FaultScore

Saab 9-3 steering problems

41 of the 1,689 complaints filed about the Saab 9-3 are about the steering — 2% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2003.

41

Complaints

2%

Share of all complaints

9

Crashes

0

Fires

Steering complaints by model year

1999 9-3 2 4.9%
2002 9-3 1 2.4%

Median failure at 71,000 miles

2003 9-3 20 48.8%

Median failure at 60,017 miles

2004 9-3 4 9.8%

Median failure at 79,500 miles

2005 9-3 1 2.4%

Median failure at 12,000 miles

2006 9-3 8 19.5%

Median failure at 34,000 miles

2007 9-3 4 9.8%

Median failure at 76,500 miles

2009 9-3 1 2.4%

Median failure at 59,500 miles

What owners said

2003 Saab 9-3 at 130,000 miles Harvey, IL

STEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WITH THE KEY FOB IN THE IGNITION, THE POWER STEERING WHEEL LOCK MALFUNCTION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MANUALLY TURNED THE IGNITION KEY TO THE LEFT TO RIGHT IN ORDER TO HAVE THE VEHICLE STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FLIKKEMA SAAB (2424 176TH ST, LANSING, IL 60438 (708) 474-19330) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE COLUMN INTEGRATED MODULE (CIM) NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

NHTSA complaint #11297754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Saab 9-3 at 3 miles Stottville, NY

STEERING

WHEN I USED MY CRUISE CONTROL SOMETIMES IT ENGAGES AND DOES NOT ENGAGE. IT DID THIS FOR OVER A MONTH. WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR, I DID MY RESEARCH ON IT AND IT SAID THAT IT HAS A STEERING FLUID LOSS PROBLEM, BECAUSE THE QUALITY IS POOR. I AM CURIOUS TO WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ON IT YET.

NHTSA complaint #11279200 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Saab 9-3 at 109,000 miles Stottville, NY

STEERING

TAKATA RECALL. THE STEERING PUMP IS LEAKING AND I TOOK MY CAR TO GM AND THEY REFUSED TO WORK ON MY 2006 SAAB 9-3. THE STEERING LEAKING IS SAFETY ISSUE, AND IF I LOSE CONTROL OF MY STEERING..I CAN END UP HURTING MYSELF. PLEASE TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION AND MAKE GM FIX MY STEERING PUMP!

NHTSA complaint #11202788 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2005 Saab 9-3 at 12,000 miles Barstow, CA

STEERING

MY CAR WON'T START AND NO MECHANIC CAN FIGURE OUT EXACTLY WHY DUE TO THERE NOT BEING ANY SAAB DEALERS NEAR THE AREA I'M STUCK IN... I HAVE BEEN LIVING OUT OF MY CAR FOR 3 MONTHS CUZ I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO STEAL MY CAR

NHTSA complaint #11123274 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 Saab 9-3 at 71,810 miles Euless, TX Crash 2 injured

STEERING

HIT CONCRETE WALL

NHTSA complaint #10896212 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 Saab 9-3 at 70,000 miles Euless, TX Crash 2 injured

STEERING

COIL SPRING BROK CAUSED TIRE TO COME OFF TURNDED SIDEWAYS UNDER FIREWALL CAUSING US TO CRASH INTO CONCRETE BARRIER

NHTSA complaint #10861627 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 Saab 9-3 at 71,810 miles Euless, TX Crash 2 injured

STEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2003 SAAB 9-3. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE STEERING LOST POWER. THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE WALL. THE DRIVER SIDE TIRE BECAME STUCK UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT WITHOUT WARNING. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER RECEIVED INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE POLICE WAS AT THE SCENE, BUT DID NOT FILE A REPORT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. ONE DAY AFTER THE FAILURE, THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V063000 (AIR BAGS). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,810.

NHTSA complaint #10853277 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2002 Saab 9-3 at 71,000 miles Delray Beach, FL

STEERING

SAAB 9-3 2002 FREQUENTLY WILL NOT START EVEN THOUGH IT HAS NEW BATTERY AND NEWER ALTERNATOR- MAY BE IGNITION DISCHARGE MODULE.

