2005 Saab 9-3: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 114 complaints
114
Total Complaints
62,000mi
Median Mileage
SEAT BELTS
Top Issue
5
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

37,437 25th Percentile
62,000 Median Mileage
83,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SEAT BELTS
20
SUSPENSION:FRONT
15
SUSPENSION
14
AIR BAGS
10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
5
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
3
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
3

Severity Assessment

5
Crashes
2
Fires
9
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED MY SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE THE DIGITAL COMPASS ALWAYS READS NORTH AND CALIBRATED. WENT IN FOR SERVICE AND DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY CANNOT FIX IT. THEY ADVISED ME THE SAAB REPRESENTATIVE IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, AND ALL OF THE CONVERTIBLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, SECONDARY TO A ..."
"THE ENGINE ON MY 2005 SAAB 9-3 HAS FAILED TWO TIMES WITHIN THE FIRST 4900 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED IN JUNE OF 2005 AND THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A THROTTLE BODY FAILURE. THE FAILURE RESULTS IN THE CAR ACCELERATING EXTREMELY SLOW WITHOUT ANY PRIOR NOTICE. THE SECOND FAI..."
"THE ENGINE ON MY 2005 SAAB 9-3 HAS FAILED TWO TIMES WITHIN THE FIRST 4900 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED IN JUNE OF 2005 AND THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A THROTTLE BODY FAILURE. THE FAILURE RESULTS IN THE CAR ACCELERATING EXTREMELY SLOW WITHOUT ANY PRIOR NOTICE. THE SECOND FAI..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28