVEX DESIGNED BECAME CONCAVE, THUS CAUSING A LOSS IN PRESSURE AND COMBUSTION. (I'M NOT AN ENGINE SAVVY GUY, SO PLEASE EXCUSE MY LACT OF TERMINOLOGY). SO, HE QUOTED ME ABOUT $3,000 FOR A VALVE REPLACEMENT. THAT'S REDICULOUSNESS! HOW CAN GM PRODUCE A VEHICLE WHOSE VALVES WILL DETERIORATE AFTER NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR? THIS HAS LED TO NOT ONLY COLD STARTS BUT ALSO DECREASED RESPONSIVENESS ON THE HIGHWAY. SOMETIMES WHEN DRIVING, I WOULD APPLY THE ACCELERATOR AND MY CAR SHAKES FOR A FEW SECONDS. WHEN GIVING A RIDE TO OTHERS THEY LOOK AT ME LIKE, "THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN." MY CAR HASN'T STALLED OR SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING, BUT I'M GUESSING IF I DON'T GET THIS FIXED SOON IT MAY HAPPEN. THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT I'M SURE GM IS AWARE OF; ACCORDINGLY, THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL TO GET THIS ISSUE RESOLVED.

AT ABOUT 70,000 MILES THE CAR BEGAN TO START ROUGH ON COLD MORNINGS THIS CONTINUED ON UNTIL THIS YEAR 2014-2015 IT WOULD BARELY START ON ALL ON A COLD MORNING, AFTER LESS THEN A MINUTE OF RUNNING IT WOULD BE SMOOTH WITH NO APPARENT LOSE OF POWER. ALL PLUGS AND PLUG IGNITION COILS WE REPLACED WITH NO EFFECT. FINALLY I DID A WEB SEARCH AND FOUND OUT A NUMBER OF 9-3 SAAB'S 2006-2008 HAD BAD METAL IN SOME OF VALVES CAUSING THEM TO WEAR PAPER THIN.ONCE THE ENGINE WAS WARM THE METAL EXPANDED GIVING NORMAL COMPRESSION. A COMPRESSION CHECK ON MINE CAME BACK CYCL 1,3,4 50LBS CYCL 2 200LBS. THIS STARTING PROBLEM WAS FIRST NOTICED AT 70,000 I GOT THE MOTOR FIXED AT 92,000 MILES. OF COURSE THE FIX WAS A VALVE JOB AND A COST TO ME OF $2088.02. I FEEL SAAB (GM) SHOULD SHARE A LARGE PORTION OF THIS COST. THIS PROBLEM WAS VERY WELL DOCUMENTED ON ALL THE SAAB FORUMS. I HOPE ANYONE READING THIS AND HAS THE SAME PROBLEM PLEASE FILE A COMPLAINT THIS IS NOT RIGHT. *TR

MY WIFE'S CAR IS A 2008 SAAB 93 SEDAN. IT HAD APPROXIMATELY 48,000 MILES ON IT WHEN THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FAILED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS CAUSED LOSS OF POWER-BRAKES, POWER-STEERING AND ABILITY TO CONTINUE DRIVING. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE ABLE TO COAST OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RE-START. WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART IT AFTER FIGURING OUT WHICH FUSE CONTROL THE "ECM" AND PULLING/RESETTING THE FUSE. THE PROBLEM RE-APPEARED MULTIPLE TIMES ON APPROXIMATELY 100-MILE INTERVALS. WE FINALLY HAD THE ECM REPLACED WITH A USED ONE BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE LOCAL SAAB DEALER QUOTED ~$1000 FOR A NEW ECM. THE USED UNIT COST ~$350 AND REQUIRED THE SHOP TO "MARRY" THE UNIT WITH THE CAR'S VIN. THERE WAS NO WARRANTY ON THIS CAR AS SAAB WENT BANKRUPT. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. FORTUNATELY I WAS DRIVING AND THE KIDS WERE NOT IN THE CAR. *TR

SAAB 9-3S HAVE WELL DOCUMENTED ISSUE WITH THE FRONT STRUT SPRINGS BREAKING DUE TO CORROSION CAUSED BY ROAD GRIT AND PARTICULATE SCRAPING AWAY ANTI-CORROSION PAINT. GM OWNED 100% OF SAAB FROM 2000 THROUGH 2010. GM OFFERED TO COVER COST OF REPAIRS FOR MODEL YEARS 2003-2006, BUT HAS DECLINED TO COVER COSTS FOR 2007 AND BEYOND. MY 2008 9-3 HAS THE FAULTY SPRINGS, AND ONE OF THEM JUST BROKE. REPAIRS COSTS ARE SUBSTANTIAL ($700-$1500) AND THE ISSUE PRESENTS A POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE ENTERED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE FLOOR MAT HOLDER WAS FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,786.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER REFUELING, THE FUEL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD FLUCTUATE, CAUSING INACCURATE READINGS OF FUEL LEVELS AND AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH FUEL WAS IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 84,068.

