10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
90,107 miles

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problem #66

Dec 292020

9-3

  • miles
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.

- New Hartford, NY, USA

problem #65

Nov 112020

9-3

  • 160,000 miles
My vehicle doesn't start/idle well in the cold due to the air intake manifold bolts slowly becoming loose. **when driving and shifting** the vehicle cannot handle the extra unclean air entering the system and will stall out while going anywheres from 0-60+ mph, once the engine shuts off all power steering also shuts down. The secondary issue is an acceleration problem because the seals on the air intake valves into the combustion chamber have become faulty resulting in cylinder misfires and a high amount of vibration intermittently while driving, the symptoms come and go with increasing frequency as time goes on. This secondary issue ties into the first issue because of shifting with a standard my vehicle today (12/3/2020) shut off while driving 7 times to and from my job.

- Greenwich, NY, USA

problem #64

Jul 052020

9-3

  • 101,000 miles
My car wouldn't start so I replaced the battery and the crankshaft sensor. It drove fine and then I parked it and went out a little later and it would jerk and try to stall while I was driving, sputtering like I was running out of gas. If I pressed the accelerator, it wouldn't accelerate and then it would surge forward. I ran some errands and it drove fine. After my final errand, the car struggled to start but did and idled really roughly. I put it into gear and it died. I couldn't get it started again. After reading other posts, this seems like an issue with these years and veey dangerous.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #63

May 052020

9-3 4-cyl

  • 157,000 miles
I brought my 08 Saab 9-3 to a shop for a compression test cause it kept stalling when I would go to start it, it's an automatic. I was told my intake valves were wearing down and it's due to gms faulty valves. Yesterday my car started ticking while I was driving and I lost almost all my power, come to find out my valves were about to snap. Now I'm making payments on a car I can't drive and GM refuses to fix this issue and there are multiple cases of this happening to 08-10 Saab 9-3 with the GM factory valves.

- Merrimack, NH, USA

problem #62

Jan 162020

9-3

  • 109,500 miles
Experienced hard starting in cold weather in the pacific northwest the past few years. Did research and found a tsb regarding the intake valves for 2.0 ecotec 4 cylinder. Had a compression test following several check engine lights and multiple readings diagnose a P0300 engine code. Cold and warm compression test showed cylinder 2 compression well out of specification. Documents available upon request. Quoted $4000 for engine rebuild.

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

problem #61

Feb 012017

9-3

  • 80,000 miles
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. Car will not start when cold and there is nothing the dealer can do other than perform a major valve job (+$2300) => https://www.saabcentral.com/threads/08-Saab-cold-start-rough-idle.327778/

- Phoenixville, PA, USA

problem #60

Feb 092020

9-3

  • 109,700 miles
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?

- Port Orchard, WA, USA

problem #59

Dec 082018

9-3

  • 100,000 miles
Rough idle and start on cold starts. This issue is well known in the Saab community due to GM putting weak material in factory fuel injector valves. Engine loses compression until car is warm, but may result in stalls or limp mode

- Howe, TX, USA

problem #58

Jan 292019

9-3

  • 150,000 miles
Vehicle exhibits all signs of premature intake valve wear causing loss of compression and/or hard start/no start when ambient air temp is below 40 degrees. See all previous complaints of the same issue!

- Hartland, MI, USA

problem #57

Dec 102018

9-3

  • 129,200 miles
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.

- Briarcliff Manor, NY, USA

problem #56

Feb 022018

9-3

  • miles
Car struggled to start when the temperature was below 40 degrees. After a number of trips to the shop that maintains my car they researched online that this was a common problem for Saab with this engine and GM isn't willing to do anything about it. Please do something!

