2008 SAAB 9-3 Complaints

THERE ARE NO PARTS AVAILABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH MY CAR WAS RECALLED AND I RECEIVED NOTIFICATION,

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V063000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

DEFECTIVE INTAKE VALVES. REPAIR CENTER SPECIALIZING IN SAAB PERFORMED COLD COMPRESSION TEST ON CYLINDERS AND FOUND THAT 2 OF 4 HAD LOW COMPRESSION. INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAVE FOUND 90% OF THE SAABS THEY TEST FROM 2007-08 HAVE THIS PROBLEM FROM CHEAP VALVES USED SPECIFIED BY GM.

INTAKE VALVE ISSUE - CAR WILL NOT START ON A COLD DAY AND, SOMETIMES AT A STOP SIGN /LIGHT, WILL STALL - HAD TO TWO MECHANICS DEPICT THE ISSUE AND IT IS THE INTAKE VALVE ISSUE - MANY SAAB'S HAVE REPORTED THIS ISSUE AND NOTHING WAS DONE BY GM - I CALLED GM AND THEY SAID THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE - THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN REPORTED SEVERAL TIMES AND THERE ARE SEVERAL THREADS AS WELL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, IT IDLED ROUGHLY. ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE WOULD SOMETIMES TAKE A LONG TIME TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

I DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, BUT I MOVED TO NEW YORK AT ABOUT 75K MILES - AND I NOTICED A PROBLEM RIGHT AWAY. ROUGH IDLING STARTED, AND WOULD EVEN TURN ON, THEN RIGHT BACK OFF. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT AN ISSUE AGAIN DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, SO I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO 83K MILES. NOW THAT IT IS WINTER TIME, EVEN THOUGH IT IS GARAGED IT WILL NOT START IF IT IS UNDER 45 DEGREES. I HAD IT CHECKED OUT WITH A CERTIFIED SAAB MECHANIC AND HE CONFIRMED BY WAY OF COMPRESSION TEST THAT IT IS INDEED THE DREADED INTAKE VALVE PROBLEM. THE ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR IS $2,230!

HARD/ROUGH START ESPECIALLY IN COLD TEMPERATURES. MECHANIC SAID #4 CYLINDER IS MISFIRING. CONFIRMED TO BE LOW COMPRESSION DUE TO PREMATURELY WORN INTAKE VALVES. #1 CYLINDER/INTAKE VALVE IS NOT FAR BEHIND #4. BECAME A SERIOUS PROBLEM WHEN ENGINE STALLS WHEN SITTING IN TRAFFIC. ALSO VEHICLE ENGINE HAS STALLED/SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN PARKING LOTS, REDLIGHTS, 4 WAY STOPS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RELEASE WHEN FASTENED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V318000 (SEAT BELTS) AND STATED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,023. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

79,000 MILES BEGAN WITH SLUGGISH COLD STARTS UNTIL WARMED THAN BEGAN TO RUN O.K UNTIL STOPPED TURNING OVER. ANOTHER OWNER OF GM SCREWING THE PUBLIC WITH CRAPPY VALVES INSTALLED IN THESE ENGINES. WHEN WILL THERE BE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO CREATE A RECALL. ORDERING PARTS FROM EAST COAST SAAB PARTS STORE AND LOOKING FOR REASONABLE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE CALIFORNIA BASED MECHANIC. EXPECTING TO PAY APPROXIMATELY $2K. WILL UPDATE THIS COMPLAINT WHEN JOB COMPLETE. ANOTHER GM DISAPPOINTMENT IN CAR OWNERSHIP!

WE RECEIVED A NOTICE ABOUT GM RECALL 14222/15027, THAT WE NEED TO TAKE OUR CAR TO A SAAB OFFICIAL SERVICE CENTER TO HAVE THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEATBELT REPLACED. WE LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, AND THERE IS NO SAAB OSC IN OUR STATE. I CONTACTED SAAB, AND WAS TOLD WE CAN ONLY TAKE THE CAR TO A SAAB OSC "AS THEY ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT HAVE ACCESS TO THIS PART AND CAN INSTALL, THEN COVER THE REPAIR AND THEN CLOSE OUT THE RECALL." THE NEAREST SAAB OSCS ARE IN CHATTANOOGA, TN (ABOUT 150 MILES AWAY) AND MARIETTA, GA (ABOUT 159 MILES). BEING FORCED TO DRIVE THIS DISTANCE, ESPECIALLY WITH AN UNSAFE SEATBELT, SEEMS LIKE AN ONEROUS BURDEN THAT SHOULD NOT BE PLACED ON THE OWNER. DO I HAVE ANY RIGHTS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE REPAIR DONE WITHIN A REASONABLE DISTANCE OF MY HOME?