Saab 9-3 harsh shifting problems

Filed Sep 5, 2017 · Suspension · 100,400 miles · RI

Drivers side front coil spring rusted and broken causing loud clunking when driving. I am looking for an explanation on why safety recall 15917 only includes the years 2003-2006 when clearly the issue from reading online surpasses those years by far.

Filed Aug 13, 2015 · Suspension · 75,000 miles · OH

Noticed a clunking noise coming from the front left side of the car when going over bumps. Took car to mechanic and discovered that the front left coil spring was corroded and broken. The corrosion occurred at the bottom of the spring and the broken piece was sticking out of the strut assrmbly and was possibly a tire puncture hazzard. The mechanic stated that this was a common occurrence on this model saab but is not covered by gm special coverage #15917 because that extended warranty only applies to 2003-2006 models. Why not gm??

Filed Mar 4, 2015 · Suspension · 55,000 miles · VA

Driver side (left) suspension coil spring broke. It has rusted through approx. 2 inches from the top. It broke going through moderately uneven roads, without hitting any major potholes. Broken spring could have sliced the front tire open and caused a high speed accident. Was barely holding together at the time of replacement. Found out when started to hear clunking sounds, but could have happened at higher speed with worse consequences.

Filed Nov 5, 2013 · Suspension · 58,000 miles · OH

Driver started hearing a clunking sound on the left front side. Upon getting brake work done mechanic discovered that the left front coil spring had broken. Driver contacted the mazda/saab dealership of bedford, ohio and was told that the vehicle was covered in a warranty extension for the coil springs and scheduled the repair work. After taking the vehicle in for service the dealership recognized that they had made a mistake and the warranty extension was only for 2003-2006, and would not honor the repair. If the same problem is occurring in the 2007 models, the warranty extension should also apply to those vehicles.

Filed Mar 27, 2012 · Suspension · 62,000 miles · IL

I was backing out of my garage when I heard a loud clunk coming from the front left area of my car, accompanied by a burning rubber smell emanating from somewhere. I got out of the car and thought it looked a little lower on the left side. I felt it was unsafe to drive due to the loud noise when I put it in reverse, not to mention the smell of burning rubber. I got my car towed for $75, only to find out I was correct in my online assessment of the problem being my front suspension coil being broken (as per a local auto body diagnostic), due to the numerous and very similar sounding complaints especially for the 2003 and 2004 saabs. I'm lucky that I didn't end up shredding my tire and losing control of my vehicle as I as about to embark on an hour drive, using highways, to meet a friend. However, now I come to find out that saab, since going bankrupt in mid-december of 2011 no longer is manufacturing or releasing any parts - so I am left with a car that is not drive-able until I can find a solution to this very frustrating problem.

Filed Feb 24, 2012 · Suspension · 77,000 miles · MI

A few weeks ago, I began to notice a clunking sound near front driver's side tire when going over bumps in the road. Upon investigation this week, I could see that the coil spring was broken right through the metal. I had never hears of anything like that. Mileage is approximately 77,000. Drove it to the mechanic, who confirmed that there is a broken spring. They informed me that, although the part is not expensive, there are none available, that this is a known defect, and the part is on a national backorder! I never rec'd any sort of notification from saab about this. The mechanic also said that I was incredibly lucky that the break didn't happen on the freeway, that it could have taken out the brand new front tire. I have a young daughter and I volunteer to drive other school kids on a weekly basis--this could have been catastrophic. Until a new spring is found, I was told not to drive the car, that it could blow out the tire at any time. There is no eta on the new part. Even though saab is bankrupt, there's a local dealer still in business, so I'm the wait list for the part with them as well. In the meantime, I'm stuck.

Filed Jan 24, 2010 · Suspension · 49,700 miles · MN

The problem apparently occurred while driving down the freeway. I heard a loud "clunk" that sounded like I had hit something but there was nothing in the road. Following that, every time I would drive over an irregularity in the road I would hear a "clunk" in the front passenger side. I took it to a local shop to find out what was making the noise and they discovered the broken right front coil spring. The sharp broken end was very close to rotating into the side of the tire which would have been catastrophic. I have the broken piece of the spring. I have also learned that this is a disturbingly common problem with this model of saab as I ran across a web site with many saab 9-3 owners that have experienced the same thing at roughly the same mileage I have which is 49700. My four year, 50,000 mile warranty recently expired. I just found out about the broken spring yesterday and have not yet had it repaired. I intend to contact the dealer tomorrow morning but I want your organization to be aware of this dangerous defect.

Filed Jan 5, 2010 · Suspension · 53,000 miles · NY

With a little over 50,000 miles an odd noise started in the front suspension. A couple of months after this clunking noise began I made an appointment at a saab dealer and it was diagnosed as a broken spring. I had both springs replaced (the right front was broken) as a precaution, because I have learned that this is a common problem for newer saab 9-3's. Although I was able to drive the vehicle with the broken spring, a spring failure of this nature could cause catastrophic failure of the tire, hence the safety concern. The frequency of broken springs in this model of car leads me to conclude that a recall is in order.

Filed Oct 30, 2009 · Suspension · 75,000 miles · KY

Passenger side front spring broke about 4" up from the bottom. Car mileage apprx. 75k. Problem was indicated by clunking noise and oddness in the steering.

Filed Oct 8, 2009 · Transmission · 33,200 miles · NC

Hard shifting, slipping of transmission when accelerating. 2006 aero v6, when cold the shifting of the automatic transmission is very stiff resulting in noises and bumps when up or down shifting in the 'auto' mode. Shifting into higher gearing at highway speeds are slow and often up and down as the transmission tries to find the correct gear range. This occurs (looking for gears) when warm. Also when warm going down hill the shifting bumps very hard to lower gears causing car to slow down dramatically. When cold, transmission sometimes will not shift up when accelerating while making a turn from a stop.