NHTSA Complaint #10566511 — 2008 SAAB 9-3

THE PROBLEM OF A COLD START ROUGH IDLE INITIALLY STARTED LAST YEAR AROUND FEBRUARY 2013. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID COME ON EVERY SO OFTEN AND WOULD EVENTUALLY RESET ITSELF. I HAD THE CODE CHECKED OUT, AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS MISFIRING OF THE SPARK PLUGS. I HAD THE SPARK PLUGS REPLACED, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I DID NOT HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT AGAIN TILL THIS YEAR, FEBRUARY 2014, AS I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I DIDN'T HAVE BAD GAS, OR IT WASN'T CARBON BUILDUP IN THE ENGINE. AFTER INFORMING THE DEALER OF THE PROBLEM I WAS HAVING, THEY SUGGESTED I LEAVE IT OVERNIGHT SO THEY COULD TEST IT OUT THE NEXT MORNING. THAT MORNING THEY CALLED AND TOLD ME THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE INTAKE VALVES GOING BAD. THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ORDERING THE PARTS AND I WILL HAVE THE WORK COMPLETED IN MARCH 2014. I HAVE CONTACTED SAAB PARTS NORTH AMERICA TO SEE IF THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO HELP IN ANYWAY SINCE MY CAR WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY, AND I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT AND THAT GM PROBABLY WOULDN'T EITHER DUE TO THE BANKRUPTCY. I WILL BE ATTEMPTING TO CALL GM AND SEE IF THEY ARE WILLING TO HELP IN ANYWAY SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED WHILE SAAB WAS STILL OWNED BY GM. I HAVE ALSO FOUND OUT AT SAAB CENTRAL FORUMS THERE ARE NUMEROUS OWNERS OF THE 07-11 YEARS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM AT ABOUT THE SAME MILEAGE. I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THERE IS A SPNA BULLETIN THAT HAS BEEN SENT TO DEALERS, SO THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT BY ISSUING A RECALL. *TR