2007 Saab 9-3 Engine Problems

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 ID

11217314

Incident

Jan 22, 2018

Mileage

90,000 mi

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 ID

11080319

Incident

Dec 7, 2017

Mileage

134,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE VALVES FAILED PREMATURELY. THE SERVICE ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE PERFORMED ROUGHLY EACH TIME THE FAILURE OCCURRED. IN ADDITION, THE SPRINGS THAT CONNECTED TO THE FRONT STRUTS HAD PREMATURE RUST AND CORROSION, WHICH CAUSED IT TO FRACTURE WITHOUT WARNING. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT COILS SPRINGS AND EIGHT VALVES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO INSPECTED BY A DEALER (CONNTECH SAAB SPECIALISTS, 180 JEFFERSON BLVD, WARWICK, RI 02888, (401) 738-3665). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE. *TT *TR

NHTSA ID

11057318

Incident

Feb 2, 2015

I TOOK MY CAR TO THE SHOP TODAY AND TOLD THEM THAT MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN COMING ON, PARTICULARLY ON COLD STARTS. I ALSO TOLD THEM THAT IT USUALLY IDLES ROUGHLY ON FIRST STARTING UP, THEN RUNS NORMALLY AFTER A WHILE. THEY RAN TESTS ON IT AND TOLD ME THAT THE CAR HAS WHAT IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE 'INTAKE VALVE PROBLEM COMMON ON 07-11 SAAB 9-3'S' THEY HAVE GIVEN ME AN ESTIMATE OF $2400 TO REPLACE THE INTAKE VALVES. FROM RESEARCH, THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE THAT OWNERS HAVE BEEN HAVING FOR YEARS NOW. THE CAR HAS 93,000 MILES ON IT, AND IS A 2007 9-3 2.0T SEDAN.

NHTSA ID

10966124

Incident

Mar 15, 2017

INTERMITTENT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. COMES ON FOR A WHILE AND THEN GOES OFF. CANNOT LINK IT TO ANY VEHICLE ACTIVITY.

NHTSA ID

10938884

Incident

Jun 1, 2016

Mileage

70,000 mi

UPON ATTEMPTING TO START THE ENGINE, SOMETIMES IT RUNS VERY ROUGH AND THEN STALLS. REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO START THE ENGINE RESULT IN STALLS OR, FINALLY, RESULT IN THE ENGINE RUNNING VERY ROUGH AND THEN GRADUALLY SMOOTHER.

NHTSA ID

10937507

Incident

Dec 26, 2016

Mileage

64,000 mi

NEEDS VALVE JOB ($3K) DUE TO IMPROPERLY HARDENED VALVES. VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS CAR. ROUGH RUNNING WHEN COLD. COMPRESSION TEST VERIFIES THIS CONDITION: VERY POOR WHEN COLD, BUT FINE WHEN WARM. IF LEFT ON-FIXED, WILL CAUSE PERMANENT MISFIRING.

NHTSA ID

10874062

Incident

Jan 14, 2016

Mileage

84,500 mi

IT APPEARS I TOO HAVE BEEN STRUCK WITH THE MISFORTUNE OF HAVING WHAT I HAVE TERMED " MORNING SICKNESS" IN COOLER WEATHER. I CURRENTLY HAVE ONE - HUNDRED AND FORTY- EIGHT THOUSAND MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. I JUST HAD IT DIAGNOSED LOW COMPRESSION IN TWO OF THE CYLINDER'S, ONE CYLINDER HAS 150 PSI?, THE OTHER HAS 175. I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD BE 200 PSI? USUALLY IT DOES NOT LAST LONG ( OF ROUGH RUNNING) OF COURSE DEPENDING ON OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE. I HAVE RECORDED A TEMP . OF FIVE ABOVE F., AND THE CAR STARTED FINE, BUT TOOK A WHILE FOR IT TO " CLEAR OUT ", GENERALLY NO MORE THAN A MINUTE OR TWO. I SEE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM, THOUGHT I'D SHARE WITH OTHERS AND MAYBE SOMETHING COULD BE DONE ABOUT IT. I GUESS I FEEL I AM LUCK, THAT WITH ALL MILES I HAVE ON THE VEHICLE, THAT I HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR, QUESTION IS HOW MUCH FARTHER CAN I GO BEFORE I NEED TO SOMETHING??