WHILE DRIVING A NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEED, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME SINCE NOVEMBER 2012. FOR THE FIRST TWO TIMES, THE DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. THE LAST TIME THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIND A PROBLEM. TODAY, I AM TOLD THAT I NEED ALL 6 IGNITION COILS REPLACED AS WELL AS ALL 6 SPARK PLUGS. I DON'T THINK THIS IS NECESSARY AND THAT THE DEALER JUST WANTS TO MAKE SOME MONEY. THE CAR SHUDDERS AND VIBRATES LIKE CRAZY, EVEN AT IDLE BUT THIS IS WORSE WHEN ACCELERATING. ALSO, THE POWER IS MUCH LOWER THAN NORMAL. HAS ANYONE WITH THIS MODEL HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE OR PROBLEM? *TR

DRIVING ON TURNPIKE AND CAR HESITATED VERY BADLY AT 1/2 THROTTLE IN 3RD-5TH GEAR AT 50-70MPH. CAR STUTTERED SO BADLY I BACKED OFF THEN ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT COMES ON FOR 10 SECS, GOES OFF AND CAR THEN IN A DRIVING VERY POOR - ALMOST LIKE ITS IN LIMP MODE. I BELIVE IT WAS LIMP HOME MODE. CAR FELT LIKE IT WAS RUNNING ON 3 CYLINDERS WITH A HOSE BLOWN OFF (NOT THAT I KNOW WHAT A HOSE IS !!). I BASICALLY COULDN'T ACCELERATE WITHOUT THE CAR FEELING LIKE IT WAS GOING TO FALL APART. YOU COULD FEEL THE CAR VIBRATING. I DROVE HOME VERY STEADY AT 50 MPH, BEING PASSED BY ALL OTHER VEHICLES. THERE ARE MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL SAAB TURBOX 9-3 2.8L V6 AND FAULTY IGNITION COILS. I KNOW OF SCORES OF OTHERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE, WITH ONLY 600 OF THIS MODEL PRODUCED. HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NOTES/SAAB-TURBO-X/DEFECT-OF-IGNITION-COIL/104750332952290. *TR

ROUGH IDLE AND LOW COMPRESSION WHEN COLD, SYMPTOM DID NOT APPEAR AFTER THE ENGINE IS WARM. INTAKE VALVES FAILED AND COST $1,700 TO REBUILD THE HEAD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 60-70 MPH, THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED TO DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

THE PROBLEM OF A COLD START ROUGH IDLE INITIALLY STARTED LAST YEAR AROUND FEBRUARY 2013. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID COME ON EVERY SO OFTEN AND WOULD EVENTUALLY RESET ITSELF. I HAD THE CODE CHECKED OUT, AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS MISFIRING OF THE SPARK PLUGS. I HAD THE SPARK PLUGS REPLACED, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I DID NOT HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT AGAIN TILL THIS YEAR, FEBRUARY 2014, AS I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T HAVE BAD GAS, OR IT WASN'T CARBON BUILDUP IN THE ENGINE. AFTER INFORMING THE DEALER OF THE PROBLEM I WAS HAVING, THEY SUGGESTED I LEAVE IT OVERNIGHT SO THEY COULD TEST IT OUT THE NEXT MORNING. THAT MORNING THEY CALLED AND TOLD ME THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE INTAKE VALVES GOING BAD. THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ORDERING THE PARTS AND I WILL HAVE THE WORK COMPLETED IN MARCH 2014. I HAVE CONTACTED SAAB PARTS NORTH AMERICA TO SEE IF THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP IN ANYWAY SINCE MY CAR WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY, AND I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT AND THAT GM PROBABLY WOULDN'T EITHER DUE TO THE BANKRUPTCY. I WILL BE ATTEMPTING TO CALL GM AND SEE IF THEY ARE WILLING TO HELP IN ANYWAY SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED WHILE SAAB WAS STILL OWNED BY GM. I HAVE ALSO FOUND OUT AT SAAB CENTRAL FORUMS THERE ARE NUMEROUS OWNERS OF THE 07-11 YEARS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AT ABOUT THE SAME MILEAGE. I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THERE IS A SPNA BULLETIN THAT HAS BEEN SENT TO DEALERS, SO THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT BY ISSUING A RECALL. *TR

