2009 SAAB 9-3 recalls & problems

Recent owner complaints

• Mar 4, 2019 · 78,000 milesEngine
  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.
• Jan 7, 2018 · 71,000 milesEngine
  MISFIRES WHEN COLD, RESULTING IN ROUGH LOW IDLE SPEED AND POSSIBLE STALLING AFTER COLD START.
• Dec 24, 2017 · 70,000 milesEngine
  MY CAR HAS FALLEN VICTIM TO THE SOFT INTAKE VALVE ISSUE. MY CAR WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY, IT RAN PERFECTLY WELL THE NIGHT BEFORE. I ATTEMPTED TO MOVE IT ON CHRISTMAS EVE MORNING 12/24/2017 BUT IT WOULD NOT START. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO MY LOCAL SAAB MECHANIC, AUTOMOTION IN BILLERICA, MA- THE OWNER SAID THIS IS A WELL KNOWN ISSUE HE HAS SEEN ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS; HE SAID HE SAW IT SO MANY TIMES HE PURCHASED NEW EQUIPMENT TO BE PREPARED FOR THE VOLUME OF CUSTOMERS. THIS IS BEING WELL DOCUMENTED AT THE SAABCENTRAL FORUM FOUND AT WWW.SAABCENTRAL.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=329066 MY 2009 9-3 IS ABOUT TO HIT 70,000 MILES; MECHANIC IS CURRENTLY WORKING TO FIX THE INTAKE VALVE ISSUE AT A COST…
• Dec 31, 2013 · 80,000 milesEngine
  THE INTAKE VALVES ARE WORN ON THE ENGINE THIS STARTED AROUND 80,000 MILES AND HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE. THE CAR WILL NOT START ON VERY COLD DAYS. IF IT DOES, IT IDLES VERY ROUGH AND HARD. DATE BELOW IS AN ESTIMATE OF WHEN THIS STARTED.
• Sep 15, 2017 · 80,000 milesFuel/propulsion system
  I HAVE OWNED MY 2008 SAAB 9-3 FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW AND I HAVE HAD AN ONGOING ROUGH RUNNING ISSUE THAT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE. WHEN I START MY CAR UP IN THE MORNING IT RUNS VERY ROUGH. IHAVE GOTTEN IT DIAGNOSED AND IT IS MISFIRING DRAMATICALLY LIKE 6000 ON ONE CYLINDER AND 1081 ON ANOTHER . I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND HAD THIS PROBLEM DIAGNOSED, SEVERAL TIMES, AS HAVING BAD INTAKE VALVES. AFTER DOING MORE RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM, I HAVE COME TO FIND THIS IS A RATHER COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS SPECIFIC YEAR MAKE AND MODEL. THIS IS CONCERNING BECAUSE I HAVE HAD THIS REPAIR QUOTED AT OVER $2500.00. I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH MANUFACTURER RECALLS AND HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS TO…
• Mar 2, 2017Air bags
  I WAS FIRST NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL IN 2016, BUT TOLD THAT THE REPLACEMENT PARTS NOT AVAILABLE. WHEN I GOT THE NOTICE EARLY THIS YEAR THAT PARTS AVAILABLE, I CALLED THE AUTHORIZED DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND NEVER GOT A RESPONSE. ON ONE OCCASION I SPOKE TO SOMEONE WHO SAID HE WOULD CALL ME BACK BUT NEVER DID, AND WHO TOLD ME THAT MY CAR DOESN'T HAVE THE TAMARA AIRBAG (WHICH IT APPEARS IT DOES), AND THAT NOTHING HAD HAPPENED WITH ANY SAAB. HE WAS VERY DISMISSIVE OF THE RISK.
• Apr 20, 2017Air bags
  TAKATA RECALL I WAS INFORMED IN A LETTER THAT GM IS WORKING ON AIRBAG RECALL FOR MY CAR. IT STATED THAT IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT MY AIRBAG CAN EXPLODE AND I MAY DIE. THEY ALSO SAID THAT IN ANOTHER LETTER THEY WILL SPECIFY WHEN THE REPLACEMENT PART IS AVAILABLE. IT HAS BEEN A WHILE AND I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING BACK SO I DECIDED TO DO MY OWN RESEARCH. AFTER CALLING LOCAL CADILLAC DEALER HERE IN NASHVILLE, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ONLY PLACE IN TENNESSEE THAT STILL DOES SAAB WARRANTY WORK IN IN MEMPHIS. AFTER CALLING THAT DEALERSHIP, THEY SAID THAT THE PARTS HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE FOR A WHILE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER SINCE MY LIFE CAN BE AT DANGER EVERY TIME I DRIVE MY CAR. I FEEL…
• Jan 20, 2017Air bags
  TAKATA RECALL - MY COMPLAINT IS THAT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAS HAPPENED, AND THAT THE STATUS OF THE RECALL ISSUED APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR AGO IS: "RECALL INCOMPLETE. REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE". PEOPLE ARE STILL DYING OUT THERE BECAUSE TAKATA HAS NOT YET SOLVED THIS PROBLEM. THOSE OF US WHO OWN VEHICLES THAT ARE UNDER THIS RECALL CAN'T JUST STOP DRIVING THEM WHILE WE WAIT FOR THIS PART TO BECOME AVAILABLE. SO, INSTEAD, WE EXPOSE OURSELVES TO RISK OF INJURY AND DEATH FROM AN AIR BAG THAT IS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT US IN A CRASH. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!! *TR

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

• EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · openDesiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
  From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled…