2001 SAAB 9-3 Complaints

THE SEAT BELT ON MY 2001 SAAB 93 WILL NOT WORK. I AM UNABLE TO PULL THE STRAP OUT FROM THE SIDE OF THE CAR. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL SAAB DEALER THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $700.00 TO FIX. MY CAR IS ONLY 6 YEARS OLD, NOT ONLY DID THE SEAT BELT STOP WORKING BUT THE ABS SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $3200.00. ALL OF THESE REPAIRS SEEM TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE THAT COST AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF MONEY. I THINK THAT SAAB SHOULD REPAIR AT THE VERY LEAST THE SEAT BELT WHICH I AM CURRENTLY DRIVING WITHOUT. *JB

2001 9-3 ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED DUE TO A CRACKED CYLINDER. *TS WHEN THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, SHE WAS TOLD THE SERIAL NUMBER ON THE MODULE WAS NOT THE ONE THAT WOULD BE REPLACED. A FEW MONTHS HAD PASSED AND THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS FROM THE RECALLED PART WHICH HAD A NOTICEABLE CRACK. WHEN THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN, SHE WAS TOLD THAT THE MODULE MAY HAVE SHOWN PROBLEMS IN THE PREVIOUS INSPECTION, BUT THE MODULE WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL BASED ON THE SERIAL NUMBER.*JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED GASOLINE LEAKED ONTO THE ENGINE DUE TO LOOSENED FUEL LINES ON THE FUEL PUMP. THERE WAS AN NHTSA RECALL, # 06V126000 REGARDING THE FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE: DELIVERY: HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. UPDATED 9/15/2006 - *NM

HAD JUST HAD AN UPDATE FRIDAY OF ANOTHER INCIDENT WITH GASOLINE / FUEL PUMP RUPTURE AND FAILURE LEADING TO EXCESSIVE GAS BEING PUMPED OUT . THEN ON SUNDAY, IT HAPPENED TO ME, A VERY STRONG GAS SMELL, ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WHEN STOPPED FOR ANY PERIOD OF TIME. UPON ARRIVAL (10 MIN) TO DESTINATION, I LOOKED UNDER CAR, ESPECIALLY AFTER BEING ALERTED FROM ".MYCARSTATS.COM/SAFETYSTATION". GAS WAS EVERYWHERE! AND PUMPING OUT LIKE CRAZY, EVEN THOUGH IGNITION WAS OFF.. RESIDUAL PRESSURE I SUSPECT.. A LOT MORE CAME OUT.. THOUGH I LIVE IN CANADA , THIS IS A US CAR, I BOUGHT EARLY LAST YEAR: A 2001 SAAB 9-3 VIGGEN CONV'T, SAAB USA , SAID IT WOULD BE COVERED FOR BEING FIXED, >>04V557000. 15018.. BUT SAAB CANADA, HAS NO RECALL AND IS QUESTIONING IT, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE REPLACED CLIPS IN OTHER 9-3S.. CAR IS UNDRIVABLE. *JB

DEC. 10, 2005 WHILE DRIVING ON THE PA TURNPIKE OIL LIGHT CAME ON THEN WENT OFF. OIL LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN CAR LOST ALL POWER. SAAB TOWING LEFT US ON BUSY TURNPIKE FOR 2 1/2 HOURS IN FREEZING COLD. TOWED TO PURCHASE DEALER WAS TOLD NEEDS NEW ENGINE IT THROUGH A ROD. AFTER 2 MONTHS OF NO HELP FORM DEALER OR SAAB TOOK TO INDEPENDENT SAAB MECHANIC. WAS TOLD BENT ROD OR CRANK SHAFT FROM SLUDGE BUILD UP NEED SMALL BLOCK ENGINE. 7 MONTHS AND SAAB WANTS TO ONLY GIVE $500 TOWARDS REPAIR DEALER CHARGING $6,000. SAAB IS AWARE OF SLUDGE PROBLEM IN THESE ENGINES (SEE WEB ON CONSUMER REPORTS AND CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY) YET, WON'T STAND BY THEIR WORD TO EXTEND WARRANTY 8 YEARS UNLIMITED MILES. WE HAVE COMPLAINED TO DEALER SINCE PURCHASE ABOUT ENGINE LIGHT BEING ON AND STALLING. NO ISSUES FOUND BY THEM. IDM WAS REPLACED 2 MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS WITH ENGINE LIGHT REMAINING ON. NO CALL BACK FROM DEALER. HAVE RECEIVED NO HELP FROM SAAB OR DEALER, WITHOUT IT RESULTING IN THEM MAKING MONEY OFF OF US. *JB

