2004 SAAB 9-3 Complaints

DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED ON MY 2004 SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE. THIS HAPPENED AT ABOUT 43,000 MILES. SEAT BELT WILL NOT RETRACT AND NO LONGER USABLE. I CONTACTED SAAB AND MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *TR

LEFT WORK PARKING LOT AND FELT SOMETHING RUBBING ON DRIVERS SIDE TIRE. PULLED OVER TO SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING. STARTED DRIVING AGAIN AND SMELLED A TIRE SMELL AND NOTICED BLUE SMOKE FROM MY REARVIEW MIRROR. STARTED TO PULL OVER AND THE TIRE BLEW. THOUGHT I BLEW A TIRE. GO TO PUT THE SPARE TIRE ON AND SEE THE SPRING FROM THE STRUT HAD ALMOST CUT MY TIRE OFF THE INSIDE OF THE RIM. CALLED MY LOCAL SAAB DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD REPLACE THE ONE SPRING. AS I WAS LOOKING UP HOW MUCH THIS WAS GOING TO COST ME(BEFORE I FOUND OUT I WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY) EVERY SITE I VISITED SAID THE SAME THING SAAB RECOMMENDS REPLACING BOTH SPRINGS YET THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY WILL ONLY REPLACE THE ONE THAT BROKE AND SHREDDED MY TIRE. LOOKING ON THE INTERNET I SEE THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT HAS NOT TURNED INTO A RECALL. IF I HAD MADE IT TO THE FIRST ROUND ABOUT THE SPEED LIMIT GOES TO 55MPH THE AMOUNT OF FORCE THAT PULLED MY CAR TO THE RIGHT AT 15MPH WAS ALMOST ENOUGH TO HIT AN ON COMING CAR. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD HAVE DONE AT 55MPH ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY. *TR

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM SAAB DATED FEB 2010 TO OWNERS OF 2003 - 2006 SAAB 9-3S THERE WAS A POTENTIAL PROBLEM OF THE SUSPENSION SPRING CORROSION MAY WEAKEN AND/OR BREAK. 3RD PARAGRAPH BOLD UNDERLINED: DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR TO THE DEALER AS A RESULT OF THE LETTER UNLESS YOU BELIEVE YOUR CAR HAS THE CONDITION. I DID NOT TAKE IT IN. ON MAY 18, 2010 THE SPRING ON THE LEFT FRONT BROKE RESULTING IN THE FRONT END DROPPING. DURING THE LOADING ON FLAT BED TOW TRUCK THE OIL PAN WAS DAMAGED WITH A $1055 REPAIR AT MY EXPENSE. NO OIL LEAK PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. *TR

2004 SAAB 9-3 ARC. THE CIRCUIT LOCATED IN THE REAR OF THE CAR, WHICH CONTROLS THE REAR LIGHT CLUSTERS INCLUDING THE TOP MOUNTED BRAKE LIGHT OFTEN FAILS. I HAVE REPLACED IT TWICE IN JUST OVER A YEAR AND IT HAS FAILED AGAIN. IT STARTS WITH ONE BULB FAILING AND THE WARNING MESSAGE SHOWS UP ON THE DISPLAY. THEN IN A SERIES ALL THE OTHER BULBS START TO FAIL. THEY EITHER DON'T WORK OR ARE ALWAYS ON EVEN IF THE CAR IS SWITCHED OFF AND LOCKED. THE ENTIRE CIRCUIT BOARD WAS REPLACED TWICE AT A PRICE OF OVER $700 INC OF LABOR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEATBELT MADE A POPPING SOUND AND NO LONGER RETRACTED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL 10V043000 (SEAT BELTS: FRONT: RETRACTOR). THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 60,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SAAB 9-3. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 2 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD POP NOISE FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER DRIVING HALF A MILE AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, HE HEARD ANOTHER LOUD POP AND THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE BLEW OUT. THE TIRE WAS REPLACED WITH A SPARE AND CONTACT DROVE TO A REPAIR CENTER WHERE HE WAS INFORMED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE COIL SPRING BROKE AND PIERCED THE TIRE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT WAS BEING SERVICED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 72,000.

THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR ON MY 2004 SAAB 9-3 FAILED. SAAB ISSUED A RECALL FOR SOME FAILED SEAT BELT RETRACTORS IN 2004 9-3S, BUT NOT FOR THE FULL MODEL YEAR. MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED. IT SEEMS THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN SUFFICIENTLY COMPREHENSIVE IN THEIR RECALL. *TR

CAR INSTRUMENTATION PANEL TURNS OFF WHILE DRIVING. CAR "ACTS" AS IF IT WAS OFF WITH THE RED CIRCULAR ALARM FLASHING, CONSOLE LIGHTS OFF, CLOCK OFF, YET I AM DRIVING AT 50 MPH AND THE BRAKES, STEERING ARE PERFORMING AS IF I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD (AS I AM). STOPPED FOR DINNER CAME OUT AND CAR DID NOT TURN ON, LIGHT CAME ON, ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BUT NOTHING ELSE - COULD NOT OPEN TRUNK FROM THE KEY FOB THING OR FROM THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR SWITCH. CALLED AAA THEY COULD NOT TURN THE CAR ON AND THE CAR BATTERY WAS CHARGED. KEY IN IGNITION AND BRAKE DEPRESSED DID NOT RELEASE CAR SHIFTER TO NEUTRAL. THIS WENT ON FOR AN HOUR. FINALLY I NEED TO GET INTO TRUNK AND FOUND A PLASTIC CAP BEHIND THE REAR SEAT HEAD REST AND DEPRESSED A SWITCH THAT OWNED THE TRUNK ALTHOUGH IT WAS TO PULL DOWN THE REAR SEAT... WE JOKED THAT NOW THE CAR WOULD TURN ON AND IT DID WHEN BY HAPPENSTANCE THE HIGH BEAMS WERE DEPRESSED. GOT IN THE CAR AND DROVE IT HOME BUT AGAIN THE CAR STILL DRIVING NORMALLY LOST THE CONSOLE LIGHTS AND FUNCTIONALITY SO I FLASHED THE HIGH BEAM AND ALL CAME BACK EXCEPT FOR CLOCK, OH, DID I MENTION NOW I HAVE A "GEAR BOX MALFUNCTION" DISPLAYED AS AN ERROR CODE. OH, I REPORTED THAT I REPLACE HEADLIGHTS ALMOST EVERY 2-3 MONTHS. MY INTERIOR CABIN FAN ISN'T WORKING AND THAT WAS AFTER IT WORKED EVEN WITH THE CAR TURNED OFF. *TR

IN FEB 2010 I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM SAAB SAYING THAT THE FRONT SPRINGS OF MY CAR COULD FAIL DUE TO CORROSION. THEY SAID COULD CAUSE THE HEIGHT OF THE VEHICLE TO DECREASE BY AN INCH OR TWO. WHAT THEY NEGLECTED TO SAY WAS THAT THE BROKEN SPRING CAN HIT THE TIRE AND CAUSE THE TIRE TO FAIL, WHICH IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME AND MAY OTHER SAAB OWNERS. THEIR LETTER SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED THIS SINCE TIRE FAILURE CAUSED MY CAR TO BREAK DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD WHICH HAD NO SHOULDER AND I HAD NO WARNING THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN. *TR

THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR BROKE. THE SEAT BELT COMPLETELY UNWOUND. ALSO THE PASSENGER SIDE RETRACTOR IS VERY SLOW TO RETRACT. *TR