Most common 2004 Saab 9-3 problems
Share of the 207 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Saab 9-3 complaints by model year
Best 9-3 years: 2011, 2010, 2002. Years to avoid: 2003, 2008, 2004, 2007. Compare all years →
2004 Saab 9-3 recalls (5)
Seat belts › Front › Retractor
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2011 Saab 9-3 Convertible vehicles manufactured July 30, 2003, to February 15, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the driver's side front seat belt retractor may break, causing the seat belt webbing not to retract.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt retractor, free of charge. The recall began on October 6, 2015. Owners may contact Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007.
Seat belts › Front › Retractor
General motors is recalling certain model year 2004 Saab 9-3 sedans. Some of these vehicles were produced with front seat belt retractors that, over time, could fail to retract.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER SIDE RETRACTOR FREE OF CHARGE. IF THE FRONT PASSENGER RETRACTOR WERE TO FAIL TO RETRACT, GM WILL REPLACE THE FRONT PASSENGER RETRACTOR FREE OF CHARGE UNDER A SPECIAL COVERAGE THAT WILL BE…
Service brakes, hydraulic › Power assist › Vacuum › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Certain sport sedan and convertible passenger vehicles were produced with a vacuum pipe check valve for the brake booster that May fail from exposure to elevated temperatures. This could result in sudden loss of power brake assist, usually with little or no warning.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new redesigned check valve. The recall began on March 17, 2006. Owners should contact Saab at 1-800-955-9007.
Seat belts › Front › Retractor
Some sport sedans were built with seat belt retractors that were damaged during the manufacturing process. If damaged, over time, the automatic tensioning system (ats) cable in the seat belt retractor could break causing the belt webbing to not retract.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt retractor assemblies. The recall began on January 24, 2005. Owners should contact Saab at 1-800-955-9007.
Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207, "seating systems." the backrest locking mechanism on some front seats May have been installed incorrectly.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the vehicle's front seats to determine if they are equipped with the improperly installed component. If either or both of the seats have this component, they will be replaced.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2004 Saab 9-3:
Seat belt retractor
Odi has received eight complaints of front seat belt retractors breaking on model year 2004 Saab 9-3 vehicles.a common failure scenario involves the driver hearing a noise and the belt suddenly losing tension.a non-functioning seat belt increases the risk and severity of injury in the event of a crash.
Front suspension coil spring fracture
On August 28, 2008, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe08-051) to investigate alleged front suspension coil spring fractures in certain model year (my) 2003-2004 Saab 9-3 vehicles sold or registered in salt belt states.(note: for purposes of this investigation, the salt belt includes connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland,…
Front Suspension Coil Spring Fracture
To date, ODI is aware of 142 non-duplicative complaints related to the alleged defect.In addition, ODI is aware of 2,626 subject vehicles with one or more warranty claims related to the alleged defect.In total, ODI is aware of 2,714 unique subject vehicles that have experienced one or more front suspension coil spring fractures.ODI is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the alleged defect.The engineering…
What 2004 Saab 9-3 owners say
Seat belts all 79 →
Called devoe automotive in naples to have recalled seatbelt fixed, it just failed to retract. I sent a picture of the VIN. And was told they could not find it and could not help us with out a letter with our VIN on it saying the broken seatbelt was recalled, just because it will not retract that didn't mean it was a recall issue. I astked how I would get a letter but received no guidance. I was also told Saab is out of business and they will help known customers and since we were in tampa they couldn't help it was so far for us to travel. I stated they are one of five dealership who was listed to fix this recall. Also told them tampa repair man was sick with carona virus and that's why I called them. She told me anyone can fix a broken seatbelt, but that's not true and we can't find anyone to help us. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Saab 9-3. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the seat belt retractor became inoperable without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt retractor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The technician stated that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number:14V318000 (seat belts); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000.
Suspension all 52 →
This is a serious issue known to NHTSA and GM under pe 08051. It needs to be addressed and a recall issued. Backing out of garage I heard a pop from right front area of car when put in reverse. Drove about 200 feet before I smelled burning rubber. Car became very difficult to steer. I had car towed to independent service garage. It is determined that the right front spring broke and became entangled in front suspension, steering and tire. Had I been going at a speed greater than 20 miles per hour I would have not been able to steer the car to a safe stop. Both GM and NHTSA know of the breaking front spring in salted road areas including missouri. This vehicle has only 55000 miles and is stored in a garage at home and work. Please put out a recall issue immediately, this is a very serious issue. Also a front seat belt recall went out last summer. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Saab 9-3. The contact stated that the front springs and front struts failed without warning. The contact stated that the fracture happened twice, once on each side. A mechanic diagnosed that the springs prematurely fractured and the front struts and sprints needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
Air bags all 20 →
Saab 9-3 rear ended a Dodge sprinter van at ~5mph and passenger ab deployed. Passenger seat was completely empty. Vehicle normally displays seat belt warning when seat has a heavy bag (or passenger) in it and warning was not displayed. Only exterior damage was to front fascia. No damage to hood or either quarter panel. Accident occurred at a 3 way intersection with a yield sign. Vehicle in front of Saab started to proceed and then abruptly stopped. Driver of the Saab was looking behind them to insure traffic was clear, looked up to notice vehicle in front had stopped, and slammed on brakes. The vehicle in front (Dodge sprinter van) did have a large tow hitch with a small aluminum diamond plate step.
On July 25 2008, my daughter was driving my 2004 Saab 9-3 sport sedan. She went off the road, side swiping 2 trees before slamming into a drainage pipe/embankment. The left side curtain airbags were the only ones that deployed. The car is a total loss with extensive front-end damage. If not for her wearing her seat belt, I would likely be making funeral arrangements. This is the second front-end collision with this vehicle without the airbags deploying. I questioned Saab in 2004 about the first incident which their reply was that the car performed as it was designed. That accident was significant enough to trigger all the seat belt sensors and fry the main computer.
2004 Saab 9-3 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed manual | FWD | 20 / 30 / 24 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 6-speed manual | FWD | 18 / 28 / 22 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed automatic | FWD | 19 / 27 / 22 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Saab 9-3 a good car?
Based on 207 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2004 9-3 rates avoid: 2.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the 9-3 at the same age. It is one of the 9-3 years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Saab 9-3?
The seat belts — 79 complaints, 38% of all complaints for this model year, most often about front › retractor. Next are the suspension (52) and air bags (20).
How many recalls does the 2004 Saab 9-3 have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2004 Saab 9-3, the most recent from June 12, 2014 (retractor). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Saab 9-3?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2011, 2010 and 2002. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2003, 2008, 2004 and 2007. See the full Saab 9-3 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2004 Saab 9-3 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 72,000 miles; 26% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.