A Chevrolet Malibu owner checking a recall on his car stumbled across an unexpected piece of automotive history. General Motors was still directing certain vehicle owners to Saab service centers, even though the Swedish automaker stopped building cars in 2011.
The driver, who posts on TikTok as @drilledlobotomytwo, was reviewing GM’s recall instructions before taking his 2023 Chevrolet Malibu to a dealership. A reference to Saab caught his attention, prompting him to investigate where those service centers might be.
His search eventually led him to a listing for Saab of Sherman Oaks in Los Angeles. But when he checked the address on Google Street View, he found something entirely different: a Cadillac dealership.
The discovery raised a question about what happened to Saab’s service network after the company disappeared from the new-car market. As it turns out, the answer is more complicated than the brand’s bankruptcy might suggest.
A Strange Discovery
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@drilledlobotomytwo Let’s not forget GM killed Saab #saab #saab93 #svenska ♬ original sound – drilledlobotomytwo
“So my car has a recall, right?” the driver explains in the video. “And I’m looking at the information before I take it to the dealership.”
The recall concerns the rearview camera in certain 2023 through 2025 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The camera display can become distorted or blank, reducing visibility behind the car. GM dealers are responsible for correcting the issue at no charge.
While reviewing the instructions, the driver noticed GM’s website directing owners of discontinued brands to service providers. Saab owners received a separate instruction to contact a Saab Official Service Center.
“Saab is a Swedish car company that hasn’t made a car since 2011,” he says. “Saab does not exist.”
Curious, he followed the service-center information and searched for a location.
Cadillac Surprise
The driver found a listing for Saab of Sherman Oaks at 14401 Ventura Boulevard in California. The location was designated for recall work.
He then looked up the address using Google Street View. Instead of a recognizable Saab facility, the images showed Cadillacs parked outside.
“Parts department. It’s a Cadillac dealership,” he says. “What?”
The address corresponds to Casa de Cadillac, a dealership in Sherman Oaks.
Although the discovery seemed unusual, it does not necessarily mean GM is sending owners to nonexistent repair facilities. Saab’s original manufacturing business disappeared, but an independent parts and service network survived.
Saab Still Lives
General Motors took full ownership of Saab in 2000 before selling the company to Spyker in 2010. Saab Automobile subsequently filed for bankruptcy in 2011.
However, the end of vehicle production did not eliminate the need to maintain cars already on the road.
Saab’s parts operation continued supporting owners, and an authorized service network remains available in North America. That network provides original replacement parts, maintenance, repairs, and certain recall services.
GM also continues to provide recall information for discontinued brands, including Saab.
The distinction is important: Saab no longer manufactures new passenger cars, but Saab-authorized service centers still exist. Some operate as independent repair shops, while others are associated with dealerships representing different brands.
The Cadillac dealership discovery was therefore less evidence of an abandoned service system than a glimpse into how an automotive brand can continue supporting vehicles long after production ends.
For Saab owners, that surviving network means certain outstanding safety recalls can still be addressed despite the automaker’s bankruptcy.