Front driver side spring broke while driving. Loud bang and sudden drop in ride height. Some loss of steering control. This is a recalled issue up to 2006, it should be extended to cover 2008 models. This is a serious safety risk.
Saab 9-3 power steering loss problems
10 of the 1,346 owner complaints about the Saab 9-3 describe loss of power steering, most of them for the 2001 model year.
- owner complaints
- 10
- worst model year
- 2001
- typical mileage
- 19,725
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20081
- 20061
- 20041
- 20033
- 20013
- 19991
Often reported together
Loss of power 5Stalling 3Won't start 1Engine failure 1Coil spring 1
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 saab 9-3. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the power steering failed. Immediately, the brake and accelerator pedals failed to respond and the engine stalled without warning. The engine failed to restart after several attempts. Roadside assistance was called to the scene and the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated that the failure was related to the idling within the computerized system. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer on two separate occasions for identical failures. The technician stated that the failures were related to the temperature sensor, which was replaced. The failure continued and the vehicle is currently being repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 40,550.
I was traveling in a rotary that is an on-ramp to 128 in reading, ma. And was about to accelerate up the on-ramp when the car died, battery light came on, power steering failed. This was during rush hour and there was no safe place to pull over, luckily a state trooper pulled up within about 2 minutes and was able to push the car to a safer location. Roadside assistance was called, car was brought to the dealer and diagnosed with a direct ignition cassette (dic) failure.
Direct ignition cassette (aka direct ignition module, idm, di, dic) has died on my 1999 9-3 2 times. I have owned the car since new, it now has 66,000 miles. When the di cassette dies the engine immediately shuts down which can result in a dangerous situation if one is driving in traffic. My di cassette first died at 50,000 miles. The car simply would not start, no prior warnings. A brand new di cassette from saab was put in. The 2nd di cassette died at 63,000 miles, while I was driving. There was no prior warning again. The car shut down as I was driving, and I lost power steering. I was able to pull off to the side of the road since I was going slow. Di cassette was replaced again, so I am currently on di cassette #3. The part is unchanged, so I fear it could die again at any moment. I've had to pay out of pocket for all of the di cassettes.
Engine may stall when cold and car is traveling 30-45mph. Nearly lost control of vehicle on 2 occasions due to loss of steering and ran onto shoulder/lawn of homeowner. We have had the vehicle in 4 times for repairs or modifications in attempts to fix this but saab will not even admit there is an issue that needs fixing.
Consumer was driving at approximately 25-30 MPH and the vehicle lost steering and brake power. Consumer looked at the dashboard and saw the engine check light illuminated. Consumer took the vehicle back to the dealer, and was advised by the manufacturer to update the computer. However, the dealer could not diagnose the defect which occurred.
Vehicle stalled while accelerating. Lost power steering and power brake assist. Could have easily caused an accident if I hadn't been able to stop safely. The car started with no issues after the stop.
I just bought a 2003 saab 9-3 about a month ago and it has approx. 1800 miles on it. I was driving home from work and suddenly lost power steering followed by complete power. Luckily I was on a back road and pulled over safely. If I had been on the highway there may have been a different outcome. I feel that this is a very big safety issue.
While driving at highway speed the engine shut causing the vehicle to lose power steering. Ts
While driving and without warning vehicle shut off completely. Losing all power, resulting in no steering, brakes etc,. Contacted dealer.
Related recalls
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The tie rod end retaining nuts may not have been properly tightened at the factory.
- Risk
- The nut could loosen and fall off resulting in a sudden reduction or loss of steering control.
- Remedy
- All vehicles will be inspected and corrected prior to customer delivery. No owner notification will be required.
Recall number 01V314000 · Recall details
Questions about the Saab 9-3 power steering loss
Which Saab 9-3 years have loss of power steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2001 (3 complaints), 2003 (3 complaints) and 1999 (1 complaints).
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