1999 SAAB 9-3 SE from North America - Comments

Guy w/99 9-5

I'm not sure, but you might check your electrical system, I have a 9-3 and the DI Cassette went out and the car would still start, but would barely run. If possible go to Saab Dlr so they can get the computer code. Sorry, and Good Luck.

Add me to the list of Saab victims. I purchased the 2000 93 from my dealer in Spokane, Washington as a demo with under 5000 miles. The car was "regularly serviced" according to the salesman and I meticulously maintained oil changes at 3000 to 5000 mile intervals with the dealer in Spokane, WA.

In 2004, I gave the car to my son and made certain that the car continued to get regular oil services in Rexburg, ID. On the way back to school from Spokane, the car went into limp home mode and he pulled it off the freeway, approximately 250 miles from home. The car wouldn't start and he called me. The car had 41,000 miles at the time.

I called the local dealer and they called Saab to ask what to do. Saab recommended an "authorized repair shop" in Missoula, MT and I had the car towed there at my expense, approximately $100. The mechanic checked it out, decided to drill a hole in the block because it was a "ventilation problem" and did some other work and pronounced it good. Total cost of repairs approximately $300.00. My wife had driven to Missoula and put our son in another car so he could get to college on time and she was told the car was fine to drive back.

Approximately two hours from Missoula the car started smoking and the smoking got worse. No engine check light, no temperature problem and no other warning of a problem. Finally, she pulled over and the car would not restart. She had the car towed to our dealer in Spokane. The dealer looked at it and said the "turbo had exploded." They said that it obviously had not been getting lubrication and that "shrapnel" were all over the place in the engine.

Saab was contacted and initially refused to do anything with the turbo. It was only when I complained loudly and the dealer explained to Saab that the service records were immaculate that Saab capitulated and paid for the turbo replacement. However, I had to eat the two towing bills, the idiot mechanic's bill in Missoula and the down time on the car. When I asked about the problem with "shrapnel" from the turbo getting in the engine, I was told that Saab would not cover that since the engine "appeared to be fine."

You guessed it. We are now 38,000 miles down the road. The car continued to receive oil changes every 5000 miles or less. On Friday, my son is driving to work on the freeway and the car stalls and he lets it coast to the side of the road. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT!!!

I pay to have the car towed to Idaho Falls and the mechanic, who worked in a Saab dealership for over 10 years inspects the engine and says that 3 cylinders have 1/2 the normal compression and the two closest to the air intake look like "debris" entered the cylinders and caused the pistons to "explode". The bottoms of the spark plugs were destroyed by the impact with the pistons when they failed. He says he has never seen an engine failure like this.

He checked the oil and there's adequate oil in the pan and no evidence of a heat related failure. He says it will cost $6000 to $8000 for a new engine. The car is worth less than $4000, thanks in part to Saab's quality control and recall problems, which has lead to reduced resale value.

I called Saab and got "Judith" who continued to ask me, "What do you want Saab to do?" To which I replied, I would like Saab to pay for a new engine and the cost of installing it. Judith responded, even after I had told her 3 times it was not in a Saab dealership BECAUSE THERE IS NO SAAB DEALERSHIP IN IDAHO FALLS," is the car in an authorized dealership? I told Judith the car was in Idaho Falls and the nearest dealership was in Salt Lake City, which means that instead of being 7 1/2 hours from home the car would be 12 hours from home. YOU GUESSED IT AGAIN, Judith's "solution" was to have it towed to Salt Lake City, a tow bill of over $500. I am already $250 into towing and the the initial mechanic's look see. Of course, once there, Saab will note that not all the service was performed at a Saab dealer, that I am the "second" owner because it was a registered demo and I don't have each and every oil change receipt, which they will use to deny any responsibility. Been there, seen that one already.

Now, unlike most of you, I am an attorney, I do litigation work for a living and I am about as fed up with Saab and their "no customer service" as I can be. So, if you are interested in a class action and don't mind coming to federal court in Spokane, WA., please email me and I'll be happy to compile a list, talk to you each about the inital investment in obtaining experts and suing Saab's little behinder.

This link: http://www.handelskammaren.net/item.aspx?id=2292 (in Swedish) contains an official press release from 1/27/05 where Saab acknowledges the issues with oil sludge in the following models: 9-3 2000-2003, and 9-5 1998-2003.

They offer a retroactive, eight year full-reimbursement policy for any expenses -- parts and labor -- an owner of these models incurs due to oil sludge. This extended warranty follows the vehicle, not the owner, but you need to still be in possession of the vehicle to be able to make the claim. You also need to be able to show service records. They claim about 4% of the 95,000 vehicles in Sweden are affected, and recommend using fully synthetic oil and changing it often to prevent the issues.

There's also a phone number and email address at the bottom of the statement to Mr. Orjan Aslund, VP Corporate Communication...

The person who posted the June 19, 2007 string has not read the entire string. Yes, Saab agreed to extend the warranty and no Saab has not said the warranty follows the car, not the first owner. If you've read the entire string, you will note that Saab often decided that since the person was not the 1st owner and could not provide "all service records" the person was out of luck. Fortunately for me, the dealer maintained service records on my vehicle while it was a demo.

However, Saab also objects if oil changes weren't "spot on", they refuse to do the repair if the sludge in the engines "isn't that bad" or if it's "too bad" because then it's a maintenance issue, not a sludge issue. And, the whole "synthetic oil" comment is a joke. I have owned multiple vehicles with turbos and not one of these vehicles has required synthetic oil in order to be run or maintain its warranty, although my current vehicle does and the dealer and manufacturer tell you that up front before you buy so you can decide whether that's an expense - approximately $100 an oil change, that you wish to incur over the life of the vehicle. So, Saab makes a crappy engine here, fights tooth and nail to avoid paying for their mistake and then blames the customer. NOT NICE SAAB!!! Bad Saab, bad Saab.

I have a Saab 93 that died as well, 47k miles...

I have the same exact problem as many of you, and have also spoken to "Judith" at Saab, I have to say she was extremely unhelpful and while Saab contends they do have customer service I've never experienced it.

I'll never buy, never own, never drive, nor look at another saab as long as I live and I'll tell everyone that will listen my story about my problems with saab and the total lack of customer service.

I am another victim of the sludge issue.

The difference is that I picked up my "new" used 2000 Aero on a Friday at one in the afternoon, and it blew the crank at seven in the evening.

The engine is not seized, but the main and rod bearing as well as the crank are gone.

I have owned Saabs for years, with running them well over 200000 miles, and this is new to me.

As an enthusiast, I surround myself with people that know motors and internal combustion. I am in on the class action suits. I am also going to sue in small claims with dual defendants (dealer and Saab USA) to try my best to minimize my loss.

If I keep the car, I will modify the oil pan for easy access to the pick up screen, as well as the PVC, and I will have a big oil pressure gauge to monitor.

In a lot of these instances, you are running less than 10 psi at idle when the sludge starts to appear.

Good luck to all. I will continue to monitor this site as we need to get together and list the plaintiffs for class action. Even though we would not see a result for years, at least we would be a member of the suit.

We are investigating oil sludge related problems/engine failures in the 1999-2003 9-5’s with 4-cylinder engines, 2000-2002 9-3’s, 2000-2003 9-3 convertibles, and 1999-2002 9-3 Viggens.

If you’ve had an oil sludge related problem with one of these cars, I would like to talk to you. Please send Darren Natvig at Irwin & Boesen an email at dnatvig@irwin-boesen.com.

I am another Saab sludge victim and have had nothing, but issues with my 2000 93 SE. I bought the car used from a Saab dealer in Chicago with 36,000 miles on it. At 46,000 miles the engine started making a strange noise and I had it towed into a different Saab dealer and was told the engine was seized and I needed a whole new engine. I had read some research on the web regarding the sludge issues and my symptoms were identical to everyone else's. The Saab dealer told me it was not sludge (that they could tell) and that I was out of luck. I ended up calling Saab corporate who claimed that my issues sounded like sludge, but because I wasn't the original owner that I was out of luck, even though I could provide records of oil changes etc since owning the car. To make matters worse, 5 minutes after paying $5k for a new engine and driving it off the lot, the check engine light comes back on and I return to the Saab dealer to address an apparent loose sensor. A few weeks later the check engine light comes on again and I also notice a small amount of oil leaking from the engine, thus I return it to the dealer. The dealer tells me I need to replace the sensor and that my oil pan is now cracked and needs to be replaced, although I had barely driven the car and hadn't run over anything that would have cracked the oil pan. The dealer wants $950 to replace the pan which sounds a bit fishy. I decided to replace the sensor, but take the car to my mechanic who works on my Alfa Romeo to address the oil pan. He put the car up on the lift and informs me that the oil pan was not cracked, it simply had a washer on the drain plug that was the wrong size which was allowing oil to slowly leak from it. He also noticed that several bolts and such were missing from the bottom of the engine block that Saab apparently forgot to put in when replacing my $5k engine a few months prior. At this point I am so enraged that I contact Saab corporate again via phone to report what the Saab dealer had done etc. and they essentially told me they didn't care and for me to take it up with the dealer. I have never seen such poor quality in a vehicle and a disgusting lack of consumer concern, customer service and fraud in my life.

