Table 1 shows one common service brakes related problems of the 2009 SAAB 9-3.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Service Brakes problems |
During routine under hood inspection, brake fluid reservoir cap was observed to have split into multiple pieces. This damage, apparently heat related, compromised the ability of the braking system to maintain pressure and could result in loss of braking, crash, and bodily injury. Vehicle was removed from service pending receipt of replacement part.
Upon starting after sitting, the brakes have a greatly increased pedal effort and a correspondingly greatly reduced braking effect. This combined with the relatively high idle for this model of engine, (v-6), at start up combines to creates a situation where the car is very difficult to stop when driving away from first start-up.
After starting car and adjusting seat I backed out of parking space and applied the brakes which did not seem to work properly. The car eventually stopped as I was not going very fast. I put the car in drive and began to accelerate to move to another parking spot and as I turned the corner going approximately 10 mph I applied the brakes and they did not work; I accelerated again to test the brakes again and they did not work; I again accelerated to test the brakes again and they still did not work. I cautiously moved my car to another parking spot and applied the brakes which did not work and subsequently over shot the parking space.