ENGINE REFUSED TO START IN COLD WEATHER. SAAB TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED AN ISSUE WITH INTAKE VALVES BEING DEFECTIVE. THE INTAKE VALVES WOULD NOT SEAL CAUSE COMPRESSION TO GET AS LOW AS 40 PSI CAUSING NO START CONDITION. SAAB REFUSED TO COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY ON THE 61ST MONTH OF OWNERSHIP VEHICLE CAME WITH 60 MONTH ENGINE WARRANTY AND THE COST OF REPAIR OUT OF POCKET WAS OVER $2500. THERE WERE DAYS THE CAR WOULDN'T START AWAY FROM HOME AFTER SITTING JUST ONE DAY, LEAVING ME STRANDED IN EXTREME COLD WEATHER WITH NO HEAT. GM AND SAAB KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE AS THEY GOT POOR QUALITY INTAKE VALVES FROM A SUPPLIER. GM HAS NOT YET CAMPAIGNED/RECALLED THESE VEHICLE, AS YOU KNOW GM CULTURE LACKS ETHICS AND HAVE COVERED UP DEATHS IN THE PAST TO SAVE MONEY. AS A GOVERNMENT AGENCY YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO PROTECT CONSUMERS AND BE PROACTIVE AND NOT ACT AFTER SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAS HAPPENED. THERE ARE MORE THEN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE FOR THIS ISSUE. ARE YOU WAITING FOR A DEATH TO OCCUR BEFORE ANYTHING IS DONE ? GM NEW OR OLD SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS ISSUE. ITS A GM ECOTEC ENGINE, CAR WAS PRODUCED ON A GM PLATFORM. PROFITS FROM THE VEHICLE ALSO WENT TO GM. THIS ISSUE ALSO CAUSES AN INCREASE IN EMISSIONS. AS THERE IS LOSS OF COMPRESSION, CYLINDER MISFIRE OR HAS INCOMPLETE COMBUSTION CAUSING AN INCREASE IN HYDROCARBONS AND CARBON MONOXIDE IN THE TAIL PIPE. *TR

SINCE DECEMBER 2012 (6 MONTHS AGO) MY CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING ON A BAD FUEL PUMP INDICATED BY CEL AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTS RUN BY AN AUTHORIZED SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THIS IS FOR AN XWD CAR WHICH HAS A DIFFERENT FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY THAN THE FWD VERSION. THE PART HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER BY SAAB PARTS (UNDER WARRANTY BY GM) AND HAS NO EXPECTED DELIVERY DATE. PER MY KNOWLEDGE THERE ARE OVER 75 PEOPLE IN FRONT ME WAITING FOR THE SAME PART. I AM CONCERNED THE FUEL PUMP WILL FAIL DURING POSSIBLE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS SUCH AS HIGH SPEED DRIVING AND MANEUVERING. SAAB PARTS INFORMED ME THAT A TSB HAS BEEN ISSUED IN REGARDS TO THIS MATTER. HOWEVER I DO NOT SEE IT AVAILABLE ON DOT WEBSITE AND SAAB PARTS IS UNWILLING TO PASS THE INFORMATION ON DIRECTLY TO ME THE CONSUMER. THE AUTHORIZED SERVICE DEPARTMENT ARE UNWILLING TO DO THE FIX STATED IN THE TSB AND REFUSE TO SHOW ME THE TSB OR TELL ME ANY DETAILS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PARKED IN COLD TEMPERATURES THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

COLD START PROBLEM CAUSED BY LOW COMPRESSION / DEFECTIVE VALVES WHEN COLD. RUNS FINE AFTER IT WARMS UP. GETTING WORSE OVER TIME. *TR