NHTSA ID

10852705

Incident

Oct 10, 2014

Mileage

125,000 mi

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO INSTALL NEW HEADLIGHTS, I REMOVED THE NEGATIVE ON THE BATTERY. AFTER PUTTING THE NEGATIVE BACK ON TO THE BATTERY, THE SYSTEM HAS RESET AND HAS NOT REBOOTED SINCE THEN. THE CAR IS IN MINIMAL DRIVING CONDITION, PERFORMANCE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DROPPED AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS, THE ENGINE KNOCKS AND SHAKES AT HIGH SPEEDS, THERE IS NO MORE TURBO BOOST AND WHILE FLOORING THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR IS HESITANT TO INCREASE SPEED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10660045

Incident

Nov 17, 2014

Mileage

99,500 mi

DIFFICULT OR NO START WHEN COLD, ROUGH IDLE, LOW COMPRESSION #4 CYLINDER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10621370

Incident

Sep 3, 2013

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

NHTSA ID

10606791

Incident

Apr 1, 2014

Mileage

123,000 mi

INTAKE VALVE FAILURE ON 2.0 TURBO. CHRONIC PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL DUE TO DEFECTIVE VALVES. WIDESPREAD PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET LINKED TO IMPROPERLY HARDENED INTAKE VALVES. THE CAR FAILED TO START AND A CYLINDER COMPRESSION CHECK INDICATED THAT COMPRESSION WAS LOST ON ALL FOUR CYLINDERS. $2,600 REPAIR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10604741

Incident

Jun 18, 2014

Mileage

61,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SAAB 9-3. THE VEHICLE STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGES WAS 26,000.

NHTSA ID

10594874

Incident

Feb 10, 2014

Mileage

26,000 mi

DURING COLDER STARTS, THE ENGINE WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN IT SHOULD TO START. EITHER IT WILL TRY AND CRANK UNTIL IT DOES OR IT WILL CRANK AND STALL. USUALLY A FEW TRIES AND IT WILL CLEAR UP ONCE THE ENGINE IS WARM. I THINK THIS MIGHT HAVE TO DO WITH THE INTAKE VALVES BEING WARN OUT PREMATURELY. MANY OTHER SAAB OWNERS IN THE SAME FEW YEARS AND MILEAGE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10574624

Incident

Mar 1, 2014

Mileage

90,000 mi

UPON START, ROUGH IDLE AND MISFIRES. OCCASIONAL STALLING. DEFECT TRACED TO METALLURGICAL ISSUES IN THE INTAKE VALVES OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING AN IMPROPER SEAL WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD. *TR

