How to Fix a Clicking Sound When Unlocking/Locking a Saab 9-3

Have you ever heard a clicking noise lasting a few seconds near the glovebox of a Saab 9-3 when unlocking or locking the car? Chances are you’re dealing with a recirculation motor with a few broken gears making that noise. How to confirm what you’re dealing with A definite way to confirm this is to unplug the recirculation motor’s wiring harness and see if the noise goes away. On a 2004 Saab 9-3 Arc it’s located behind the glove box so I needed to remove it to gain access to the motor. Here are the steps I took: With the glove box closed, remove T-25 torx screws on the bottom left and bottom right of the glove box which bolts it down to the dash:

Open the glove box door and remove the T-25 torx screws on the left, middle (back wall) + right which is also bolting it down to the dash:

Pry the right-side cover/trim to clear the glove box edge.

Pull the glove box out, disconnect the hose on the top-right and the wire harness on the top-left and place the glove box out of the way. Using a flashlight, you’ll see the blower motor housing on the left directly behind where the glovebox was. Right next to it in the upper-right you’ll see the recirculation motor with the wiring harness facing you. The pic below shows the location but note that I already removed the motor:

Using a right-angle pick (or something similar that gets you some leverage in tight spots), carefully depress the wiring harness’ locking tabs on the plug to help allow you to easily disconnect it. Now try locking + unlocking your Saab to see if the noise went away. If so, you’ve confirmed the culprit. You have three options at this point: Leave it unplugged, reassemble everything and live with the car no longer allowing you to choose between fresh air ventilation or recirculation in the car’s ductwork. Attempt to fix the broken gears by removing the recirculation motor, carefully opening it up, locating the broken gears and trying to use a plastic weld/epoxy to reshape the missing teeth. Buy a new recirculation motor to fix the issue back to OEM condition (for a 2004 Saab 9-3 Arc it was Saab part # 13192013). I chose #3 after debating #2 for a bit. If it wasn’t such a precise job I probably would have tried a plastic weld but I didn’t want to deal with the time to get it just right and the potential for re-work later. Order a new one from FCP Euro so you get a lifetime warranty with it too! So you want to take the recirculation motor out? Here’s how to get the recirculation motor out (warning, it’s tight quarters in there if you haven’t already noticed): Remove the T-20 torx screws on the top front and bottom back of the recirculation motor which is locking it down. The back screw was a pain and I had to get creative to get that one out. Once the screws are out you can remove the recirculation motor:

If you want to try your hand at surgery you can carefully open the motor from its locking tabs, see the damage inside and consider fixing it. I looked inside mine, debated it, then decided to order a new one instead. It was worth opening it up though for educational merit and the fun imagining all the time I could’ve spent rebuilding the thing. See if you can spot the broken teeth:

Reassembly Installation is the reverse of removal. Just make sure you test the unit after connecting all the harnesses but before bolting down the glovebox (just in case you missed something). Let me know if you’ve run into this problem on your Saab!

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Written by :

Alex Fiehl