2004 SAAB 9-3 Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SAAB 93. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH SHE HEARD SOMETHING SNAP AND NOTICED THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT WAS LOOSE AND HAD BROKEN. SHE WAS UNABLE TO SECURE OR TIGHTEN IT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THEY NEEDED TO ORDER A SEAT BELT MECHANISM TO REPAIR IT. THE SEAT BELT WAS REPAIRED AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 103000. UPDATED 4/7/2010 *CN UPDATED 06/02/10*JB

2004 SAAB 9-3 FRONT RIGHT SPRING COIL FAILURE. NO WARNING PRIOR TO DEFECT. LOUD NOISE IN WHEEL WELL FIRST/ONLY SIGN UPON STARTING CAR AND PULLING OUT OF DRIVEWAY. RETURNED HOME IMMEDIATELY AND MADE APPOINTMENT WITH INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. DROVE APPROX. 2 MILES TO MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED FRONT RIGHT SUSPENSION SPRING COIL FRACTURED/BROKEN. MADE APPOINTMENT WITH SAAB DEALER WHO ASSURED ME IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE CAR TO DEALER. DROVE APPROX. 1.5M WHEN BROKEN COIL SPRING PUNCTURED TIRE RESULTING IN BLOWN-OUT TIRE. SAAB TOWED CAR, REPLACED BOTH FRONT SPRING COILS AND TIRE AT NO CHANGE. *TR

MY FRONT DRIVER SIDE COIL HAS SNAPPED AND I'VE FOUND OUT THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE FROM SAAB. THIS IS QUITE A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I'VE NOT SEEN ANY LETTER WARNING US OF THIS POTENTIAL DANGER. *TR

LEFT FRONT SPRING FAILURE. THERE WAS AN ERRATIC OCCASIONAL METAL TO METAL NOISE COMING FROM THE UNDER THE HOOD. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF THE SPRING BEING BROKEN. TOOK CAR TO SERVICE CENTER AND DISCOVERED SPRING FAILURE. UPON FURTHER INQUIRY WITH SAAB DEALER DISCOVERED THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM. HAD CAR REPAIRED AND PARTS REPLACED WITH NEW REDESIGNED SPRINGS TO CORRECT DEFECT. OLD PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. WHY HASN'T A RECALL BEEN ISSUED? WHY HASN'T A WARNING BEEN SENT OUT TO SAAB OWNERS? WE OWN A SECOND SAAB 9-3 AND I AM CONCERNED ABOUT FRONT SPRING FAILURE ON THIS CAR! *TR

MY 2004 SAAB 9-3 ARC HAD A DANGEROUS SEAT HEATER ISSUE. I WAS NEARLY BURNED WHEN THE SEAT HEATER WENT CRAZY. SO, HOT I COULDN'T TOUCH THE SEAT. I HAD TO STOP THE CAR AND GET OUT. THIS IS DANGEROUS!!! *TR

THE SEAT BELT ON MY SAAB 9.3 - 2004 STOPPED WORKING FOR NO REASON. I FOUND ON THE INTERNET THAT THE ITEM HAD BEEN RECALLED BUT SAAB REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECALL. NHTSA NUMBER 04V226000. *TR

THE HALOGEN HEADLIGHTS ON THE SAAB 9-3, FROM 2003 THROUGH PRESENT, DO NOT ADEQUATELY ILLUMINATE THE ROADWAY. THIS TYPE OF HEADLIGHT LAMP DESIGN IS KNOWN AS A "PROJECTOR BEAM" & IS A DIFFERENT CONCEPT THAN TRADITIONAL HEADLIGHTS. THEY'RE DESIGNED TO BETTER ILLUMINATE ROAD SIGNS & PERIPHERAL ROAD MARKERS, WHICH THEY DO, BUT AS FAR AS THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF HEADLIGHTS, (TO ILLUMINATE THE ROADWAY IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE) THEY ARE INADEQUATE & ONLY EXTEND LIGHT ABOUT 40' DOWN THE ROADWAY, WHICH IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH TO DRIVE SAFELY AT NIGHT. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS COMPLAINT IS ONLY REGARDING THE LOWBEAM HALOGEN HEADLIGHTS, AS BOTH THE HIGHBEAMS & OPTIONAL XENON TYPE HEADLIGHTS ARE MORE THAN ADEQUATE. THE IRONY OF THIS PROBLEM IS THAT THE SAAB 9-3 IS AMONG THE VERY SAFEST CARS AVAILABLE TODAY, FROM A CRASH TEST PERSPECTIVE, BUT NIGHTTIME VISIBILITY IS A SEPARATE SAFETY RELATED ISSUE WHICH I'VE NEVER SEEN TEST RESULTS FOR. MY FAMILY HAS OWNED SAABS EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS & HAVEN'T HAD THIS HEADLIGHT PROBLEM UNTIL WE PURCHASED A SAAB MODEL 9-3, OF WHICH WE NOW OWN 2: AN '04 & AN '07, BOTH OF WHICH SUFFER FROM THE SAME PROBLEM. IF YOU ACCESS THE WEBSITE WWW.SAABNET.COM & SEARCH ON "DIM HEADLIGHTS", YOU'LL SEE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR

I WAS USING MY CAR'S SEAT WARMER AND THE SEAT BEGAN TO GET VERY HOT IN ONE SPOT ON THE SEAT. I ALSO NOTICED A BURNING SMELL THAT SMELLED LIKE BURNING LEAD OR RUBBER. THE LEVEL OF HEAT THAT WAS COMING FROM THE SPOT ON THE SEAT LEAD ME TO LIFT MYSELF OFF OF THE SEAT IN ORDER TO PREVENT BURNING MY LEG. I TURNED THE SEAT WARMER OFF, WHICH SEEMED TO MAKE THE BURNING SUBSIDE. THIS SEQUENCE CONTINUED UNTIL ABOUT A WEEK LATER WHEN THE SEAT WARMER STOPPED WORKING. ABOUT A MONTH LATER, WITH THE HELP OF A FAMILY FRIEND I REMOVED THE SEAT FROM THE CAR AND REMOVED THE UPHOLSTERY IN ORDER TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUE AND TRY TO FIX IT. UPON REMOVING THE UPHOLSTERY, WE FOUND THAT THE WIRING OF THE SEAT WARMER HAD STARTED A SMALL FIRE IN THE SEAT CUSHION AND BURNED A HOLE (3 INCHES WIDE AND 1 INCH DEEP) IN THE CUSHION. THE BACKING OF THE LEATHER THAT COVERS THE CUSHION HAD ALSO BEEN BURNED THROUGH. THE WIRING WAS NOT RECOGNIZABLE AND REPAIR WAS NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT PROFESSIONAL SERVICE. WE LEFT THE SEAT AS IT IS FOR NOW UNTIL WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE, AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO PREVENT THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION FROM OCCURRING AGAIN. *TR

HEARD A LOUD NOISE WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT; SOON AFTER, THERE WAS A RUBBER(TIRE) BURNING SMELL AND VIBRATION ON THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE. THE COIL SPRING SNAPPED AND WAS PRESSING AGAINST THE TIRE AND RIM. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE MECHANIC. CHANGED BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS. MILEAGE ON THE CAR-44,000. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SAAB 9-3. THE LEFT COIL SPRING FRACTURED AND THEN PUNCTURED A WHOLE IN HIS DRIVER SIDE FRONT TIRE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER NOR HAS THE MANUFACTURER BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. THE VIN NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN.