2001 Saab 9-3 problems
Owners have filed 74 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Saab 9-3. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 35% of complaints. After that come fuel system (22%) and engine (20%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 74 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 35% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 75,000 miles 60 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 | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 10 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 16 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 17 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 60 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 75,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 62,000 miles (24 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 4 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Saab 9-3 with enough data (38 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 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.
Tl * the contact owned a 2001 saab 9-3. The contact was involved in a crash and the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was destroyed. The driver died and a police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified. The speed was 40-45 MPH. The failure mileage was 98,000. Updated 09/11/14 the consumer stated the 7 year old passenger was rushed to the hospital. The a pillar as well as the roof caved in. Police determined vehicle speed was not a factor. Updated 1/13/2015
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 saab 9-3. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the contact noticed smoke rising from under the driver seat. Her legs became extremely hot so she pulled over and shut off the seat warmer. The vehicle became engulfed with smoke and a hole was burned into the driver seat. Shortly after the seat warmer was shut off, the smoke ceased. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 94,000.
We had our car in for warranty work in the fall but the service provider needed to order parts that needed to be replaced. We were concerned because the parts would not arrive, and we couldn't get to authorized service provider until after warranty expired. They told us "no problem" this would be covered under warranty because we were there prior to warranty expiration.
When I changed the battery of the car key, its doors and trunk stopped lock and unlock. The belt of the gas tank was broken also. I replaced also the fuel tank.