- Lenexa, KS, USA

problem #55

Dec 242017

9-3

  • miles
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)

- North Mankato, MN, USA

problem #54

Jan 082018

9-3

  • 125,000 miles
We own a 2008 9-3 Saab that has approximately 120,000 miles on it. When it is cold outside (50 degrees and below), our car starts very roughly after 2-3+ minutes of continuous cranking. Once the car starts and has warmed up, it runs quite smoothly. However, it currently isn't starting at all now and is in the shop. We have been doing research online to see if this is a common problem among other 2008 Saab owners. So far we have seen a large amount of other owners of 2008 Saab expressing the same concerns/problems and have experienced a $2,00-$3,000 expense to fix it. Our diagnosis is that there isn't any compression and it is assumed that the lower intake valves are faulty and will need to be replaced for an estimated cost of $2,000-$3,000. I have contacted GM and am awaiting their response as to whether there are enough other complaints to warrant a recall or receive any financial assistance to complete the repairs. It appears that the original GM parts are faulty and become worn, which results in difficulty in colder temperatures. We previously owned a 2003 Saab, which was built by Saab, and we never experienced any of these said problems.

- Suamico, WI, USA

problem #53

Dec 142017

9-3

  • 77,545 miles
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.

- New Hope, MN, USA

problem #52

Nov 072017

9-3 4-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
Recently, while starting the car it started up very rough. A few weeks ago the check engine light also came on and the mechanic told me there was an issue in cylinder 2. we replaced all spark plugs and coils, and the issue did not go away. In addition, the car has also started stalling randomly. Luckily, I haven't been driving at high speeds when this has happened but it's now shut off about 7 or 8 times in the last month. Been wondering if its intake valves, fuel pump, powertrain control module, camshaft timing... sounds like lots of other people have experienced similar issues and hoping mines not because of the intake valves. Please email [xxx]@hotmail.com if you have experienced similar issues and know the fix. Car is a manual transmission.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #51

Nov 062017

9-3

  • 97,000 miles
Car starts and shuts off.

- Spartanburg, SC, USA

problem #50

May 012017

9-3

  • 99,000 miles
Reached 100K miles, and car began running very rough. Engine light came on and diagnosed as bad ignition coil. Paid for tune-up, ignition coil, and and fuel service. Less than a month later, same issue. Car running fine, then suddenly almost stalls and engine light blinks then stays on - car runs very rough at idle and acceleration. Replaced 2 more coils. Less than one month issue, same issue - car running ok, then just almost stalls and runs rough - engine light blinks then stays on - relaced #5 coil. When diagnosing, service tech advised that issue was likely worse, not maintaining compression - likely required valve job. Have already paid several thousands of dollars on ignition coils and other service to dealership for this issue, now facing large bill for valve job.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #49

Mar 012017

9-3

  • 77,000 miles
I have been having this problem with my car for a while now and couldn't figureout what the problem was. When started from a cold start would take 2 or 3 times to get the car running it would stall out and run really rough. After a number of trips to the shop that maintains my car they researched online that this was a common problem for Saab with this engine and GM isn't willing to do anything about it. I had to spend just under $2000 to get this issue fixed. I see there are a bunch of people posting about this same problem the intake valve issue is a known issue with GM supplied intave valves on 2007-20011 Saab with the B207 motor.

- Jupiter, FL, USA

problem #48

Feb 082017

9-3

  • 64,000 miles
Intake valve issue is a known issue with GM supplied intave valves on 2007-20011 Saab with the B207 motor. Car struggled to start when the temperature was below 40 degrees. When it finally started, the car idled roughly. In addition car stalled a couple of times while being driven on the highway. Took it to the service center and they performed a cold block compression test. Values were well below 100 on 2 of the valves. The other two tested about 20% below normal. 66K miles, serviced regularly, and premium fuel was used exclusively. Also, southern care from day 1.

- Dallas, GA, USA

problem #47

Oct 012016

9-3 4-cyl

  • 130,000 miles
I have owned my 2008 Saab 9-3 for about a year now and I have had an ongoing rough running issue that seems to be getting worse. When I start my car up in the morning it runs very rough and recently the check engine light has been turning on and off with cylinder misfire codes. I have done some research and had this problem diagnosed, several times, as having bad intake valves. After doing more research on this problem, I have come to find this is a rather common issue with this specific year make and model. This is concerning because I have had this repair quoted at over $2000. I am very familiar with manufacturer recalls and have been told by multiple dealerships to submit a complaint in order for this problem to be covered under a manufacturer recall due to faulty parts.

- New Berlin, WI, USA

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