NHTSA ID

10565538

Incident

Oct 17, 2013

Mileage

76,000 mi

BEGAN HAVING ISSUES STARTING, AND MISFIRES, AND FINALLY ENGINE LOST COMPRESSION BUT STILL ABLE TO START WHEN WEATHER WAS WARM. NOV -DEC 2011 NO START OR HARD START IN WEATHER BELOW 35F,LOCAL SERVICE SHOP SAID NEEDED NEW ENGINE, NO COMPRESSION WHEN SAT FOR LONG PERIODS OR EXTERIOR TEMP BELOW 35F APPROX 94,000 MILE. DEC 2011- CALLED SAAB BUT BANKRUPT SO NO CUSTOMER SERVICE, REACHED OUT TO GM CORPORATE REGARDING WARRANTY AND WAS TOLD NOT HONORING THEM SINCE BANKRUPTCY. JAN 2012 -2ND OPINION BY INDY SAAB FOCUSED SERVICE CENTER. THOUGHT WRONG OIL WAS PUT IN AND WITH PROPER OIL CAR, NEW SPARK PLUGS, FUEL PUMP, ETC STARTED EVEN IN COLD WEATHER, BUT STILL MISFIRED AND ROUGH IDLE AND HAD TO START IN COLD HAD MILD WINTER.JAN 2013- SAME NO START IN COLD AND COMPRESSION TEST AGAIN AND COLD TEST SHOWED NO COMPRESSION IN ALL CYLINDERS. HARD TO START WHEN OUTSIDE TEMP WAS BELOW 30F AND TESTED COMPRESSION AGAIN AND LOSS OF COMPRESSION, AND RAN SEA FOAM THROUGH ENGINE TO REMOVE CARBON BUILDUP UPON SUGGESTION FROM WEBSITE BOARD, OTHERS HAVING ISSUES WITH GM MOTORS! NOT SPECIFIC TO SAAB. STILL RANDOMLY STARTED CAR EVER 6 HOURS WHEN TEMP DROPPED BELOW 28F. MAR 2013- DID ANOTHER TOP ENGINE CLEANING WITH SEA FOAM, MILD WEATHER UNTIL DECEMBER. DEC 4TH 2013-AGAIN HARD START IN COLD WEATHER DID ANOTHER TOP ENGINE CLEANING WITH SEA FOAM.JAN 8, 2014- TEMP OUTSIDE 22F NO START AGAIN AFTER SITTING FOR 6 HOURS, BATTERY DEAD FROM CRANKING, CAR TOWED, AND NO COMPRESSION AGAIN, ANOTHER 2 CYCLES TOP ENGINE CLEANING, CAR STARTED AFTER SITTING IN SHOP OVERNIGHT. JAN 22, 2014- TEMP OUTSIDE 16F, SAT IDLE FOR 8 HOURS, NO START AGAIN, BATTERY DIED FROM CRANKING, CAR TOWED TO SHOP, WAITING ON DIAGNOSIS. FOUND MENTION OF SPNA TECHNICAL BULLETIN DATED 12/17/2013 HARD STARTING COLD W/ ENGINE MISFIRE AND LOW COMPRESSION 9-3 B207 AND IT DESCRIBED MY ISSUE PERFECTLY. REACHING OUT LOCAL SAAB/GM SERVICE CENTER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10561087

Incident

Nov 29, 2011

Mileage

90,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

10558603

Incident

Jan 2, 2014

Mileage

61,510 mi

ON AUGUST 27, 2012, WHILE SHOPPING IN THE MALL, I CAME OUT SIDE TO THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUTTING A FIRE OUT THAT LOOKS TO HAVE OCCURRED WHILE I WAS IN THE STORE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THE CARE CAUGHT FIRE WHILE IT WAS PARKED. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR IT SEEMED TO BE FINE. THE FIRE MARSHALL REPORT SIDE THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE THAT STARTED BECAUSE A DEFECT FROM THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10479339

Incident

Aug 27, 2012

Mileage

33,000 mi

OWNER DROVE SAAB TO MALL AND PARKED IT. APPROXIMATELY 20-30 MINUTES LATER, CAME BACK OUT TO CAR AND OBSERVED THAT FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD EXTINGUISHED A FIRE IN THE SAAB. FIRE ORIGINATED IN RIGHT REAR OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT. CAUSE UNDETERMINED AT THIS TIME. VEHICLE HAS 2.0 LITER TURBOCHARGED 4-CYLINDER ENGINE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10406962

Incident

Jun 1, 2011

OWNER PARKED THE VEHICLE AT WORK AND WHEN OWNER GOT OUT, OWNER NOTICED A WEIRD ELECTRICAL TYPE SMELL. OWNER WENT INSIDE TO WORK. APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES LATER, SOMEONE CAME IN AND SAID THAT THE SAAB WAS SMOKING. OWNER WENT OUTSIDE AND SAW SMOKE COMING FROM AROUND THE HOOD AND ALSO SAW SOME EMBERS DRIPPING UNDERNEATH THE SAAB. SOMEONE ELSE CALLED THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, THERE WAS FIRE APPEARING UP THROUGH THE HOOD AND COWL AREA. VEHICLE HAS 2.0 LITER TURBOCHARGED 4-CYLINDER ENGINE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10406958

