These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.
Costly problem zones ahead at your miles come with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
Loading the EPA's yearly fuel cost
What about the price? Check the asking price on two listing sites. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the offer X ray.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
The full record
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What owners complain about
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Seller kit
Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Walk up to the seller ready
Questions to ask the seller of a 2004 Saab 9-3, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
Write your offer
A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email
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Send the seller a fair offer
Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2004 Saab 9-3, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
When problems show up
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Will it outlast the loan?
The month of your loan each problem zone lands in
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Recalls
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Crash ratings
NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight. The tests changed for 2011 models, so these stars do not line up with newer ones.
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Fuel economy
The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in. Figures for 2007 and older use the EPA's 2008 method, so they may be lower than the original sticker.
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True cost to own
The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years
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What it really costs to own
What the 2004 Saab 9-3 costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
Every year of the 9-3
Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Tap a year to open it. The newest 2 are not judged yet. Bars are totals, so older years stand taller; the verdict compares every year at the same age.
Loading every year of this model
Before you buy this one
Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.
Not every car needs every fix. Run the VIN at NHTSA to see which are still open. Repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand; ask before any work.
Seat belts
Jun 12, 2014 · Recall 14V318000
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.
What can happen
In the event of a crash, a seat belt that has not retracted may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
The fix
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.
Fuel system
Feb 28, 2011 · Recall 11E009000
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.
What can happen
A vehicle crash could occur should the engine stall while in use.
The fix
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.
Seat belts
Feb 18, 2010 · Recall 10V043000
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.
What can happen
Using a seat belt that has not retracted, and in the event of a crash, a seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
The fix
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 released for the same population for 10 years from new vehicle date of sale. The safety recall is expected to begin during july 2010. Owners may contact saab at 1-800-955-9007 or at the owner center at saabparts.com/us. Note: in june 2014, GM expanded the special coverage from 10 years to be for the lifetime of the vehicle.
Brakes
May 19, 2005 · Recall 05V236000
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.
What can happen
If this condition were to occur when minimum stopping distance is required, a crash could occur.
The fix
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
May 11, 2004 · Recall 04V226000
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.
What can happen
In the event of a crash, a front seat occupant may receive more severe injuries.
The fix
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
Dec 10, 2003 · Recall 03V514000
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.
What can happen
This could cause the seat back to fold forward in a frontal crash, resulting in injury to the driver and/or front seat passenger.
The fix
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. The dealer may need to order a complete new seat or seats (including matching upholstery) and the parts may take up to two to four weeks to arrive. Saab will provide a rental car for the owner until the new seat(s) is (are) available and installed by the dealer. Owner notification is expected to begin during february 2004. Owners should contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
207 complaints; the part named most is the seat belts
Unverified reports, not adjusted for sales. One complaint can name several parts, so shares add up past 100%. Filed Dec 22, 2003 to Jul 15, 2024. 9% name a part that is usually costly to fix.
Owners reported 10 crashes, 2 fires and 8 injuries in these complaints.
Seat belts79 · 38%
Suspension52 · 25%
Air bags20 · 10%
What one owner wrote about the seat belts
Retractor won't pull driver side seat belt back in
Filed Jul 15, 2024NHTSA complaint 116021561 of 18 owner quotes
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
15 more parts, and 18 owner quotes
Every part owners name for the 2004 Saab 9-3, with their own words about what went wrong. Usually costly to fix among them: Engine, Transmission and drivetrain, Body and frame.
Seat belts: the middle complaint around 95,000 miles
Not enough owner complaints for the 2004 Saab 9-3 mention a mileage to lay against a loan. Have a mechanic look it over all the same.
5 checks, with a close look at the seat belts
The bar holds the middle half of the complaints that gave a mileage; the dark mark is the middle one. 46 complaints of 207 gave one. Owners file when something fails, so this shows when problems were reported, not how long the cars last.
Seat belts60,000 to 115,000 mi
Half of these 30 complaints came between about 60,000 and 115,000 miles, the middle one around 95,000.
Run the VIN at NHTSA to confirm every recall was fixed.
This year has 6 recalls on file. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand. Ask the dealer to confirm before any work is done. Look up a VIN at NHTSA.
Ask the seller for the service records.
Look closely for any work on the seat belts. It is the part owners complain about most for this year.
Have a mechanic you trust inspect it before you pay.
Ask them to look at the seat belts first.
Look at a vehicle history report.
It can show reported crashes, flood or salvage titles, and mileage that does not add up.
On the test drive, pay attention to the seat belts.
Pull out every belt, let it wind back, and check every buckle latches.
2004 Saab 9-3: problems, recalls, verdict · WhipWorthy
Year verdict
Maybe
2.0× a typical year
More owner complaints than usual. Buy only with records and an inspection.
Confidence: Medium
NHTSA did not answer for 13 years, so the typical year may shift.
NHTSA did not answer for 13 years, so this may change.
How the dial was counted
Year verdict: Typical year: 45 complaints, the median of 8 nearby years. Each counted over its first 8 years from January 2003; this one had 94.
Same car, better year: 2005 or 2006 9-3 (both Worthy)
