2004 Saab 9-3 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 9-3 years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 13 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 207 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Saab 9-3. That ranks 2nd out of 13 9-3 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is seat belts (79 complaints, 38%), typically at around 87,000 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 2 fires, 8 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
- 207owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 10complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Saab 9-3 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts problems | 79 | 38% | 87,000 | “seat belt” (80%) | $770 |
| Suspension problems | 52 | 25% | 65,000 | “coil spring” (48%) | $1,450 |
| Air Bags | 20 | 10% | 79,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 13 | 6% | 53,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 4% | 17,894 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 3% | 64,925 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 3% | 7,250 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 2% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 5 | 2% | 89,888 | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 2% | 79,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 2% | 73,138 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 4 | 2% | 112,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 1% | 117,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 1% | 82,500 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 1% | 94,056 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 1% | 76,100 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 60,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 2 | 1% | 116,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 1% | 23,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 0% | 79,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 0% | 107,643 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Saab 9-3 recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seat belts:front:retractor
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2011 Saab 9-3 Convertible vehicles manufactured July 30, 2003, to February 15, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the driver's side front seat belt retractor may break, causing the seat belt webbing not to retract.
Risk: In the event of a crash, a seat belt that has not retracted may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt retractor, free of charge. The recall began on October 6, 2015. Owners may contact Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007. GM's number for this recall is 14222. Note: Special Coverage 10086 will replace the passenger side seat belt retractor if it fails, free of charge, for the life of the vehicle.
Seat belts:front:retractor
Problem: General motors is recalling certain model year 2004 saab 9-3 sedans. Some of these vehicles were produced with front seat belt retractors that, over time, could fail to retract.
Risk: Using a seat belt that has not retracted, and in the event of a crash, a seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER SIDE RETRACTOR FREE OF CHARGE. IF THE FRONT PASSENGER RETRACTOR WERE TO FAIL TO RETRACT, GM WILL REPLACE THE FRONT PASSENGER RETRACTOR FREE OF CHARGE UNDER A SPECIAL COVERAGE THAT WILL BE RELEASED FOR THE SAME POPULATION FOR 10 YEARS FROM NEW VEHICLE DATE OF SALE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SAAB AT 1-800-955-9007 OR AT THE OWNER CENTER AT SAABPARTS.COM/US. Note: In June 2014, GM expanded the special coverage from 10 years to be for the lifetime of the vehicle.
Service brakes, hydraulic:power assist:vacuum:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Problem: Certain sport sedan and convertible passenger vehicles were produced with a vacuum pipe check valve for the brake booster that may fail from exposure to elevated temperatures. This could result in sudden loss of power brake assist, usually with little or no warning.
Risk: If this condition were to occur when minimum stopping distance is required, a crash could occur.
Fix: Dealers will install a new redesigned check valve. The recall began on march 17, 2006. Owners should contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
Seat belts:front:retractor
Problem: Some sport sedans were built with seat belt retractors that were damaged during the manufacturing process. If damaged, over time, the automatic tensioning system (ats) cable in the seat belt retractor could break causing the belt webbing to not retract.
Risk: In the event of a crash, a front seat occupant may receive more severe injuries.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractor assemblies. The recall began on january 24, 2005. Owners should contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
Seats:front assembly:recliner
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207, "seating systems." the backrest locking mechanism on some front seats may have been installed incorrectly.
Risk: This could cause the seat back to fold forward in a frontal crash, resulting in injury to the driver and/or front seat passenger.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the vehicle's front seats to determine if they are equipped with the improperly installed component. If either or both of the seats have this component, they will be replaced. The dealer may need to order a complete new seat or seats (including matching upholstery) and the parts may take up to two to four weeks to arrive. Saab will provide a rental car for the owner until the new seat(s) is (are) available and installed by the dealer. Owner notification is expected to begin during february 2004. Owners should contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Seat belt retractor (PE09048) — opened Sep 30, 2009, closed Feb 25, 2010, led to recall 10V043000.
- Front Suspension Coil Spring Fracture (EA08026) — opened Dec 22, 2008, closed Jun 4, 2010.
- Front suspension coil spring fracture (PE08051) — opened Aug 28, 2008, closed Dec 23, 2008.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Retractor won't pull driver side seat belt back in
Constant random recurrence of error codes P2122 and P2138 (either together or on their own) which results in the car switching to low power mode, with very low acceleration which makes it very dangerous to merge into traffic, pull out of stops, red lights, etc. Technically supposed to require…
******* delete voq ******* this complaint is being marked for deletion because the consumer placed the request*djr ******* delete voq *******
Called devoe automotive in naples to have recalled seatbelt fixed, it just failed to retract. I sent a picture of the vin. And was told they could not find it and could not help us with out a letter with our vin on it saying the broken seatbelt was recalled, just because it will not retract that…
I recieved a letter recall 15027 dated december 2018. I had to have my seatbelt repaired in june 2016. The cost of the repair was $401 and was repaired by bicklers repair. I am requesting reembursement for the repair in 2016. It is still not functioning correctly so i currently have it in for…
Other Saab 9-3 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 9-3 | 30 | 3 |
| 2010 9-3 | 30 | 3 |
| 2009 9-3 | 43 | 2 |
| 2008 9-3 | 184 | 2 |
| 2007 9-3 | 155 | 2 |
| 2006 9-3 | 179 | 2 |
| 2005 9-3 | 95 | 2 |
| 2004 | 207 | 5 |
| 2003 9-3 | 212 | 4 |
| 2002 9-3 | 37 | 4 |
| 2001 9-3 | 59 | 4 |
| 2000 9-3 | 50 | 2 |
| 1999 9-3 | 64 | 3 |
See all Saab 9-3 problems by year, every Saab model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Saab models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Saab 9-3?
Owners most often report seat belts, suspension, air bags problems. The top one, seat belts, accounts for 79 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Saab 9-3?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Saab 9-3 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 9-3 model years, the 2004 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.