17 problems related to service brakes have been reported for the 2006 SAAB 9-3. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2006 SAAB 9-3 based on all problems reported for the 2006 9-3.
Vehicle stalls while in drive there is internal fuel issue causing engine to misfire and potential damage.
2 incidents occurred. I have owned the car for 1 week and, occasionally on cold starts, when attempting to back up and stop, the brake pedal is hard to depress making braking extremely difficult. Additionally, on occasion, if I accelerate and then attempt to depress brake pedal, the pedal is extremely difficult to depress making stopping difficult. This has almost resulted in an accident during hgh traffic situations.
I have had my 2006 SAAB 9-3 in for service 4 times for an abs/traction control/stability control failure. Each time I take it to the dealership, they tell me that the cost is around $385 for a hub assembly, no labor included. I have talked to many people who have had the same problem. The real problem is that the wire leading to the wheel corrodes. Now my car is at the dealership for the same problem and they want to put in a rear harness for the same system and want to charge me $315 just for the part, doesn't include labor. This part has been found for around $120 elsewhere. This is very frustrating as the car acts as a totally different animal when it is not functioning properly. Every time this has happened the temperature has been 40 degrees f or lower.
Had been having problems with a very rough idle. Then when putting car into reverse from a cold start the brakes would be inoperable (brake would not press down). Throwing car into a different gear was only way to stop car. Very scary when parked on an incline one morning and reversed into traffic but couldn't stop. Took to service repair to find the brake booster needed replaced. Said this was unacceptable failure in car of this age/mileage who has very regular service record.
Upon starting the vehicle after sitting, the brakes had greatly increased pedal effort to apply and greatly reduced breaking result. The car failed to stop and struck a pole while backing up.
On July 22nd 2010 at approximately 1500 est, I started my car, a 2006 SAAB 9-3 aero sport sedan and placed it into reverse to exit my garage/ driveway on my way to work. As I neared the street I depressed the brake pedal to slow down and enter the street but the brake pedal seemed to be ineffective and I ended up putting the car into neutral and entering the street at an angle. After I had stopped in the street I pumped the brakes and put the emergency brake on and shortly (2min) I was on my way without further incident. I reported this incident to my SAAB dealer, and they said they had never heard of this before and said there was nothing I could do as it was out of warranty. During the rest of the summer I drove that car I had no further problems. (it is my parents car that I drove when I was home for the summer). I later found out that my parents also had this problem intermittently so I began searching online and found others that had a similar problem and referenced a report pe08005 which seemed to describe my problem. I brought this report to the SAAB dealer and they told me they had never seen it and couldn't do anything about it.
Brake vacuum pipe check valve broke apart, resulting in a loss of braking power and check engine fault. Car was not drivable after incident.
On cold startup the vehicle has no power assisted brakes. This has lead to numerous occasions where you get in the car and begin to back out and nearly hit another vehicle. It takes nearly a minute after startup of the vehicle before it is safe to put it in gear.
Found my cap to my brake reservoir cracked open like a tin can above the threads. The plastic literally split in two. The cap still could be twisted on and off easily, but would no longer prevent brake fluid from escaping. Cap will be replaced with a new one. I have heard similar complaints from people with my car possibly related to the heat generated by the turbo. 2006 SAAB 9-3 aero 2. 8l v6.
2006 SAAB aero v6, at a cold start and while backing out of the driveway, the brake pedal goes very hard and the car will not stop for 15 -20 ft.
Similar issue to NHTSA defect investigation # pe08005. Loss of brake power assist after a cold start up and reversing. The vehicle is very hard to stop, requiring high pedal pressure, until the car has warmed up for ~30 seconds. This has occurred numerous times over the past 6 months. It is more prominent after sitting for several days. Also while driving on the road, when a bump is hit while brakes are applied, brakes make a metal-on-metal grinding sound and the braking action does not work until additional pressure is applied. This also happened when braking on slippery road conditions such as snow or rain. This caused a near accident when my car did not stop for another 10 feet than intended and entered an intersection on a red light.
The contact owns a 2006 SAAB 9-3. While driving approximately 50 mph, the power steering failed. Immediately, the brake and accelerator pedals failed to respond and the engine stalled without warning. The engine failed to restart after several attempts. Roadside assistance was called to the scene and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated that the failure was related to the idling within the computerized system. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer on two separate occasions for identical failures. The technician stated that the failures were related to the temperature sensor, which was replaced. The failure continued and the vehicle is currently being repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 40,550.
Loss of brake power assist after a cold start up. The vehicle is very hard to stop, requiring high pedal pressure, until the car has warmed up for ~30 seconds. This has occurred numerous times over the past 6 months.
Car will not stop when in reverse after morning start-up. No braking power in reverse even at idle. Problem has been addressed 3 times by dealership. Car in again for same problem only 5 days after previous "fix" in shop again now almost 2 weeks as of today.
I own a 2006 SAAB 9-3 aero sport combi. Two weeks ago, after the vehicle had been parked for 24 hours, I started the vehicle and placed the gear shift in reverse. The vehicle started rolling out of the drive way. The brake pedal was rock hard at the top of the stroke. It took me nearly 75 feet to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was traveling at 2-3 mph. The vehicle is currently at the dealership because the brake booster is back ordered. This is the third time the vehicle has been in the shop for this complaint. Each time the aux. Brake booster was replaced.
When a bump is hit while brakes are applied, brakes make a metal-on-metal grinding sound. When steering wheel is turned after braking (pulling into or out of parking space) metallic clicking sound is heard. Brakes work better after car is warmed up.
Loss of brake power assist after a cold start up. The vehicle is very hard to stop, requiring high pedal pressure, until the car has warmed up for ~30 seconds. This has occurred numerous times over the past 6 months. The car has been left with 2 different dealers on several occasions, to allow them to observe and diagnose the problem. They have never been able to duplicate it. I have given the dealers info about the current NHTSA investigation (pe08005) pertaining to this same complaint for this model car from several other sources, and noted that earlier models of this car were recalled for a (possibly) similar defect.