SAAB Complaints

I OWN A 2004 SAAB 9-3 SEDAN. A FEW DAYS I EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT SEATBELT RETRACTOR AS DESCRIBED IN THIS REPORT : PE09048. I CALLED SAAB IN REFERENCE TO RECALL #5938 FOR SOME 2004 MODELS, BUT THEY CLAIM THAT MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THAT RECALL. *TR

NORMAL DRIVING. BOTTOM SIX INCHES OF FRONT RIGHT STRUT COIL SPRING JUST BROKE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A COIL SPRING JUST BREAK BEFORE. THIS PART IS STILL ON THE CAR AND I HAVE THE BROKEN SIX INCH SEMI-CIRCULAR PIECE. IT TOOK ALMOST THREE MONTHS BEFORE I DISCOVERED WHERE A CLICKING SOUND WAS COMING FROM IN THE FRONT RIGHT SUSPENSION. *TR

THE FACTORY FLOOR MAT SLIPPED FORWARD AND WAS WEDGED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL SO THAT THE PEDAL STUCK AT ALMOST FULL THROTTLE. AVOIDED A COLLISION BY SHIFTING INTO NEUTRAL, STOPPING, AND REALIZING THE MAT WAS JAMMED INTO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I EXTRICATED THE MAT FROM THE PEDAL AND RESTORED THE FUNCTION TO NORMAL. THE CAR HAS RESTRAINING PINS DESIGNED TO HOLD THE MAT IN PLACE BUT THE DESIGN IS FLAWED, ESPECIALLY IF THE MAT CURLS IN THAT AREA. *TR

AFTER READING ABOUT THE RECENT TOYOTA FLOORMAT RECALL I HAVE DECIDED TO REPORT A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH MY 2007 SAAB 9-3. MY DRIVER SIDE FLOORMAT DOES NOT STAY IN PLACE AND HAS REPEATEDLY GOTTEN CAUGHT AS I PUSH THE CLUTCH IN. THE RESULT IS THAT THE CLUTCH WILL NOT LET OUT WITH OUT ME MANUALLY REMOVING THE FLOORMAT BY HAND. I CAN PUSH THE CLUTCH IN, BUT IT WON'T LET OUT. THIS WOULD BE A SIMPLE FIX IF THEY WOULD CREATE A BETTER FLOOR MAT ANCHOR, BUT THE DEALER SAID THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SPRING BROKE ABOUT 4" UP FROM THE BOTTOM. CAR MILEAGE APPRX. 75K. PROBLEM WAS INDICATED BY CLUNKING NOISE AND ODDNESS IN THE STEERING. *TR

RETURNED FROM 2 WEEK VACATION WHERE CAR WAS PARKED IN AN OUTDOOR AIRPORT PARKING LOT. WHEN CAR WAS PUT INTO REVERSE TO BACK OUT OF PARKING SPACE, EXTRA GAS WAS REQUIRED TO START MOVEMENT, THEN LOUD BANG / POP AND THE CAR STARTED TO MOVE. (SOMETIMES AFTER A RAIN, THE DISK BRAKES SEEM TO RUST / WELD TO THE ROTORS AND REQUIRE EXTRA EFFORT TO BRAKE LOOSE. BUT THIS BANG / POP WAS LOUDER THAN NORMAL.) STARTED TO DRIVE OUT OF PARKING LOT, THEN ONTO STREET TO GET ONTO INTERSTATE. SMELLED RUBBER BURNING ODOR. OTHER DRIVERS INDICATED WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM RIGHT WHEEL WELL AREA. STOPPED TO INVESTIGATE AND FOUND RIGHT FRONT SUSPENSION SPRING BROKEN AND CUTTING A GROOVE IN THE SIDE WALL OF TIRE. CAR HANDLED NORMALLY, SO WE WERE GLAD WE HADN'T ENTERED INTERSTATE AND GOTTEN UP TO HIGHWAY SPEED. CAR TOWED TO MECHANIC. HE SAID ONLY RIGHT SIDE HAD PHYSICALLY BROKEN, BUT FELT THE LEFT SIDE WAS ABOUT TO BREAK ALSO. HE REPLACED BOTH LEFT / RIGHT STRUTS, SPRINGS, BRACKET, SUPPORT STRUTS, SWAY BAR LINKS AND RIGHT FRONT TIRE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWN A 2007 SAAB 9-3. HE HAS TO REPEATEDLY APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP. THE POWER ASSIST UNIT WAS REPLACED UNDER THE WARRANTY. HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE POWER ASSIST REPLACED FOR THE THIRD TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.

WHILE DRIVING ON EXPRESSWAY, MOTOR FAILED DUE TO LACK OF OIL CIRCULATION BROUGHT ON BY PLUGGING OF OIL PUMP INTAKE SCREEN FROM DEGRADATION OF OIL, DUE TO DESIGN OF SAAB 9/3 THAT COOKS OIL IN TURBOCHARGER AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER DIRECTLY BENEATH OIL PAN. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS LONG OIL CHANGE INTERVAL, (10,000 SAAB RECOMMENDATION), VEHICLE HAD LESS THAN 7,000 MILES SINCE LAST OIL CHANGE. COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE RESULTED. VEHICLE DISABLED. I HAD IT TOWED TO A PEP BOYS LOCATION AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE LOST 2 CYLINDERS AND NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED. *TR

HARD SHIFTING, SLIPPING OF TRANSMISSION WHEN ACCELERATING. 2006 AERO V6, WHEN COLD THE SHIFTING OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS VERY STIFF RESULTING IN NOISES AND BUMPS WHEN UP OR DOWN SHIFTING IN THE 'AUTO' MODE. SHIFTING INTO HIGHER GEARING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ARE SLOW AND OFTEN UP AND DOWN AS THE TRANSMISSION TRIES TO FIND THE CORRECT GEAR RANGE. THIS OCCURS (LOOKING FOR GEARS) WHEN WARM. ALSO WHEN WARM GOING DOWN HILL THE SHIFTING BUMPS VERY HARD TO LOWER GEARS CAUSING CAR TO SLOW DOWN DRAMATICALLY. WHEN COLD, TRANSMISSION SOMETIMES WILL NOT SHIFT UP WHEN ACCELERATING WHILE MAKING A TURN FROM A STOP. *TR

LOW BEAM HEAD LAMP FAILURE IN 2007, SAAB 9-3 2.0T SPORT SEDAN. IN 42K MILES I HAVE REPLACED THE HEAD LAMPS 4 TIMES. IT USUALLY OCCURS ONLY ON THE LEFT HEAD LAMP. THIS PAST SATURDAY, OCT 3, 2009, I LOST THE LEFT ONE IN THE MORNING AND THE RIGHT ONE IN THE EVENING. I HAD NO LOW BEAMS AND HAD TO DRIVE 25 MILES HOME, AT NIGHT TIME WITH CONSIDERABLE CITY TRAFFIC, WITH MY HIGH BEAMS. THE DEALER HAS EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THERE IS AN ELECTRICAL SURGE WHEN STARTING THE CAR THAT CAN BLOW THE FILAMENTS IN THE BULBS BECAUSE THEY COME ON AS DRLS WHEN THE KEY TURNED TO THE ON POSITION. THEIR "FIX" FOR THIS IS TO REPROGRAM THE CAR TO DISABLE THE DRLS AND AUTO TURN ON OF THE HEADLIGHTS. *TR