Incident

Mar 25, 2010

2007 SAAB 9-3 THE VEHICLE STALLS DURING HOT AND COLD WEATHER. SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE RUNS "ROUGH" THE VEHICLE HAS THEN STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER SIX TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. SAAB USA HAS BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND I ADVISED THEM I WANT THEM TO BUY THE VEHICLE BACK. THE VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER IT'S FACTORY WARRANTY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10406188

Incident

Jun 1, 2010

Mileage

39,000 mi

2007 SAAB 9-3 AERO EQUIPPED WITH 2.8L V6 TURBO ENGINE (CONVERTIBLE) - ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE - (ODOMETER - 23,200 MILES) UPON STARTING, ENGINE RAN A LITTLE ROUGH, PROCEEDED TO SAAB DEALER FOR SERVICE - NO SERVICE LIGHTS ON DASH - EVENTUALLY LOST POWER BRAKES - ENGINE STALLED AND BURST INTO FLAMES - ALL HAPPENED WITHIN A ONE-MILE DISTANCE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10339477

Incident

Jun 21, 2010

Mileage

23,200 mi

2007 SAAB 9-3 WENT ON FIRE WITH DRIVER IN IT. CAR WAS SERVICED AT MASSEY SAAB, ORLANDO, FLON JUNE 3RD, 2008 (40,000 MILE SERVICE, ELECTRICAL REPAIRS, DETAIL, WHEEL ALIGNMENT). VEHICLE WAS IN MCDONALD'S DRIVE-THROUGH IN ORLANDO FL ON JUNCTION OF 535 N AND HOTEL PLAZA BLVD. ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. MANGER OF MCDONALD'S (FREDERICO) AND I (DRIVER) PUSHED CAR AWAY FROM BUILDING AND OTHER PEOPLE. FLAMES ENTERED CABIN WHILE I WAS IN THE VEHICLE STEERING IT. I JUMPED OUT JUST IN TIME, AND THE WHOLE CAR WENT UP IN FLAMES. THERE HAVE BEEN RECORDS OF OTHER SAAB'S HAVING SIMILAR FIRE PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THIS INVESTIGATED SO OTHER'S ARE NOT INJURED IN AN OCCURRENCE LIKE THIS. I AM LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES, AND INFORMED ME HOW LUCKY I WAS THAT I JUMPED OUT, AND NOT BROUGHT THE CAR HOME AND PARKED IT IN MY GARAGE. OTHERWISE THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. I DO NOT HAVE THE FULL VIN B/C THE CAR IS COMPLETELY TOTALED IN FIRE. THE LAST SIX NUMBERS ARE 013430. THE VEHICLE BELONGS TO A FLEET COMPANY WHEELS INC. I WORK FOR A PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY, AND THIS WAS MY COMPANY CAR. WHEELS/ROCHE SHOULD HAVE ALL DETAILS ON THE VEHICLE WHEN YOU ARE INVESTIGATING. INFORMATION FOR ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE 407-836-9000 RUN# 47137; MCDONALD'S PHONE #: 407-827-1030. *TR

NHTSA ID

10231264

Incident

Jun 16, 2008

Mileage

38,700 mi

2007, 2.0T SAAB 93 ENGINE STALLING START ENGINE, HOT OR COLD, PLACE GEAR SELECTOR IN FORWARD OR REVERSE, THE ENGINE WILL STALL OUT, BUT WILL IMMEDIATELY RE-START. CAR HAS BEEN BACK TO DEALER TWICE FOR RE-PROGRAMMING OF ECM, BUT ENGINE STILL STALLS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10213837

Incident

Jan 5, 2008