1999 Saab 9-3 Convertible
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Have the VIN?
Vehicles › Saab › 9-3 Convertible › 1999
These records cover every 1999 Saab 9-3 Convertible. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
16 complaints1 involved a fire1 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Air bags
I was traveling along on the interstate and all of a sudden the side curtain driver airbag deployed for no reason. it nearly caused me to wreck from the loud pop which blurred my vision as well.
- Seat belts › Front › Retractor
TL* the contact owns a 1999 saab 9-3 convertible. The contact stated that the driver side seat belt failed to retract. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. updated 10/29/14*cn
- Seat belts
Driver seat belt retractor failed. *Tr
- Air bags › Side/window
While my wife was driving to work, the passenger side airbag deployed. There was no collision and only the side airbag deployed, none of the others did. This could have caused an accident if it had been any of the other airbags, particularly those on the left. As it was, the noxious fumes and dust from the air bag caused some respiratory distress and reduced the visibility inside the vehicle. *Tr
- Engine and engine cooling
1999 saab 93 caught fire while on the ohio turnpike. Seems like the fire originated under the hood in the engine compartment. *kb (ohio traffic crash report)*jb
- Air bags
Driving on road and passenger's side air bag deployed on its own in afternoon of friday, april 27TH. no passenger was in the seat. saab was immediately contacted. car was taken to saab dealer monday morning. car was left there all day and saab corp was to have the car inspected. nothing was…
Driving on road and passenger's side air bag deployed on its own in afternoon of friday, april 27TH. no passenger was in the seat. saab was immediately contacted. car was taken to saab dealer monday morning. car was left there all day and saab corp was to have the car inspected. nothing was done and car was picked up on monday evening. we are desperately trying to get saab to look at the car but they are being difficult to deal with. saab corp IS not giving any indication as to what they are going to do to fix the problem and ensure it does not happen again. saab corp and saab dealer do not have a sense of urgency to get the car looked at. the fear now IS that another one may go off unexpectedly. drivers ear has not been normal since the incident. *Tr
- Electrical system › Ignition › Module
Dt*: the contact stated that two vehicles were taken to an independent mechanic for repairs on the di cassette or the ID module. The mechanic determined that the two vehicles may be under recall for the parts affected. However after an investigation it was confirmed that there was no recall on…
Dt*: the contact stated that two vehicles were taken to an independent mechanic for repairs on the di cassette or the ID module. The mechanic determined that the two vehicles may be under recall for the parts affected. However after an investigation it was confirmed that there was no recall on these vehicles. the vehicles was repaired three times prior with the same part. The manufacturer was alerted. updated 7/19/2006 - *nm
- Air bags › Frontal
Dt*: the contact stated the passenger side air bag deployed without incident. The vehicle was parked with no key in the ignition. When the contact leaned over to the passenger seat, the air bag deployed. The air bag was cut out of the vehicle and the vehicle IS drivable. *nm
- Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
The check engine light came on while I was highway driving; I parked the vehicle as soon as possible and didn't use it until the mechanic was available. The diagnostic test showed direct ignition failure, the part was replaced with a new part. being a long-time saab owner, of several models, I am aware that certain models have associated problems, such as this part. *jb
- Fuel system, gasoline
Dt: consumer states the fuel pump retaining tabs that hold the fuel line together failed on a 1999 saab 9-3 convertible. The consumer smelled gas, while driving. pulled over and saw that the gas was leaking out everywhere. Had vehicle towed to the dealership. The models 2001-2002 were recalled…
Dt: consumer states the fuel pump retaining tabs that hold the fuel line together failed on a 1999 saab 9-3 convertible. The consumer smelled gas, while driving. pulled over and saw that the gas was leaking out everywhere. Had vehicle towed to the dealership. The models 2001-2002 were recalled on the exact same thing. The vehicle was running fine before this. The dealership told consumer that his car was not included in the recall. The manufacturer said that it was not included in the recall. if there were more complaints they would broaden the recall year. The vehicle has been regularly maintained . The car was fixed today.*ak
- Electrical system › Ignition › Module
I have a 1999 9-3 convertible, bought certified pre-owned from the dealer (santa monica saab) in 2002. last summer, the cel came on at about 38K, so I had the engine serviced at the dealer and was informed by the manager that the codes indicated a di cassette failure and also possible oxygen…
