2008 SAAB 9-3 Complaints

WE OWN A 2008 9-3 SAAB THAT HAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN IT IS COLD OUTSIDE (50 DEGREES AND BELOW), OUR CAR STARTS VERY ROUGHLY AFTER 2-3+ MINUTES OF CONTINUOUS CRANKING. ONCE THE CAR STARTS AND HAS WARMED UP, IT RUNS QUITE SMOOTHLY. HOWEVER, IT CURRENTLY ISN'T STARTING AT ALL NOW AND IS IN THE SHOP. WE HAVE BEEN DOING RESEARCH ONLINE TO SEE IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG OTHER 2008 SAAB OWNERS. SO FAR WE HAVE SEEN A LARGE AMOUNT OF OTHER OWNERS OF 2008 SAABS EXPRESSING THE SAME CONCERNS/PROBLEMS AND HAVE EXPERIENCED A $2,00-$3,000 EXPENSE TO FIX IT. OUR DIAGNOSIS IS THAT THERE ISN'T ANY COMPRESSION AND IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE LOWER INTAKE VALVES ARE FAULTY AND WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR AN ESTIMATED COST OF $2,000-$3,000. I HAVE CONTACTED GM AND AM AWAITING THEIR RESPONSE AS TO WHETHER THERE ARE ENOUGH OTHER COMPLAINTS TO WARRANT A RECALL OR RECEIVE ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO COMPLETE THE REPAIRS. IT APPEARS THAT THE ORIGINAL GM PARTS ARE FAULTY AND BECOME WORN, WHICH RESULTS IN DIFFICULTY IN COLDER TEMPERATURES. WE PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2003 SAAB, WHICH WAS BUILT BY SAAB, AND WE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY OF THESE SAID PROBLEMS.

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V063000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED VICTORY CHEVROLET CADILLAC AT (707) 776-6385 (1360 AUTO CENTER DR, PETALUMA, CA). THE CONTACT ALSO CALLED MARIN MAZDA AT (415) 454-7000 (807 FRANCISCO BLVD, SAN RAPHAEL, CA). BOTH DEALERS CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

AS IS THE CASE WITH MANY OTHER SAAB 9-3 BUILT AFTER 2006, MY DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT RECENTLY IDENTIFIED A PROBLEM WITH THE INTAKE VALVES IN MY VEHICLES ENGINE, WHICH HAS EXPERIENCED PREMATURE FAILURE AT 77,000 MILES. OTHER POSTINGS ON LINE LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS MAJOR ISSUE AFFECTING THOUSANDS OF THESE VEHICLES BUILT BY GM IN YEARS 2007 AND LATER. THE CAUSE IS WIDELY KNOWN AND IS A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT RESULTING IN FAILURE OF THE VEHICLE TO START IN COLD WEATHER. THE FIX REQUIRED IS A REPLACEMENT OF ALL OF THE ENGINE INTAKE VALVES. THIS IS COSTLY FIX IN THE RANGE OF $3,000 PER VEHICLE. WHETHER GM KNEW IT WAS USING INFERIOR PARTS PRONE TO FAILURE OR NOT, THEY ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE AND SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PERFORM THE REPAIRS AT THEIR COST, OR TO AT A MINIMUM PARTICIPATE IN SOME WAY IN THE COST OF THE REPAIRS.

THE HEADLIGHTS IN MY VEHICLE STARTED FLICKERING AND SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING IN THE DARK A FEW DAYS AGO. AFTER SAFELY PARKING THE CAR, I INVESTIGATED AND FOUND THAT THE HOUSINGS ARE DESIGNED TO BE UNSERVICABLE BUT I WAS ABLE TO INVESTIGATE AND FOUND THAT NEARLY ALL OF THE INTERNAL WIRING SHIELDING HAD CRACKED AND FALLEN OFF (PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PHOTOS, I APPOLOGIZE ABOUT THE QUALITY). THE HEADLIGHTS FAILING WITHOUT NOTICE CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS BLACKOUT SCENARIO WHICH COULD HAVE VERY EASILY RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY AND/OR DEATH DUE TO MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND BY NO FAULT BY OR PRIOR WARNING TO THE OPERATOR. I WAS LUCKY!

