Saab 9-3 engine problems

ENGINE

The radiator exploded, spewing fluids everywhere, overheating my vehicle without warning when I was driving 45 mph, almost causing a multi-car crash.

NHTSA complaint #11554987 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

HAD TO HAVE VALVE JOB DONE DUE TO BAD /DEFECTIVE/INFERIOR INTAKE VALVES, FROM MANUFACTURER. HAD TO HAVE ALL INTAKE VALVES REPLACED, WITH MODIFIED/UPGRADED INTAKE VALVES. OBTAINED PO300 - RANDOM MISFIRE CODES, HAD ROUGH IDLE, CHECKED ENGINE COMPRESSION, HAD 45PSIG IN CYLINDER NUMBER 4. ENGINE HAD 72862MILES, ON IT, THIS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BY SAAB/GM.

NHTSA complaint #11385659 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

MY VEHICLE DOESN'T START/IDLE WELL IN THE COLD DUE TO THE AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD BOLTS SLOWLY BECOMING LOOSE. **WHEN DRIVING AND SHIFTING** THE VEHICLE CANNOT HANDLE THE EXTRA UNCLEAN AIR ENTERING THE SYSTEM AND WILL STALL OUT WHILE GOING ANYWHERES FROM 0-60+ MPH, ONCE THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF ALL POWER STEERING ALSO SHUTS DOWN. THE SECONDARY ISSUE IS AN ACCELERATION PROBLEM BECAUSE THE SEALS ON THE AIR INTAKE VALVES INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER HAVE BECOME FAULTY RESULTING IN CYLINDER MISFIRES AND A HIGH AMOUNT OF VIBRATION INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING, THE SYMPTOMS COME AND GO WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY AS TIME GOES ON. THIS SECONDARY ISSUE TIES INTO THE FIRST ISSUE BECAUSE OF SHIFTING WITH A STANDARD MY VEHICLE TODAY (12/3/2020) SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING 7 TIMES TO AND FROM MY JOB.

NHTSA complaint #11377764 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

MY CAR WOULDN'T START SO I REPLACED THE BATTERY AND THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. IT DROVE FINE AND THEN I PARKED IT AND WENT OUT A LITTLE LATER AND IT WOULD JERK AND TRY TO STALL WHILE I WAS DRIVING, SPUTTERING LIKE I WAS RUNNING OUT OF GAS. IF I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR, IT WOULDN'T ACCELERATE AND THEN IT WOULD SURGE FORWARD. I RAN SOME ERRANDS AND IT DROVE FINE. AFTER MY FINAL ERRAND, THE CAR STRUGGLED TO START BUT DID AND IDLED REALLY ROUGHLY. I PUT IT INTO GEAR AND IT DIED. I COULDN'T GET IT STARTED AGAIN. AFTER READING OTHER POSTS, THIS SEEMS LIKE AN ISSUE WITH THESE YEARS AND VEEY DANGEROUS.

NHTSA complaint #11337573 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I BROUGHT MY 08 SAAB 9-3 TO A SHOP FOR A COMPRESSION TEST CAUSE IT KEPT STALLING WHEN I WOULD GO TO START IT, IT'S AN AUTOMATIC. I WAS TOLD MY INTAKE VALVES WERE WEARING DOWN AND IT'S DUE TO GMS FAULTY VALVES. YESTERDAY MY CAR STARTED TICKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND I LOST ALMOST ALL MY POWER, COME TO FIND OUT MY VALVES WERE ABOUT TO SNAP. NOW I'M MAKING PAYMENTS ON A CAR I CAN'T DRIVE AND GM REFUSES TO FIX THIS ISSUE AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE CASES OF THIS HAPPENING TO 08-10 SAAB 9-3 WITH THE GM FACTORY VALVES.

NHTSA complaint #11323555 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

EXPERIENCED HARD STARTING IN COLD WEATHER IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST THE PAST FEW YEARS. DID RESEARCH AND FOUND A TSB REGARDING THE INTAKE VALVES FOR 2.0 ECOTEC 4 CYLINDER. HAD A COMPRESSION TEST FOLLOWING SEVERAL CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS AND MULTIPLE READINGS DIAGNOSE A P0300 ENGINE CODE . COLD AND WARM COMPRESSION TEST SHOWED CYLINDER 2 COMPRESSION WELL OUT OF SPECIFICATION. DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. QUOTED $4000 FOR ENGINE REBUILD.

NHTSA complaint #11321867 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

NO INCIDENT

NHTSA complaint #11320371 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

THE VALVES ON THESE CARS ARE DEFECTIVE AND START FAILING AROUND 60K MILES. THIS IS A WIDELY KNOW ISSUE AFFECTING THE 2008 SAAB 9-3 2.0L ENGINES. GM NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THESE REPAIRS GIVEN THE KNOWN MANUFACTURING DEFECTS. CAR WILL NOT START WHEN COLD AND THERE IS NOTHING THE DEALER CAN DO OTHER THAN PERFORM A MAJOR VALVE JOB (+$2300) => HTTPS://WWW.SAABCENTRAL.COM/THREADS/08-SAAB-COLD-START-ROUGH-IDLE.327778/

NHTSA complaint #11310390 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN AVERAGE MPG (PROBLEM FROM RESEARCH ONLINE SUGGESTS IT IS FROM LOWERED COMPRESSION FROM INTAKE VALVE DESIGN/MATERIAL USED). 109700 MILES ON ENGINE. METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED BY US NAVY SUBMARINER. HAVEN'T CONTACTED GM OR SAAB AFFILIATE YET. FORUMS USED INFER THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD FOR 2007-2009 SAAB 9-3 2.0T WITH B207 ENGINE. SUMMER TIME MPG IS AROUND 32-33, WINTER MPG IS 30-31 IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. LAST 3 FILL UPS, AVERAGE MPG HAS DROPPED STEADILY FROM 30.5 TO 26 ON THE MOST RECENT FILL UP. RESPECTFULLY REQUEST TO KNOW IF A RECALL OR FINANCIAL COMPENSATION BY THE MANUFACTURER TO CONSUMERS HAS BEEN ORDAINED?

