KnownCarProblems2009 Saab 9-3 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 43 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Saab 9-3, most often about the air bags (40% of complaints). It is 9th of 12 9-3 model years by number of complaints and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2009 Saab 9-3 problems
Air bags
17 complaints · 40%Takata recall I have been aware of my vehicle's recall for greater than 6 months and my manufacturer has not yet presented a safe solution.
The contact owns a 2009 Saab 9-3. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v063000 (air bags); however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The air bag warning indicator was…
Engine
13 complaints · 30%Half of these problems showed up before 76,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2003 Saab 9-3. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the engine stalled while all the warning lights illuminated. The failure occurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure.…
Car went into "limp-home" mode. Upon mechanic inspection, failed compression test and had bad intake valves. Out-of-pocket fix, car running fine now. Kept all parts replaced, edges of valves are as sharp as a knife. Similar experience as documented by other Saab owners at link below.…
Fuel system
4 complaints · 9%The contact owns a 2009 Saab 9-3. While driving at approximately 60 MPH, a strong odor of fuel emitted into the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact observed fuel leaking from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that fuel was leaking…
The cylinder valves are all having to be replaced though the car only has 77k miles. I have now researched and learned that this was a problem on the 2007,2008, and 2009 saabs and nothing has been done to recall the cars. The resulting problem is that the car will not start when cold and the compression during a cold…
Brakes
3 complaints · 7%After starting car and adjusting seat I backed out of parking space and applied the brakes which did not seem to work properly. The car eventually stopped as I was not going very fast. I put the car in drive and began to accelerate to move to another parking spot and as I turned the corner going approximately 10 MPH I…
Upon starting after sitting, the brakes have a greatly increased pedal effort and a correspondingly greatly reduced braking effect. This combined with the relatively high idle for this model of engine, (v-6), at start up combines to creates a situation where the car is very difficult to stop when driving away from…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2009 Saab 9-3 recalls
Air bags: inflator module
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.
Full defect summary
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.
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.
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
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Questions about the 2009 Saab 9-3
- What are the most common problems with the 2009 Saab 9-3?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (17 complaints); engine (13 complaints, typically around 76,500 miles); fuel system (4 complaints).
- How many recalls does the 2009 Saab 9-3 have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 3, 2016 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2009 a bad year for the Saab 9-3?
- It is 9th of 12 9-3 model years by number of complaints, with 43 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.