Most common 2006 Saab 9-3 problems
Share of the 179 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 →
2006 Saab 9-3 recalls (2)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Saab 9-3 vehicles manufactured May 31, 2002, to February 15, 2011, 2006-2009 Saab 9-5 vehicles manufactured June 7, 2005, to May 28, 2009, and 2008-2009 Saturn Astra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2007, to July 24, 2008.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator on Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles and will replace the driver's frontal airbag module on Saturn Astra vehicles, free of charge.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2006 Saab 9-3:
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,…
Reduced brake power-assist
Saab automobile ab, a subsidiary of general motors corp. (GM), manufactured 12,317 subject vehicles through February 15, 2008, equipped with the high feature v6 turbocharged engine identified by regular production option lp9.a tandem vacuum brake booster assembly provides brake power-assist.the engine is the primary vacuum source to the booster and its effect is amplified by a venturi.under certain conditions, such…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
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 2006 Saab 9-3 owners say
Air bags all 87 →
Warning message that airbag is not working. Loud hissing sound immediately in front of dashboard, as if air is escaping. We cannot drive the car for fear of the airbag inflating. We are going to have to towed to a repair shop to be fixed and will keep all paperwork.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Saab 9-3. While driving at approximately 15 MPH while the brake pedal was depressed, the seat belt violently seized across the contact's chest causing her to lose consciousness. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle and the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.
Brakes all 31 →
Tl contact owns a 2006 Saab 9-3. The contact discovered that his brakes failed shortly after starting the vehicle when he placed the vehicle in reverse to back out of his parking space. When the transmission is shifted from park into reverse or drive before the engine has been warmed up, the brakes do not work to slow the vehicle and the brake pedal feels rock hard. To stop the vehicle the contact shifted the transmission into park. Brake function appeared to return to normal after the engine warmed up. This failure has occurred on four separate occasions. At 15,383, the contact struck another vehicle when the brakes failed while reversing out of a parking space. The crash occurred at low-speed approximately 2mph and no one was injured. The contact's vehicle was scratched but there was no apparent damage to the other vehicle. …
On July 22nd 2010 at approximately 1500 est, I started my car, a 2006 Saab 9-3 aero sport sedan and placed it into reverse to exit my garage/ driveway on my way to work. As I neared the street I depressed the brake pedal to slow down and enter the street but the brake pedal seemed to be ineffective and I ended up putting the car into neutral and entering the street at an angle. After I had stopped in the street I pumped the brakes and put the emergency brake on and shortly (2min) I was on my way without further incident. I reported this incident to my Saab dealer, and they said they had never heard of this before and said there was nothing I could do as it was out of warranty. During the rest of the summer I drove that car I had no further problems. (it is my parents car that I drove when I was home for the summer). …
Engine & cooling
I was driving car on middle lane on highway approaching traffic, when my car completely shut off. This was after getting a complete tune up including oil change, new batteries and tires. Towed car to repair shop and after repair, the engine light remained on and then there was smell of gas and car continued to stall. Took car back to repair shop, where the fuel injector was replaced and gas smell was eliminated. But engine light remained on and car completely shut off again. Took it to repair shop, yet again. This time, starter was changed and mechanic claims that a new ECU/ECM is needed for engine but part for 2006 model has been discontinued and is now running on 2004 eci/ECM and engine light still remains on and started is a bit rough.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Saab 9-3. While driving 20 MPH, the steering wheel locked and the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure. The contact crashed into a ten foot barrier. GM sent an engineer to gather evidence and survey the damage. One occupant was injured and a police report was filed. GM stated that they will take apart the vehicle to find out why it stalled and crashed. The failure mileage was 36,000.
2006 Saab 9-3 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed manual | FWD | 20 / 28 / 23 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed automatic | FWD | 19 / 29 / 23 |
| 2.8L 6-cyl turbo | 6-speed manual | FWD | 16 / 26 / 19 |
| 2.8L 6-cyl turbo | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 15 / 26 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Compact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Saab 9-3 a good car?
Based on 179 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2006 9-3 rates average: 1.3× as many complaints as a typical year of the 9-3 at the same age. 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 2006 Saab 9-3?
The air bags — 87 complaints, 49% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal › sensor/control module. Next are the brakes (31) and engine & cooling (16).
How many recalls does the 2006 Saab 9-3 have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2006 Saab 9-3, the most recent from February 3, 2016 (inflator module). 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 2006 Saab 9-3 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 40,000 miles; 54% 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.