Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 2912494 | 11/01/2004 | 10012036 | Reduced performance and diagnostic trouble codes for the turbo control valve. *eh | 02/09/2005 | |
| 2102357 | 07/01/2002 | 633838 | Customer satisfaction campaign 15411 regarding oil leakage at the oil thermostat plug. *tt | 09/24/2002 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 2102554 | 10/01/2006 | 10020715 | Noise from the timing chain and oil sludge in the engine. *kb | 12/29/2006 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 06/01/2006 | 47300 | 1 | 01/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the air conditioner and the defroster has been repaired multiple times due to a sensor problem. the engine was replaced a few months ago but the replacement engine was noisy. | |||
| 02/15/2003 | 24000 | ||
| The blower on the air conditioner was not working. in addition i went in twice to have them look at the heating unit or climate control. the third time they replaced it, but it still turns off and sets to zero. now the heat will come on whereas it didn't before. i recently (last week feb. 16) down shifted in traffic because there was an accident ahead. i down shifted for five to four to three and the car turned off and i drifted to the side. i had the car towed to the dealer and they looked at it later the following week. i had to call the sales department to get someone from service to call me (my salesman has since quit). when the call was returned, the manager of sales todd aluded to the fact that this repair would not be covered under warranty. he said that the problem was diagnosed as non-mechanical (implying it was driver error or neglance) and saab usa would not hold to the warranty. the car was purchased on april 12, 2002 and has less that 25k miles; i have driven for over 23 years and had several manual cars and had always been able to downshift to slow the car in any situation. i believe i have a lemon. there are other issues with the car such as the tcs and braking system in rain and snow, yet the dealership tells me the noise and locking that is felt under my feet is normal. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 01/07/2007 | 44510 | 1 | 12/09/2006 |
| On 1/26/07 the water pump of my car was replaced because it was leaking. i have come to realize this is the third time the water pump needed to be changes. it was also changed by the manufacturer/dealer on 11/10/04 & 2/25/03. hence the car has gone through three water pumps in 44510 miles. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - OTHER FUEL TYPES - TURBO-CHARGER | |||
| 04/15/2006 | 28000 | 1 | 05/28/2005 |
| Noticed blue smoke on engine start-up. dealer said turbo charge had failed seal. replaced turbo. 28,000 miles on car. seems to be a fairly common failure on saabs since around 1999. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 01/05/2009 | 110000 | 1 | 11/25/2008 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saab 9-3. while the vehicle was undergoing an oil change, the mechanic discovered that the catalytic converter rubbed against the oil pan and cut a 1/4 inch groove in the pan. he moved the catalytic converter over to avoid a major failure and repaired the oil pan. the manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer, located three hours away. the current mileage was approximately 113,000 and failure mileage was approximately 110,000. updated 03/18/09. *lj updated 03/18/09. *jb | |||
| 08/12/2007 | 121000 | 3 | 10/13/2002 |
| This car has died 3 times while driving and required a tow. the first time the ignition module was replaced for free (recall). the 2nd time the car mysteriously re-started before the tow truck arrived. the most recent incident resulted in a tow to the nearest dealer and the (defective) throttle body being replaced at a cost of $714. also, the catalytic converters had to be replaced (non-warranty) after the ignition module (recall). at approx. 118,000 miles the transmission was replaced. *tr | |||