Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon TiD problems
06 September 2004, 08:15 PM
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Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon TiD problems
Dear all,
I would like to share with you our 9-3 SS experience:
Purchased Saab 9-3 SS Arc 2,2TiD, production date october 2002 MY03;(today it has 60.000km).
Since purchase car was constantly experiencing quality problems and was regular guest at service (approx. once a month, and sometimes it stayed there quite a long time). Problems since I bought the car were as follows:
- Dashboard changed due to cracked display
- Car-key doesnt work (changed key and reprogrammed twice; no reason found),
- CIM module faliure,
- Engine ocassionaly cuts out when driving on highway (garage found nothing wrong with the car!!),
- Turbocharger pipe to engine blown off twice,
- door modules faliure (3; and no reason found!),
- drivers side window opening system faliure,
- co-drivers side window opening system faliure,
- door lock faliures (3),
- steering system faliure, changed due to excessive play in steering wheel and crunching noise from steering column,
- rear part of exhaust was leaking; changed,
- front swaybar loose (knocking noise); changed rubber mounts,
- both front lower suspension arms changed due to play in linkage,
- turbocharger failure at 51.000 km!
- occasional SID warning for ESP/ABS faliure (no reason found!),
- central door locking faliure (it happened couple of times; door modules were changed but the problem has reappeared!),
- occasionaly comfort closing windows doesnt work (no reason found),
- occasional alarm failure (no reason found),
- when car is locked, sometimes one of the windows in doors opens by itself. This happend when outside temperature was below 0degC (no reason found).
Slovene importer keeps repairing the car almost every month but it still keeps breaking down.
A long list of faults I would say...
I'm not an expert but i belive that this is not Saab quality standard. I read that the first batch of 9-3SS were removed from some markets due to poor quality of the product. Anyone have any info about this?
Also I would like to know when a car is qualified to be bad enough to get it changed?
Regards,
Kristijan
I would like to share with you our 9-3 SS experience:
Purchased Saab 9-3 SS Arc 2,2TiD, production date october 2002 MY03;(today it has 60.000km).
Since purchase car was constantly experiencing quality problems and was regular guest at service (approx. once a month, and sometimes it stayed there quite a long time). Problems since I bought the car were as follows:
- Dashboard changed due to cracked display
- Car-key doesnt work (changed key and reprogrammed twice; no reason found),
- CIM module faliure,
- Engine ocassionaly cuts out when driving on highway (garage found nothing wrong with the car!!),
- Turbocharger pipe to engine blown off twice,
- door modules faliure (3; and no reason found!),
- drivers side window opening system faliure,
- co-drivers side window opening system faliure,
- door lock faliures (3),
- steering system faliure, changed due to excessive play in steering wheel and crunching noise from steering column,
- rear part of exhaust was leaking; changed,
- front swaybar loose (knocking noise); changed rubber mounts,
- both front lower suspension arms changed due to play in linkage,
- turbocharger failure at 51.000 km!
- occasional SID warning for ESP/ABS faliure (no reason found!),
- central door locking faliure (it happened couple of times; door modules were changed but the problem has reappeared!),
- occasionaly comfort closing windows doesnt work (no reason found),
- occasional alarm failure (no reason found),
- when car is locked, sometimes one of the windows in doors opens by itself. This happend when outside temperature was below 0degC (no reason found).
Slovene importer keeps repairing the car almost every month but it still keeps breaking down.
A long list of faults I would say...
I'm not an expert but i belive that this is not Saab quality standard. I read that the first batch of 9-3SS were removed from some markets due to poor quality of the product. Anyone have any info about this?
Also I would like to know when a car is qualified to be bad enough to get it changed?
Regards,
Kristijan
08 September 2004, 09:25 AM
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08 September 2004, 11:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Blackscooby
Might be worth getting the views from http://www.saabscene.co.uk
www.saabcentral.com
08 September 2004, 03:54 PM
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Nearest airport is 100km away... and behind 2500m high mountain range 
For now there seems that electrical faults were not related to each other... At least not visibly Maybe it has something to do with Saab-logic...which i don't understand. No problems whatsoever with legacy turbo MY92 though... Who would have thought...
K.
For now there seems that electrical faults were not related to each other... At least not visibly
Maybe it has something to do with Saab-logic...which i don't understand. No problems whatsoever with legacy turbo MY92 though... Who would have thought...K.
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08 September 2004, 10:38 PM
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sorry I missed your post on saabscene
I would have to say your problems are not typical and sound like a real electrical gremlin
I have a car from the same period and had a few very minor problems
but nothing like yours
I would guess you must have some recourse on SAAB..?
I would have to say your problems are not typical and sound like a real electrical gremlin
I have a car from the same period and had a few very minor problems
but nothing like yours
I would guess you must have some recourse on SAAB..?
08 September 2004, 11:19 PM
#9
Hi
I work for Saab! The 2.2TiD (Vauxhall engine) has now been discontinued and replaced with 2 variants of a 1.9 commonrail turbo diesel (actually a Fiat engineered engine!!
) which are actually 'engine-numbered' as a Vauxhall engine number, Z19DT and Z19DTH. Bear in mind you are driving a new shape Vectra with a Saab badge - sorry to put it bluntly. It uses the same chassis.
