This is a serious issue known to the federal safety agency and gm under pe 08051. It needs to be addressed and a recall issued. Backing out of garage I heard a pop from right front area of car when put in reverse. Drove about 200 feet before I smelled burning rubber. Car became very difficult to steer. I had car towed to independent service garage. It is determined that the right front spring broke and became entangled in front suspension, steering and tire. Had I been going at a speed greater than 20 miles per hour I would have not been able to steer the car to a safe stop. Both gm and the federal safety agency know of the breaking front spring in salted road areas including missouri. This vehicle has only 55000 miles and is stored in a garage at home and work. Please put out a recall issue immediately, this is a very serious issue. Also a front seat belt recall went out last summer. I have contacted the manufacturer several times, the replacement seat belt is always several month out. Mine has become knotted and does not lay flat across my body but is more like a rolled rope. Gm needs to address this issue and get the parts out asap as well. Again gm needs to recall the known issue on the front springs on 2003 - 2006 saab 9-3's and fulfill their current recall on the damaged recalled seat belt. Updated 09/08/15*lj updated 10/26/2017
2004 Saab 9-3: broken coil spring
40 of the 207 complaints about the 2004 Saab 9-3 describe broken coil spring.
- owner complaints
- 40
- of this car's complaints
- 19%
- typical repair cost reported
- $700
- typical mileage
- 64,000
- recalls
- 0
Broken coil spring by model year
What owners say
I took my vehicle in for a blower motor malfunction and a brake job to my regular mechanic who works on all my vehicles. While they had the vehicle up on the lift, he noticed that the right front spring had broken and gouged the tire leaving the tire damaged and the car inoperable. When they called the dealership to order a new spring from saab, the parts department said that b/c of mileage and age it would be covered under a service bulletin. Yeah! So, I called dealership and inquired about having the vehicle towed (100 miles) and the saab dealership do the work. Mileage on 9-3, 94,484 good! 6 months past the "time" limit! Bad! Needless to say, after $700 later I have replaced both front springs as well as the $175 damaged tire. The spring could have caused serious damage to the car, occupants as well as others if I was driving while the damaged tire gave out, due to the spring breaking! The vehicle drove perfectly & I was not aware of the broken spring! This is not my only vehicle and I honestly feel that saab should honor the mileage before the "time" b/c the amount of the vehicle being driven is what seems to be the cause of the failure of the springs.
Right front spring broke off during travel. 2nd incident. Note broken coils replaced in 2010.
The left front strut spring snapped and the right front strut spring is moving (circular back and forth motion).
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saab 9-3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the front passenger's side tire blew. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic, who replaced the damaged tire and also advised that the failure was caused by fractured coil springs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 140,000.
I was traveling at 50mph when I heard a loud pop from the front suspension. After the pop the front end would rattle over bumps. Upon further inspection I discovered the front right coil spring had cracked. After looking at the spring more I found another crack in the same spring.
Heard strange noises in front end while turning. Had mechanic check it out and found right front spring broken. I understand there is a recall. Concerned with how to get this handled before it breaks entirely and causes an accident.
Loud cracking noise when going over a small bump in road. Inspection showed broken right front coil spring. Could have punctured tire and caused an accident. *js updated 08-03-12
Coil springs broken, campaign 15917, inspect and replace broken coil springs.
Broken front coil springs caused the vehicle to be unsafe to operate. Both left and right springs are broken with spring material extending towards the tire. Will require tow for service. Tire failure is likely if driven.
Was driving 2004 saab 9-3 vehicle when the strut spring broke, and started digging into the tire creating a lot of smoke from burnt rubber. Upon closer inspection it appears that the strut strings had broke on both sides, only the passenger side spring came off of its 'mount' and dug its way into the tire. Nothing was hit to cause this reaction. Upon searching the internet, this seems to be a more common, than not problem with this model of 9-3. Saab has agreed to extend the warranty to fix the problem, but this is a very serious safety hazard and these springs should be recalled. A significant amount of damage was done to the tire before I stopped. If the vehicle had been traveling any faster, I believe the consequences could have been significantly worse.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saab 9-3. While driving approximately 55 MPH the front passenger side tire blew out. The contact was able to pull off to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technicians stated the front passenger side coil spring needed to be replaced. The contact decided to replace both front driver and passenger side coil springs. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer issued an extended warranty for the failure but the vehicle was not covered under the warranty due to the mileage. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000. Updated 05/18/11 *bf updated 2/9/12
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2004 Saab 9-3 coil spring
Is broken coil spring a common problem on the 2004 Saab 9-3?
40 of 207 owner complaints about the 2004 Saab 9-3 (19%) mention broken coil spring. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
How much does it cost to fix broken coil spring on the 2004 Saab 9-3?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $700 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2004 Saab 9-3?
There are 0 recalls and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2004 Saab 9-3
Seat belt 57Tire blowout 12Stalling 9Headlights 6Check engine light 5Fire or smoke 5
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