SAAB Complaints

WE HAD OUR CAR IN FOR WARRANTY WORK IN THE FALL BUT THE SERVICE PROVIDER NEEDED TO ORDER PARTS THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WE WERE CONCERNED BECAUSE THE PARTS WOULD NOT ARRIVE, AND WE COULDN'T GET TO AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDER UNTIL AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED. THEY TOLD US "NO PROBLEM" THIS WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE WE WERE THERE PRIOR TO WARRANTY EXPIRATION. THEY NEVER CALLED TO TELL US PARTS HAD ARRIVED (WE LIVE OVER AN HOUR AWAY FROM SERVICE PROVIDER) AND THEY'RE NOT OPEN ON WEEKENDS SO DIFFICULT TO GET TO. WHEN WE TOOK THE CAR THERE A FEW WEEKS AGO THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW IF THIS WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. OBVIOUSLY WE WERE UPSET ABOUT THIS NEW REPRESENTATION BUT THEY SAID THEY'D CALL SAAB. THEY CALLED US BACK AND SAID THAT THEY DISCOVERED WE NEEDED A NEW HEAD GASKET ON THE CAR. THIS IS A 2001 WITH 38,000 MILES, NOT DRIVEN HARD. WE WERE SHOCKED AS THIS WAS AFTER OUR WARRANTY EXPIRED. THEY SAID THAT THEY CALLED SAAB AND THAT SAAB WOULD PAY FOR APPROXIMATELY HALF OUR BILL (THE TOTAL OF THE WARRANTY WORK AND THE HEAD GASKET. WE HAVE TALKED TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO SAID THERE IS NO WAY A HEAD GASKET SHOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AT THIS STAGE UNLESS THERE WAS A DEFECT. SAAB WILL NOT AGREE TO PAY FOR ALL THE REPAIR. WE'VE PAID OVER $600 TOWARD THE HEAD GASKET AND WARRANTY WORK THEY WOULDN'T COVER. *AK

THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED MANY PROBLEMS WITH 2003 SAAB 9-3 LINEAR AS ENGINE FAILURE LIGHT APPEAR AND ECT. *BF THERE WERE REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH THE SUN ROOF REMAINING STUCK OPEN, STABILITY CONTROL PROBLEMS, LOW FRONT HEAD BEAM, GETTING AIR TO THE GAS CAP, THE MUD FLAP WAS CRACKED, AND ON ONE OCCASION WHEN DRIVING UP A HILL THE CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING. *SC *JB

THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL RUNNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE IGNITION MODULE. THE REPAIRS WORKED FINE FOR TWO WEEKS, THEN THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *JB THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED, THE FOG AND HEAD LIGHTS WOULD GO OUT ONCE A MONTH, THE TRACTION CONTROL WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY, THE SEAT BELTS DID NOT RECOIL TO PROVIDE SECURITY FOR THE PASSENGERS, THE CLUTCH PEDAL DID NOT HAVE THE PROPER PRESSURE WHEN APPLIED, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT "SPIN OVER," THERE WAS A BLOWN FUEL PUMP FUSE, THE DRIVER WINDOW WAS INOPERATIVE, THE SUNROOF DEFLECTOR DID NOT COLLAPSE WHEN CLOSING THE GLASS CAUSING THE GLASS TO RE-OPEN ON IT'S OWN, THE DRIVER DOOR PANEL DID NOT FIT THE FLUSH TO THE DOOR PANEL, THE RADIO AND THE ONSTAR FEATURE DID NOT WORK. *SC *JB

MY CAR PERIODICALLY WILL NOT START. THE LIGHTS COME ON; THERE APPEARS TO BE POWER; BUT WHEN I TURN THE IGNITION, ALL I HEAR IS A CLICK. THE CAR WILL START ON A BUMP START (MANUAL TRANS) AND WILL TAKE A JUMP. I HAVE HAD THE CAR TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES BUT THEY CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM. HAPPENS MAINLY ON COLD STARTS.*AK

