NHTSA Complaint #10445539 — 2005 SAAB 9-3

WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, I HEARD A LOUD NOISE THAT SOUNDED LIKE A SPRING. AFTER TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALER, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE PASSENGER STRUT SPRING REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. SEVERAL HOURS LATER, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART WAS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM SAAB IN SWEDEN AND THE ETA WAS UNKNOWN DUE TO SAAB BANKRUPTCY STATUS. A DAY LATER THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO LOCATE A USED PART WITH A 30-DAY WARRANTY BUT I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL REPAIR COSTS. FORTUNATELY, NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO MY TIRES, AS I HAD JUST REPLACED THE SET ONLY TWO WEEKS PRIOR. ALSO, I APPRECIATE THE DEALER TELLING ME OF THE RISK IN CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE CAR WITH THE BROKEN SPRING. THEY ALSO PROVIDED A LOANER CAR FOR THE PERIOD OF THE REPAIR. STILL, IF THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT FOR THIS MODEL AND YEAR, THE REPAIR COST SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED AND/OR CONSUMERS SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED SOME TYPE OF NOTIFICATION OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM. *TR