I agree, yes, there are a lot of electrical problems with these cars, all of which I have seen on your list and see almost every day. These new 9-3 saloons should have stayed back and tested thoroughly before release. If you ask me, they released this car a good 2 years too early without thinking ahead. They were just too eager to bring out a new shape Saab, after all, the previous shape 9-3 (Cavalier chassis) has been about since the launch of the revised 900 in 1994!!
I would say that as the car is not even 2 years old and still in warranty, take it up with Saab directly, not the dealer. (Saab customer relations UK: 0845 3009593) Funnily enough, they're based in Luton: ... AT VAUXHALL!!
Good Luck!
I work for Saab! The 2.2TiD (Vauxhall engine) has now been discontinued and replaced with 2 variants of a 1.9 commonrail turbo diesel (actually a Fiat engineered engine!!
) which are actually 'engine-numbered' as a Vauxhall engine number, Z19DT and Z19DTH. Bear in mind you are driving a new shape Vectra with a Saab badge - sorry to put it bluntly. It uses the same chassis. I agree, yes, there are a lot of electrical problems with these cars, all of which I have seen on your list and see almost every day. These new 9-3 saloons should have stayed back and tested thoroughly before release. If you ask me, they released this car a good 2 years too early without thinking ahead. They were just too eager to bring out a new shape Saab, after all, the previous shape 9-3 (Cavalier chassis) has been about since the launch of the revised 900 in 1994!!
I would say that as the car is not even 2 years old and still in warranty, take it up with Saab directly, not the dealer. (Saab customer relations UK: 0845 3009593) Funnily enough, they're based in Luton: ... AT VAUXHALL!!
Good Luck!
09 September 2004, 07:45 PM
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Thanks for all replies!
A bit off topic really but I was working for Saab too.. I am aware what Saab 9-3 SS is but i still like it and think it's a great car to drive (different story is with the engine though but anyway..).
Maybe I should take all Saab phone numbers with me when I left the firm... If I only knew; now I wouldn't have to search for Saab international customer relations phone no. By the way does anyone have it?
I've sent an e-mail today to Peter Augustsson and let's see what we get. I forgot who was the responsable for this type of claims at Saab headquarters. Maybe anyone know?
Still main question is can we get Saab to change the vehicle?
P.S.: I read my original post again and I forgot to mention that the car was purchased as demonstrators car (5 months old and 8.000km) from Slovene Saab Importer.
Thanks,
Kristijan
A bit off topic really but I was working for Saab too.. I am aware what Saab 9-3 SS is but i still like it and think it's a great car to drive (different story is with the engine though but anyway..).
Maybe I should take all Saab phone numbers with me when I left the firm... If I only knew; now I wouldn't have to search for Saab international customer relations phone no.
By the way does anyone have it? I've sent an e-mail today to Peter Augustsson and let's see what we get. I forgot who was the responsable for this type of claims at Saab headquarters. Maybe anyone know?
Still main question is can we get Saab to change the vehicle?
P.S.: I read my original post again and I forgot to mention that the car was purchased as demonstrators car (5 months old and 8.000km) from Slovene Saab Importer.
Thanks,
Kristijan
09 September 2004, 07:50 PM
#11
Originally Posted by ScoobyDoobyDom
Funnily enough, they're based in Luton: ... AT VAUXHALL!!
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
10 September 2004, 07:32 PM
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What a lot of cr#p, why is it people call the SAAB 9-3SS a Vectra, why dont they say the Vectra is a SAAB.
I hate it when people say ''ohh the car should have been sorted before release''.
Like the bugeye Impreza that was replaced within 2 years and the same with the 03 cars, now that's what i call a c#ck up.
I have a new 9-3SS Aero and i sold my MY01 WRX for it and dont regret it one bit.The SAAB in real world driving is as quick with fantastic build quality compared with any Subaru, i agree the car mentioned in the original post does have some major problems and if it was mine would be right back at SAAB UK.
My Subaru had some major faults (Turbo replaced @ 10k,up-pipe gasket @ 15k) all covered by warranty but still caused the car to be at the dealer for more than 1 day.
The SAAB did have some niggles day 1 but was sorted the same day and has never been back since.
Platform sharing goes on all the time, the engine in the new SAAB is the Vauxhall 2.2 unit better engineered down to 2.0 litres for greater reliability with a Turbo attached.
Zippy
I hate it when people say ''ohh the car should have been sorted before release''.
Like the bugeye Impreza that was replaced within 2 years and the same with the 03 cars, now that's what i call a c#ck up.
I have a new 9-3SS Aero and i sold my MY01 WRX for it and dont regret it one bit.The SAAB in real world driving is as quick with fantastic build quality compared with any Subaru, i agree the car mentioned in the original post does have some major problems and if it was mine would be right back at SAAB UK.
My Subaru had some major faults (Turbo replaced @ 10k,up-pipe gasket @ 15k) all covered by warranty but still caused the car to be at the dealer for more than 1 day.
The SAAB did have some niggles day 1 but was sorted the same day and has never been back since.
Platform sharing goes on all the time, the engine in the new SAAB is the Vauxhall 2.2 unit better engineered down to 2.0 litres for greater reliability with a Turbo attached.
Zippy
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