ON 8/11/03 I WAS DRIVING ON US ROUTE 9 IN HUDSON NEW YORK WHEN MY ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. PULLED TO SIDE OF ROAD. HAD TO BE TOWED TO SAAB DEALER 40 MILES AWAY. REPLACE IGNITION CASSETTE. WAS ADVISED DUE TO MY ATTEMPT TO RE-START THE CAR, RAW GAS GOT INTO CATALYTIC CONVERTER. TYHAT HAD TO BE REPLACED SEVERAL WEEKS LATER. I AM WRITING THIS SO LATE AS I WAS UNAWARE THIS MAY NOT BE AN ISOLATED INSTANCE.*AK

VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. CURRENTLY, THE ENGINE SEIZED. OWNER CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER, AND NEITHER IS WILLING TO ASSIST THE OWNER. *AK

OVER A SPAN OF TWO MONTHS, MY 2003 SAAB 93 HAS HAD A VACUUM PUMP REPLACED 3 TIMES. ON EACH OCCASION, THE DEALER, CHERRY HILL CLASSIC CARS, HAS ADVISED ME THAT THE PART IS ON BACK ORDER, AND THAT SAAB "MUST BE HAVING PROBLEMS" WITH OR, OR THAT "SABB IS REDESIGNING" THE PART. AFTER EACH TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE PART, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, THE CAR WOULD HESITATE UPON ACCELERATION, OR WOULD "SPUTTER". THE DEALERSHIP NOW CLAIMS THAT THE SYSTEM TO WHICH THE VALVE IS CONNECTED IS "FILLING UP WITH WATER". AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE VALVE RECIRCULATION ENGINE EXHAUST TO HELP THE ENGINE WARM UP AND/OR BURN FUEL MORE EFFICIENTLY. SAAB CUSTOMER SERVICE, IF YOU CAN CALL IT THAT, WAS UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM. CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS NO WAY OF TRACKING THE PROBLEM AS "EACH DEALER IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED". AS A RESULT, THE DEALER HAS HAD MY CAR FOR ALMOST A TWO MONTH PERIOD, AND THE PART IS STILL ON BACK ORDER. *JB

I PARKED MY CAR IN MY DRIVEWAY, WENT OUT TO MOVE IT INTO THE GARAGE AND IT WOULD NOT START. I HAD THE CAR TOWED AND LEARNED IT WAS AN INTERNAL PROBLEM IN THE FUEL PUMP. I HAD TO PURCHASE A FUEL PUMP. THIS HAPPENED IN NOVEMBER 2003, I OWNED THE CAR LESS THAN THREE YEARS. THE TIME BEFORE THAT IT HAD TO BE TOWED, IT JUST LOST SPEED, AS I WAS DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY. I HAD TO HAVE TORQUE SEALS & RING BLOCK REPLACED IN JANUARY 2005, THE OIL WAS RUNNING OUT OF MY TRANSMISSION. I JUST HAD TO HAVE THE BRAKES REPLACED FOR THE 2ND TIME, IN FIVE YEARS, IN JANUARY 4, 2005. *JB

ENGINE MAY STALL WHEN COLD AND CAR IS TRAVELING 30-45MPH. NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE ON 2 OCCASIONS DUE TO LOSS OF STEERING AND RAN ONTO SHOULDER/LAWN OF HOMEOWNER. WE HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE IN 4 TIMES FOR REPAIRS OR MODIFICATIONS IN ATTEMPTS TO FIX THIS BUT SAAB WILL NOT EVEN ADMIT THERE IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS FIXING. *JB

I WAS DRIVING MY SAAB 900 CONVERTIBLE AND WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE PASSANGER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. I IMMEDIATLY PULLED OVER AND AS I WAS CHECKING TO FIND OUT WHAT THE NOISE WAS THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. THE AIRBAG BROKE MY WINDSHIELD AND IMMEDIATLY AFTER THEY DEPLOYED THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON AND THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATOR CAME ON. I WILL BE TAKING THE CAR TO HAVE IT INSPECTED BY A CERTIFIED SAAB REPAIR SHOP. THE MECHANIC IS GUESSING AT THIS POINT THAT THE COMPUTER SYSTEM FAILED CAUSING THE SPONTANEOUS DEPLOYMENT. HAD I HAVE BEEN DRIVING ON A BUSY ROAD OR A HIGHWAY THIS COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY BEEN AN ACCIDENT CAUSING INCIDENT. FORTUNATLY FOR ME AND OTHERS TRAVELING THIS WAS NOT THE CASE.*AK