NHTSA complaint #11308102 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

ROUGH IDLE AND START ON COLD STARTS. THIS ISSUE IS WELL KNOWN IN THE SAAB COMMUNITY DUE TO GM PUTTING WEAK MATERIAL IN FACTORY FUEL INJECTOR VALVES. ENGINE LOSES COMPRESSION UNTIL CAR IS WARM, BUT MAY RESULT IN STALLS OR LIMP MODE

NHTSA complaint #11258196 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I WAS HAVING AN ISSUE WITH MY ENGINE IDLING ROUGH WHEN STARTING UP AND WHILE DRIVING COLD. AFTER THE CAR WARMS, THE ISSUE GET A BIT BETTER. BUT WHILE COLD, THE CAR RUNS TERRIBLY ROUGH. AFTER SPENDING OVER $3000 TRYING TO DIAGNOSE AND FIX THE ISSUE, INCLUDING REPLACING THE ENTIRE FUEL SYSTEM, SEVERAL ENGINE PARTS, AND HOURS OF LABOR AND WASTED TIME, THE SAAB DEALER NARROWS IT DOWN TO A COMPRESSION ISSUE INVOLVING ONE OF THE INTAKE VALVES, WHICH IT SEEMS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 2007 MODEL 9-3S. THEY ESTIMATE AN ADDITIONAL $2,500 OF WORK TO FIX IT! I'VE READ HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINS ON THIS ISSUE. IF THIS IS SUCH A COMMON ISSUE, GM SHOULD RECALL THESE FAULTY PARTS AND REPLACE THEM.

NHTSA complaint #11217314 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SAAB 9-3. WHEN THE VEHICLE DECELERATED, IT SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING AT WILL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DECELERATED WHEN DRIVING UP A HILL. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,000.

NHTSA complaint #11208331 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

MY 2009 SAAB 9-3 STARTED AND RAN FINE ON THE WAY TO WORK, BUT AT LUNCH IT STARTED FOR A COUPLE SECONDS AND SHUT OFF. THE CAR CRANKS, BUT IS AUDIBLY TOO FREE SPINNING. A LOCAL SHOP SAID COMPRESSION IN THE ENGINE WAS VERY LOW, AND AFTER MULTIPLE CALLS IT SEEMS THAT MY CAR HAS THE INFAMOUS "SOFT INTAKE VALVES" PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN A WIDESPREAD PLAGUE FOR THESE CARS FOR MODEL YEARS 07-11. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 78,000 MILES ON IT, AND HAS ALWAYS HAD THE OIL CHANGED WITH THE CORRECT GM SPEC OIL. I WOULD THINK AN ENGINE SHOULD LAST MUCH LONGER THAN THIS.

NHTSA complaint #11186875 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SAAB 9-3. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN UNKNOWN DEALER WHO REPLACED THE FUEL CAP, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

NHTSA complaint #11184549 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

VEHICLE EXHIBITS ALL SIGNS OF PREMATURE INTAKE VALVE WEAR CAUSING LOSS OF COMPRESSION AND/OR HARD START/NO START WHEN AMBIENT AIR TEMP IS BELOW 40 DEGREES. SEE ALL PREVIOUS COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUE!

NHTSA complaint #11174994 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

VEHICLE STALLS WHILE IN DRIVE THERE IS INTERNAL FUEL ISSUE CAUSING ENGINE TO MISFIRE AND POTENTIAL DAMAGE

NHTSA complaint #11173160 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

JUST PURCHASE VEHICLE FROM A FRIEND 2008 SAAB 9-3 2.0T CONVERTIBLE . WHEN I FIRST START UP THE VEHICLE (IT IS NOW COLD OUTSIDE) THE ENGINE IS RUNNING RUFF UNTIL IT WARMS UP. I UNDERSTAND MANY OTHER SAAB 2008 OWNERS HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT AND HAVE READ THAT THE INTAKE VALUES USED BY GM ARE FAULTY.

NHTSA complaint #11160594 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT DETECTED A STRONG ODOR OF COOLANT INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING COOLANT AND SCREWS WERE MISSING THAT CONNECTED THE TRANSMISSION TO THE MOTOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT MADE WARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

NHTSA complaint #11151821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

FIRST ISSUE WAS FRONT SUSPENSION COILS. REPLACED BOTH. BIGGEST ISSUE WAS ONCE THE WEATHER BECAME VERY COLD, CAR WOULD NOT START. ENDED UP BEING A VICTIM OF THE BAD INTAKE VALVES PROVIDED BY GM. NOW, AFTER A COMPLETE VALVE JOB AND HAVING THE CAR RUN GREAT FROM MARCH 2017 TO DEC 2017..IT APPEARS IT MAY HAVE A CRACKED BLOCK. CAR NEVER OVERHEATED. FLUIDS WERE ALWAYS MAINTAINED. LOOKED INTO THAT AND APPARENTLY THERE WERE SOME CASTING ISSUES AS WELL. THANKS GM.

NHTSA complaint #11080319 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

HAD A COMPRESSION TEST AFTER WEAK STARTING. ALL 4 CYLINDERS READ 100.NEED VALVE REPLACEMENT AND UNDERSTAND THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM IN 2007-2011 SAAB 4 CYLINDER CARS. NO WARRANTY OR RECALL REGARDING THIS USE OF FLAWED VALVES

NHTSA complaint #11079175 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.