NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Saab 9-3 Recalls
The 2003 Saab 9-3 has 5 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on March 7, 2007.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Saab 9-3. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 5
- Owner complaints
- 212
- Crashes reported
- 12
- NHTSA crash test
- Not rated
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
6 fires
On a 2003 Saab 9-3, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
5 recalls on the 2003 Saab 9-3
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- Campaign
- 07V087000
- Reported
- March 7, 2007
- Vehicles affected
- up to 94,377
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2002 9-3, 2 other models
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- Campaign
- 05V236000
- Reported
- May 19, 2005
- Vehicles affected
- up to 68,654
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2005 9-3
Engine and engine cooling
- Campaign
- 04V540000
- Reported
- October 20, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 12,249
- Same campaign
- only the 2003 Saab 9-3
Seat belts: front: retractor
- Campaign
- 04V226000
- Reported
- May 11, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 31,335
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2004 9-3
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- Campaign
- 11E009000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2011 9-3, 2 other models
2003 Saab 9-3 complaints by year
NHTSA has received 212 owner complaints about the 2003 Saab 9-3, the newest on January 20, 2021. Of these, 12 describe a crash (6%) and 6 a fire; owners reported 17 injuries.
In complaints about the 2003 Saab 9-3, the component group named most often is the electrical system (22%), followed by the suspension (20%) and the engine and engine cooling (15%).
1 of the 2003 Saab 9-3's 5 recalls also concerns the engine and engine cooling.
Where 2003 Saab 9-3 owners gave the mileage (167 complaints), the median was 49,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Electrical System46
- Suspension42
- Engine And Engine Cooling32
- Power Train32
- Steering18
- Fuel System, Gasoline16
Complaints received, by year
| 2002 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 34 | |
| 2004 | 29 | |
| 2005 | 20 | |
| 2006 | 16 | |
| 2007 | 17 | |
| 2008 | 19 | |
| 2009 | 30 | |
| 2010 | 10 | |
| 2011 | 4 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 8 | |
| 2015 | 5 | |
| 2016 | 9 | |
| 2017 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 4 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2003 Saab 9-3 peaked in 2003, when NHTSA received 34. 47% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Saab 9-3 drew 4.1× the complaints of the median Saab 9-3 year in the same window: 1st highest of the 7 ranked years.
That makes 2003 one of the Saab 9-3 years to avoid by our method.
The 212 complaints about the 2003 Saab 9-3 are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Saab 9-3 by model year
Other 2003 Saab models
Newest record on this page: January 20, 2021. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted