SAAB Complaints

WAS DRIVING DOWN SIDE STREET, REACHED FOR SOMETHING IN PASSENGER SEAT, DREW MY HAND BACK MAKING VERY GENTLE CONTACT WITH IGNITION KEY IN CENTER CONSOLE AND CAR SHUT OFF. I HARDLY TOUCHED THE KEY. THIS SECOND TIME IN EARLY JUNE, THOUGH I HIT IT WITH MY CUP (ICE TEA FROM MCDONALDS). THEN THIS WEEKEND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. IT IS VERY EASY TO BUMP IT WITH YOUR ARM AND HAVE IT SHUT OFF. I CALLED GMC AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT, EVEN THOUGH TO ME IT SEEMS LIKE THE SAME ISSUE AS WITH THEIR OTHER CARS THAT ARE BEING RECALLED FOR THE SAME REASON. I THINK IT SHOULD BE RECALLED, AND SUSPECT THAT THE IGNITION IS THE SAME THAT IS IN THE GMC ENVOY, TRAILBLAZER, ETC. ALSO, THE 2007 WAS RECALLED, AND I THINK THE 2008 SHOULD BE AS WELL. MY CAR IS AVAILABLE FOR SOMEONE TO INSPECT IT ANYTIME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW EASY IT IS FOR IT TO HAPPEN. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTOR LOCKED AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. SINCE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT SEAT BELTS IS DANGEROUS, THE VEHICLE IS UNUSABLE. *TR

HAD CYLINDER COMPRESSION TEST PERFORMED, MAJOR VARIANCE IN CYLINDER PSIS AND ENGINE RUNNING ERRATICALLY. PULLED THE HEAD AND DISCOVERED INTAKE & EXHAUST VALVES BOTH EXCESSIVELY WORN AND A FEW BENT. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE ON MANY 9-3S DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. MY ISSUES SURFACED SURPRISINGLY LATE, MOST HAVE SHOWN MANY MILES EARLIER. THIS WAS A VERY EXPENSIVE AND TIME CONSUMING REPAIR AT $1900. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AS THERE SEEMS TO BE EVIDENCE THAT BAD PARTS WERE USED AND HAVE DETERIORATED PREMATURELY. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON BEGINNING OF WINTER 2011, AND CODE INDICATED FAILED FUEL PUMP. GM (THIS IS A GM CAR) AND SAAB INDICATED FAULTY PART, AND CONTINUED TO INDICATE BACK ORDER OF PART, AND THEN METHOD TO REBUILD AVAILABLE FUEL PUMP, WHICH APPARENTLY IS ALSO ON BACK ORDER. ENGINE LIGHT GOES OFF AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT REAPPEARS THE NEXT YEAR, AND HAS OCCURRED EACH YEAR SINCE. PART WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AT TIME OF COMPLAINT, BUT IS NOW OFF OF WARRANTY. SAAB NORTH AMERICA HAS INDICATED IN RESPONSE TO COMPLAINT THAT REPLACEMENT PART PLUS REBUILD WOULD WORK, BUT THE PART HAS NEVER BEEN AVAILABLE FOR REBUILDING, AND SAAB DEALERSHIP (KEN GAARF) CLAIMS IT HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER FOR CLOSE TO 3 YEARS. CAR BOUGHT NEW IN DECEMBER 2009 WITH 3 YEAR GM FULL WARRANTY IN PLACE. *TR

INTERMITTENT BRAKE FAILURE AT START. DEPRESS BRAKES, EITHER FROM DRIVEWAY IN REVERSE OR STARTING FORWARD AFTER LEAVING DRIVEWAY, AND BRAKES DO NOT WORK. DEPRESSING BRAKES FEELS LIKE POWER BRAKING SYSTEM IS NOT ENGAGING. HAVE TO PULL OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD, AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES, BRAKES RETURN. THIS HAS HAPPENED PERIODICALLY OVER THE PERIOD SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW, DECEMBER 2009. THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED AN INTERMITTENT BRAKE ISSUE THAT WAS EVIDENT FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE IN THE MORNING, THERE WAS BRAKE FAILURE UNTIL THE VEHICLE WARMED UP SUFFICIENTLY FOR THE PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED. HE WOULD GENERALLY CATCH THE PROBLEM BEFORE EXITING HIS DRIVEWAY, BUT THERE WERE TIMES THE PROBLEM PERSISTED UPON SHIFTING INTO FORWARD GEAR. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VACUUM PIPE REPLACED. THE CONSUMER REFERENCED NHTSA ACTION NUMBER PE08005, IN WHICH HE BELIEVED WAS CLOSED PREMATURELY. UPDATED 08/27/14

