Owners have filed 1,137 complaints on the Saab 9-3, covering 1999–2011. The system named most often is Air Bags (334 reports). Worst years by volume: 2004, 2006, 2008; cleanest: 2011, 2010, 2002. 40 reports describe a crash, 13 a fire, 1 a death. On average the car was 6.8 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Saab 9-3
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 1,137 9-3 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 334 Read
Drivers side airbag spontaneously deployed while in motion on a city street going in a forward, straight motion
My wife and I were involved in a motor vehicle accident in our 2007 saab 9-3 2.0 t convertible. We were heading eastbound on sr610 in stafford, va and the other vehicle was heading westbound. The other driver made an illegal left turn in front of us failing to yield the right of way and we struck his car in the ride…
Air bag failure 2007 saab aero convertible I was in a 4 car pile up in which I hit the car in front of me at approximately 25 mph. Air bag sensors were hit but airbag failed to deploy. I was seatbelted but did hit the steering wheel face first and was taken to the hospital by ambulance from the scene. I did suffer a…
Seat Belts 131 Read
Seat belt repair problem re 2005 saab 9.3 VIN [xxx] purchased dec '04, involved in accident aug '05. No repair parts stocked in usa, therefore ordered from sweden. After seven weeks on order, most repair parts received and repairs finally have been started more than eight weeks since accident. However seat belt repair…
Driver side seat belt not retracting, there is a recall but does not include this vin number
Months ago, driver's seatbelt light would come on, driver would then push harder on seatbelt buckle which would 'click' again (second time) and secure. Recently, driver would conscientiously and purposely note 'click' in buckle mechanism yet light would come on anyway. Driver had to disengage and re click seatbelt 2-3…
Suspension 125 Read
Pump on rear xwd failure
The contact owns a 2009 saab 9-3. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact heard a rattling sound near the front passenger side of the vehicle. The contact self-diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the front coil spring was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified of the…
Replaced both front coil springs at recommendation of dealer. One spring was broken completely at bottom (on driver's side), and the other was cracked (on passenger side). Spacer leafs were replaced also. I've retained the parts. Expense was not covered under warranty although the car has only 47,500 miles. It is 4…
Electrical System 117 Read
On august 27, 2012, while shopping in the mall, I came out side to the fire department putting a fire out that looks to have occurred while I was in the store. I don't understand how the care caught fire while it was parked. When I got out of the car it seemed to be fine. The fire marshall report side that it was an…
While driving at 11:30 pm on a small (paved) country road with my high beams on, my warning system indicated "left high beam failure. I continued driving and about a minute later I noticed sparks along the left side of the car. I pulled over to see what was wrong and the left head light was in flames. Within 15…
Two items: 1. The seatbelt failed to catch when pulled forward and would unravel and not return. The seatbelt fails to stop the passenger should there be a sudden stop. 2. Both the left and right side tail light assemblies have shorted and melted at the electrical connection
Engine 76 Read
The engine lost total compression due to what the mechanic said was a well-documented case of intake valve failure, happened in northern california. The engine cut out while I was in traffic on the freeway, the car stopped, and the car was grazed from behind. Not much of a problem due to damage, just a quick re-paint…
The contact owns a 2011 saab 9-3. The contact detected a strong odor of coolant inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the vehicle was leaking coolant and screws were missing that connected the transmission to the motor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and…
There have been two incidents where the vehicle has stalled suddenly while I was driving at a low speed. The vehicle also suddenly ran out of gas twice in the first two months I owned it. After the first service at the dealer, the fuel gauge has been working correctly, although I was not told there was a problem or a…
Engine And Engine Cooling 70 Read
2007 saab 9-3 went on fire with driver in it. Car was serviced at massey saab, orlando, flon june 3rd, 2008 (40,000 mile service, electrical repairs, detail, wheel alignment). Vehicle was in mcdonald's drive-through in orlando fl on junction of 535 n and hotel plaza blvd. Engine caught on fire. Manger of mcdonald's…
2007 saab 9-3 aero equipped with 2.8l v6 turbo engine (convertible) - engine compartment fire - (odometer - 23,200 miles) upon starting, engine ran a little rough, proceeded to saab dealer for service - no service lights on dash - eventually lost power brakes - engine stalled and burst into flames - all happened…
The contact owns a 2006 saab 9-3. The contact stated that every four months and approximately 30 miles, the coolant reservoir cracks, which causes leakage onto the engine. As a result, a fire erupts under the hood. The failure was noticed while driving 30 mph. The current mileage was 12,500 and failure mileage was…
Service Brakes 54 Read
The contact owns a 2006 saab 9-3. The contact discovered that his brakes failed shortly after starting the vehicle when he placed the vehicle in reverse to back out of his parking space. When the transmission is shifted from park into reverse or drive before the engine has been warmed up, the brakes do not work to…
Upon starting the vehicle after sitting, the brakes had greatly increased pedal effort to apply and greatly reduced breaking result. The car failed to stop and struck a pole while backing up
Brake failure. Resulted in collision. Dealership identified failed brake components and replaced the master cylinder, ABS manifold, brake pads and rotors. Claim was made to saab/gm, claim# 513166, and warranty covered the brake repairs. They settled in full for the substitute transportation and collision deductible…
Fuel System 45 Read
The contact owns a 2010 saab 9-3. The contact attempted to accelerate from a stop but the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where it was repaired. The contact was later notified that the vehicle was included in NHTSA recall campaign id number 11V015000 (fuel system, other:delivery:fuel…
The contact owns a 2010 Saab 9-3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V015000 (Fuel System, Other) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that…
Engine light went on beginning of winter 2011, and code indicated failed fuel pump. Gm (this is a gm car) and saab indicated faulty part, and continued to indicate back order of part, and then method to rebuild available fuel pump, which apparently is also on back order. Engine light goes off after several months, but…
9-3 years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 2 | 3 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 10 | 3 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 4 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 6 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags,seats | — | 1 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 5 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 586 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.9 |
| Worst single series | 13 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.8 years |
A model average of 1.9 hides a worst series at 13. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the 9-3?
By complaint volume, 2004, 2006, 2008 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which 9-3 years are the cleanest?
2011, 2010, 2002 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Saab 9-3 have?
1,137 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1999–2011. Of those, 40 describe a crash and 13 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.