2003 Saab 9-3 electrical problems

Filed Sep 7, 2018 · Electrical · 85,000 miles · PA

I am receiving an onstar not available error - there was a recall 08089-b part # 10027804 - I want my onstar disabled. Who do I contact?

Filed Dec 7, 2015 · Electrical · 158,000 miles · CT · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saab 9-3. While driving approximately 30 MPH, smoke emitted underneath the hood. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. The contact mentioned that smoke emitted from the battery compartment. There were no flames visible. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the failure was contributed to the electrical system. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 158,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Oct 22, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 90,000 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saab 9-3. After the vehicle was started, the steering wheel lock warning light illuminated and the doors of the vehicle failed to lock. On another occasion, the ignition key failed to move into the on position. A tow truck operator stated that the vehicle could not be moved because the wheels were locked. The vehicle was restarted; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

Filed Sep 17, 2014 · Electrical · 132,000 miles · NJ

Driving steady pace, sid fades out, radio shuts off, gauges turn off, and engine shut off. Pulled over and white smoke came out from engine bay. It was from the solenoid on the starter. I got a new starter and the battery was dead. I then bought a new battery and the same issue occurred. I had to charge the battery up to 100% to get the car started. The alternator was fine so my belief is there is an open circuit somewhere in the car. Just recently the same situation happened again, starter motor burned up and battery drained.

Filed Aug 30, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 109,560 miles · OH

As I was driving in the middle lane of the 3 northbound lanes of u.s. 23, the engine suddenly stalled. I was going about 62 MPH. I activated my emergency flashers, shifted the automatic transmission to neutral, and shut off the ignition key. I then turned the ignition key to restart the engine and it restarted. This is about the 5th time this has happened in the past 5 months. This vehicle should be included in gms ignition recall!!!

Filed Mar 30, 2014 · Electrical · 102,545 miles · PA

I was driving and the car shut down 2 times while driving. I did some research and it is a know problem that the ignition switch on the 2003 saab 9-3 causes stalling and lock system failures. If fact at one point the ignition switches were back ordered for this problem. This is a sporadic problem and comes and goes.

Filed Aug 14, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 107,000 miles · CA

The vehicle will become almost immobile in first and second gear (manual transmission). Once in third gear, performance is back to normal. If driver is not aware of situation (cruise light off is only indication if cruise control system is turned on), driver can easily get into bad situation as car will not perform as usual (very significant degradation of performance). All that is needed to reset problem is to turn the key off and restart the engine and the condition will go away for as little as 10 minutes or up to as much as 2 hours of driving. It is suspected that this problem could be associated with the air mass sensor as replacing air mass sensor with used part, problem disappeared for several months. This condition could cause a serious safety issue if driver is not aware and tries to make a quick maneuver involving tight traffic (left turn when performance is paramount). Whatever this condition is that the electronics/engine controls is/are entering is unacceptable and this problem needs to be corrected by the manufacturer in a recall.

Filed Nov 18, 2011 · Electrical · 90,000 miles · FL

The saab will intermittently fail to start. When the key is turned in the ignition, all electrical components operate as designed, however the car will not turn over. This is not a battery or starter problem. The car does not make any cranking sounds or starter clicks. Rather, there is no engine turn over at all. After waiting for 30 - 60 minutes, the car will start as if there was no problem whatever. The issue appears to be the neutral safety switch. There is no electronic diagnostic test for this problem. The problem is not "recreatable." it is 100% unpredictable as to when it will occur. A search of the internet for "saab 9-3 (or s900) intermittent start" will return thousands of posts from drivers describing the exact same problem. Fixes include pouring water or snow on top of the nss, drilling a hole in the dashboard and running a by-pass switch to the starter, and replacing the nss. Dealership will try to replace starters, batteries, ect and claim they have not heard of the nss problem.

Filed Mar 15, 2011 · Electrical, Engine · 85,000 miles · VA

Vehicle was stalling during acceleration , then fuel pump had complete malfunction .... After replacement, engine has always run poorly and almost always stalls during acceleration. Replaced ignition coil , and it didn't fix problem . I have talked to 4 other saab 9-3 owners for this model year and 2004 and every one has the same problem.

Filed Mar 10, 2011 · Electrical · 65,300 miles · MA

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 saab 9-3. The contact stated that the fuel gauge and message display board was defective. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who refused to make repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 65,300.