2008 Saab 9-3 Fuel System Problems

FUEL PUMP IS DEFAULTING TO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT , ERROR CODE FOR FUEL PUMP , WHILE DRIVING THE FUEL PUMP INTERMITTENTLY DOES NOT SEND ENOUGH FUEL TO MOTOR RESULTING IN NOT ENOUGH POWER STALLING WHILE DRIVING.

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE TRAVELING ACROSS THE STATE OF TN AND I NOTICED THAT MY VEHICLE BEGAN STALLING WHEN I ACCELERATED QUICKLY. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY VEHICLE TO GET CHECKED OUT AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CODE YIELDED "LEAN AT IDLE". THE MECHANIC ADJUSTED A VACUUM HOSE AND SAID I WAS GOOD TO GO...I PULLED OUT OF THE PARKING LOT AND NOTICED MY GAS GAUGE SHOWED LESS THAN 35 MILES BUT NO GAS LIGHT INDICATOR WAS LIT. I TRIED TO TEST MY CAR BY QUICKLY ACCELERATING AND MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. I TOOK IT RIGHT BACK TO THE MECHANIC AND THEY REPLACED THE VACUUM HOSE. WHEN I LEFT THE MECHANIC ON 8FEB2015, I FILLED UP MY GAS TANK BUT NOTICED MY GAUGE ONLY SHOWED HALF FULL. I DROVE IT 1 MILE AND PARKED IT FOR THE EVENING. THIS MORNING I STARTED THE VEHICLE BACK UP AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A LITTLE HESITANCY AND KICKBACK WHEN ACCELERATING...I DROVE BACK HOME 225 MILES AND LESS THAN 20 MILES FROM HOME MY ENGINE LIGHT COMES BACK ON. THE CODE IS NOW INDICATING A FUEL PRESSURE REGULATOR ISSUE...HENCE THE REASON FOR THE STALLING HESITANCY AND THE INCORRECT FUEL GAUGE/INDICATOR LIGHT. UPON RESEARCHING ONLINE, THERE IS NOT A NOTED RECALL FOR THE FUEL PUMP ON MY CAR, BUT I DID NOTICE A SPECIAL BULLETIN GM FAILED FUEL SYSTEM PROGRAM...LISTED BELOW:SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: SB-10054 REPLACEMENT SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: SB-10054D NHTSA ID #: 10041526 BULLETIN DATE: THU, 09/01/2011 FAILING COMPONENT(S): 091200 FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM WHY IS MY CAR NOT SHOWING AS COVERED WHEN THE CLASSIC PREMATURE SYSTEM FAILURE IS OCCURRING AT ONLY 82K MILES WHEREAS I RUN THE RISK OF MY FUEL PUMP COMPLETELY FAILING AND COULD LEAD TO A CAR FIRE IF I WAS UNKNOWLEDGEABLE ON THE SUBJECT MATTER???? PLEASE ASSIST WITH EXPLAINING HOW MY CAR IS NOT SHOWING UP AS COVERED VIA THE VIN INFORMATION SYSTEM WITH NHTSA. *TR

READ OVER THE POSTED PROBLEMS WITH SAAB 9-3. THREE MAIN ISSUES ARE FRONT COILS, FUEL GAUGE, AND FAULTY VALVES. I HAVE HAD ALL THREE OF THESE ISSUES. COILS REPLACED 18 MONTHS AGO (GM WOULD NOT PAY). GAS GAUGE DOES NOT WORK (GM WON'T PAY). JUST HAD THE ENGINE REBUILT TO FIX THE EXHAUST VALVE PROBLEM (OUT OF LUCK AGAIN). OBAMA WAIVED GM OF THEIR HISTORY OF FAULTS (HE NEEDED THE VOTES FOR RE-ELECTION) AND NOW CONSUMERS ARE STUCK. SAAB WAS A QUALITY PRODUCT BEFORE GM GOT A HOLD OF IT. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER REFUELING, THE FUEL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD FLUCTUATE, CAUSING INACCURATE READINGS OF FUEL LEVELS AND AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH FUEL WAS IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 84,068.

SINCE DECEMBER 2012 (6 MONTHS AGO) MY CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING ON A BAD FUEL PUMP INDICATED BY CEL AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTS RUN BY AN AUTHORIZED SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THIS IS FOR AN XWD CAR WHICH HAS A DIFFERENT FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY THAN THE FWD VERSION. THE PART HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER BY SAAB PARTS (UNDER WARRANTY BY GM) AND HAS NO EXPECTED DELIVERY DATE. PER MY KNOWLEDGE THERE ARE OVER 75 PEOPLE IN FRONT ME WAITING FOR THE SAME PART. I AM CONCERNED THE FUEL PUMP WILL FAIL DURING POSSIBLE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS SUCH AS HIGH SPEED DRIVING AND MANEUVERING. SAAB PARTS INFORMED ME THAT A TSB HAS BEEN ISSUED IN REGARDS TO THIS MATTER. HOWEVER I DO NOT SEE IT AVAILABLE ON DOT WEBSITE AND SAAB PARTS IS UNWILLING TO PASS THE INFORMATION ON DIRECTLY TO ME THE CONSUMER. THE AUTHORIZED SERVICE DEPARTMENT ARE UNWILLING TO DO THE FIX STATED IN THE TSB AND REFUSE TO SHOW ME THE TSB OR TELL ME ANY DETAILS. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON BEGINNING OF WINTER 2011, AND CODE INDICATED FAILED FUEL PUMP. GM (THIS IS A GM CAR) AND SAAB INDICATED FAULTY PART, AND CONTINUED TO INDICATE BACK ORDER OF PART, AND THEN METHOD TO REBUILD AVAILABLE FUEL PUMP, WHICH APPARENTLY IS ALSO ON BACK ORDER. ENGINE LIGHT GOES OFF AFTER SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT REAPPEARS THE NEXT YEAR, AND HAS OCCURRED EACH YEAR SINCE. PART WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AT TIME OF COMPLAINT, BUT IS NOW OFF OF WARRANTY. SAAB NORTH AMERICA HAS INDICATED IN RESPONSE TO COMPLAINT THAT REPLACEMENT PART PLUS REBUILD WOULD WORK, BUT THE PART HAS NEVER BEEN AVAILABLE FOR REBUILDING, AND SAAB DEALERSHIP (KEN GAARF) CLAIMS IT HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER FOR CLOSE TO 3 YEARS. CAR BOUGHT NEW IN DECEMBER 2009 WITH 3 YEAR GM FULL WARRANTY IN PLACE. *TR