KnownCarProblems2004 Saab 9-3 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 207 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Saab 9-3, most often about the seat belts (38% of complaints, typically around 85,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about 9-3 model year since 2000 and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2004 Saab 9-3 problems
Seat belts
79 complaints · 38%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles. Parts named most often: front.
My driver side seat belt webbing will no longer retract. This occurred this morning during my normal commute to work this morning, at which time there was a sudden breaking sound from behind the molding.
The seat belt on my Saab 9.3 - 2004 stopped working for no reason. I found on the internet that the item had been recalled but Saab refuses to acknowledge the recall. Nhtsa number 04v226000.
Suspension
52 complaints · 25%Half of these problems showed up before 64,500 miles. Parts named most often: front.
I received a letter from Saab dated feb 2010 to owners of 2003 - 2006 Saab 9-3s there was a potential problem of the suspension spring corrosion may weaken and/or break. 3rd paragraph bold underlined: do not take your car to the dealer as a result of the letter unless you believe your car has the condition. I did not…
2004 Saab 93 arc 63,000 miles. Broken coil spring. I was driving at highway speed when I felt a large thump. My steering went erratic and heard grinding noises. I pulled over immediately. Car was towed. The cause and damage was determined to be a broken coil spring which chain reacted and caused the front strut to…
Air bags
20 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 79,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
Saab 9-3 rear ended a dodge sprinter van at ~5mph and passenger ab deployed. Passenger seat was completely empty. Vehicle normally displays seat belt warning when seat has a heavy bag (or passenger) in it and warning was not displayed. Only exterior damage was to front fascia. No damage to hood or either quarter…
On july 25 2008, my daughter was driving my 2004 Saab 9-3 sport sedan. She went off the road, side swiping 2 trees before slamming into a drainage pipe/embankment. The left side curtain airbags were the only ones that deployed. The car is a total loss with extensive front-end damage. If not for her wearing her seat…
Electrical
13 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 53,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition.
Interior cabin fan.. The fan stays on although the car is "off" (key out of ignition), and while AC or heat are off (at 0). There is also a noise at time coming from the fan under the glove box. Dealer claims this is not a defect and will cost around $1000, the darn car is less than 3.5 years old and not a defect..…
2004 Saab 9-3 arc. The circuit located in the rear of the car, which controls the rear light clusters including the top mounted brake light often fails. I have replaced it twice in just over a year and it has failed again. It starts with one bulb failing and the warning message shows up on the display. Then in a…
Engine
12 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 20,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
Owner was driving at approximately 65 MPH the check engine light came on and the vehicle stalled. Vehicle "b" rear ended owner's vehicle while being driven at 70 MPH. Upon impact, the frontal air bags failed to deploy. Owner sustained injuries, was taken to the emergency room and released.
While driving vehicle at normal speed the engine shuts off. This is the third time vehicle has quit while driving. Previous 2 times dealership has checked vehicle and found no problems.
Fuel system
9 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 79,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
Everytime I fill the gas tank to full and I start driving (esp. On a highway), the fuel gauge drops to empty--even though it is full. The, I have to stop the car and turn it on several times before the fuel gauge goes back up to full again.
Filled gas tank and gauge read full. After a few minutes, gauge read empty. Began occurring when going around a corner, but now reads empty immediately after filling. Once 1/8 to 1/4 of the tank is used, gauge reads accurately.
Brakes
7 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 8,000 miles. Parts named most often: power assist, foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, fluid.
Faulty installation at factory of brake line resulting in rubbing of the line until loss of all fluid and braking ability. Potentially fatal result as all braking is lost without warning.
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…
Lights
5 complaints · 2%Parts named most often: headlights.
Headlights.. I have replaced the headlight bulbs 3 times in one year. Currently the driver side headlights, side light lower bumper, and light within the headlight assembly have blown. There seems to a an electrical problem with the headlights as they continue to blow out.. Short lights as high beam are okay. I have…
The contact owns a 2004 Saab 9-3. The contact stated that the low beam headlights were progressively becoming more dim over the last two years, reducing visibility. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that this failure was a known issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Saab 9-3 recalls
Seat belts: retractor
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Seat belts: retractor
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Brakes: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Seat belts: retractor
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Seats: recliner
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Seat belt retractor
Summary
Odi has received eight complaints of front seat belt retractors breaking on model year 2004 saab 9-3 vehicles.a common failure scenario involves the driver hearing a noise and the belt suddenly losing tension.a non-functioning seat belt increases the risk and severity of injury in the event of a crash. General motors initiated a recall in may 2004 (04v226) to replace both front seat belts because of a similar problem in 25,355 model year 2003 and 5,980 model year 2004 saab 9-3 sedans.the retractors contained an automatic tensioning system (ats), a design feature and mechanism to enhance occupant comfort by reducing shoulder belt pressure.investigation found that the cable in the ats mechanis
Front suspension coil spring fracture
Summary
To date, odi is aware of 142 non-duplicative complaints related to the alleged defect.in addition, odi is aware of 2,626 subject vehicles with one or more warranty claims related to the alleged defect.in total, odi is aware of 2,714 unique subject vehicles that have experienced one or more front suspension coil spring fractures.odi is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the alleged defect.the engineering design and testing data supplied by gm, along with the frequency of consumer complaints and warranty claims related to the alleged defect, tends to support the position that, in general, the coil springs that fractured on many subject vehicles did not achieve the expected service
Front suspension coil spring fracture
Summary
On august 28, 2008, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe08-051) to investigate alleged front suspension coil spring fractures in certain model year (my) 2003-2004 saab 9-3 vehicles sold or registered in salt belt states.(note: for purposes of this investigation, the salt belt includes connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin).subsequent analysis of data provided by general motors corp. (gm) has LED the agency to expand the scope of this investigation
Questions about the 2004 Saab 9-3
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Saab 9-3?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: seat belts (79 complaints, typically around 85,000 miles); suspension (52 complaints, typically around 64,500 miles); air bags (20 complaints, typically around 79,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Saab 9-3 have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 12, 2014 (seat belts). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Saab 9-3?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about 9-3 model year since 2000, with 207 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.