I WAS TAKING A ONE DAY BUSINESS TRIP THAT WAS ABOUT 250 MILES AWAY. THE DAY I LEFT THE TPMS SAID THAT MY FRONT PASSENGER TIRE WAS LOW, SO I CHECKED AND IT CAME IN ABOUT 10 PSI LOWER THAN ALL THE OTHER TIRES. I GOT DOWN THERE AND SETTLED IN FOR THE NIGHT. THE NEXT MORNING IT WAS UNDER 10 PSI. I FILLED IT UP AGAIN AND LEFT FOR HOME. ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH THE TRIP I STOPPED FOR SOME LUNCH. I GOT BACK TO THE CAR, AND THE TPMS LIT UP AGAIN. THIS TIME IT WAS HALF WHAT ALL THE OTHER TIRES WERE. UPON MY RETURN HOME, I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND HE SAID THAT THERE WAS A HOLE ON THE INSIDE SIDEWALL. THE TIRES ONLY HAVE ABOUT 33,500 MILES ON THEM. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR TAIL LIGHT FAILED. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE WAS COMMON FOR THE YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL BUT UNFORTUNATELY, THE MANUFACTURER WAS NO LONGER ALLOWING THE PART TO BE AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 42,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

REPLACED BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS AT RECOMMENDATION OF DEALER. ONE SPRING WAS BROKEN COMPLETELY AT BOTTOM (ON DRIVER'S SIDE), AND THE OTHER WAS CRACKED (ON PASSENGER SIDE). SPACER LEAFS WERE REPLACED ALSO. I'VE RETAINED THE PARTS. EXPENSE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY ALTHOUGH THE CAR HAS ONLY 47,500 MILES. IT IS 4 YEARS, 5 MONTHS OLD. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON BEGINNING OF WINTER 2011, AND CODE INDICATED FAILED FUEL PUMP. GM (THIS IS A GM CAR) AND SAAB INDICATED FAULTY PART, AND CONTINUED TO INDICATE BACK ORDER OF PART, AND THEN METHOD TO REBUILD AVAILABLE FUEL PUMP, WHICH APPARENTLY IS ALSO ON BACK ORDER. ENGINE LIGHT GOES OFF AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT REAPPEARS THE NEXT YEAR, AND HAS OCCURRED EACH YEAR SINCE. PART WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AT TIME OF COMPLAINT, BUT IS NOW OFF OF WARRANTY. SAAB NORTH AMERICA HAS INDICATED IN RESPONSE TO COMPLAINT THAT REPLACEMENT PART PLUS REBUILD WOULD WORK, BUT THE PART HAS NEVER BEEN AVAILABLE FOR REBUILDING, AND SAAB DEALERSHIP (KEN GAARF) CLAIMS IT HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER FOR CLOSE TO 3 YEARS. CAR BOUGHT NEW IN DECEMBER 2009 WITH 3 YEAR GM FULL WARRANTY IN PLACE. *TR

MY SAAB IS A 2008 9-3 AERO WITH A 6 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN OCTOBER 2010, WHEN I TRY TO ACCELERATE WHILE ALREADY AT SPEED (I.E., PASSING MANEUVER) THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION SPUTTERS AND DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATE. THE STUTTERING MAKES PASSING IN TRAFFIC A RISKY/DANGEROUS MOVE. I HAVE MADE SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE DEALER FOR INVESTIGATION AND AM REPEATEDLY TOLD THAT THIS IS THE NORMAL BEHAVIOR FOR THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. (I HAVE NEVER HAD AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CAR ACT LIKE THIS.) NEARLY TWO YEARS LATER, I STILL HAVE THE SAME THING OCCURRING. *JS

AT 65 MPH, THE GEAR SHIFT KNOB, SHIFT COVER AND ASSEMBLY SEPARATED FROM THE CAR - THE BASE-METAL STICK SHIFT WAS ALL THAT REMAINED, AND THUS THE SAFETY LATCH THAT PREVENTS CAR FROM BEING SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, INSTEAD OF A FORWARD MOVING GEAR, NORMALLY ATTACHED TO THE EXTERIOR, WAS NOW MISSING. ALAS, SAFELY SHIFTING INTO ANY OF ITS 6 GEARS, WAS NOT AN OPTION ... IT'S ODD, BUT PER ITS ORIGINAL MANUFACTURING SPECS, THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IN THE 9-3, HAS ZERO LOCKING MECHANISM TO KEEP THE KNOB AND COSMETIC HOUSING FROM SEPARATING. NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO DEALERSHIPS AND ACROSS THE INTERNET. GM STILL COVERS 9-3, 2008, UNDER ITS WARRANTY POLICIES. *TR

