2006 Saab 9-3: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 179 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (47% of complaints); the 2005 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Feb 2016
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 179 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2006 SAAB 9-3. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and shut off, the contact attempted to start the vehicle, and the vehicle failed to start. The contact also noticed a fuel odor coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Aug 2025
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2021
“I have been trying to find a dealership to fix my recall but general motors stated they do not fix it. I am receiving calls and letters every other week. Who will fix this issue ??? I am located in the wilkes barre pa 18705 area. Please advise thank you”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2019
Show 7 more owner reports
“When I used my cruise control sometimes it engages and does not engage. It did this for over a month. When I first bought the car, I did my research on it and it said that it has a steering fluid loss problem, because the quality is poor. I am curious to why there has not been a recall on it yet.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jun 2019
“Takata recall. The steering pump is leaking and I took my car to gm and they refused to work on my 2006 saab 9-3. The steering leaking is safety issue, and if I lose control of my steering..I can end up hurting myself. Please take this into consideration and make gm fix my steering pump!”Owner report · Steering · Mar 2019
“Hello, I have been renting this car out for awhile....I have been unable to rent it out because of the recall, however, I repaired this issue months ago and the dealer that repaired the problem has submitted proof to you twice but still no one has updated this to your website and this is severely effecting my car rental business. Please advise?”Owner report · Seat Belts · Oct 2018
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 saab 9-3. The contact received recall notifications for NHTSA campaign numbers: 14v318000 (seat belts) and 16v063000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repairs were unavailable. The dealer (royal cadillac of tucson, 520-777-1708) was called and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedies. The manufacturer was notified. The contact experienced a failure with the driver's seat belt seizing when being applied. She stated that the seat belt had to be maneuvered back and forth to get it secured comfortably. The failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2018
“Takata inflator -- took car in to dealer to have the airbag replaced but dealer said that this car has a different model airbag that was only used on a few cars for a month a so by saab, so it doesn't need to be replaced. However, we keep getting recall notices all the time and I'm afraid this will affect resale of car. Can this be confirmed?”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2018
“Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 saab 9-3. The contact stated that NHTSA campaign number: 16v063000 (air bags) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact received the recall notification in march of 2018. The dealer (jim falk motors, 1201 n 2nd st, clinton, mo 64735) stated that the parts were unavailable for the recall repair at their location, but referred the contact to an unknown saab dealer over 100 miles away. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2018
“2006 saab 93 base. Consumer writes in regards to safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the dealer advised there was no such contract with saab owners or warranty service offer for the vehicle. *js”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 11 of these complaints and injuries in 4 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
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. GM's number for this recall is 14222. Note: Special Coverage 10086 will replace the passenger side seat belt retractor if it fails, free of charge, for the life of the vehicle.
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. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
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. The recall began on March 1, 2017. Owners may contact Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007 or Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 28810.
TI AUTOMOTIVE IS RECALLING CERTAIN FUEL PUMPS, PART NUMBERS TU456 AND TU303, SOLD UNDER VARIOUS BRAND NAMES AS AFTERMARKET AND REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR THE MOTOR VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP MAY SEIZE, STOPPING THE FUEL FLOW TO THE ENGINE CREATING A STALLING CONDITION.
Remedy: TI AUTOMOTIVE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND WILL REPLACE ANY DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP WITH A NEW OR REWORKED FUEL PUMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 22, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TI AUTOMOTIVE AT 1-866-867-3759 OR LOG ON TO WWW.RECALLRESPONSE.COM.
How other years compare
Check your exact 9-3 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Saab 9-3 reliable?
NHTSA has 179 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2006 Saab 9-3. The most complained-about area is air bags (47% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2006 Saab 9-3 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 45,618 miles or less.
Does the 2006 Saab 9-3 have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning seat belts:front:retractor. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.