Comments: 1-15, 16-30
1. Brakes failed after 10,000 miles.
2. Headlights didn't work first 6 months (gravity sensor)
3. Wouldn't start on the 2nd day I had it.
4. Wouldn't start the 5th day I had it after getting it back from the dealer.
5. Wouldn't start the 8th day I had it after getting it back from the dealer.
6. Dealer refused to honor CPO warranty saying fuel was contaminated. I hadn't even purchased a tank of gas yet ($500.00) + could not return the car according to dealer (later learned this was BS)
7. Bad battery, stranded 3 times.
8. Alarm malfunctioned (=300.00$ "noise violation" ticket plus $150.00 tow.) dealer did not reimburse.
9. Sunroof wouldn't close. Pinch protection?
10. Temp sensor located beneath front air dam (!?!) broke during a rain storm, leading the cars climate control system to fog up all windows, essentially disabling the vehicle (couldn't see) = $600.00.
11. Front plastic underneath bumper all fell off including wheel wells = $400.00. This was like this from the dealer.
12. Brake failure x2. Nearly crashed on the highway when vehicle went out of control (nearly).
13. Vehicle unbalanced, when accelerating all over the place.
14. Steering wheel unbalanced (see 15)
15. Car was in an accident prior to purchase, which I wasn't notified by the dealer about (note that this vehicle was sold "certified").
16. Grille fell off. Dealer wants $180.00 for it, claiming that it isn't under warranty due to prior body work. Since I refuse to pay this, I've had a large hole in the front of my car for almost a year.
17. None of the "stated" recalls had been done by dealer, none of the service bulletins done. See 18.
18. Difficulties shifting into and out of first. "repaired" at least 6 times.
19. Dealer called me an asshole when they refused to fix the headlights or brakes under warranty during the first month. HIGHLY INSULTED.
20. Saab refused to do ANYTHING for me. Wouldn't buy back car or pay any kind of service. Stupid operator laughed at me... HIGHLY INSULTED.
21. Headlight gravity sensor bad again. Dangerous to drive at night again.
22. "Ghosts in the machine" random warning lights, random problems, random noises, etc.
23. Radio is terrible.
24. Dealer is a total a-hole (see 19 & 20). (
25. Did I mention how many times it went away on a flatbed?
26. Missed at least a week of work between all of these issues. Nearly fired.
27. Customer service ran out of space for all the complaints.
28. Tires were bad from the dealership. They were new when they sold it to me, but appeared severely worn after the second or third service.
29. Expensive to service. Supposed to be certified with warranty. Why have I paid $3000.00 on top of all regular service?
30. Seatbelt retractor works sometimes... sometimes...
31. I wonder if the seatbelt will fail the next time the brakes or headlights fail... Will I die a horrible death in this "5 star" rated vehicle? Probably.
32. Scared to drive vehicle due to safety. See numerous lines above.
33. Scared to drive the car because I will probably get stranded.
34. Scared to drive to my parents house on the vineyard for Christmas, because there are no Saab dealerships to "rescue" me when it dies the next time.
35. I've spent at least $3000.00 on service, at least $500.00 on tows when, say, street cleaning happens and I can't move my vehicle. Or when the alarm goes off randomly, etc.
36. Alarm will go off if you leave the windows down: car locks itself when you leave it... good thing? alarm gets armed, goes off when the wind blows... won't shut off.
37. Running out of space and time. I'm at work.
38. I could probably go to 100 if I remember everything.
Horrible.
Terrible.
"Saab story"
Unsafe.
Scary.
Expensive.
Terrible service.
Expensive.
Terrible service.
See 1-38 above.
Letter to company & dealership stated "Did I purchase a KIA and nobody wants to hurt my feelings by informing me?"
Perhaps you could've done more homework before purchasing this particular 9-3. You did buy a pre-owned vehicle.
My 2003 9-3 has been a delight.
Ultra-reliable, powerful, great handling & comfortable.
I couldn't be more pleased with it.
Wow, wow, wow, wow nothing I can say. I have never seen too many problems on any car. I love Saabs I would have kicked the dealers manger ass and hunted down the sales man. You got screwed.
Have you called GM's Detroit office? I live in Detroit and GM is better here about lemons, since 20% of metro Detroit works for them in one way or another.
Good luck with everything. Don't give up on Saab, just lease, never buy. Way tooo much in repairs as you have seen first hand.
Heap of crap car.
Every that can go wrong has. We have a 4wd that was cheaper and has not broken down yet, and is 7 years older.
Would never buy one again.
The are heaps of crap. Can't wait to get rid of it and buy a BMW.
