Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of SAAB 9-3 - part 1

The radiator exploded, spewing fluids everywhere, overheating my vehicle without warning when I was driving 45 mph, almost causing a multi-car crash.

See all problems of the 2002 SAAB 9-3 🔎.

Had to have valve job done due to bad /defective/inferior intake valves, from manufacturer. Had to have all intake valves replaced, with modified/upgraded intake valves. Obtained po300 - random misfire codes, had rough idle, checked engine compression, had 45psig in cylinder number 4. Engine had 72862miles, on it, this should be covered under warranty by SAAB/gm.

See all problems of the 2008 SAAB 9-3 🔎.

No incident.

See all problems of the 2001 SAAB 9-3 🔎.

Significant decrease in average mpg (problem from research online suggests it is from lowered compression from intake valve design/material used). 109700 miles on engine. Meticulously maintained by us navy submariner. Haven't contacted gm or SAAB affiliate yet. Forums used infer this problem is widespread for 2007-2009 SAAB 9-3 2. 0t with b207 engine. Summer time mpg is around 32-33, winter mpg is 30-31 in the pacific northwest. Last 3 fill ups, average mpg has dropped steadily from 30. 5 to 26 on the most recent fill up. Respectfully request to know if a recall or financial compensation by the manufacturer to consumers has been ordained?.

My 2009 SAAB 9-3 started and ran fine on the way to work, but at lunch it started for a couple seconds and shut off. The car cranks, but is audibly too free spinning. A local shop said compression in the engine was very low, and after multiple calls it seems that my car has the infamous "soft intake valves" problem that has been a widespread plague for these cars for model years 07-11. This car only has 78,000 miles on it, and has always had the oil changed with the correct gm spec oil. I would think an engine should last much longer than this.

See all problems of the 2009 SAAB 9-3 🔎.

Just purchase vehicle from a friend 2008 SAAB 9-3 2. 0t convertible . When I first start up the vehicle (it is now cold outside) the engine is running ruff until it warms up. I understand many other SAAB 2008 owners have the same complaint and have read that the intake values used by gm are faulty.

Had a compression test after weak starting. All 4 cylinders read 100. Need valve replacement and understand this is a known problem in 2007-2011 SAAB 4 cylinder cars. No warranty or recall regarding this use of flawed valves.

See all problems of the 2010 SAAB 9-3 🔎.

I was having an issue with my engine idling rough when starting up and while driving cold. After the car warms, the issue get a bit better. But while cold, the car runs terribly rough. After spending over $3000 trying to diagnose and fix the issue, including replacing the entire fuel system, several engine parts, and hours of labor and wasted time, the SAAB dealer narrows it down to a compression issue involving one of the intake valves, which it seems is a common problem for the 2007 model 9-3s. They estimate an additional $2,500 of work to fix it! I've read hundreds of complains on this issue. If this is such a common issue, gm should recall these faulty parts and replace them.

See all problems of the 2007 SAAB 9-3 🔎.

Hard starting cold with engine misfire and low compression, vehicle starts and runs normally when hot 2007-11 9-3 b207 & 2011 9-5 a20nft ______________________________________________ this is a re-issue of a previously published document with updated information highlighted inred. Models: 2007-2008 SAAB 9-3 b207r (this pi does not apply to the b284 engine) update: this condition could also occur on 2009-11 b207 or 2011 9-5 a20nft condition/concern: a technician may comment of hard or no starting when cold. They may also find engine misfires with dtc's p0300, p0301, p0302, p0303 or p0304. The vehicle will start and run normally when hot. Recommendations/instructions: this condition may be caused by a worn intake valve and is typically found on vehicles with 50,000 or more miles. Due to the nature of this issue it can be more frequent in cold climates and could exhibit the condition at a lower mileage; inversely in warmer climates it may occur at a higher mileage. Tac has found intake valve wear of the valve seat face will cause significant compression loss in cold temperatures that will not be readily apparent when hot. To properly diagnose this condition perform a cold (after an overnight stay is best) compression and leak down test. As an example, an engine with a 150-175 psi hot cranking compression reading may only show 75 to 90 psi when cold. Once a technician has determined he has the above described concern he must initiate a technical assistance center (tac) case by email at xxxx or by phone at xxxxx prompt #3. Tac will provide the full information on the parts/repair procedure when the case is set. Parts required: inlet valve 2007 to 2011, biopower 55563529 (8 required).

My car has fallen victim to the soft intake valve issue. My car was parked in my driveway, it ran perfectly well the night before. I attempted to move it on christmas eve morning 12/24/2017 but it would not start. I then had it towed to my local SAAB mechanic, automotion in billerica, MA- the owner said this is a well known issue he has seen on a number of occasions; he said he saw it so many times he purchased new equipment to be prepared for the volume of customers. . Read more...