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SAAB 97. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE FUEL GAUGE WAS INDICATING INCORRECT LEVEL READINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 102,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

THE REAR AIR SUSPENSION HAS A LEAK IN IT. IT FAILS TO CALIBRATE CORRECTLY AND HAS THE VEHICLE SAGGING. IN THE WINTER THIS IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE UNTIL IT CALIBRATES WHICH CAN TAKE MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES. THE SUSPENSION CONTINUES TO LEAK DURING THE DRIVE. *TR

I GOT IN MY CAR TO GO TO WORK AND AS I PULLED THE BELT OVER MY SHOULDER THE RETRACTING MECHANISM SNAPPED. THE BELT WAS COMPLETELY SLACK WITH NO PROTECTIVE CAPACITY. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN 2005. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A RECALL ITEM. I ORDERED THE BELT, IT WAS BACKORDERED ("COMING IN FROM SWEDEN"). I MADE THE APPOINTMENT FOR REPLACING IT, TOOK IT IN AND CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS A RECALL. THEY SAID IT WAS ACTUALLY A "CAMPAIGN" TO REPLACE FAULTY BELT MECHANISMS. TEN MINUTES LATER THEY CHANGED THEIR MINDS, STATING THAT THEY JUST FOUND OUT (?) IT DIDN'T COVER THE CONVERTIBLE...ONLY THE SEDANS. I PAID $431.80 FOR THE BELT AND $337.50 FOR THE LABOR TO INSTALL IT. I FELT THAT, AS I OR MY WIFE COULD HAVE BEEN INJURED OR WORSE HAD IT FAILED IN A COLLISION, THE RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD LIE WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE DEALERSHIP IS WEST COUNTY (SAAB) VOLVO, 14410 MANCHESTER ROAD, MANCHESTER, MO 63011. *TR

I TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR A BLOWER MOTOR MALFUNCTION AND A BRAKE JOB TO MY REGULAR MECHANIC WHO WORKS ON ALL MY VEHICLES. WHILE THEY HAD THE VEHICLE UP ON THE LIFT, HE NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT SPRING HAD BROKEN AND GOUGED THE TIRE LEAVING THE TIRE DAMAGED AND THE CAR INOPERABLE. WHEN THEY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO ORDER A NEW SPRING FROM SAAB, THE PARTS DEPARTMENT SAID THAT B/C OF MILEAGE AND AGE IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER A SERVICE BULLETIN. YEAH! SO, I CALLED DEALERSHIP AND INQUIRED ABOUT HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED (100 MILES) AND THE SAAB DEALERSHIP DO THE WORK. MILEAGE ON 9-3, 94,484 GOOD! 6 MONTHS PAST THE "TIME" LIMIT! BAD! NEEDLESS TO SAY, AFTER $700 LATER I HAVE REPLACED BOTH FRONT SPRINGS AS WELL AS THE $175 DAMAGED TIRE. THE SPRING COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE CAR, OCCUPANTS AS WELL AS OTHERS IF I WAS DRIVING WHILE THE DAMAGED TIRE GAVE OUT, DUE TO THE SPRING BREAKING! THE VEHICLE DROVE PERFECTLY & I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE BROKEN SPRING! THIS IS NOT MY ONLY VEHICLE AND I HONESTLY FEEL THAT SAAB SHOULD HONOR THE MILEAGE BEFORE THE "TIME" B/C THE AMOUNT OF THE VEHICLE BEING DRIVEN IS WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE OF THE SPRINGS.

ENGINE FAILS TO START WHEN COLD AND WHEN IT DOES, THE CAR RUNS EXTREMELY ROUGH. CAR HESITATES AND DRIVES POORLY UNTIL ENGINE IS FINALLY WARM. COLD COMPRESSION TEST CONFIRMS THAT THERE IS LOW COMPRESSION AND THAT THERE ARE DEFECTIVE INTAKE VALVES. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR A VEHICLE THAT IS NOT OLD AT ALL. *TR