NHTSA complaint #10838086 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 Saab 9-3 at 146,000 miles Winchester, VA

STEERING

I HAVE A 9-3 SAAB EVERYTIME I STOP AND TURN CAR OFF WHEN I GET BACK IN A PUT KEY IN I GET A STEERING WHEEL LOCK CONTACT SAAB DEALER IT WON'T EVEN LET ME TURN THE KEY I HAVE THE CAR FOR ABOUT YEARS AND NOW IT'S DOING THIS I HAVE TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY AND RECONNECT FOR THE COMPUTER RESET AND RESTART ME CAR CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THIS THANK YOU .....

NHTSA complaint #10809960 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 Saab 9-3 at 90,000 miles 11572, NY

STEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SAAB 9-3. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCK WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE DOORS OF THE VEHICLE FAILED TO LOCK. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE IGNITION KEY FAILED TO MOVE INTO THE ON POSITION. A TOW TRUCK OPERATOR STATED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE MOVED BECAUSE THE WHEELS WERE LOCKED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #10785262 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2003 Saab 9-3 at 160,000 miles Depere, WI

STEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY REFUSED TO TURN TO THE ON POSITION AND A STEERING WHEEL LOCK MALFUNCTION MESSAGE APPEARED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

NHTSA complaint #10730907 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 Saab 9-3 at 104,000 miles Campbell Hall, NY Crash 1 injured

STEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2004 SAAB 9-3. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE STEERING COLUMN JAMMED AND RESULTED IN A CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED AWAY. THE DRIVER WAS INJURED AND REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FIELD. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000.

NHTSA complaint #10730942 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 Saab 9-3 at 55,000 miles Saint Louis, MO

STEERING

THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE KNOWN TO NHTSA AND GM UNDER PE 08051. IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND A RECALL ISSUED. BACKING OUT OF GARAGE I HEARD A POP FROM RIGHT FRONT AREA OF CAR WHEN PUT IN REVERSE. DROVE ABOUT 200 FEET BEFORE I SMELLED BURNING RUBBER. CAR BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. I HAD CAR TOWED TO INDEPENDENT SERVICE GARAGE. IT IS DETERMINED THAT THE RIGHT FRONT SPRING BROKE AND BECAME ENTANGLED IN FRONT SUSPENSION, STEERING AND TIRE. HAD I BEEN GOING AT A SPEED GREATER THAN 20 MILES PER HOUR I WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO STEER THE CAR TO A SAFE STOP. BOTH GM AND NHTSA KNOW OF THE BREAKING FRONT SPRING IN SALTED ROAD AREAS INCLUDING MISSOURI. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY 55000 MILES AND IS STORED IN A GARAGE AT HOME AND WORK. PLEASE PUT OUT A RECALL ISSUE IMMEDIATELY, THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. ALSO A FRONT SEAT BELT RECALL WENT OUT LAST SUMMER. I HAVE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER SEVERAL TIMES, THE REPLACEMENT SEAT BELT IS ALWAYS SEVERAL MONTH OUT. MINE HAS BECOME KNOTTED AND DOES NOT LAY FLAT ACROSS MY BODY BUT IS MORE LIKE A ROLLED ROPE. GM NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND GET THE PARTS OUT ASAP AS WELL. AGAIN GM NEEDS TO RECALL THE KNOWN ISSUE ON THE FRONT SPRINGS ON 2003 - 2006 SAAB 9-3'S AND FULFILL THEIR CURRENT RECALL ON THE DAMAGED RECALLED SEAT BELT. UPDATED 09/08/15*LJ UPDATED 10/26/2017

NHTSA complaint #10726587 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2009 Saab 9-3 at 59,500 miles Ocean, NJ

STEERING

WHILE DRIVING I RECEIVED A MESSAGE THAT SAID STEERING LOCK MALFUNCTION COME TO A SAFE STOP. IT LASTED ABOUT 3 TO 4 SECONDS AND THEN WENT OFF. THE STEERING WAS NOT AFFECTED. IT HAPPENED AGAIN ABOUT AN HOUR LATER AT A LOWER SPEED, SAME MESSAGE AND AGAIN IT ONLY LASTED A FEW SECONDS. IT OCCURRED THE NEXT MORNING WHEN I STARTED THE CAR. AT NO TIME WAS THE STEERING AFFECTED.

