2006 Saab 9-3 Engine Problems

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.

I HAVE A 2006 SAAB 9-3 AERO. MY ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON. I HAVE TRIED TO GET THIS SERVICED SEVERAL TIMES. EACH TIME THE DEALERSHIP/OTHER MECHANIC RESETS THE CODES AND TELLS ME THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. NOW THEY TELL ME IT IS A EVAPORATOR CANISTER PURGE VALVE. THEY TELL ME THAT THE PART COSTS $425. NO LABOR INCLUDED. I HAVE FOUND THIS PART FOR UNDER $45. THIS IS CRAP!!! I HAVE EVEN FOUND TUTORIALS ON HOW TO DO IT, 1 HOUR JOB. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THIS FIXED SINCE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY TWO YEARS AGO. NOW THEY FIND THE PROBLEM? A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS IF YOU ASK ME! *TR

1. NORMAL DRIVING LEADS TO ISSUE. 2. LOW OIL INDICATOR ILLUMINATES WHEN DRIVING FOR MORE THAN 1 HOUR AT HIGHWAY SPEED. 3. NOTHING DONE TO CORRECT ISSUE, DEALERSHIP SAYS SAAB IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT NO CORRECTIVE ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN. *TR

MY 2006 SAAB 3 CONVERTIBLE ONLY HAS 46,000 MILES ON IT. WE PURCHASED IT IN MAY OF 2006. RECENTLY THE "COOLANT LEVEL LOW" LIGHT KEPT COMING ON. WE WOULD TOP OFF THE COOLANT AND IN ABOUT 8 DAYS THE LIGHT WOULD BE ON AGAIN. THE SAAB DEALER IN GUILFORD, CT. 06437, WHERE I BROUGHT IT TO BE REPAIRED, HAS INDICATED TO ME THAT IT NEEDS A NEW ENGINE BECAUSE THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE!! SAAB SAID THAT THEY WOULD PAY $6,000 TOWARD ENGINE PARTS. I HAVE TO PAY THE REMAINING $2,000. THE NEW ENGINE MIGHT BE REBUILT OR NEW AND ONLY GUARANTEED FOR ONE YEAR. THE CAR WILL BE IN THE SHOP FOR "AT LEAST" A WEEK. DURING THAT TIME SAAB IS GIVING ME A FREE LOANER TO USE. I BELIEVE THAT MY CAR WAS AT DANGER FOR AN ENGINE FIRE BECAUSE THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE, ACCORDING TO SAAB. THE CAR WAS TOO NEW WITH TOO LITTLE MILEAGE FOR SUCH A SAFETY HAZARD TO OCCUR. I HAVE HEARD OF OTHER SAABS HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND BELIEVE THAT SAAB SHOULD PAY THE ENTIRE COST OF THE REPAIR UNDER A RECALL. *TR

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN 24 HOURS THE COOLANT TANK HAS FAILED. THIS TIME IT REQUIRED THE CAR TO BE TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. TANK LEAKED ALL THE COOLANT FROM THE SYSTEM DUE TO TANK FAILURE. *TR

MAJOR LEAKAGE FROM COOLANT EXPANSION TANK. SAAB DEALER REPORTED THE TANK HAD CRACKED AND REQUIRED REPLACING. TANK REPLACED. SERVICE MGR STATED THAT SAAB HAS AN ISSUE WITH THESE TANKS ON THE 2.8 V6 TURBO ENGINES. *TR

1. THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE. NONE 2. THE FAILURE, HOW OFTEN IT OCCURS, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. PERIODIC UNCOMMANDED CHANGES IN THROTTLE. DEALERSHIP TEST EQUIPMENT SHOWS EVIDENCE OF DATA CORRUPTION ON CHANNEL 1 OF THE TWO CHANNEL THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR (TPS) OCCURRING EVERY COUPLE OF SECONDS. DRIVER PERCEPTION OF PROBLEM IS IN FORM OF JERKY THROTTLE RESPONSE AT LOW THROTTLE WITH ONE INSTANCE OF SUDDEN, UNCOMMANDED ACCELERATION. THE SUDDEN THROTTLE CHANGES HAVE RESULTED IN TRACTION LOSS ON SLIPPERY ROADS SEVERE ENOUGH THAT THE VEHICLE DEPARTED THE ROADWAY. 3. WHAT WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE; I.E, PARTS REPAIRED OR REPLACED (AND IF OLD PART IS AVAILABLE) DEALERSHIP REPLACED THROTTLE BODY, WIRING HARNESS, AND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE TPS DATA CORRUPTION PROBLEM AND DRIVABILITY PROBLEMS, BUT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR PURSUIT. DEALERSHIP REQUESTED ASSISTANCE FROM THE MANUFACTURER'S FIELD ENGINEERING TEAM. A FIELD ENGINEER WAS DISPATCHED, EVALUATED THE VEHICLE, DECLARED THAT IT WAS "OPERATING WITHIN MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS", AND TOLD THE DEALERSHIP TO IGNORE WHAT THEIR TEST EQUIPMENT WAS TELLING THEM. WHEN REQUESTED TO PROVIDE THE SPECIFICATIONS, WHAT TESTS WHERE PERFORMED TO DETERMINE COMPLIANCE, AND THE RESULTS OF THOSE TESTS, THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED. *TR