I have a 1999 9-3 convertible, bought certified pre-owned from the dealer (santa monica saab) in 2002. last summer, the cel came on at about 38K, so I had the engine serviced at the dealer and was informed by the manager that the codes indicated a di cassette failure and also possible oxygen sensor failure as a result. at that time, I hadn't experienced any engine stalling or failure as a result of this problem but was warned that it might fail without warning while driving if the di cassette wasn't replaced. I took that risk, driving only limited distances (in/around town only) for a few months w/the cel intermittently on but otherwise no discernable problems. after doing some research, I found a saab mechanic and asked him to replace the di cassette on april 1, 2005 (labor cost was minor; the part, however, was $500). I also had the O2 sensor replaced as well but since then have experienced some stalling at idle, the cause of which IS still to be determined (through a process of elimination...and continued visits to my mechanic). I should note that I was told by both the dealer service manager and my mechanic that the di cassette failure happens rather frequently. but considering that my car at the time of failure had less than 40K and was well-maintained, I was surprised that this happened, in my opinion, through no fault of my own. through reading of and posting to the saabcentral forum, I've discovered quite a few other saab owners with the same problem, all of us wondering what gm/saab IS doing to address the problem. some owners, it seems, have resigned themselves to frequent di cassette failures. though I didn't experience the engine failure as some drivers have, I still think that a $500 part shouldn't fail so early and often,and I find the suggested solution (driving around w/a spare di cassette) unacceptable.
- Steering › Hydraulic power assist › Pump
While driving 35 mph smoke was coming from the front of the vehicle. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. consumer inspected the vehicle, and noticed that fluid was leaking from underneath. Vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the power steering pump needed to be replaced.*al
- Seat belts
Twisted seat belts; front and rear on numerous occasions. the dealership has untwisted these belts on numerous occasions. in a few cases, it was only a matter of weeks before I had to return to have them untwisted again. the dealership was also very forthcoming informing me that this IS a…
Twisted seat belts; front and rear on numerous occasions. the dealership has untwisted these belts on numerous occasions. in a few cases, it was only a matter of weeks before I had to return to have them untwisted again. the dealership was also very forthcoming informing me that this IS a ongoing occurence in this saab model. I cannot see why they have not been recalled, since saab knows of their faulty design. they are unsafe, and I cannot see how they will function properly in an accident.*ak
- Power train › Automatic transmission
On, or about this date, my convertible top ceased to operate. the "rams" were leaking hydraulic fluid, and the hydraulic pump was missing teeth in its' gear ring. this car has only 31,000 miles and just went over four years old in february; which was also the end of its' manufacturer's warranty.…
On, or about this date, my convertible top ceased to operate. the "rams" were leaking hydraulic fluid, and the hydraulic pump was missing teeth in its' gear ring. this car has only 31,000 miles and just went over four years old in february; which was also the end of its' manufacturer's warranty. I contacted saab cars USA to advise them of this premature failure of several parts within the convertible top. they paid for parts on one of the repairs (the rams). following this incident with the top, and after it was repaired, a intermediate switch in my convertible top failed, and was replaced at my expense . I notified saab cars USA of my dissatisfaction concerning these failed parts, but they no longer wished to assist. they claimed that they had helped with the previous repair, and would not help with this one. it seems, instead of listening to what the actual complaint or problem was, they follow some type of template on how much assistance they give a vehicle or an individual. these failures are major components of the top, and they obviously failed prematurely.*ak
- Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery · Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery › Cables
Battery cable corrosion and battery leakage. since june 1999 when vehicle was purchased. the positive lead battery cable has corroded totally through four times. twice snapping in half and leaving me on the road requiring a tow. the dealership has replaced the cable four times and the battery…