TAKATA RECALL THE WEBSITE FOR REPORTING YOUR REPAIR AND RECEIVING YOUR $25 MASTERCARD IS NONEXISTENT.

RECENTLY, WHILE STARTING THE CAR IT STARTED UP VERY ROUGH. A FEW WEEKS AGO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON AND THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THERE WAS AN ISSUE IN CYLINDER 2. WE REPLACED ALL SPARK PLUGS AND COILS, AND THE ISSUE DID NOT GO AWAY. IN ADDITION, THE CAR HAS ALSO STARTED STALLING RANDOMLY. LUCKILY, I HAVEN'T BEEN DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS WHEN THIS HAS HAPPENED BUT IT'S NOW SHUT OFF ABOUT 7 OR 8 TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH. BEEN WONDERING IF ITS INTAKE VALVES, FUEL PUMP, POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE, CAMSHAFT TIMING... SOUNDS LIKE LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ISSUES AND HOPING MINES NOT BECAUSE OF THE INTAKE VALVES. PLEASE EMAIL [XXX]@HOTMAIL.COM IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR ISSUES AND KNOW THE FIX. CAR IS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION.*JB

I GOT MY AIRBAGS REPAIRED AND RECEIVED A LETTER SAYING I WOULD RECEIVE A $25 MASTERCARD FOR GETTING THE REPAIR DONE. I TRIED TO GO TO THE WEBSITE AND IT IS NOT A FUNCTIONING WEBSITE. AFTER TAKING HOURS TO GET THE REPAIR DONE, NOW THIS. THE WEBSITE LISTED WAS WWW.TAKATAREPAIR.COM/SAAB. I JUST WANTED YOU TO BE AWARE OF THIS WITH EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON. PLEASE ADVISE.

TAKATA RECALL I RECEIVED A NOTICE REFERENCING MY 2008 SAAB 9-3, INDICATING PARTS WERE AVAILABLE AND I WOULD BE ABLE TO SET AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE TAKATA AIRBAG TO BE REPLACED. I CALLED MURDOCK CHEVROLET BUICK GMC, THE AGENCY LISTED ON THE NOTICE, AND THEY SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR ME THIS MORNING. WHEN I ARRIVED, THEY SAID THEY DID NOT HAVE PARTS AND SHOWED ME IN THEIR SYSTEM THAT BASED ON MY VIN NO PARTS WERE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. THE FACT THEY SET THE APPOINTMENT IS THEIR MISTAKE, BUT IT SEEMED REASONABLY CLEAR THAT THIS CADILLAC DEALERSHIP DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE PARTS NEEDED. SO THE STATEMENT THAT 'AIRBAG INFLATOR PARTS ARE READY '' WAS INCORRECT. PLEASE CLARIFY HOW I CAN REASONABLY GET MY SAAB FIXED. I LIVE IN NORTHERN UTAH SO DEALERSHIPS THAT CAN PROVIDE THIS SERVICE ARE LIMITED. THE NOTICED CARRIED A COPYRIGHT MARKING FROM GENERAL MOTORS, AND THE LOGOS OF THE NHTSA AND THE USDOT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V063000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CALLED JEFF WYLER FAIRFIELD CADILLAC KIA NISSAN (5815 DIXIE HWY, FAIRFIELD, OH 45014; 513-682-2500) WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT, DESPITE THE NOTICE HE RECEIVED STATING THAT CADILLAC WOULD PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR, THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

FUEL PUMP IS DEFAULTING TO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT , ERROR CODE FOR FUEL PUMP , WHILE DRIVING THE FUEL PUMP INTERMITTENTLY DOES NOT SEND ENOUGH FUEL TO MOTOR RESULTING IN NOT ENOUGH POWER STALLING WHILE DRIVING.