2002 Saab 9-3 problems
Owners have filed 52 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Saab 9-3. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 31% of complaints. After that come engine (13%) and fuel system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 52 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 31% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 60,000 miles 43 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 | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 8 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 4 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 43 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 60,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 65,000 miles (14 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a fire; 2 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 9th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Saab 9-3 with enough data (31 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.
The driver side side-curtain air bag deployed without vehicle being in an accident. This caused injuries to the driver. Mr at the time of the incident, consumer experienced ringing in the ears and some apparent hearing loss which now has been determined to be permanent. Also, the lumbar in the driver seat seems to be too high.
My 2002 saab 9-3 stalled in traffic and could not be started again. The direct ignition module had burnt out suddenly, and smoke was seen coming out of the connector when I tried to start the car. The module failed with no warning at all, and I was lucky to have been in heavy, but slow traffic. The module was replaced and the car is running. The car has less than 50,000 miles on it, so the sudden failure of such a critical component is surprising and disconcerting.
2002 saab 93, manufacturer refuses to reimburse consumer. The ignition discharge module broke while driving. The consumer had the repairs made before the recall was received. The consumer was assured he would received reimbursement within 60 days (recall 05v399000).
Dt*: the contact stated an odor of fuel was detected while driving and while stopped a puddle was noticed on the ground. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who determined the vehicle had leaked fuel. The vehicle was taken to the dealership who determined the retainer tabs holding the fuel line were defective and they were replaced. There was a NHTSA recall, #04v557000, pertaining to the fuel lines. The vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN.