U.S. public vehicle records

2008 Saab 9-3 problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

184 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

77,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2008 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 107 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Air Bags is the most frequently named component, appearing in 71 of 184 complaints (38.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Engine operation	18	9.8%
Braking behavior	10	5.4%
Fuel system concerns	8	4.3%
Transmission and shifting	7	3.8%
Electrical and battery issues	5	2.7%
Steering behavior	3	1.6%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Air Bags

Engine

Fuel/Propulsion System

Electrical System

Seat Belts

Suspension

Power Train

Unknown Or Other

Air Bags: 71; Engine: 66; Fuel/Propulsion System: 13; Electrical System: 11; Seat Belts: 10; Suspension: 10; Power Train: 9; Unknown Or Other: 4

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 10; 25,000 to 49,999: 18; 50,000 to 74,999: 21; 75,000 to 99,999: 32; 100,000 to 149,999: 21; 150,000 and above: 5

75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (32). 77 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2008

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2023

2024

2025

2026

2008: 3; 2010: 3; 2011: 1; 2012: 5; 2013: 9; 2014: 29; 2015: 21; 2016: 65; 2017: 25; 2018: 8; 2019: 2; 2020: 7; 2021: 2; 2023: 1; 2024: 1; 2025: 1; 2026: 1

Pattern summary

Air Bags leads the component reports. Engine operation appears in 18 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 10 complaint narratives. Fuel system concerns appears in 8 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10250425 · 2008-12-01 (December 1, 2008)

2008 SAAB 93 2.0T SEDAN STALLED (NO SPUTTER OR BUCK, BUT JUST A LOSS OF POWER) WHILE DRIVING. RESULTED IN A COLLISION. INITIAL DEALERSHIP MECHANICS HAVE "NO FINDINGS" - THEY WILL HAVE A FIELD ENGINEER INVESTIGATE TOMORROW. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 7,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10250425 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10316427 · 2010-03-03 (March 3, 2010)

WHILE ACCELERATING ON A FREEWAY ON RAMP, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MISFIRE AND STUTTER. TRYING TO MERGE WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, POWER WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY WHEN NOT ACCELERATING. THE CAR WAS UNABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND WOULD ONLY MAINTAIN A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR MORE CAUSES MORE STUTTERING. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FLASHED ON BRIEFLY AND THEN WENT AWAY. THE PROBLEM RESOLVED ITSELF AFTER PULLING OVER AND SHUTTING DOWN AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE. THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AG…

Owner-reported narrative. 14,450 miles reported. Look up ODI 10316427 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10593103 · 2014-05-21 (May 21, 2014)

MY WIFE'S CAR IS A 2008 SAAB 93 SEDAN. IT HAD APPROXIMATELY 48,000 MILES ON IT WHEN THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE FAILED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS CAUSED LOSS OF POWER-BRAKES, POWER-STEERING AND ABILITY TO CONTINUE DRIVING. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE ABLE TO COAST OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT RE-START. WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART IT AFTER FIGURING OUT WHICH FUSE CONTROL THE "ECM" AND PULLING/RESETTING THE FUSE. THE PROBLEM RE-APPEARED MULTIPLE TIMES ON APPROXIMATELY 100-MILE INTERVALS. WE FINALLY HAD THE ECM REPLACED WITH A USED ONE…

Owner-reported narrative. 48,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10593103 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10604787 · 2014-06-20 (June 20, 2014)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT RETRACTORS FOR THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SEATS STOPPED WORKING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SECURE THE SEAT BELT INTO THE LATCH; HOWEVER, WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER MOVED FORWARD BECAUSE THE SEAT BELT FAILED TO SECURE THEM. NONE OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT OFFER A REMEDY. A LOCAL MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR NEEDED TO BE …

Owner-reported narrative. 70,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10604787 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10499448 · 2013-02-20 (February 20, 2013)

WHILE DRIVING A NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEED, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME SINCE NOVEMBER 2012. FOR THE FIRST TWO TIMES, THE DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. THE LAST TIME THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIND A PROBLEM. TODAY, I AM TOLD THAT I NEED ALL 6 IGNITION COILS REPLACED AS WELL AS ALL 6 SPARK PLUGS. I DON'T THINK THIS IS NECESSARY AND THAT THE DEALER JUST WANTS TO MAKE SOME MONEY. THE CAR SHUDDERS AND VIBRATES LIKE CRAZY, EVEN AT IDLE BUT THIS IS WORSE WHEN ACCELERATING. ALSO, THE POWER IS MUCH LOWER…

Owner-reported narrative. 52,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10499448 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10511947 · 2013-05-14 (May 14, 2013)

