2008 SAAB 9-3 Complaints

THE VALVES ON THESE CARS ARE DEFECTIVE AND START FAILING AROUND 60K MILES. THIS IS A WIDELY KNOW ISSUE AFFECTING THE 2008 SAAB 9-3 2.0L ENGINES. GM NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE REPAIRS GIVEN THE KNOWN MANUFACTURING DEFECTS. CAR WILL NOT START WHEN COLD AND THERE IS NOTHING THE DEALER CAN DO OTHER THAN PERFORM A MAJOR VALVE JOB (+$2300) => HTTPS://WWW.SAABCENTRAL.COM/THREADS/08-SAAB-COLD-START-ROUGH-IDLE.327778/

SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN AVERAGE MPG (PROBLEM FROM RESEARCH ONLINE SUGGESTS IT IS FROM LOWERED COMPRESSION FROM INTAKE VALVE DESIGN/MATERIAL USED). 109700 MILES ON ENGINE. METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED BY US NAVY SUBMARINER. HAVEN'T CONTACTED GM OR SAAB AFFILIATE YET. FORUMS USED INFER THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD FOR 2007-2009 SAAB 9-3 2.0T WITH B207 ENGINE. SUMMER TIME MPG IS AROUND 32-33, WINTER MPG IS 30-31 IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. LAST 3 FILL UPS, AVERAGE MPG HAS DROPPED STEADILY FROM 30.5 TO 26 ON THE MOST RECENT FILL UP. RESPECTFULLY REQUEST TO KNOW IF A RECALL OR FINANCIAL COMPENSATION BY THE MANUFACTURER TO CONSUMERS HAS BEEN ORDAINED?

ROUGH IDLE AND START ON COLD STARTS. THIS ISSUE IS WELL KNOWN IN THE SAAB COMMUNITY DUE TO GM PUTTING WEAK MATERIAL IN FACTORY FUEL INJECTOR VALVES. ENGINE LOSES COMPRESSION UNTIL CAR IS WARM, BUT MAY RESULT IN STALLS OR LIMP MODE

VEHICLE EXHIBITS ALL SIGNS OF PREMATURE INTAKE VALVE WEAR CAUSING LOSS OF COMPRESSION AND/OR HARD START/NO START WHEN AMBIENT AIR TEMP IS BELOW 40 DEGREES. SEE ALL PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUE!

JUST PURCHASE VEHICLE FROM A FRIEND 2008 SAAB 9-3 2.0T CONVERTIBLE . WHEN I FIRST START UP THE VEHICLE (IT IS NOW COLD OUTSIDE) THE ENGINE IS RUNNING RUFF UNTIL IT WARMS UP. I UNDERSTAND MANY OTHER SAAB 2008 OWNERS HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT AND HAVE READ THAT THE INTAKE VALUES USED BY GM ARE FAULTY.

BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS WHILE DRIVING, SNAPPED IN HALF, AND DISLOCATED FROM VEHICLE, 6 MONTHS APART. WAS DRIVING AT 30 MPH, AND THE PASSENGER FRONT SPRING SNAPPED IN TWO. HAD NO FOREWARNING, BEFORE IT EXPLODED APART. THE PASSENGER-SIDE COIL-SPRING SNAPPED OFF THE VEHICLE, IN TWO+ PLACES, AND WAS RETRIEVED FROM THE HIGHWAY. METAL SHOWED A CLEAR SNAP. THE METAL APPEARED CORRODED AND AS IF THE METAL WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO WORK LONG-TERM. SIX MONTHS LATER, THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT-COIL-SPRING SNAPPED AND DISLODGED IN THE EXACT SAME MANNER, AND WHEN THE FAILED PIECE WAS RETRIEVED FROM THE HIGHWAY, IT SHOWED THE SAME CLEAR SNAP LINES, AS ITS PREDECESSOR. BOTH INSTANCES CAUSED THE CAR TO LOSE CONTROL. CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT WITH SUB-PAR METALLOIDS THAT LIKELY WILL KILL SOMEONE IF THEY ARE TRAVELING FAST. PLEASE RECALL AS ITS THE SAME DEFECT THAT APPEARS IN 2003 - 2006 SAAB MODELS. IN 2010, GENERAL MOTORS OFFERED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON ABOUT 66,000 2003 - 2006 SAAB 9-3 VEHICLES TO COVER THE COST OF REPLACING FRONT SPRINGS THAT BREAK DUE TO CORROSION. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE ON FOR SAAB 9-3 MODELS, BUT IS NOT COVERED BY GM SPECIAL COVERAGE #15917 BECAUSE THAT EXTENDED WARRANTY ONLY APPLIES TO 2003-2006 VEHICLES.

