At start up, the car loses braking power. To stop the car you have to push extremely hard on the brakes. After the car has been driven 20 to 30 feet the brake power comes back to normal.
2007 Saab 9-3 brakes problems
13 complaints (8% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 30,000.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical mileage
- 30,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Power assist: hydraulic1
- Foundation components: master cylinder1
- Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Saab 9-3 brakes problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2007 Saab 9-3 brakes
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Reduced brake power-assist
Saab automobile ab, a subsidiary of general motors corp. (gm), manufactured 12,317 subject vehicles through february 15, 2008, equipped with the high feature v6 turbocharged engine identified by regular production option lp9.a tandem vacuum brake booster assembly provides brake power-assist.the engine is the primary vacuum source to the booster and its effect is amplified by a venturi.under certain conditions, such as a cold engine start or at high altitudes, an electric vacuum pump (evp) supplements engine vacuum.a pressure switch measures brake booster vacuum and commands the evp when to turn on/off.check valves are located at the intake manifold, venturi, and pressure switch. Gm identified two issues that affect evp performance: corrosion of electrical components inside the pump caused by moisture ingress through the air outlet when the evp shuts off and the vacuum in a section of piping between the evp and the pressure switch is released to the atmosphere; and silicone contamination of the electrical contacts inside the pressure switch resulting in a noisy or impeded electrical signal.gm addressed evp performance with two design changes.in november 2007, gm modified the rubber protective cap that covers the evp air outlet to improve sealing and in february 2008, gm added a check valve to the section of piping between the evp and the pressure switch as close as possible to the evp in an effort to reduce the back flow of moisture through the pump. In total, the office of defects investigation (odi) is aware of 240 subject vehicles affected by the alleged defect.complainants report that symptoms occur immediately after a cold engine start and only for a short duration (30 to 60 seconds), during which period the amount of brake power-assist provided to the operator may be reduced due to an inoperative evp.the symptoms may be more pronounced the longer the vehicle has been parked as there is a natural tendency for the brake booster to slowly release the vacuum over time if it is not replenished.full brake power-assist capability resumes after this brief cold start period or immediately after a warm engine start.the three reported crashes all occurred at low speeds (< 5mph) while reversing from a garage or parking space and resulted in minimal to minor property damage. The subject issue differs from a previous safety recall (05v‑236) affecting certain model year (my) 2003-2005 saab 9-3 vehicles equipped with a defective check valve that could become brittle and fracture, resulting in a lasting and total loss of brake power-assist at any time.the defective check valve did not meet lifetime durability requirements and gm predicted a 100% failure rate at less than 4 years of service.in comparison, gm predicts an evp failure rate of approximately 6.4% at 3 years in service for the subject vehicles resulting in reduced brake power-assist for a short duration.the subject issue also differs from a previous odi influenced safety recall (03v‑474) to address evp moisture ingress in certain my 2000 volvo s40 and v40 vehicles.the recalled volvo vehicles utilized a steel vacuum pipe between the evp and the brake booster.moisture ingress and subsequent corrosion could compromise the vacuum pipe resulting in a lasting and total loss of brake power-assist.moisture does not appear to have a significant impact on the polyether-ester plastic vacuum pipe used in the subject vehicles. A safety-related defect has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation
PE08005
What 2007 Saab 9-3 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
This has occurred on multi occasions. Usually in cold weather the car usually while braking will report a complete failure of the brake, anti-lock brakes, and stability control. Speedometer quits working, and message appears to come to a complete stop. Once you stop and turn off the car, and then restart all messages disappear and car returns to normal operation. The system may lead to an accident. This is the five incident over the last two years.
On numerous occasions, after starting the vehicle and selecting reverse or drive, as the car started to move the brake pedal becomes extremely hard, almost impossible, to depress and there was little to no brake effectiveness at all. The car would not stop until selecting neutral and using the emergency brake. After the car was able to idle for 15-30 seconds, the brake pedal returns to normal and functions properly again. This most often occurs if the car has sat off for more than a few hours.
I own several saab 9-3s and on numerous occasions this vehicle, as well as another, both with the 6 cylinder, experience instances in which the brake pedal is extremely difficult to depress resulting in problems slowing or stopping the vehicle. The condition occurs primarily when the engine is cold or after you have accelerated and then are required to stop such as in high traffic congestion.
The car failed to brake right after starting it up. The car was started, the brake was engaged, the gear select lever was moved to the drive position, after moving forward out of the parking space the car did not want to stop. We almost ran into the car in front of us.
2007 saab aero convertible - brake loss. Upon startup car intermittently loses its braking function. It actually first happened to the saab tech. They order new vacuum hoses and replaced them. That did not correct the problem. They have since resurfaced the rotors and flushed the brake system ' still having the problem. The dealer is now going to replace the master cylinder. Brake failure has been a low speeds and upon start up but almost hit the wall of my office building and almost hit when car was unable to stop while leaving parking lot. With all of the complaints on this board, I don't understand why no recall has been issued.
Sudden loss of braking power immediately after I start the car. At low speed, I had to engage the emergency brake and transmission to stop the car. Brake pedal was depressed to the floor.
Tl* the contact own a 2007 saab 9-3. He has to repeatedly apply pressure to the brake pedal to stop. The power assist unit was replaced under the warranty. He was in the process of having the power assist replaced for the third time. The failure mileage was 25,000.
2007-saab 9-3 aero v-6 engine. On 7-4-09 and 7-6-09 started car and backed out of garage and had no brakes. Used e-brake to prevent car from going into street. Brakes seemed to work fine after that. However, based on past complaints that I have seen on this web site I feel that it is time to address this issue before someone gets injured.
My brakes fail to work after starting my car but on feb 23rd. I was accelerating on the highway and my car continued to accelerate after I took my foot off the gas. I tried to brake and the pedal was extremely hard to press on. The car was able to slow down a bit but once I took foot off brake pedal the car would speed up again. I took my car in for service on the 24th of feb. And was told that they could not duplicate the problem and maybe my floor mat caused the problem. My car continues to have trouble braking.
Questions about the 2007 Saab 9-3 brakes
Does the 2007 Saab 9-3 have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 13 complaints about the brakes of the 2007 Saab 9-3, 8% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2007 Saab 9-3 brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 30,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2007 Saab 9-3 brakes?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Saab 9-3 have bad brakes?
The Saab 9-3 model years with the most brakes complaints are 2006 (31 complaints), 2003 (19 complaints) and 2007 (13 complaints).
Other 2007 Saab 9-3 problems
Airbags 65Engine 24Suspension 24Electrical 12Seat belts 7Fuel system 6Seats 5Acceleration 4Steering 4Body 3Transmission 3Lights 2Driver assistance 1Locks 1Tires 1Visibility 1
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