# 2008 SAAB 9-3 — POWER TRAIN
> **FATAL** · NHTSA complaint `980307` · 2013-05-19 · General Motors, LLC
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 1
- **Injured:** 4
- **Fire:** Yes
- **Crash:** Yes
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** SAAB
- **Model:** 9-3
- **Year:** 2008
- **Manufacturer:** General Motors, LLC
- **Component:** POWER TRAIN
- **Miles at failure:** 25,400
- **Speed:** 65 mph
## Narrative
AT 65 MPH, THE GEAR SHIFT KNOB, SHIFT COVER AND ASSEMBLY SEPARATED FROM THE CAR - THE BASE-METAL STICK SHIFT WAS ALL THAT REMAINED, AND THUS THE SAFETY LATCH THAT PREVENTS CAR FROM BEING SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, INSTEAD OF A FORWARD MOVING GEAR, NORMALLY ATTACHED TO THE EXTERIOR, WAS NOW MISSING. ALAS, SAFELY SHIFTING INTO ANY OF ITS 6 GEARS, WAS NOT AN OPTION ... IT'S ODD, BUT PER ITS ORIGINAL MANUFACTURING SPECS, THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IN THE 9-3, HAS ZERO LOCKING MECHANISM TO KEEP THE KNOB AND COSMETIC HOUSING FROM SEPARATING.     NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO DEALERSHIPS AND ACROSS THE INTERNET. GM STILL COVERS 9-3, 2008, UNDER ITS WARRANTY POLICIES.  *TR
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*