2008 SAAB 9-3 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INTAKE VALVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON.. SHOP FOUND MULTIPLE ENGINE MISFIRES.. CHECKED ENGINE COMPRESSION.. COMPRESSION BELOW MANUFACTURERS SPECS.. NEEDED COMPLETE VALVE JOB PER SAAB RECOMMENDATION.. PARTS SENT TO MACHINE SHOP FOR REPAIRS AND RE-CONDITION.. RE-INSTALL OF CYLINDER HEAD ASSEMBLY WITH NEW HEAD GASKET AND ALL OTHER NEEDED GASKET AND SEALS.. FLUSHED AND REFILLED ALL ENGINE TRANSMISSION FLUIDS.. COMPLETE VALVE JOB WITH INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVES.. DEFECTIVE VALVE IS REPORTED ISSUE ON SAAB 9-3 2008.. *TR

WE PURCHASED A 2008 SAAB 9-3 IN 3/2011 WITH 34,000 MILES. AS OF 2/2015 THE VEHICLE HAS 104,000 MILES. LAST MONTH THE VEHICLE BARELY STARTED AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT AND WOULD TAKE SEVERAL MINUTES TO REACH A NORMAL IDLE. IT WOULD THEN START THE REST OF THE DAY, SOMETIMES AFTER A "HARD" START. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE MECHANIC SAID THE CODE READ AS A "CYLINDER MISFIRE" CODE. 8 DAYS AGO THE CAR WOULD NOT START AND IS NOW SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY. I CALLED A SAAB SPECIALIST ABOUT 2 HOURS AWAY FROM ME WHO KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. HE EXPLAINED THE INTAKE VALVE PROBLEM THAT A LOT OF SAAB OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING DUE TO DEFECTIVE MATERIALS USED BY GM AND/OR SUPPLIERS. HE SAID THE COST WILL BE AT LEAST $2,200 BUT COULD EASILY BE MORE DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT (A SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN ISSUED DETAILING THIS ISSUE) THAT SHOULD BE SUBJECT TO A RECALL. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO FIX AN ENGINE THAT DOES NOT WORK DUE TO SUBSTANDARD VALVES. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL "WEAR AND TEAR" ISSUE, BUT AN ISSUE DEALING WITH PARTS THAT WERE DOOMED FROM THE BEGINNING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE HOOD INADVERTENTLY UNLATCHED AND FLEW UP. THE CONTACT MERGED THE VEHICLE OVER AND MANAGED TO TUCK THE STRUT IN AND FORCE THE PRIMARY LATCH TO SECURE THE HOOD. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC STATED THAT THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH STRIKER FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE TRAVELING ACROSS THE STATE OF TN AND I NOTICED THAT MY VEHICLE BEGAN STALLING WHEN I ACCELERATED QUICKLY. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY VEHICLE TO GET CHECKED OUT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CODE YIELDED "LEAN AT IDLE". THE MECHANIC ADJUSTED A VACUUM HOSE AND SAID I WAS GOOD TO GO...I PULLED OUT OF THE PARKING LOT AND NOTICED MY GAS GAUGE SHOWED LESS THAN 35 MILES BUT NO GAS LIGHT INDICATOR WAS LIT. I TRIED TO TEST MY CAR BY QUICKLY ACCELERATING AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. I TOOK IT RIGHT BACK TO THE MECHANIC AND THEY REPLACED THE VACUUM HOSE. WHEN I LEFT THE MECHANIC ON 8FEB2015, I FILLED UP MY GAS TANK BUT NOTICED MY GAUGE ONLY SHOWED HALF FULL. I DROVE IT 1 MILE AND PARKED IT FOR THE EVENING. THIS MORNING I STARTED THE VEHICLE BACK UP AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A LITTLE HESITANCY AND KICKBACK WHEN ACCELERATING...I DROVE BACK HOME 225 MILES AND LESS THAN 20 MILES FROM HOME MY ENGINE LIGHT COMES BACK ON. THE CODE IS NOW INDICATING A FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR ISSUE...HENCE THE REASON FOR THE STALLING HESITANCY AND THE INCORRECT FUEL GAUGE/INDICATOR LIGHT. UPON RESEARCHING ONLINE, THERE IS NOT A NOTED RECALL FOR THE FUEL PUMP ON MY CAR, BUT I DID NOTICE A SPECIAL BULLETIN GM FAILED FUEL SYSTEM PROGRAM...LISTED BELOW:SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: SB-10054 REPLACEMENT SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: SB-10054D NHTSA ID #: 10041526 BULLETIN DATE: THU, 09/01/2011 FAILING COMPONENT(S): 091200 FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM WHY IS MY CAR NOT SHOWING AS COVERED WHEN THE CLASSIC PREMATURE SYSTEM FAILURE IS OCCURRING AT ONLY 82K MILES WHEREAS I RUN THE RISK OF MY FUEL PUMP COMPLETELY FAILING AND COULD LEAD TO A CAR FIRE IF I WAS UNKNOWLEDGEABLE ON THE SUBJECT MATTER???? PLEASE ASSIST WITH EXPLAINING HOW MY CAR IS NOT SHOWING UP AS COVERED VIA THE VIN INFORMATION SYSTEM WITH NHTSA. *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.