THE COOLANT SYSTEM TANK RUPTURED SPRAYING ENGINE COOLANT OVER TURBO AND ENGINE. THE COOLANT TANK HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 TIMES IN THE PAST 9 MONTHS. IT IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP AWAITING A NEW COOLANT TANK. *TR

THE COOLANT RESERVOIR HAS CRACKED THREE TIMES IN 16 MONTHS ON MY BRAND NEW SAAB 9-3 AERO 2006. IT ONLY HAS APRX. 12K MILES. SAAB REPLACES IT FOR FREE, BUT OFFERS NOT FURTHER EXPLANATION EVEN UPON REQUEST BY OWNER. THEY REFUSE TO ISSUE A RECALL AND THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM WITH CAR ACCORDING TO SERVICE DEPT. ON THE FIRST AND MOST RECENT INCIDENT, OF THREE INCIDENTS, THERE WAS COMBUSTION OF THE COOLANT RESERVOIR, AND RESULTING SMOKE. THE VEHICLE IS UP TO DATE ON INSURANCE, SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND LEASE PAYMENTS. I HAVE THIS DOCUMENTED ON SAAB SERVICE DEPT. SERVICE RECORDS. I FEAR FOR MY SAFETY, DAILY. *TR

IN AUGUST 2007, WE HAD TO HAVE OUR 2006 SAAB 9-3 SPORTCOMBI TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AS THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK RUPTURED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALL THE COOLANT HAD LEAKED FROM THE ENGINE. THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. IN OCTOBER 2008, WE AGAIN EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK LEAKING AND AGAIN HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED AT A COST OF $389.32 PLUS THE COST OF A RENTAL CAR, AS THE PARTS WERE NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN ISSUED BY SAAB REGARDING THIS RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE TURBO V-6 ENGINE, AS THE TURBOCHARGER IS LOCATED TOO CLOSE TO THE EXPANSION TANK. I DO NOT FEEL THAT IT IS REASONABLE TO HAVE TO REPLACE THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK TWICE WITHIN A 14 MONTH PERIOD ON A CAR THAT IS LESS THAN 3 YEARS OLD. I FILED A CLAIM WITH SAAB CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY RESPONDED THAT SINCE IT HAD BEEN MORE THAN ONE YEAR SINCE THE PARTS HAD BEEN REPLACED, AND THE CAR WAS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER THE BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY, THEY WOULD NOT TAKE ANY ACTION. ALSO, THE ORIGINAL REPAIRS WERE MADE AT A DEALERSHIP THAT HAS SINCE CLOSED AND CONSOLIDATED AT A SECOND DEALERSHIP THAT IS SOME DISTANCE AWAY (IN SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA). THE DEALERSHIP IN SAN FRANCISCO SAYS THAT THE REPAIRS IN SAAB'S SYSTEM INDICATE THAT ONLY THE COOLANT EXPANSION TANK CAP WAS REPLACED THE FIRST TIME, WHICH DOES NOT AGREE WITH THE INVOICE THAT I HAVE. IN SUMMARY, I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS A FAULTY DESIGN INVOLVED, AND THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIRS, NOT US. I AM CONCERNED REGARDING THE RELIABILITY OF THE CAR, AND SHOULD WE CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH THE COOLANT SYSTEM, WE WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE VEHICLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT EVERY FOUR MONTHS AND APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES, THE COOLANT RESERVOIR CRACKS, WHICH CAUSES LEAKAGE ONTO THE ENGINE. AS A RESULT, A FIRE ERUPTS UNDER THE HOOD. THE FAILURE WAS NOTICED WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 12,500 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,000.