Electronic problems

[Monchovix07Saab2.0T]

Hey guys, I am new to this site and already I can see the amount of help you guys out up. I just recently bought a 07 saab 9-3 2.0T, the car is amazing mechanically but I am having a bunch of sensors come up every time I start up the car. I get messages like

Right headlight position error
Steering wheel lock malfunction
Right rear brake light failure

Also, sometimes it says key not recognized. I changed the battery to the remote and it still persist. Also, my car shows my daytime running lights always on, I read that this system can burn out the HID lights fairly quickly. Is this true?

Does anybody on this site know of a good saab mechanic that knows his stuff in and out? At the moment I live in Pocono, PA but drive mon-fir to NY so I can always get a rental while the car is in the shop.

[mr_saab]

Is the right headlight not aligned along with the left?, have you checked to see if the rear brake light is burnt out? Steering wheel lock malfunction is the CMS. Try checking out these first...

How old is the battery? With these cars when you start to experience many different electrical issues all at the same time the first place to look is at the battery. These cars are hard on their batteries and usually every 4-5 yrs you have to replace them. Also resetting the cars electrical system by disconnecting the negative terminal for a few minutes has also proven to be a great fix (like rebooting a computer, a lot of the time is fixes the problem).

[Monchovix07Saab2.0T]

When the headlight worked it didn't seem to align correctly. On my left headlight I have the daytime running lights and the HID running all at the same time, is this normal? The rear break light works, sometimes it throws the error code and sometimes it doesn't. As far as the steering wheel goes, what is the CMS and is it expensive to repair? Is that something I can do on my own?

I do my oil changes, brakes and things of that sort. But if I can perform a fix instead of me bringing it to a shop it will be great.

I don't know how old the battery is, I just got the car a month ago. It's a fun car to drive and I've become very attached to it already. I used to have a VW R32 but I am really liking the 2.0T. Thanks for the quick reply mr_saab.

[mr_saab]

Hey,

O.k so you have HID's. Well the HID's on these cars have motorized projector lenses that are aligned by sensors located in the wheel wells and i think there is another around the engine bay. Depending on what angle the front of the car is situated at the beam will change (e.g going up a hill or some incline, the beam will change to avoid blinding drivers going the other way). If one of the headlights is giving an alignment error then there is a good chance the sensor in the wheel well on that side is causing the problem. As for the headlights running all the time, yes this is default from SAAB since in NA we need to have daytime running lights so your HID's are both your daytime lights and low beam night time lights. The smaller halogen bulbs next to the projectors are called "marker bulbs". If you can find someone with a Tech2 diagnostic computer used by the dealerships to fix the electrical systems on these cars you can get the lights turned off and control put back into the dial next to the steering wheel. As for the rear brake light check the bulb and the contact points for dirt and corrosion or signs the bulb is going. I would say first pull the negative terminal and do a reset on the cars electronics and see what happens.

[Monchovix07Saab2.0T]

Man, you are awesome dude. Thanks for the detailed message.

[Monchovix07Saab2.0T]

Are those marker bulbs always supposed to be on? When my headlight bulb on the left blew, I guess the marker bulb went with it. I will reset by unplugging the battery.

[9-3 Aero]

Hey,

O.k so you have HID's. Well the HID's on these cars have motorized projector lenses that are aligned by sensors located in the wheel wells and i think there is another around the engine bay. Depending on what angle the front of the car is situated at the beam will change (e.g going up a hill or some incline, the beam will change to avoid blinding drivers going the other way). If one of the headlights is giving an alignment error then there is a good chance the sensor in the wheel well on that side is causing the problem.

The sensors referred to are actually the load angle sensors, one each fitted on the front - and rear axels. The sensors are connected to the Aotomatic Headlamp Levelling (AHL) module, which provides information on two separate outputs (on one connector), one for each of the stepper motors in left - / right headlamp assembly.

Given the AHL system is failing, will both headlamp beams be adjusted to a level below the normal one, and message "Headlamp levelling not working. Contact workshop" is displayed. In current case, as only the right headlamp is failing, is the culprit most likely wiring AHL / headlamp, the stepper motor or maybe the connector at the lamp. An inexpensive step is to check the connector for corrosion and being firmly connected. Given I do understand the lights as well are not working in the right headlamp, is the connector the prime suspect.

[Monchovix07Saab2.0T]

Thanks 9-3 Aero, I will look for the connector and see if there is any corrosion or loose fittings. Thanks for all the help, you guys are great

[mr_saab]

Are those marker bulbs always supposed to be on? When my headlight bulb on the left blew, I guess the marker bulb went with it. I will reset by unplugging the battery.

yes

[Monchovix07Saab2.0T]

Also guys, my front shocks seem to be to noisy. Is this normal? I hear a thump once in a while; I have never heard load struts like this, only when they are going bad. What brand do you recommend for the saab 9-3 2.0T?

I was looking at kW, bilstein but I would like to get performance and a nice comfortable ride since I commute daily with this car.