CONSUMER 2001 SAAB 93 STALLED. *TS PRIOR TO RECEIVING THE RECALL NOTICE, THE CONSUMER HAD ALREADY PAID FOR THE REPAIRS AND HAS SINCE REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT, HOWEVER THE MANUFACTURER REQUESTED A COPY OF THE CONSUMERS CHECK AS PROOF THAT THE REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE CONSUMER REFUSED TO SEND THEM A COPY OF HIS CHECK. *JB

SAFETY RECALL 15018 MY CAR IS A SAAB MODEL: 9-3, IT HAD THE FUEL LINE PROBLEM IN SAFETY NOTICE 15018, WHICH IS STILL AN OPEN FILE. SAAB SAYS THAT BECAUSE MY VIN IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL, I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM. I DID HAVE THE PROBLEM. IT COULD HAVE KILLED US. I NOW UNDERSTAND WHY GENERAL MOTORS IS GOING UNDER. I WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE OF THEIR PRODUCTS. TO ME, THE ISSUE IS NOT THE $263 I SPENT THAT THEY WILL NOT COVER. THE ISSUE IS THAT I BOUGHT THEIR PRODUCT IN GOOD FAITH, DISCOVERED A DESIGN ERROR THEY KNOW ABOUT, AND THEY WILL NOT STAND BEHIND IT. I THINK EVERY SAAB ON THE ROAD WITH THAT CHEAP (THE PLASTIC PART COSTS UNDER $4 RETAIL AT THE DEALER) FUEL SYSTEM ATTACHMENT DESIGN SHOULD BE PULLED OFF THE ROAD. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ENGINE STALLED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE LAST TIME THE ENGINE STALLED WHILE TRAVELING AT A HIGHWAY SPEED OF 65-70 MPH. THE VEHICLE COASTED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THERE WERE NO PRIOR WARNING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS. NEITHER COULD DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THERE IS AN NHTSA RECALL, # 05V399000 REGARDING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: IGNITION: MODULE. THE VEHICLE HAS THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL; HOWEVER IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55MPH, THE OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THERE WAS A VERY LOUD NOISE AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. IT WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THE VEHICLE THREW A ROD. AFTER TWO MONTHS, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE OIL PAN CAUSING THE OIL TO BECOME VERY THICK, CAUSING OIL STARVATION TO THE ENGINE. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW ENGINE.

WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RE-START ONCE TURNED OFF AND THE KEY TAKEN OUT OF THE IGNITION. I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE KEY TO RE-START THE VEHICLE AND ALSO HEARD A "THUNK" SOUND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE WHICH ORIGINATED DIRECTLY BELOW THE INSERTED KEY. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED AND CORRECTED THE PROBLEM UNDER CERTIFIED USED VEHICLE WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION MOUNTING SCREW/BOLTS HAD "WORKED THEMSELVES LOOSE" AND CAUSE THE HOUSING TO UNSEAT. THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED BY RE-INSTALLING THE BOLTS. THE PROBLEM IS NOTICEABLE IF YOU HAVE A STANDARD-SHIFT VEHICLE (NOT AN AUTOMATIC) AND ARE ABLE TO SHIFT DIRECTLY FROM NEUTRAL TO REVERSE WITHOUT NEEDING TO LIFT UP ON THE SAFETY MECHANISM NEAR THE SHIFTER KNOB. THE DEALERSHIP ADVISED ME THAT THE PROBLEM IS NOT UNCOMMON HOWEVER THE GREATEST CONCERN WAS THAT WHEN I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER I WAS UNABLE TO EASILY SHIFT INTO GEAR AND HAD NOTICEABLE DIFFICULTY SHIFTING OUT OF REVERSE. *JB