2009 Saab 9-3 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 9-3 years
- Fewer complaints than other years 10th of 13 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 43 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Saab 9-3. That ranks 10th out of 13 9-3 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (17 complaints, 40%), typically at around 95,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 43owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 17 | 40% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 12 | 28% | 77,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 9% | 78,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 5% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 5% | 34,745 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 1 | 2% | 18,200 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 2% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 2% | 39,269 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 2% | 12,800 | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 2% | 59,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 2% | 23,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 2% | 44,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 2% | 18,200 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 2% | 18,200 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 Saab 9-3 recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
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.
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.
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
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
My 2009 saab 9-3 started and ran fine on the way to work, but at lunch it started for a couple seconds and shut off. The car cranks, but is audibly too free spinning. A local shop said compression in the engine was very low, and after multiple calls it seems that my car has the infamous "soft…
Misfires when cold, resulting in rough low idle speed and possible stalling after cold start.
My car has fallen victim to the soft intake valve issue. My car was parked in my driveway, it ran perfectly well the night before. I attempted to move it on christmas eve morning 12/24/2017 but it would not start. I then had it towed to my local saab mechanic, automotion in billerica, ma- the owner…
The intake valves are worn on the engine this started around 80,000 miles and has progressively gotten worse. The car will not start on very cold days. If it does, it idles very rough and hard. Date below is an estimate of when this started.
I have owned my 2008 saab 9-3 for about a year now and i have had an ongoing rough running issue that seems to be getting worse. When i start my car up in the morning it runs very rough. Ihave gotten it diagnosed and it is misfiring dramatically like 6000 on one cylinder and 1081 on another . I…
Other Saab 9-3 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 9-3 | 30 | 3 |
| 2010 9-3 | 30 | 3 |
| 2009 | 43 | 2 |
| 2008 9-3 | 184 | 2 |
| 2007 9-3 | 155 | 2 |
| 2006 9-3 | 179 | 2 |
| 2005 9-3 | 95 | 2 |
| 2004 9-3 | 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 2009 Saab 9-3?
Owners most often report air bags, engine, fuel/propulsion system problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 17 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Saab 9-3?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 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 2009 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.