Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Saab 9-3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Saab 9-3. While driving approximately 30 MPH, smoke emitted underneath the hood. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. The contact mentioned that smoke emitted from the battery compartment. There were no flames visible. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the failure was contributed to the electrical system. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 158,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Saab 9-3. After the vehicle was started, the steering wheel lock warning light illuminated and the doors of the vehicle failed to lock. On another occasion, the ignition key failed to move into the on position. A tow truck operator stated that the vehicle could not be moved because the wheels were locked. The vehicle was restarted; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
While driving owner smelled something burning and thought it was coming from outside. Owner parked the vehicle and went into the department store to shop.owner was in the store for approximately 45 minutes. When the owner returned to the vehicle fire trucks were outside extinguishing the flames. It appeared that the fire started under the hood. Owner had the vehicle towed to the dealer, and they could not determine the cause.
While driving owner smelled something burning and thought it was coming from outside. Owner parked the vehicle and went into the department store to shop. When the owner returned to the vehicle fire trucks were outside extinguishing the flames. It appeared that the fire started under the hood. Owner had the vehicle towed to the dealer, and they could not determine the cause.
Owner had just left the dealer after having the 15,000 mile oil change and check up. While driving, the owner heard a loud popping sound. Passing motorist informed the owner that the vehicle was on fire. A fire report was taken at the scene. Provide further details.
Short in fuse box in engine compartment caused and electrical fire with smoke from the engine bay, engine shut down on the highway causing lost of power steering and braking/ car was able to restart with the lost of the light, turn signals, horn and windscreen wipers.
I purchased a 2003 Saab 9-3 linear w/ launch package (steel grey) approximately 2 months ago. Four days after my purchase I was driving using the steptronic shifting and the car lost power. Warning lights came on and the dash said to pull over and contact Saab. When I attempted to accelerate and pull over, a severe grinding noise was heard and felt under my right foot. I called roadside assistance and they brought it back to the dealership. After several days the dealership said they saw a computer event "wheel speed mismatch" but was not sure what happened or how this was caused. They said when the car detects a problem it disables portions of the engine and computers and only allows you to go approx 20 MPH to make a safe stop. The dealership called this "limp home mode" they said it was similar to a windows "safe mode". …
Wednesday March 3, 2007, my 2003 Saab 9-3 linear sports sedan (automatic transmission) with 61,000 miles on the odometer was at a traffic light waiting to switch from red to green. Once the light turned green, I depressed the accelerator to proceed across the intersection. The initially accelerated to 20 MPH and ceased to accelerate. I noticed that I was slowing down and steering had become heavy, I glanced at the tachometer and it showed that the engine had shut down but the electrical systems were functioning. I coasted into a parking lot and attempted to restart the engine. The engine would not start for over 15 minutes. The electrical system was running, onboard diagnostics showed OK, but the starter would not engage. After the interval of no starts, the car started. The car was brought to the dealership and diagnostic codes indicated that the ECM needed to be reprogrammed. …
The automobile that we would like to inform you about is a 2003 Saab 9-3 ARC. We have owned this car for 2 1/2 years and have driven it over 63,000 miles. Currently the car does not have operable low beam headlights. The wiring on the passenger's side low beam headlight has burnt through and is nearly so on the driver's side low beam headlight. In addition the driver's side front turn signal has stopped working. In the time we have owned this car we have had to have the low beam headlights replaced approximately 7 times. I noticed the wiring to the low beam headlights becoming discolored last year, at that time our dealer was not aware of any tsbs concerning the headlights for our car. Thus far no damage has occurred to the vehicle except for the burnt wiring on the low beam headlights. We will be reporting this to our dealer again and will have to have them fix this problem. …
The car stalled on me under normal driving conditions - twice. The first time I was driving home from work and was on a side road going about 30 miles an hour when the gas pedal totally stopped working because the car actually had stalled. The second time was about a week later and unfortunately I was in the middle of the highway during rush hour crawling at about 5 MPH and the car totally stalled again. In both instances I turned the car off and turned it on again and the problem was gone. When I called my Saab dealer after the second occurrence, the service consultant told me that there was a reprogramming effort that would fix the problem. I was surprised that he offered a solution right away, so I asked if he knew there was a problem and they weren't sending a recall notice to fix it. …
NHTSA investigations
ENGINE STALL
The subject vehicles are equipped with automatic transmissions and turbocharged engines with two different power outputs, 175 hp and 210 hp.Saab has modified the electonic control module (ECM) software in the subject vehicles to correct problems that could result in engine stall in both engines.
ENGINE STALL
On December 30, 2003, odi opened a preliminary evaluation (pe03-059) to investigate 16 complaints alleging engine stall while driving in model year 2003 Saab 9-3 sport sedans with 2.0l turbocharged engines.on January 15, 2004, general motors (GM) advised odi that GM and Saab had decided to conduct a global customer satisfaction campaign to correct two distinct engine management software conditions that could result…
Electrical complaints in other 9-3 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Saab 9-3?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Saab 9-3, 22% of the model year's 212 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › front underhood (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Saab 9-3 electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2003 Saab 9-3, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Saab 9-3 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles, and 26% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 5 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.