UPON STARTING MY VEHICLE IT HAD A ROUGH IDLE, I WENT AHEAD AND PUT IT IN GEAR AND BEGAN TO LEAVE MY GARAGE, THEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AND THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL. I THEN PUT IT BACK IN PARK AND GOT MY HUSBAND TO CHECK IT OUT WHEN HE OPENED THE HOOD SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE FIRST CYLINDER ON THE ENGINE. HE QUICKLY UNHOOKED THE BATTERY AND REMOVED THE OEM BOSCH COIL PACK WITH GLOVES ON BECAUSE IT WAS EXTREMELY HOT (TOOK OVER AN HOUR TO COOL DOWN AFTER REMOVED FROM THE CAR), SO HOT THAT THE COIL PACK CAME APART, HAD SPLIT OPEN AND MELTED. I HAVE PICTURES AND KEPT THE PACK FOR EVIDENCE. I DO BELIEVE HAD HE NOT GOT THE PACK OUT IT COULD HAVE VERY QUICKLY BEEN AN ELECTRICAL/ENGINE FIRE. PART NUMBER FROM COIL PACK #12613057. *TR

COMPRESSION IN CYLINDER ONE IS NOT FIRING AT A FULL PSI PER MFG STANDARDS. IT'S CAUSING A COLD START ISSUE AND THE CAR BARELY TURNS OVER TO START WHEN IT'S NOT WARMED UP. *JS

VEHICLE DOESN'T START DUE TO LOW COMPRESSION ON COLD DAYS. CAR WILL LEAVE YOU STRANDED IN EXTREME TEMPS. *TR

SAME AS PROBLEM BELOW: SINCE I NEED THE CAR BADLY, I'VE INSTRUCTED MY MECHANIC TO START WORKING ON THE FIX. OVER TIME THE VALVES IN THE 2.0T ENGINE WILL WEAR CAUSING DRAMATIC LOSS IN COMPRESSION. PROBLEM STARTS WITH ROUGH IDLING AND TROUBLE TURNING OVER AT COLD START BUT ESCALATES TO A POINT WHERE THE CAR WILL NOT START WHAT SO EVER. IT APPEARS THAT WHEN MANUFACTURING THE ENGINE GM PUT VALVES MADE OF A SOFTER THAN USUAL METAL. THESE VALVES GET ESSENTIALLY HAMMERED AGAINST THE CYLINDER HEAD TO A POINT WHERE THE EDGES BECOME SO THIN THEY ARE RAZOR SHARP. A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS SENT OUT TO DEALERS FROM SPNA (SAAB PARTS NORTH AMERICA), WHICH MEANS THAT GM IS WELL AWARE OF THIS ISSUE. A SAAB MECHANIC WARNED ME THAT THE PROBLEM COULD GET WORSE AT ANY TIME REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE AND THAT SOONER OF LATER MY CAR WOULD NOT START. TO FIX THIS ISSUE ALL 16 VALVES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS INVOLVES SERIOUS TIME AND EFFORT AND I WAS QUOTED A PRICE OF UP TO $3,000 FOR A REPAIR. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS PROBLEM EFFECTS EVERY SAAB 9-3 WITH THE 2.0T FROM 2007 TO 2011. GM SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THESE FAULTY PARTS AND ISSUE A RECALL. *JS