Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Saab 9-3 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Saab 9-3. The contact stated that the passenger strut was bent. The contact mentioned that the strut was replaced but was concerned that the failure would recur. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the struts needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was not provided.
While driving on the street at 30 MPH I hear a bang! I start to lose control of the steering wheel I immediately put my hazard lights on and pulled over safely once I gained control when I get out the car to inspect it my passengers side front spring is broken in two and my passenger side tire is blown. I could have been very badly injured or killed! Saab you need to do a recall this is life threatening!
My 2005 Saab 93 44,500 miles. While driving to work on a six lane divided highway (i495) in the right travel lane the right front coil spring broke and shred the tire causing a blow out. The driver had never before experienced a tire blow out and was startled and jerked the steering wheel to the left in a moment of panic and the car began to slide sideways while scrubbing off speed. The car remained mostly in the right travel lane. There wasn't much traffic on the road at 5 am and the car did not hit any other vehicles or objects. The driver regained control of the vehicle and pulled off the right shoulder of the road and got out of the vehicle to examine the damage. The right front tire was flat so the driver jacked the car up and removed the tire. Immediately apparent was the broken coil spring. The driver did not want to spend the money for a tow truck. …
I have a 2005 Saab 9-3 that became undriveable after the front left coils/springs broke, puncturing the front driver's side tire. The car was in motion when a popping sound was heard, followed by grinding and a burning rubber smell. At that point the car was not able to be driven. It was towed to a local repair shop and then to a Saab dealership to complete the repairs because there is a campaign out for this issue, but not a recall. The springs/coils were replaced for free but the tire cost was prorated and the car required an alignment after the repairs which was not covered in the cost. This car had been in the dealer service department 2 weeks prior to this failure and the coils/springs were specifically checked due to the campaign. The service department determined that the parts did not show any sign of damage and so were not replaced. …
A few weeks ago, I began to notice a clunking sound near front driver's side tire when going over bumps in the road. Upon investigation this week, I could see that the coil spring was broken right through the metal. I had never hears of anything like that. Mileage is approximately 77,000. Drove it to the mechanic, who confirmed that there is a broken spring. They informed me that, although the part is not expensive, there are none available, that this is a known defect, and the part is on a national backorder! I never rec'd any sort of notification from Saab about this. The mechanic also said that I was incredibly lucky that the break didn't happen on the freeway, that it could have taken out the brand new front tire. I have a young daughter and I volunteer to drive other school kids on a weekly basis--this could have been catastrophic. …
The problem apparently occurred while driving down the freeway. I heard a loud "clunk" that sounded like I had hit something but there was nothing in the road. Following that, every time I would drive over an irregularity in the road I would hear a "clunk" in the front passenger side. I took it to a local shop to find out what was making the noise and they discovered the broken right front coil spring. The sharp broken end was very close to rotating into the side of the tire which would have been catastrophic. I have the broken piece of the spring. I have also learned that this is a disturbingly common problem with this model of Saab as I ran across a web site with many Saab 9-3 owners that have experienced the same thing at roughly the same mileage I have which is 49700. My four year, 50,000 mile warranty recently expired. …
Since I bought my car (new) in June '05 I have complained of a "crunching noise" in the front suspension every time the weather turned cold. I was told the problems varied from ball bearings to the sway bar, to just dirt build up. Each time the dealer made some "repair" to get me out the door. The problem continued. Now, April '11 I have a broken spring in the front passenger side. I have been told that I have to pay the dealer to diagnose the problem before they will consider fixing it under any special circumstance free of charge. I have sourced some parts for it and am considering having it fixed by myself, rather than go to the dealer who brushed me off for 5 years. Thankfully I was just pulling out of my parking spot when I heard the grinding noise from the front passenger side and I was not traveling at a high rate of speed when this happened. …
Approximately 4 months ago my right front coil spring broke on my 2005 Saab 9-3 at around 75,000 miles. I was pulling out of my garage when it snapped, but could not determine the source of the sound as nothing appeared broken to my untrained eye and the vehicle still operated fine. Over the next couple weeks I brought it in to the dealership for front end noise and the broken spring was discovered. Not a big deal as the repair was covered under a service bulletin and no damage occurred to the vehicle. However, a few days ago my right rear coil spring snapped as I was traveling down the highway. There was no apparent change in how the vehicle handled, but after my experience with the front spring the sound was familiar and therefore I had my husband inspect it. …
While backing out of my driveway, I heard a loud noise that sounded like a spring. After taking the car to the dealer, I was informed that the passenger strut spring required replacement. Several hours later, I was informed that the part was only available from Saab in sweden and the eta was unknown due to Saab bankruptcy status. A day later the dealer was able to locate a used part with a 30-day warranty but I was responsible for all repair costs. Fortunately, no damage was done to my tires, as I had just replaced the set only two weeks prior. Also, I appreciate the dealer telling me of the risk in continuing to drive the car with the broken spring. They also provided a loaner car for the period of the repair. …
To whom this May be concerned: I just called Saab corp and my local Saab dealer, and they're acting like it's no big deal???? I think it's a very big deal and according to my personal non-Saab mechanic, this could have been a life-threatening ordeal if the coil-spring would have broke at a higher speeds... It's just plain wrong that Saab-corp is not making a bigger deal about this issue??? Why??? Any and all info will be appreciated. Also I'm thinking about reporting this to my our local congressman and state senator?? Thank you and safe-driving:: [redacted]
NHTSA investigations
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…
Suspension complaints in other 9-3 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2005 Saab 9-3?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the suspension of the 2005 Saab 9-3, 31% of the model year's 95 complaints. The component named most often is front (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Saab 9-3 suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2005 Saab 9-3, though it has 2 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 2005 Saab 9-3 suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 64,000 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.