NHTSA complaint #10702216 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 Saab 9-3 at 99,500 miles Dearborn Heights, MI

STEERING

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO INSTALL NEW HEADLIGHTS, I REMOVED THE NEGATIVE ON THE BATTERY. AFTER PUTTING THE NEGATIVE BACK ON TO THE BATTERY, THE SYSTEM HAS RESET AND HAS NOT REBOOTED SINCE THEN. THE CAR IS IN MINIMAL DRIVING CONDITION, PERFORMANCE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DROPPED AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS, THE ENGINE KNOCKS AND SHAKES AT HIGH SPEEDS, THERE IS NO MORE TURBO BOOST AND WHILE FLOORING THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR IS HESITANT TO INCREASE SPEED.

NHTSA complaint #10660045 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 Saab 9-3 at 75,000 miles SAN Gabriel, CA

STEERING

2007 SAAB HAS ISSUE WITH DRIVER STEERING LOCK AND DRIVER AIR BAG FAILURE. WHEN I DRIVER ON HIGHWAY I GET NOTICE STEERING WHEEL LOCK. I HAVE NOT HAVE THE WHEEL LOCK YET WHILE I AM DRIVING ON HIGHWAY BUT I DID COMPLETE STOP SEVERAL TIME WHEN NOTICE ON DASH BOARD LIGHT UP WHERE THE STEERING LOCKS UP AFTER I STOP AND TURN OFF THE CAR. I BROUGHT IN THE CAR TO GM DEALER AND ERROR ON SYSTEM COMPUTER AND THEY SAID NO ISSUE. FOR A 2008 AUTOMOTIVE LESS THAN 100,000 MILES TO HAVE AIR BAG FAILURE IS VERY ODD. DEALERS WANT TO REPLACE THE AIR BAG WHICH COST ABOUT $1300. WHICH IS EXPENSIVE FOR 6 TO 7 YEAR OLD CAR TO HAVE TO FIX POSSIBLE GM MANUFACTURE DEFECTS AND THEIR OWN QUALITY CONTROL.

NHTSA complaint #10632167 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 Saab 9-3 at 78,000 miles Clifton Park, NY

STEERING

MY 2007 SAAB 9-3, HAS INCIDENTS OF NOT STARTING WHEN I INSERT THE KEY INTO THE IGNITION. I GET AN THAT INDICATES "STEERING WHEEL LOCK MALFUNCTION. PULL OVER SAFELY". THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME WHILE STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS OF 65 MILES PER HOUR. I NOTICE THAT WHILE THE CAR IS IN GEAR, I CAN DRIVE IT BUT ONCE I PLACE IT IN PARK, THE CAR WILL NOT DRIVE. I HAVE TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART IT IN ORDER TO MOVE IT. I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY IF THIS SHOULD HAPPEN WHILE I AM DRIVING. THE CAR IS A GENERAL MOTORS PRODUCT HOWEVER GM NEGLECTED TO KEEP MY CAR WARRANTY INFORMATION ONCE THEY DISCONTINUED SELLING SAAB. I CAN NO LONGER GET ANY INFORMATION FROM GM ON ANY RECALLS. I PURCHASED MY CAR NEW AND IT HAS 78,000 MILES.

NHTSA complaint #10577758 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Saab 9-3 at 110,000 miles Austin, TX Crash 1 injured

STEERING

VEHICLE LEFT ROADWAY AT 35MPH AND STRUCK A TREE. AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY, DRIVER SUFFERED FACIAL AND TEETH DAMAGE.

NHTSA complaint #10548321 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2007 Saab 9-3 at 32,000 miles Louisville, KY

STEERING

2007 SAAB 9-3 WAS BEING DRIVEN AT NORMAL SPEEDS ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET. DRIVER NOTICED SHUDDER IN STEERING WHEEL TWICE, THEN AT THE RIGHT NEXT TURN THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL TURN 90 DEGREES OUTWARD FROM FORWARD DIRECTION AND THE CAR WAS INOPERABLE. AXLE WAS DETACHED FROM THE DRIVESHAFT. CAR TAKEN TO SAAB DEALER, WHO REPORTED A BOLT ON THE STEERING LINKAGE MAY HAVE SHEARED OFF, CAUSING THE FAILURE.

NHTSA complaint #10307276 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2006 Saab 9-3 at 40,000 miles Darin, IL

STEERING

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SAAB 9-3. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. IMMEDIATELY, THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE ENGINE FAILED TO RESTART AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE IDLING WITHIN THE COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS FOR IDENTICAL FAILURES. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURES WERE RELATED TO THE TEMPERATURE SENSOR, WHICH WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE CONTINUED AND THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,550.

NHTSA complaint #10278816 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Saab 9-3 problems