As is the case with many other SAAB 9-3 built after 2006, my dealer's service department recently identified a problem with the intake valves in my vehicles engine, which has experienced premature failure at 77,000 miles. Other postings on line lead me to believe that this is major issue affecting thousands of these vehicles built by gm in years 2007 and later. The cause is widely known and is a manufacturers defect resulting in failure of the vehicle to start in cold weather. The fix required is a replacement of all of the engine intake valves. This is costly fix in the range of $3,000 per vehicle. Whether gm knew it was using inferior parts prone to failure or not, they are still responsible and should be required to perform the repairs at their cost, or to at a minimum participate in some way in the cost of the repairs.

Car starts and shuts off.

The valves on these cars are defective and start failing around 60k miles. This is a widely know issue affecting the 2008 SAAB 9-3 2. 0l engines. Gm needs to take responsibility for these repairs given the known manufacturing defects. . Read more...

I have what I've searched is the "cold start problem". When starting the engine in cold weather, it takes it a try or two to start, but upon ignition, it sputters for a minute or two and once it warms, it runs perfectly fine. From reading reviews online, it sounds like many others have had this and it is the result of the valves going bad, meaning I need a whole new rebuild done. Car only has 127k miles on it and is in mint condition. Per the number of cases I've read online about this, it sounds like the '07-'08 models were the one's that were defective in my case. Bought the car recently from a friend who thought it was just a fuel pump issue needing to be replaced, which I'd pay the few hundred dollars for that, no problem. But now looking at close to $3,000 to have fixed??.

Car was manufactured with a bad set of intake valves which is noted on many SAAB owner threads. Valves break down in cold weather around 50k miles. Car starts and bottoms out sometimes and has rough idle until warmed. Accelerating while engine is cold can cause safety issue. Quoted repairs run $2000-3000.

Defective intake valves. Repair center specializing in SAAB performed cold compression test on cylinders and found that 2 of 4 had low compression. Informed me that they have found 90% of the Saabs they test from 2007-08 have this problem from cheap valves used specified by gm.

The intake valves are bad on this car and it has 100k miles on this. This is a $2000 plus job that comes out of pocket. It seems to be this is a common problem with Saabs and it appears there are several complaints on here. This needs to be recalled and paid for by gm, because they did not property build this engine if so many are failing. My car will turn over and not start in the cold weather.

Car went into "limp-home" mode. Upon mechanic inspection, failed compression test and had bad intake valves. Out-of-pocket fix, car running fine now. Kept all parts replaced, edges of valves are as sharp as a knife. Similar experience as documented by other SAAB owners at link below. . Read more...

Needs valve job ($3k) due to improperly hardened valves. Very common problem on this car. Rough running when cold. Compression test verifies this condition: very poor when cold, but fine when warm. If left on-fixed, will cause permanent misfiring.

I have the same issue that others have talked about. Gm put cheap valves in engine--they have now failed for a number of us. Cold starting, rough idle, smell of gas, ultimately will not start. Expensive repair on car without much mileage 60k repair is 2500-3000 gm should fix these for free or reduced cost.

The engine lost total compression due to what the mechanic said was a well-documented case of intake valve failure, happened in northern California. The engine cut out while I was in traffic on the freeway, the car stopped, and the car was grazed from behind. Not much of a problem due to damage, just a quick re-paint of the back bumper, and paid out of pocket. The engine was gone. The SAAB specialist told me that so many 9-3's,especially on the east coast, have experienced total intake valve failure like mine. I contacted SAAB and they essentially said to go screw myself. SAAB and a subsequent call to gm claimed they had "never heard of the issue" which my mechanic specialist said was a "bold lie" because there's an online history of this that I found, and they denied me any help in getting it fixed. Since the car was worth more than the $2,900 cost I had to pay to have the engine rebuilt, with the same faulty valves that will cause someone else trouble later as I traded in my car, I decided to repair it, and then get $1,200 more out of it once I traded in my car. You need to investigate this. It is not fair to owners who are out of pocket. There was a safety concern with my incident. If the car behind me had not been aware once the freeway started moving again, I could have been hurt. SAAB and gm deny this, yet search google---"intake valve problems SAAB 9-3" and you'll see for yourself. Make gm pay for this. People have lost a ton of money on depreciation alone, and now the engines fail, almost all of them,according to the shop who fixed my car and to what I've read online. Please issue a recall. SAAB and gm were both especially arrogant to me. They should pay for this problem, and reimburse me what I was out even though I sold my car. I have the receipts if you need them. Thank you for listening! please email only.

