Fuel delivery system - my fuel sensor gradually stopped working and now my fuel gauge is not working at all. Recently my car is hesitating when I accelerate in all 5 gears and I was told it may be the fuel pump or fuel line. Last week I took it in for an oil change and was given a notification of a recall for the fuel delivery system. When researching the recall by the VIN# it is not listed but if I search by make and model it is listed. Not sure what to do at this point.
Saab 9-3 hesitation problems
17 of the 1,346 owner complaints about the Saab 9-3 describe hesitation when accelerating, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 17
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical mileage
- 60,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20082
- 20071
- 20063
- 20037
- 20021
- 20002
- 19991
Often reported together
Stalling 5Jerking 3Fuel pump 3Check engine light 2Steering lock-up 1Loss of power 1
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saab 9-3. While driving various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and shook during acceleration. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced, but not repaired. The VIN was excluded from the federal safety agency campaign number: 11e009000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was notified, but the automotive group had not returned the contact's correspondence. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 saab 9-3. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the hesitated to accelerate and jerked intermittently. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 800. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 saab 9-3. While driving approximately 60 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated and the engine warning light illuminated. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the failure listed in the federal safety agency campaign number: 11e009000(fuel system, gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The contact also received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v318000 (seat belts); however, the parts needed were unavailable to perform the repairs. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall remedy. The VIN was unavailable. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 saab 9-3. The contact stated that after shifting into drive from reversing, the vehicle hesitated. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was restarted and resumed to normal. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,000.
Engine fails to start when cold and when it does, the car runs extremely rough. Car hesitates and drives poorly until engine is finally warm. Cold compression test confirms that there is low compression and that there are defective intake valves. This is a serious problem for a vehicle that is not old at all.
Driving on turnpike and car hesitated very badly at 1/2 throttle in 3rd-5th gear at 50-70mph. Car stuttered so badly I backed off then engine malfunction light comes on for 10 secs, goes off and car then in a driving very poor - almost like its in limp mode. I belive it was limp home mode. Car felt like it was running on 3 cylinders with a hose blown off (not that I know what a hose is !!). I basically couldn't accelerate without the car feeling like it was going to fall apart. You could feel the car vibrating. I drove home very steady at 50 MPH, being passed by all other vehicles. There are many problems with this model saab turbox 9-3 2.8l v6 and faulty ignition coils. I know of scores of others having the same issue, with only 600 of this model produced. Https://www.facebook.com/notes/saab-turbo-x/defect-of-ignition-coil/104750332952290.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 saab 9-3. In 2006, the contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign id number 05v399000. The failure was not present at the time, but the ignition control module was replaced as a precautionary remedy. After the repair, the vehicle would hesitate and often stall. The dealer stated that the recall repair was performed; therefore, they would not assume any further liability. The contact continued to experience difficulty starting the vehicle. The vehicle has not been repaired correctly. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 70,200 and current mileage was 107,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 saab 9-3. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate as if the emergency brake was engaged. The contact also heard a grinding noise coming from the vehicle. She was unable to drive more than 20 MPH. When the mechanic attempted to test drive the vehicle, it failed to shift into gear. The mechanic stated that the gears inside the transmission exploded into little pieces. For three weeks, the mechanic attempted to repair the transmission, however, the transmission was diagnosed and repaired by another transmission specialist. The contact is requesting that saab pay the cost to repair the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 60,000. Updated 02-01-08. *kb the consumer stated the transmission light illuminated once again and is presently in the shop. Updated 02/01/08
2003 9-3 linear. Requesting follow up status on memo, dated 3-26-06. *ts the vehicle engine would not shut off although the key was removed from the ignition. The vehicle had several brake problems. The vehicle hesitated slightly when moving. When braking the vehicle would jerk and skid. The brakes grabbed which caused the vehicle to stop quickly. The alarm was very sensitive. Everytime a bus or truck passed the vehicle with the alarm engaged it would sound. The dealer said there was not way to adjust the sensitivity of the alarm. The windows were off track. The steering wheel seized when the consumer was driving on the highway. *nm ***nar***
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Saab 9-3 hesitation
Which Saab 9-3 years have hesitation when accelerating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (7 complaints), 2006 (3 complaints) and 2000 (2 complaints).
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