2008 SAAB 9-3 Complaints

MY CAR WAS EXHIBITING A HARD START AND MISFIRES FROM 90,000 AND UP. IT WAS MORE PRESENT IN COLD WEATHER. IT FINALLY FAILED TO TURN OVER IN -15 DEGREE WEATHER (-40 WIND CHILL), HAD I BEEN IN A REMOTE AREA THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY REAL DANGER OF HYPOTHERMIA AND FROSTBITE. AFTER SOME ONLINE INVESTIGATION I FOUND THAT NUMEROUS PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH ANY SAAB 9-3 2.0T (B207 ENGINE) OVER 75,000 MILES. THE PROBLEM IS RELATED TO BAD INTAKE VALVES THAT BECOME RAZOR SHARP AND CANNOT HOLD COMPRESSION ESPECIALLY IN COLDER CLIMATES. *TR

NO START/COLD CLIMATE FOR 2008 SAAB 9-3 2.0T. TOWED TO SAAB DEALERSHIP AFTER COLD NO START YESTERDAY 01/07/2014. SAAB TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSIS(01/08/2014): INTAKE/INLET VALVES WORN CAUSING LOW ENGINE COMPRESSION, HENCE; FAILED START ATTEMPTS. ENGINE COMPRESSION AND LEAK DOWN TESTS PERFORMED TO PINPOINT EXACT PROBLEM.

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.

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

NOTICED OUR 2008 SAAB 9-3 2.0 HAS BEEN STARTING AND IDLING ROUGH IN COULD WEATHER. ONCE THE CAR WARMS UP TO OPERATING REGULAR OPERATING TEMPERATURE, THE CAR IDLES SMOOTHLY. PERFORMED A COMPRESSION TEST ON THE COLD ENGINE AND FOUND LOW COMPRESSION ON TWO OF THE FOUR CYLINDERS. APPARENTLY, THE INTAKE VALVES IN THE CYLINDER ON THIS MODEL ARE WEARING BADLY NOT SEATING CORRECTLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. ONCE THE ENGINE WARMS UP AND EXPANDS, THE VALVES SEAT CORRECTLY AND ENGINES RUNS NORMALLY. THIS IS A CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AND GM SHOULD RECALL THESE CARS TO REPAIR ENGINE WITH THE PROPER VALVES. I HAVE REQUESTED QUOTED FROM TWO INDEPENDENT SHOPS AND THEY WE $2100 AND $2300 RESPECTIVELY. WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO START THE CAR IN A WEEK. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT COIL SPRING HAS BROKEN CAUSING IT TO BECOME DETACHED. AUTO REPAIR SHOP STATED THAT BOTH SPRINGS MUST BE REPLACED TO GIVE THE SUSPENSION SAFE STABILITY. *TR

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

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.

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