SINCE DECEMBER 2012 (6 MONTHS AGO) MY CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING ON A BAD FUEL PUMP INDICATED BY CEL AND DIAGNOSTIC TESTS RUN BY AN AUTHORIZED SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THIS IS FOR AN XWD CAR WHICH HAS A DIFFERENT FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY THAN THE FWD VERSION. THE PART HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER BY SAAB PARTS (UNDER WARRANTY BY GM) AND HAS NO EXPECTED DELIVERY DATE. PER MY KNOWLEDGE THERE ARE OVER 75 PEOPLE IN FRONT ME WAITING FOR THE SAME PART. I AM CONCERNED THE FUEL PUMP WILL FAIL DURING POSSIBLE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS SUCH AS HIGH SPEED DRIVING AND MANEUVERING…

Owner-reported narrative. 49,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10511947 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10458478 · 2012-05-14 (May 14, 2012)

MY SAAB IS A 2008 9-3 AERO WITH A 6 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN OCTOBER 2010, WHEN I TRY TO ACCELERATE WHILE ALREADY AT SPEED (I.E., PASSING MANEUVER) THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION SPUTTERS AND DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATE. THE STUTTERING MAKES PASSING IN TRAFFIC A RISKY/DANGEROUS MOVE. I HAVE MADE SEVERAL TRIPS TO THE DEALER FOR INVESTIGATION AND AM REPEATEDLY TOLD THAT THIS IS THE NORMAL BEHAVIOR FOR THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. (I HAVE NEVER HAD AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CAR ACT LIKE THIS.) NEARLY TWO YEARS LATER…

Owner-reported narrative. 42,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10458478 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10512690 · 2013-05-19 (May 19, 2013)

AT 65 MPH, THE GEAR SHIFT KNOB, SHIFT COVER AND ASSEMBLY SEPARATED FROM THE CAR - THE BASE-METAL STICK SHIFT WAS ALL THAT REMAINED, AND THUS THE SAFETY LATCH THAT PREVENTS CAR FROM BEING SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, INSTEAD OF A FORWARD MOVING GEAR, NORMALLY ATTACHED TO THE EXTERIOR, WAS NOW MISSING. ALAS, SAFELY SHIFTING INTO ANY OF ITS 6 GEARS, WAS NOT AN OPTION ... IT'S ODD, BUT PER ITS ORIGINAL MANUFACTURING SPECS, THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IN THE 9-3, HAS ZERO LOCKING MECHANISM TO KEEP THE KNOB AND COSMETIC HOUSING FROM SEPARATING. NUMER…

Owner-reported narrative. 25,400 miles reported. Look up ODI 10512690 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10676623 · 2015-01-20 (January 20, 2015)

UPON STARTING MY VEHICLE IT HAD A ROUGH IDLE, I WENT AHEAD AND PUT IT IN GEAR AND BEGAN TO LEAVE MY GARAGE, THEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AND THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL. I THEN PUT IT BACK IN PARK AND GOT MY HUSBAND TO CHECK IT OUT WHEN HE OPENED THE HOOD SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE FIRST CYLINDER ON THE ENGINE. HE QUICKLY UNHOOKED THE BATTERY AND REMOVED THE OEM BOSCH COIL PACK WITH GLOVES ON BECAUSE IT WAS EXTREMELY HOT (TOOK OVER AN HOUR TO COOL DOWN AFTER REMOVED FROM THE CAR), SO HOT THAT THE COIL PACK CAME APART, HAD SPLIT OPEN…

Owner-reported narrative. 130,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10676623 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 11053416 · 2017-12-08 (December 8, 2017)

THE HEADLIGHTS IN MY VEHICLE STARTED FLICKERING AND SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING IN THE DARK A FEW DAYS AGO. AFTER SAFELY PARKING THE CAR, I INVESTIGATED AND FOUND THAT THE HOUSINGS ARE DESIGNED TO BE UNSERVICABLE BUT I WAS ABLE TO INVESTIGATE AND FOUND THAT NEARLY ALL OF THE INTERNAL WIRING SHIELDING HAD CRACKED AND FALLEN OFF (PLEASE SEE ATTACHED PHOTOS, I APPOLOGIZE ABOUT THE QUALITY). THE HEADLIGHTS FAILING WITHOUT NOTICE CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS BLACKOUT SCENARIO WHICH COULD HAVE VERY EASILY RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY AND/OR DEATH DUE TO MANUF…

Owner-reported narrative. 127,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11053416 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10598884 · 2014-06-17 (June 17, 2014)

FRONT DRIVER SIDE SPRING BROKE WHILE DRIVING. LOUD BANG AND SUDDEN DROP IN RIDE HEIGHT. SOME LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. THIS IS A RECALLED ISSUE UP TO 2006, IT SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO COVER 2008 MODELS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK. *TR

Owner-reported narrative. 58,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10598884 at NHTSA ↗