Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Saab 9-3 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
MY VEHICLE WAS COVERED UNDER A SEAT BELT RECALL, AND WAS SERVICED IN 2005. I PURCHASED THE CAR USED, BUT ACCORDING TO THE PREVIOUS OWNER, THE SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HAS BEEN BROKEN FOR AT LEAST A YEAR. THE REPLACEMENT DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE, IN THIS CASE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SAAB 93. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RETRACT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO COVER THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY INCLUDED AND REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V226000 (SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR) YET THE FAILURE PERSISTED FOLLOWING REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000. UPDATED 01/18/11 *BF UPDATED 01/31/11
I JUST BOUGHT A 2003 SAAB 9-3 VECTOR. AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RETRACT PROPERLY AND DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET. I THEN FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RECALL ABOUT THAT EXACT THING AND TOOK THE CAR TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHICH COULD PERFORM SERVICE. THEY TOLD ME IT HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED, AND THAT IT WOULD COST A FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS TO DO IT AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A RECALL OUT ON IT. I HAVE A HARD TIME BELIEVING IT WAS REPLACED ONCE AND THEN IT WENT BAD AGAIN, AND I SHOULD SAY THAT THE CAR ONLY WENT OVER 50000 MILES THIS EVENING ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK. THE DEALER SHOULD REPAIR THIS FAULTY ITEM FOR FREE AND THEN BE REIMBURSED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR
2003 SAAB 9-3 FRONT SEATBELTS DO NOT RETRACT. REPORTED TO DEALER PRIOR TO APRIL 2010 AND WAS INFORMED THAT THIS RECALL WAS FIXED. APPARENTLY THE DEALER THAT CLAIMED THEY REPLACED THESE SEATBELTS HAD NOT. QUITE A SAFETY ISSUE TO NOT HAVE PROPERLY WORKING FRONT SEAT BELTS. *TR
2003 SAAB 9-3, SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT PROPERLY 1. SEAT BELT IS SLOW TO RETRACT, ALMOST TO THE POINT WHERE I HAVE TO PUSH IT BACK INTO THE RETRACT SYSTEM. 2. IT FAILS EVERYTIME I ENTER MY CAR 3. NOTHING YET. SAAB USA IS UNWILLING TO HELP WITH THE ISSUE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SAAB 9-3. THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETRACT AND REMAINS LOOSE. THE CONTACT HAS NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT HE DISCOVERED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V226000 (SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR). THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT HIS VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONTACT FELT THAT IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE A VEHICLE WITH A MALFUNCTIONING SEAT BELT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51,000.
BRAKE PADS & ROTORS, SEAT BELT, BATTERY REPLACEMENT, TIRE, TRANSMISSION, SUNROOF MALFUNCTION. *NM
MY SAAB HAS HAD A LITANY OF PROBLEMS SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE CAR. IT ALL STARTED WITH LITTLE ITEMS. IGNITION WOULDN'T START THE CAR. HEAD LIGHTS BURNT OUT. DASH PEELING, DOOR HANDLES DISCOLORING, EMERGENCY BRAKE GETTING STUCK AND BEING ABLE TO OPERATE MY CAR. ENGINE WARNING LIGHT BECAUSE MY GAS CAP WASN'T ON CORRECT. STEERING WHEEL LOCKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING. WHEEL LOCK LIGHT REMAINING ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING. BRAKES REPLACED DUE TO FACTORY RETRO FIT. SEAT BELTS BEING RECALLED. COMPUTER CONSTANTLY NEEDING TO BE REPLACED SO THE CAR WOULD FUNCTION. ELECTRONIC KEY FAILING SO I COULDN'T START MY CAR. MY CAR IS A 5 SPEED AND THE SHIFTER HANDLE HAS AN CONTINUES TO COME OFF IN MY HAND. A MINIMUM OF 3 FUSES NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE DASH BOARD GOES BLANK AT TIMES SHOWING NO FUNCTIONS OF THE CAR. WINDOW WOULDN'T GO UP OR DOWN AND REQUIRED THE REGULATOR TO BE REPLACED. ERRACTIC IDLE. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON BUT, DEALER DOESN'T KNOW WHY. BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT 30,000 MILES AND ROTORS TOO.
2003 SAAB 9-3 VECTOR HAS PROBLEMS WITH SUNROOF, FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT, ALARM SYSTEM, GAS CAP, SIDE VIEW MIRRORS AND THE BOARD COMPUTER. ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED***. *MR THE ONBOARD COMPUTER COULD NOT BE FIXED AFTER 3 SERVICE VISITS, UNTIL FINALLY THE VEHICLE WAS RECALLED AND EXCHANGED FOR ANOTHER. THE GAS CAP WOULD NOT CLOSE PROPERLY, THE ALARM SYSTEM WENT OFF INADVERTENTLY, THE SIDE VIEW MIRRORS WOULD ADJUST THEMSELVES AFTER THE CONSUMER TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF. THE CD PLAYER MALFUNCTIONED. THE SEAT BELT LIGHT CAME ON EVEN WHEN THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS. THE FRONT SPOILER IS FALLING APART. *JB
THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STILL RUNNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER REPLACED THE IGNITION MODULE. THE REPAIRS WORKED FINE FOR TWO WEEKS, THEN THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *JB THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED, THE FOG AND HEAD LIGHTS WOULD GO OUT ONCE A MONTH, THE TRACTION CONTROL WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY, THE SEAT BELTS DID NOT RECOIL TO PROVIDE SECURITY FOR THE PASSENGERS, THE CLUTCH PEDAL DID NOT HAVE THE PROPER PRESSURE WHEN APPLIED, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT "SPIN OVER," THERE WAS A BLOWN FUEL PUMP FUSE, THE DRIVER WINDOW WAS INOPERATIVE, THE SUNROOF DEFLECTOR DID NOT COLLAPSE WHEN CLOSING THE GLASS CAUSING THE GLASS TO RE-OPEN ON IT'S OWN, THE DRIVER DOOR PANEL DID NOT FIT THE FLUSH TO THE DOOR PANEL, THE RADIO AND THE ONSTAR FEATURE DID NOT WORK. *SC *JB
SINCE OWNING MY 2003 9-3, THE PARKING BRAKE STUCK AND WOULD NOT RELEASE ULTIMATELY HAVING TO BE REPLACED. THE REAR BUSHINGS ON THE SWAY BAR HAD TO BE REPLACED, MULTIPLE LIGHT BULBS. AT ABOUT 20,000 MILES THE STEERING RACK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, MOST RECENTLY THE POWER STERRING PUMP NOW NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE SEAT BELT ALSO LET GO AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. I THOUGHT THAT ALL THAT COULD GO WRONG, HAD GONE WRONG UNTIL THE POWER STEERING PUMP WENT. NOW READING OTHER OWNER COMMENTS I HAVE NO FAITH IN THIS VEHICLE. THIS IS MY FOURTH SAAB, MY LAST I TRADED AT OVER 180,000 MILES WITH NO PROBLEMS.*AK
AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN A 30-35MPH FRONTAL COLLISION WITH AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. SEATBELT RESTRAINT INJURED BOTH PASSENGERS, BUT NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED.*AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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