NHTSA Complaint #10246932 — 2003 SAAB 9-3

FRONT SPRING FAILURE FROM CORROSION DAMAGE ' FRONT PASSENGER SPRING BROKEN, COMPLETELY BROKEN OFF PIECE APPROXIMATELY 5-6' FOUND. EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN OVER A ROUGH ROAD SURFACE (AKA POTHOLE, DIRT ROAD, SPEED BUMP), A VIBRATION / RATTLING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. ORIGINALLY, IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THE NOISE WAS DUE TO A WHEEL OR BRAKE ISSUE, SO WE DROVE THE CAR FOR QUITE SOME TIME THINKING IT WAS JUST A MINOR ANNOYANCE, NOT A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK (SOME DRIVERS HAVE HAD THE SPRING SHOOT OUT AND SHRED THEIR TIRES WHILE DRIVING!). WE GOT THE TIRES / WHEELS BALANCED, ROTATED AND ALSO REPLACED THE BRAKES, NONE OF WHICH HELPED THE PROBLEM. THEN ANOTHER MECHANIC CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM DURING AN OIL CHANGE WHEN THEY FOUND THE BROKEN OFF PIECE OF SPRING WHICH WAS CAUSING THE RATTLE. THE BROKEN OFF PIECE HAS A SIGNIFICANT CONCENTRATION OF RUST THE LAST 1' OR SO WHERE THE BREAK OCCURRED. THERE IS A RUBBER SHEATH THAT PARTIALLY COVERS THAT SECTION OF THE SPRING, BUT IT IS OBVIOUSLY FLAWED IN KEEPING WATER FROM CORRODING THE SPRING AS THERE IS A LOT OF RUST ALL THROUGHOUT. THE OTHER SPRING HAS RUST ON IT AS WELL, BUT HAS NOT FAILED YET' WE PLAN TO REPLACE BOTH SPRINGS NOW, HOPEFULLY WITH THE NEXT MODEL YEAR'S SPRINGS WHICH I HEARD HAVE A BETTER SHIELD TO PREVENT THIS FROM OCCURRING. RESEARCHING ONLINE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, I FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM ALSO OCCURS ON THIS MODEL YEAR SAAB IN THE UK AS FOUND ON THE SAABSCENE.COM FORUM AND I READ THAT THE NHTSA JUST STARTED INVESTIGATING THIS ISSUE AUGUST 28, 2008 AS INVESTIGATION # PE08051. *TR