1999 Saab 9-3 problems
Owners have filed 80 complaints with NHTSA about the 1999 Saab 9-3. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 28% of complaints. After that come air bags (22%) and suspension (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 80 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 14 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 49 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 14 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 8 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 49 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 80,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 76,000 miles (18 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 14 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 87% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1999 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Saab 9-3 with enough data (29 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
When vehicle was involved in a front passenger side crash, there was no deployment of passenger's side air bag . Door and glove compartment cannot be opened. The impact blew out the glass on the side door and cracked the windsheld. Damages totalled $8,000 - $10,000. The vehicle is being repaired.
On two occassions, it was necessary to bring the saab to a quick stop on the freeway. On 3/25/00, I needed to make an emergency stop, going 65 MPH and the car seemed to almost slide, not gripping the road. I have been driving for 25 years, and had to make emergency stops in the past, and have never had this experience. I believe the saab 9-3's should be checked for ability to stop in an emergency. Also, my airbags did not deploy in the accident.
The driver of the 1999 saab 9-3 was driving in the left lane on ma rte. 128 south. Her son was in a child carseat tightly belted into the driver's side passenger seat, the seat directly behind the driver. The switch on the belt buckle was set to the "child seat" setting. The driver signaled and began to change lanes to the middle lane which was clear of traffic. As she was shifting lanes, another vehicle, a light-colored sedan, began to move sharply into the middle lane from the right.
Today, shortly after starting the car, an airbag deployed. The car was parked in my driveway and not in motion, and there was no impact. The airbag deployed from the outboard side of the passenger seat. I was seated in the driver's seat. The passenger seat was unoccupied and its seat belt was unfastened, however a laptop and some other lightweight objects were in the passenger seat.