Car will not start on cold days. Found cylinders 1 and or with low compression. Intake valves need replacement.

On the 2007-2011 SAAB 9-39-3 there is a common issue with the intake valve seals going bad causing a rough idle and/or misfire on cold starts. Mine exhibits this behavior but is not still under warranty. This is not just wear and tear it is a bad part or bad design that is basically designed to fail. To fix this it costs $1500+ and gm should be responsible for a flaw in the vehicle regardless of the 5 year/100,000 mile warranty.

The contact owns a 2008 SAAB 9-3. While starting the vehicle, it idled roughly. Additionally, the vehicle would sometimes take a long time to start. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was 90,000.

The contact owns a 2007 SAAB 9-3. The contact stated that the engine valves failed prematurely. The service engine indicator illuminated and the vehicle performed roughly each time the failure occurred. In addition, the springs that connected to the front struts had premature rust and corrosion, which caused it to fracture without warning. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the front coils springs and eight valves needed to be replaced. The vehicle was also inspected by a dealer (conntech SAAB specialists, 180 jefferson blvd, warwick, ri 02888, (401) 738-3665). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.

Rough cold start. Compression on cylinder 4 to low. Intake valve problem.

Compression in cylinder one is not firing at a full psi per mfg standards. It's causing a cold start issue and the car barely turns over to start when it's not warmed up.

Vehicle doesn't start due to low compression on cold days. Car will leave you stranded in extreme temps.

Same as problem below: since I need the car badly, I've instructed my mechanic to start working on the fix. Over time the valves in the 2. 0t engine will wear causing dramatic loss in compression. Problem starts with rough idling and trouble turning over at cold start but escalates to a point where the car will not start what so ever. It appears that when manufacturing the engine gm put valves made of a softer than usual metal. These valves get essentially hammered against the cylinder head to a point where the edges become so thin they are razor sharp. A service bulletin was sent out to dealers from spna (SAAB parts north America), which means that gm is well aware of this issue. A SAAB mechanic warned me that the problem could get worse at any time regardless of mileage and that sooner of later my car would not start. To fix this issue all 16 valves would need to be replaced. This involves serious time and effort and I was quoted a price of up to $3,000 for a repair. Please be advised that this problem effects every SAAB 9-3 with the 2. 0t from 2007 to 2011. Gm should be held accountable for these faulty parts and issue a recall.

For the second year in a row, with temperature in the teens, the car will not start due to bad intake valves. As noted by many consumers on several SAAB forums, this engine loses significant compression in the cylinders causing difficult starting, a very rough idle and ultimately resulting in a valve job.

The contact owns a 2008 SAAB 9-3. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the intake valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

It appears I too have been struck with the misfortune of having what I have termed " morning sickness" in cooler weather. I currently have one - hundred and forty- eight thousand miles on this vehicle. I just had it diagnosed low compression in two of the cylinder's, one cylinder has 150 psi?, the other has 175. I believe they should be 200 psi? usually it does not last long ( of rough running) of course depending on outside temperature. I have recorded a temp . Of five above f. , and the car started fine, but took a while for it to " clear out ", generally no more than a minute or two. I see I am not the only one with this problem, thought I'd share with others and maybe something could be done about it. I guess I feel I am luck, that with all miles I have on the vehicle, that I have gotten this far, question is how much farther can I go before I need to something??.

Car began running rough upon cold start up, but would run better after a few minutes. I had the plugs replaced and problem persisted. Problem became more pronounced as weather got colder. SAAB technician suspected an intake valve problem that has been very common in these cars. A cold compression check confirmed that valves in three of the four cylinders were bad. I was quoted ~$2,500 for the repair!!!! technician said that gm is well aware of the problem but refuses to recall the vehicles to repair. They are only repairing those still under warranty.

Intake valve failure on 2. 0 turbo. Chronic problem with this model due to defective valves. Widespread problem on the internet linked to improperly hardened intake valves. The car failed to start and a cylinder compression check indicated that compression was lost on all four cylinders. $2,600 repair.

The intake valve in the first cylinder has to be replaced at the cost of approximately $2500. This is a known issue for all Saabs (2009-2011). There is a technical bulletin released for how to fix this problem. It is obvious that vehicle workmanship is the problem and the cost of repair is being passed on to the consumer. After purchasing the vehicle in good faith with the expectation that I am purchasing a quality vehicle from gm, I am disappointed that this known issue is a problem with all Saabs manufactured by gm. The 2009-2011 Saabs all have the same issue. This is a manufacturer problem. I want to voice a complaint about the quality of the workmanship produced by gm. After the tax dollar bailout, costumers should be able to expect, at the very least, a quality product.