IT HAS VERY ROUGH START EVERY MORNING WHEN IT'S COLD. FROM SAAB FORUM (HTTP://WWW.SAABCENTRAL.COM/) THERE ARE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE THAT IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE FOR NEWER SAAB 9-3'S. THE PROBLEM IS INTAKE VALVES OF ENGINE BECOMING REALLY THIN AND FAILING OVER TIME.. THE ENGINE SHAKES THE WHOLE CAR AND SOMETIME THE CAR DOESN'T EVEN WANT TO START.. I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISE IF ONE DAY I CANT START THE CAR.. *TR

SAAB 9-3, 2008, CLUTCH FAILED AT 22,000 MILES. SAAB SAID IT WAS NOT WARRANTIED AND IT WAS DUE TO DRIVER. WE PAID $1,300 FOR THE REPAIR. CLUTCH FAILED AGAIN AT 33,000 MILES. THIS TIME SAAB PAID FOR THE REPAIR AND DEALER SAID IT WAS DUE TO FAULTY PARTS IN THE ENTIRE CLUTCH SYSTEM. WE WANT REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE FIRST CLUTCH REPAIR. *TR

WHEN ACCELERATING UP TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS ENGINE WILL SLIP, STUTTER, AND MISFIRE REDUCING POWER AND CAUSING UNSAFE AND UNPREDICTABLE MERGING MANEUVERS. HAVE HAD 3 OR MORE VISITS TO DEALER CONCERNING THIS WITH REPAIRS THAT NEVER FULLY RESOLVING ISSUE OF BAD IGNITION COILS OR ENGINE RESOLVE. VEHICLE IS 2008 SAAB 9-3 TURBO X, A LIMITED RUN OF 600. *JS

THE REAR SIDE DOOR WINDOW HAS HAD ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ISSUES, WHICH LED UP TO ITS CURRENT STATE - THE WINDOW IS INOPERATIVE. I HAVE NOT HAD IT REPAIRED BECAUSE IT IS LIKELY TO RE-OCCUR, DUE TO POOR FIT, AND FAULTY ALIGNMENT. ' WINDOW RATTLES OR SQUEAKS. ' WINDOW BINDS. ' WINDOW HAS SLOW OPERATION. ' WINDOW FITS POORLY OR IS MISALIGNED. CURRENTLY, REAR DRIVER SIDE WINDOW INOPERABLE, AND FITS THE FOLLOWING GM COMMUNICATION (NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10054243 MANUFACTURER COMMUNICATION NUMBER: PI-0018-B GENERAL MOTORS: THE WINDOWS, FRONT AND REAR, WOULD BIND, POOR FIT, MISALIGNMENT, MAKES RATTLE OR SQUEAKING NOISES, MOVES SLOWLY AND IS INOPERATIVE. MODEL 2008-2014 VEHICLES AND TRUCKS. IS THERE A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECT?

INTERMITTENT BRAKE FAILURE AT START. DEPRESS BRAKES, EITHER FROM DRIVEWAY IN REVERSE OR STARTING FORWARD AFTER LEAVING DRIVEWAY, AND BRAKES DO NOT WORK. DEPRESSING BRAKES FEELS LIKE POWER BRAKING SYSTEM IS NOT ENGAGING. HAVE TO PULL OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD, AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES, BRAKES RETURN. THIS HAS HAPPENED PERIODICALLY OVER THE PERIOD SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW, DECEMBER 2009. THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED AN INTERMITTENT BRAKE ISSUE THAT WAS EVIDENT FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE IN THE MORNING, THERE WAS BRAKE FAILURE UNTIL THE VEHICLE WARMED UP SUFFICIENTLY FOR THE PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED. HE WOULD GENERALLY CATCH THE PROBLEM BEFORE EXITING HIS DRIVEWAY, BUT THERE WERE TIMES THE PROBLEM PERSISTED UPON SHIFTING INTO FORWARD GEAR. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VACUUM PIPE REPLACED. THE CONSUMER REFERENCED NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE08005, IN WHICH HE BELIEVED WAS CLOSED PREMATURELY. UPDATED 08/27/14