Oh yeah, like a BMW is going to be more reliable or cheaper to service & repair.
My 2003 Saab 9-3 is extremely reliable.
I certainly would not trade it for a BMW.
My Saab has a very comfortable ride, handles well, get superb fuel mileage, and the interior is gorgeous. As I said it's extremely reliable. I honestly couldn't ask for a nicer car - plus it's a convertible.
I'm very satisfied with my Saab and the Saab dealership where I bring it for service.
So an update to my original post:
In the months since I wrote this the car has only gotten worse.
Problems seem to have abated for a while until the clutch springs blew up when I was driving.
The worst thing I've come across yet is when I had to take it to the body shop for some light cosmetic damage...
When they took off the bumper they realized it had been damaged in a prior accident and wasn't fixed properly... the bumper is held in by wire ties and the headlights failed again.
I called Saab and got nothing until I calmly kept bringing up more and more issues and made mention of taking further steps... they finally said take it to a dealer and MAYBE they MIGHT think about fixing something.
Essentially they said, not our problem, not our problem, not our problem... "it's a business"
Well, lets see what happens when it goes into the dealership.
I hate Saab, I hate GM and I really hate my Saab 93 "Sports Sedan"...
Its terrible... it really is.
I really don't know why you just don't sue the dealer. Since this car was crashed and not fixed properly, it is no reflection on Saab. Was this even a Saab dealer or a used car dealer? If this car is so bad, why have you simply not traded it in on something else? Bizarre.
I agree that if the car has been in an accident, how can you blame the manufacturer?
My experience as a Saab owner has been an extremely positive one.
I think that the Saab 9-3 is a fine automobile.
It's obvious the dealer you were/are dealing with is the issue. The car was a in a previous accident. You put the word "fixed" in quotes. Why you sunk that much money into it is beyond me. Why not get an attorney and go after the dealer? I'd be scared of the car too... no matter what make and model it is.
Why didn't you Carfax it? If you pay that much money for something, then it is worth the $20 to Carfax. I usually ask if the car has ever been wrecked, then get the VIN #, go home and Carfax it; if they lie, don't go back!
It is obvious that this person did not even open the hood when purchasing this vehicle. You probably took one look at it (good looking car), test drove the car and then was unfortunately convinced to buy it by an unscrupulous dealer.
Some of the items you mentioned could have been spotted if a proper inspection was done. Always inspect a car before purchase even a carfax isn't a substitute for a good vehicle inspection. Some rebuilt cars are some of the best cared for cars.
I agree with previous post. Why on earth have you continued with this vehicle for so long? You must like agony. Buy a used PT Cruiser. They are fabulous and easy to repair. Good luck!
Is this a used car? How much you pay for it? I'm planning to get a used car for my daughter who is going to college this fall. What is the mileage before..., by the way, the dealer is certified and authorized dealer?
Have fun working on a PT. The hoods are the size of a peep hole.
I am also a Saab 9-3 owner that has repeated problems. I bought mine used as well, but it was not in an accident and was from a certified dealer. I got the car inspected and looked it up in Carfax before I bought it. Mine is an 04 and had 24,000 miles when I bought it.
A week after I bought it, the rear tail light went out. I took it to the dealer, they fixed it, said the bulb had burnt out. Fair enough.
Another week later it happened again. Dealer said same thing. This process went on for about 6 months and through about 8 bulbs. I have owned a car since I was 16 and only once had a bulb burnt out during this time, so I thought there may have been something wrong electrically with the car. The dealer was extremely rude to my suggestion and said he looked at that already.
I took the car to another repair men who said the car was wired incorrectly in the rear light, fixed it and was never problem again.
I wish that was the end of my problems with my Saab, but sadly just the beginning.
In the first year of own the car (making the car only 3 years old and under 30,000 miles) I had the radio stopped working, and air conditioning stop working, continuous electrical problems, gone through two batteries.
Then the warranty expired and the fun stuff happened.
The brakes failed many times and the steering column broke. I finally decided to trade the car in and get rid of the problem.
I would consider my decision to buy my Saab one of the worse financial decisions ever, because of the constant repairs and very very little I got back for it. It ALWAYS had something wrong. I feel the dealers have HORRIBLE customer service.
I must admit that Saabs are beautiful car, and when working correctly drive like dreams, but I have found that many people have more problems with Saabs than other luxury vehicles, and thus would never buy one again.
I think your experience is more typical of the Saab experience. I had a 900 that was wrecked by main dealers. The car itself was a thing of beauty but every time SAAB was involved they did more harm than good. Do a search for Saab 900 problems and you will find the whole story plus a few other disgruntled owners.