While driving, without any warning the car engine stalls. No warning at all!! Once it stops, ignition key won't work. The only way to restart the car is to disconnect the battery. This is all done in the emergency shoulders, breakdown lanes, its also happened on the highway exit ramps. Luckily each time there was a place to pull over. We could get killed. It has happened numerous times . Sometimes it stalls 2-3 times a day. I am so disappointed in this car. I am afraid to drive it, and how can I sell it knowing that something bad could happen to the new owner.
Engine & cooling
2004 Saab 9-3 Engine problems
Owners have filed 12 complaints about the 2004 Saab 9-3's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 6% of all its complaints, most recently on August 8, 2016. They describe 1 crash, 1 fire and 1 injury. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
- Complaints
- 12
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Deaths
- 0
Engine complaints
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saab 9-3. The contact stated that while at a stop sign, there was a odor of burning oil inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the valve cover gasket was leaking. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.
Approximately 5 minutes after starting, the car stalled on a busy, 6 lane road. The engine was not able to start again, or even attempt to ignite. The check engine light was on. The car spent 2 days in the mechanic, who was able to source a p1605 error code. However, he told us only a licensed saab technician could extract details from the code. While at the shop, the car was also started by the mechanics and appeared to be working normally, upon which they deleted the error code. Two days after the initial...
Read the full complaint
incident, we drove it back approximately 12 miles back home without any issues. Later that same day, the car stalled a second time on the expressway after 10-15 minutes of driving; fortunately I was driving in the right-hand lane and was easily able to pull over on the shoulder. After the car was towed to a specialized saab mechanic, they were able to conclude that the issues were stemming from a defective ecu (engine control unit). We exchanged the ecu with a brand new part, at the cost of $1400. While clearing up the finances, I spoke with a service representative at the mechanic/dealer who informed me that while my car was in the shop, there were 2 more cars that had came in with the same problem. Also, customer service from an online saab parts retailer informed me that this has been a known problem to him, based off other customers' experiences. Their cars would stall, be fine after cooling down, but would stall again later.
Vehicle owner pulled into a parking space and stopped, saw smoke coming from under the hood. Owner reported that the smoke became black and a fire erupted. Fire origin in right rear of engine compartment, cause undetermined. Vehicle has 2.0 Liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. *Tr
Cooling system .. Although the car does not "over heat" the antifreeze is spilling out. This has been happening for a few months and I always considered this to be a problem of other cars since my car is relatively new. The other day the car indicated that the coolant was low. *Tr
Cabin fan runs although key is no in ignition and unit is on off position. The situation also happens when unit is in off position and car is being driven. *Tr
While driving vehicle at normal speed the engine shuts off. This is the third time vehicle has quit while driving. Previous 2 times dealership has checked vehicle and found no problems. *Nm
Car does not accelerate when gas pedal is pressed - have had numerous "near misses" of being rear-ended when pulling out onto street because of the delay in acceleration. *Nm
1) Spark plug blew out of cylinder head due to spark plug threads missing. Dealer used insert to replace threads. *Jb
Owner was driving at approximately 65 mph the check engine light came on and the vehicle stalled. Vehicle "b" rear ended owner's vehicle while being driven at 70 mph. Upon impact, the frontal air bags failed to deploy. Owner sustained injuries, was taken to the emergency room and released. *Ak
Engine may stall when cold and car is traveling 30-45mph. Nearly lost control of vehicle on 2 occasions due to loss of steering and ran onto shoulder/lawn of homeowner. We have had the vehicle in 4 times for repairs or modifications in attempts to fix this but saab will not even admit there is an issue that needs fixing. *Jb
The heating system, upon each initial start up, blew a foul-smelling gas into the passenger compartment. (Nar) *ph *cb
Saab 9-3 engine complaints by year
9-3 engine problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data