SAAB Complaints

MY CAR WAS EXHIBITING A HARD START AND MISFIRES FROM 90,000 AND UP. IT WAS MORE PRESENT IN COLD WEATHER. IT FINALLY FAILED TO TURN OVER IN -15 DEGREE WEATHER (-40 WIND CHILL), HAD I BEEN IN A REMOTE AREA THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY REAL DANGER OF HYPOTHERMIA AND FROSTBITE. AFTER SOME ONLINE INVESTIGATION I FOUND THAT NUMEROUS PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH ANY SAAB 9-3 2.0T (B207 ENGINE) OVER 75,000 MILES. THE PROBLEM IS RELATED TO BAD INTAKE VALVES THAT BECOME RAZOR SHARP AND CANNOT HOLD COMPRESSION ESPECIALLY IN COLDER CLIMATES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-7X. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE DRIVERS WINDOW WAS OPEN, HE ATTEMPTED TO CLOSE THE WINDOW BUT IT BECAME STUCK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THE DOOR SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

THIS CAR, WHILE A SAAB BY NAME, IS MADE BY SUBARU AND IS MECHANICALLY IDENTICAL TO A 2005 IMPREZA WRX. SUBARU RECALLED 2002- 2003 WRXS FOR A COLD WEATHER FUEL LEAK. THE RECALL NUMBER IS 01-170-09. THIS CAR BEING TWO MODEL YEARS NEWER IS NOT COVERED HOWEVER IT SUFFERS FROM THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. DURING VERY COLD TEMPERATURES LIKE THE ONES WE ARE EXPERIENCING NOW, (BELOW 20 DEGREES F) RAW FUEL LEAKS FROM A HOSE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS SMELL FLOODS THE CABIN AND IS SO BAD, WINDOWS NEED TO BE ROLLED DOWN. I HAVE CONTACTED SUBARU FOR ASSISTANCE BUT HAVE YET TO RECEIVE HELP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SAAB 9-7X. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS BURNING OIL AND THE CONSUMPTION OF OIL WAS EXCESSIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER HAD AN ENGINEER INSPECT THE VEHICLE, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE MOTOR MOUNT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. AFTER THE REPAIR THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,648.

NO START/COLD CLIMATE FOR 2008 SAAB 9-3 2.0T. TOWED TO SAAB DEALERSHIP AFTER COLD NO START YESTERDAY 01/07/2014. SAAB TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSIS(01/08/2014): INTAKE/INLET VALVES WORN CAUSING LOW ENGINE COMPRESSION, HENCE; FAILED START ATTEMPTS. ENGINE COMPRESSION AND LEAK DOWN TESTS PERFORMED TO PINPOINT EXACT PROBLEM.

WHEN TEMPERATURES GET NEAR FREEZING, THERE IS A STRONG GASOLINE SMELL COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT THAT SEEPS INTO THE CABIN. IT SEEMS LIKE THE CLAMPS THAT HOLD THE RUBBER FUEL LINES MAY COME LOOSE OVER TIME AND THE COLD CAUSES THE LINES TO CONTRACT ALLOWING THE FUEL TO LEAK. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT OR LATCH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 84,200.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PARKED IN COLD TEMPERATURES THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

ROUGH IDLE AND LOW COMPRESSION WHEN COLD, SYMPTOM DID NOT APPEAR AFTER THE ENGINE IS WARM. INTAKE VALVES FAILED AND COST $1,700 TO REBUILD THE HEAD. *TR

IN COLD WEATHER (SLIGHTLY BELOW FREEZING AT THE TIME) VEHICLE STARTED BUT IDLED VERY ROUGHLY. DROVE DOWN STREET AND WHILE COASTING ENGINE WAS IDLING AND SPUTTERED AND STALLED WITHIN 1 MINUTE OF INITIAL START. LOSS OF BRAKE ASSIST, POWER STEERING, POWER TO ACCELERATE WITH TRAFFIC. PULLED OFF TO SIDE AND RESTARTED ENGINE. AGAIN ROUGH IDLE. APPLIED GAS PEDAL AND HELD RPMS SLIGHTLY ABOVE IDLE TO WARM ENGINE. AFTER ~5 MINUTES, CAR WAS IDLING NORMALLY. NO FURTHER ISSUES ONCE ENGINE REACHED OPERATING TEMPERATURE. UPON RESEARCH SAAB/GM (SPNA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE) HAS ISSUED A NOTICE TO CERTIFIED SERVICE CENTERS THAT INTAKE VALVES ARE PREMATURELY WEARING CAUSING SEVERE ISSUES IN COLD START SITUATIONS. NOTICE IS DATED 12/17/2013 AND WAS RE-ISSUED TO EXPAND SCOPE OF MODEL YEARS KNOWN TO BE EFFECTED. THIS WARRANTS AN INVESTIGATION FOR POTENTIAL RECALL, AS NO VEHICLE SHOULD RESULT IN SUCH SIGNIFICANT DEGRADATION OF A MAJOR ENGINE COMPONENT WITH SUCH LIMITED MILES. REPAIR REQUIRES MAJOR ENGINE WORK TO REPLACE ALL INTAKE VALVES. *TR