Battery cable corrosion and battery leakage. since june 1999 when vehicle was purchased. the positive lead battery cable has corroded totally through four times. twice snapping in half and leaving me on the road requiring a tow. the dealership has replaced the cable four times and the battery three times. however the problem continues to occur. the dealership cannot find a problem other than continuing to replace the cable. the last cable lasted only two month before it corroded through... *la
- Wheels › Rim
In the last 10 months the fundamental rims that came with optional stealth package are weak. Three rims have bent during normal driving conditions. Local fl dealership will not acknowledge a defect in the rims. Factory alarm goes off even when alarm IS not set. This happens when the car IS parked as well as when driving. Local fl dealer cannot find problem even though the service theft alarm message appears.*ak
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Engine stall/ engine compartment fires
Odi opened pe05-017 based on 35 reports of alleged engine stalling due to the failure of the idm cassette on the subject vehicles.all complainants reported that the engine shut down suddenly without warning and most reported that the vehicle would not restart.in 3 incidents, the complainants reported smoke and/or fire…
Odi opened pe05-017 based on 35 reports of alleged engine stalling due to the failure of the idm cassette on the subject vehicles.all complainants reported that the engine shut down suddenly without warning and most reported that the vehicle would not restart.in 3 incidents, the complainants reported smoke and/or fire resulted from the idm failure.during pe05-017, additional failure data was identified as noted in the failure report summary above.the complaint data represents incidents where the complainants alleged a stall or fire.on september 13, 2005, general motors (gm) notified nhtsa of a safety defect on 95,081 my 2000-2002 saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles with 4-cylinder gasoline engines and 8,117 my 2001 9-5 vehicles with 6- cylinder gasoline engines (recall 05v-399).the notification stated that certain vehicles within these populations may experience overheating and burnout of the isolated gated bipolar transistor (igbt) within the idm due to increased susceptibility to electrical loads.overheating of the igbt occurs most often at engine start-up for both a 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engine, but it may also occur while the engine IS running.when the idm fails on a 4-cylinder while it IS running, the engine may stall without warning, with no ability to be restarted.when the idm fails on a 6-cylinder engine while it IS running, the driver will initially experience reduced power and rough operation because the engine will only be running on three cylinders.the check engine light will flash.if the driver continues, unburnt fuel in the exhaust can cause thermal damage to the catalytic converter.the engine may stall and not restart.thermal damage to other underhood components and the underbody may also result from prolonged driving.the recall population encompasses 84% of the stalling and fire complaints (215 for vehicles with 4-cylinder engines and 36 for vehicles with 6-cylinder engines).the 36 months in service (mis) stalling rates for each model year of recalled vehicles with 4-cylinder engines were all greater than two percent.although the 36 mis stall rate for the recalled my 2001 vehicles with V6 engines was lower, at 1.3 percent, these vehicles also had the highest rate of confirmed (open flame verified) fires at 62 per 100,000 vehicles.gm will instruct owners to bring their vehicles to a dealer for idm inspection and replacement, if necessary.consequently, this investigation IS closed.odi will monitor the effectiveness of the scope and remedy of gm's action and take further action if warranted.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10029344Saab service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Under certain circumstances control module's analogue inputs may produce invalid signal. This means the soft top's control module does not function as intended. Difficulties in opening/closing soft top in extremely hot weather. Function of soft top mechanism returns after cooling down. Csc letter was received.
- 614096Customer satisfaction campaign 482 regarding noise from power steering system. The check valve mounted inside the power steering banjo bolt may loosen and create power steering noise. Other possible symptoms are high fluid level in the fluid reservoir, or that the fluid gets abnormally warm on vehicles within certain vin ranges.
- 614093Subject regarding updated campaign instructions for customer satisfication campaign 482 on noise from power steering system. The check valve mounted inside the power steering banjo bolt may loosen and create power steering noise. Other possible symptoms are high fluid level in the fluid reservoir, or that the fluid gets abnormally warm on vehicles within certain vin ranges.
- 610137Subject regarding a voluntary safety-related recall campaign affecting early convertible and 3-door cars with manually adjustable front seats.
Every Saab 9-3 Convertible model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.