WHENEVER TURBO BOOST IS ENGAGED IN MY SAAB TURBO X (2008), RISK OF MISFIRE, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGINS TO BLINK, CAR SHUDDERS, "LIMP HOME MODE" ENGAGES (CAR LOSES POWER), AND HAVE TO MOVE TO SIDE OF ROAD AND RESTART THE CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED BOTH IN SECOND GEAR, AND IN FIFTH GEAR WHILE TRYING TO BOOST ON THE HIGHWAY. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL SIMILAR REPORTS ON THE WEB BY OTHER OWNERS RELATED TO BAD IGNITION COILS IN THE VEHICLES. CAR IS BRAND NEW. TOOK THIS INTO DEALER ONCE AND THEY SAY NO CODES WERE ON THE COMPUTER, BUT THEY HAVE OFFERED ANOTHER VISIT TO INSPECT. NOTE: THIS IS NOT YOUR EVERYDAY 9-3, BUT A LIMITED EDITION SAAB (TURBO X), WITH ONLY 600 TOTAL SHIPPED TO THE US. *TR

WHILE ACCELERATING ON A FREEWAY ON RAMP, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MISFIRE AND STUTTER. TRYING TO MERGE WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, POWER WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY WHEN NOT ACCELERATING. THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND WOULD ONLY MAINTAIN A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR MORE CAUSES MORE STUTTERING. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED ON BRIEFLY AND THEN WENT AWAY. THE PROBLEM RESOLVED ITSELF AFTER PULLING OVER AND SHUTTING DOWN AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN THE NEXT DAY UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS... NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE AND MODERATE TO HEAVY ENGINE LOAD FOR ACCELERATING. TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER WHO REPLACED THE COIL PACK FOR CYLINDER #6. THE PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED, BUT THERE ARE STILL OCCASIONAL STUTTERS, JUST NOT CONSTANT STUTTERS THAT CAUSED THE LOSS OF POWER. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ON MESSAGE BOARDS AND THE PROBLEM IS NOT UNIQUE TO MY CAR. MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE COIL PACKS AND SOME REPORTING THE SAME CYLINDER #6. *TR

2008 SAAB 93 2.0T SEDAN STALLED (NO SPUTTER OR BUCK, BUT JUST A LOSS OF POWER) WHILE DRIVING. RESULTED IN A COLLISION. INITIAL DEALERSHIP MECHANICS HAVE "NO FINDINGS" - THEY WILL HAVE A FIELD ENGINEER INVESTIGATE TOMORROW. *TR

2008 SAAB 9-3 TURBO X. I HAD A ENGINE MISFIRE WITH FLASHING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT UNDER HEAVY ACCELERATION. CAUSED THE CAR TO RUN REALLY ROUGH WITH REDUCED POWER. WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY UNSAFE HAD IT HAPPENED WHILE PASSING SOMEONE. TOOK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BAD IGNITION COIL. ONE COIL WAS REPLACED BUT THE CAR STILL WAS RUNNING ROUGH AT THE DEALERSHIP SO THEY ARE STILL TRYING TO FIX IT. FROM RESEARCHING ONLINE, IT SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH 2008 SAAB TURBO X. LOTS OF COMPLAINTS ON FAULTY IGNITION COILS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT NOTICED A GAP BETWEEN THE ROOF AND THE VEHICLE. HE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE ROOF OF THE 2008 SAABS WERE REDESIGNED. TWO ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND NOTHING ELSE COULD BE DONE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,500 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 400.

UNSAFE TO KNOW THAT MY NEW CAR HAS DOOR LOCKS THAT DO NOT UNLOCK FROM WITHIN THE CAR CABIN WHEN THE DOOR HANDLE IS PULLED. UNLIKE MY PREVIOUS CAR (VW) WHEREBY THE DOOR IS UNLOCKED WHEN THE DRIVER DOOR (FOR EXAMPLE) IS PULLED - DOOR OPENS OR MY BMW WHEREBY THE DOOR IS UNLOCKED BY PULLING THE HANDLE TWICE. IN A SAAB, THE DOORS CAN NOT BE OPENED UNLESS THE "UNLOCK" BUTTON IS PRESSED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE EGRESS CAN NOT BE DONE QUICKLY IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT OR OTHER EMERGENCY NEED FOR IMMEDIATE EGRESS. *TR