Called devoe automotive in naples to have recalled seatbelt fixed, it just failed to retract. I sent a picture of the VIN. And was told they could not find it and could not help us with out a letter with our VIN on it saying the broken seatbelt was recalled, just because it will not retract that didn't mean it was a recall issue. I astked how I would get a letter but received no guidance. I was also told saab is out of business and they will help known customers and since we were in tampa they couldn't help it was so far for us to travel. I stated they are one of five dealership who was listed to fix this recall. Also told them tampa repair man was sick with carona virus and that's why I called them. She told me anyone can fix a broken seatbelt, but that's not true and we can't find anyone to help us. Basically because we were not a local known customer this dealership would not support us unless I proved they had too.
2004 Saab 9-3: seat belt won't latch or retract
57 of the 207 complaints about the 2004 Saab 9-3 describe seat belt won't latch or retract.
- owner complaints
- 57
- of this car's complaints
- 28%
- typical repair cost reported
- $532
- typical mileage
- 90,800
- recalls
- 3
Seat belt won't latch or retract by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saab 9-3. The contact stated that the driver's side seat belt failed to retract without warning. The vehicle was taken to autonation chevrolet west amarillo (7300 I-40 frontage rd, west amarillo, tx 79106, 806‑553‑5673) and was informed that the repairs were not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v318000 (seat belts). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 164,000.
I have a recall on the driver's side seatbelt. It was broken and is unspooled.
Front driver seat belt retractor has failed when I went to fasten my seat belt.
Saab recall. I received both seat belt retractor and airbag inflate defect safety recall notice. However, in my car the seat belt retractor malfunction is in the driver side. I have called the saab official service center and the dealer for both problems several days up today and I have not had an answer or solution to those problems. Besides, I have tried to repair the seat belt, but I can't find the part. As you can see in the attached photos to drive with a seat belt in that conditions is extremely dangerous. However, I feel that I am not safe driving my car, and that the hazard has increased with this car's airbag malfunction. I am a 79 years old man who has this car as the only mean of transportation that I have.
Seatbelt retractor on driver's side completely unspooled and will not retract under normal use effecting driver's safety in event of a crash. While convertible and passeger side retractors seem to be covered under warranty we are told our car is not covered and it is $550 to repair the problem. This doesn't make sense when so many saabs have this problem. The car was parked when it unspooled and wouldn't retract. This is a major safety issue in operating the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saab 9-3. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the seat belt retractor became inoperable without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt retractor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The technician stated that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number:14v318000 (seat belts); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saab 9-3. The contact stated that the driver side seat belt failed and would not retract. The contact attempted to report the failure to the manufacturer to be referred to an authorized dealer but was unable to get through to schedule a recall repair. The contact was unable to schedule the recall repair within a reasonable timeframe. The contact was not able to secure the driver side seat belt for it to retract. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 saab 9-3. The contact stated that the seat belt retractor seized. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 162,000.
Drivers side seat belt failed on a non accident related incident. Was repaired approximately 2-3 years ago, however the passenger side seat belt has sinced failed. I tried to get this fixed via the dealer ship, however the dealership was adamant about not paying for the repair. As I pointed out to the dealership, this was a safety failure and possible lawsuit if the passerger was killed in a car accident. Massachusetts requires seat belt usage. I contacted the ag for massachusetts, but they could not help me. The passenger side seat belt is unrepaired at this time.
Driver's side seat belt retractor failed. Have investigated recalls and found that three previous recalls do not cover this VIN number. Have been unable to find a replacement part; have contacted a dealership 2+ hours away that will replace the entire seat at a cost of $650. This seems to be the only alternative, and have only owned the car 8 months. Gm should recall all affected vehicles, and/or expand the june 2014 recall to cover additional vehicles.
The automatic tensioning system cable in the driver's side front seat belt retractors broke. This caused the sat belt webbing to be spooled out and not retract. *tr we took the car to a saab dealer and after several weeks they said they had no idea when they would have the parts took the car to a local repair shop and they replaced the faulty belt components. We just received a recall notice (14222/saab safety recall 15027) from gm about this problem, stating there are no parts available and will notify us when parts are available. How do we recover the $532 we spent fixing this problem 2 years ago?
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Seat belts: front: retractor
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
- 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.
Recall number 14V318000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: retractor
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 10V043000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: retractor
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, a front seat occupant may receive more severe injuries.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat belt retractor assemblies. The recall began on january 24, 2005. Owners should contact saab at 1‑800‑955‑9007.
Recall number 04V226000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2004 Saab 9-3 seat belt
Is seat belt won't latch or retract a common problem on the 2004 Saab 9-3?
57 of 207 owner complaints about the 2004 Saab 9-3 (28%) mention seat belt won't latch or retract. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
How much does it cost to fix seat belt won't latch or retract on the 2004 Saab 9-3?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $532 (median of 7 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2004 Saab 9-3?
There are 3 recalls and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2004 Saab 9-3
Coil spring 40Tire blowout 12Stalling 9Headlights 6Check engine light 5Fire or smoke 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2004 Saab 9-3?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history