ACCIDENT HAPPENED AFTER HEADLIGHT LOW-BEAM FAILED.WAS TOLD AND SHOWN A MELTED HEADLIGHT MODULE THAT OVERHEATED AND CAUSED THE LOW-BEAM HEADLIGHTS TO GO OUT. THE ENTIRE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. AS WERE OTHER CRASH INVOLVED PARTS

CONCERN 1 AS A FEMALE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE TO BE STRANDED IN MY VEHICLE, RECENTLY WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BATTERY ISSUE TURNED OUT TO BE A KEY FOB ISSUE. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED WITH A WELL CARED FOR VEHICLE THAT HAS KEYS THAT START AND GET TO DESTINATION, BUT HAVE GOTTEN BACK IN MY VEHICLE AND THE CAR DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE FOB. CONCERN 2 I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL IS AUTOMATICALLY COMING ON, AND I HAVE TO MANUALLY TURN IT OFF, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN I WAS NOT AWARE UNTIL UNTIL I TOOK FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR STILL TRAVELED AT THE CRUISE SPEED, TAPPING THE BRAKE DID NOT DISENGAGE THE CRUISE SETTING.

CAR STRUGGLED TO START WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW 40 DEGREES. AFTER A NUMBER OF TRIPS TO THE SHOP THAT MAINTAINS MY CAR THEY RESEARCHED ONLINE THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR SAAB WITH THIS ENGINE AND GM ISN'T WILLING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. PLEASE DO SOMETHING!

HARD STARTING COLD WITH ENGINE MISFIRE AND LOW COMPRESSION, VEHICLE STARTS AND RUNS NORMALLY WHEN HOT 2007-11 9-3 B207 & 2011 9-5 A20NFT ______________________________________________ THIS IS A RE-ISSUE OF A PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED DOCUMENT WITH UPDATED INFORMATION HIGHLIGHTED INRED. MODELS: 2007-2008 SAAB 9-3 B207R (THIS PI DOES NOT APPLY TO THE B284 ENGINE) UPDATE: THIS CONDITION COULD ALSO OCCUR ON 2009-11 B207 OR 2011 9-5 A20NFT CONDITION/CONCERN: A TECHNICIAN MAY COMMENT OF HARD OR NO STARTING WHEN COLD. THEY MAY ALSO FIND ENGINE MISFIRES WITH DTC'S P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303 OR P0304. THE VEHICLE WILL START AND RUN NORMALLY WHEN HOT. RECOMMENDATIONS/INSTRUCTIONS: THIS CONDITION MAY BE CAUSED BY A WORN INTAKE VALVE AND IS TYPICALLY FOUND ON VEHICLES WITH 50,000 OR MORE MILES. DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS ISSUE IT CAN BE MORE FREQUENT IN COLD CLIMATES AND COULD EXHIBIT THE CONDITION AT A LOWER MILEAGE; INVERSELY IN WARMER CLIMATES IT MAY OCCUR AT A HIGHER MILEAGE. TAC HAS FOUND INTAKE VALVE WEAR OF THE VALVE SEAT FACE WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT COMPRESSION LOSS IN COLD TEMPERATURES THAT WILL NOT BE READILY APPARENT WHEN HOT. TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THIS CONDITION PERFORM A COLD (AFTER AN OVERNIGHT STAY IS BEST) COMPRESSION AND LEAK DOWN TEST. AS AN EXAMPLE, AN ENGINE WITH A 150-175 PSI HOT CRANKING COMPRESSION READING MAY ONLY SHOW 75 TO 90 PSI WHEN COLD. ONCE A TECHNICIAN HAS DETERMINED HE HAS THE ABOVE DESCRIBED CONCERN HE MUST INITIATE A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER (TAC) CASE BY EMAIL AT XXXX OR BY PHONE AT XXXXX PROMPT #3. TAC WILL PROVIDE THE FULL INFORMATION ON THE PARTS/REPAIR PROCEDURE WHEN THE CASE IS SET. PARTS REQUIRED: INLET VALVE 2007 TO 2011, BIOPOWER 55563529 (8 REQUIRED)