2006 Saab 9-3 Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 87 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2006 Saab 9-3, 49% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 93,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “takata air bags” (29% of reports).
- 87air bags complaints
- 93,000median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 1related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Takata air bags: mentioned in 25 of 87 complaints (29%)
- Specific become: mentioned in 5 of 87 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 9 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 87 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 3 an injury.
Saab 9-3 air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 9-3 | 25 | 83% | 96,500 |
| 2010 9-3 | 22 | 73% | 52,000 |
| 2009 9-3 | 17 | 40% | 95,000 |
| 2008 9-3 | 71 | 39% | 52,000 |
| 2007 9-3 | 65 | 42% | 65,563 |
| 2006 9-3 | 87 | 49% | 93,000 |
| 2005 9-3 | 12 | 13% | 23,391 |
| 2004 9-3 | 20 | 10% | 79,000 |
| 2003 9-3 | 15 | 7% | 70,000 |
| 2002 9-3 | 2 | 5% | 6,720 |
| 2001 9-3 | 4 | 7% | 92,800 |
| 2000 9-3 | 10 | 20% | 135,000 |
| 1999 9-3 | 17 | 27% | 130,200 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Saab 9-3 vehicles manufactured May 31, 2002, to February 15, 2011, 2006-2009 Saab 9-5 vehicles manufactured June 7, 2005, to May 28, 2009, and 2008-2009 Saturn Astra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2007, to July 24, 2008. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator on Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles and will replace the driver's frontal airbag module on Saturn Astra vehicles, free of charge. The recall began on March 1, 2017. Owners may contact Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007 or Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 28810.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Warning message that airbag is not working. Loud hissing sound immediately in front of dashboard, as if air is escaping. We cannot drive the car for fear of the airbag inflating. We are going to have to towed to a repair shop to be fixed and will keep all paperwork.
I have been trying to find a dealership to fix my recall but general motors stated they do not fix it. I am receiving calls and letters every other week. Who will fix this issue ??? I am located in the wilkes barre pa 18705 area. Please advise thank you
Takata recall, i took my 06 saab 93 aero into bellevue washington cadillac dealership to get my air bag recall fixed, after i hot the recalled airbag replaced they reset my ecm and now my airbag light is on intermittently and drains my battery dead over night! I have called bellevue cadillac and…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2006 Saab 9-3s have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 87 owner complaints about air bags for the 2006 Saab 9-3 (49% of the 179 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2006 Saab 9-3 air bags?
Yes: 1 safety recall list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 93,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2006 Saab 9-3?
The most frequent phrase is “takata air bags”, in 25 of 87 complaints, followed by “specific become” (5).
See all 2006 Saab 9-3 problems or air bags problems across all 9-3 years.