I purchased a 2000 Saab 9-3 with 59,000 miles. 3 years ago. Has run great with minimal issues including about 5 recalls on various hoses and ignition module. At 87,000 miles, oil light started blinking on and off, did it sometimes, then stopped. Oil level was full and did not need to be changed, as it was changed not too long before. Then came the minimal smoking, followed by the knock or tap. This engine is gone. Oil pan was removed by a licenced Saab mechanic, and he found the screen was at least 75% clogged, no oil getting to the engine and turbo. I have always taken very good care of my cars and usually hang on to them until they have very high mileage. As an example, I also have a 1995 Saab 900S with 220,000 miles, and it still runs like a champ (and I have never dropped the oil pan to look for sludge)! Saab has now turned me down (at least for the first time) on honoring this warranty repair. I will now pursue a class action suit, as manufacturers with endless amounts of money need to learn not to accept mediocrity in the quality of their products. The high cost of owning a vehicle demands better attention to design.

Since the link to the TSB was removed, here is the archive.

Http://web.archive.org/web/20060426093020/www.genuinesaab.com/psi/oil/Oil+Sludge+tsb210-2554en+us.pdf.

To the poster of 9 Aug - car makers with large amounts of money - surely not Saab, which has been a constant financial thorn in GM's side and repeatedly fails to earn profits.

I am considering purchasing a 1999 saab 9.3 hatchback automatic. I drove the car for about 4 hours and fell in love with it. It has 108,000 miles and a new transmission. The asking price is $5,000 US dollars. Should I get the car or should I be afraid. Because it's a used car and it doesn't have thorough service records, I am a little nervous after reading about "the sludge" monster.

The engine has a slight hesitation when I first accelerate, is that just turbo lag?

The a/c also felt like it should cool a little better than it had. Is that just an AC recharge issue or am I looking at another $500.00.

Do not get the car, in no way shape or form will I ever own another Saab after the service I received from the dealership and Saab Corp., I've never been so disappointed in my life.

The car was taken care of and looked after as the manual states and only survived to 47,000 miles and after reading a few of the posts here, I count myself lucky.

I will never ever consider owning another Saab nor will I in anyway suggest to anyone that it was anything other than a giant lemon. Buyer Beware, this car was nothing, but trouble and very costly.

Without PROPER proof that maintenance has been performed, ANY vehicle manufacturer will drop you like a hot potato. Regardless of whether or not the vehicle is in or out of warranty.

WITH proper proof, however, it is purely amazing the great lengths the manufacturer will go to provide fantastic customer service BEYOND the end of the warranty period. Think about it, NO manufacturer of ANY product is in business to make people mad. All they ask is to properly maintain your vehicle.

With any vehicle, regardless of year, make, or model, proper maintenance intervals will provide many years of trouble free service. Both from the vehicle and the service department of your local dealership.

You are obviously more than welcome to 'jump ship' and purchace from another manufacturer. You will most likely have many great years of service from both the vehicle and the dealership. However, one day you may find yourself in the same situation as you are currently in. Then you will find out the rules for that company are exactly the same as the one you've left in the dirt many years earlier, and slung mud all over.

Have a wonderful day!

This is the guy who almost bought the 99SE hatchback. I decided not to get it. I ended up purchasing a 2002 Mazda Protege 5 and I freaking love it. Low miles and one heck of tight handling car. Cheap to service as well.

Perhaps one day I will own another SAAB. Thanks for all the help.