2000 Saab 9-3 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 23about this part
- Share
- 46%of 50 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 71,600miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 23 complaints about the electrical system of the 2000 Saab 9-3, 46% of the 50 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 71,600 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The car has had problems starting for many years and I have taken it to various Saab service centers without much luck. It has gotten progressively worse over the years. There was a recall on this model and year issued on the part when I brought it in when the recall was issued they said that my di cassette was not part of the recall. I have just had to pay and replace this part and I fear that this damaged part has compromised other parts of the car.”
NHTSA complaint #10254844, filed 2009-01, 105,000 miles“I was driving down a busy street when my car stalled, and would not restart. There was no indication that anything was wrong prior to the car dying. Fortunately, I was able to coast off the road into a parking lot. The car was towed to the local Saab dealer. They replaced the di cassette and did a software upgrade. I was not injured, however, I am frightened to think what may have happened if I was driving 65 on a busy highway!”
NHTSA complaint #10130617, filed 2005-07, 53,534 miles“My wife was driving our 2000 Saab 9-3 at approximately 55 MPH on the h-3 enroute to kaneohe, hi. On the down hill side, the engine shut off with no warning. Nothing on the sid or other instrumentation. The car had plenty of fuel. She attempted to restart several times. Since she was coming down the mountain, she was able to safely coast to the shoulder of the road. The car was towed to the local Saab dealer. The next day they ascertained the problem to be failure of the direct ignition cassette. Cost for replacement was $647.79. …”
NHTSA complaint #10117991, filed 2005-04, 69,779 miles“I was casually driving with my daughter and the car suddenly shutoff in the middle of traffic. I tried to restart the vehicle; however, it did not restart. Fortunately, I had enough momentum to carry me towards the curb. But I had to cut across a lane to make it to the curb. When I spoke with the dealer the next day, they knew immediately what the problem was - failed ignition cassette. The dealer said this is a constant problem with saabs and there is no warning before failure. I find this odd considering the car has a service information display. …”
NHTSA complaint #10105667, filed 2005-01, 42,548 miles“Was driving down the gsp during the evening rush hour (5pm or so) in the left lane on the express side. Pickup truck approximately 4 ft off my rear bumper(nj you know). Heavy rain. My 2000 Saab 9-3 viggen just shut off.no warning. No power to get to appropriate shoulder so I had to drive the car off the left hand side of the road into the mud. After being towed to dealer I got the car back the next day. Di cassette failure was the diagnosis.come to find out, this is a known problem with the Saab di cassettes. One day later, car back in shop for 4 days. …”
NHTSA complaint #10116370, filed 2005-04, 73,000 milesRelated recalls
- 05V399000Sep 14, 2005Certain passenger vehicles equipped with b205/b235 4-cylinder gasoline engines and b308 6-cylinder gasoline engines may experience overheating and burnout of…Covers: Saab 9-3 2000–2002, 9-5 2000–2002
Related service bulletins
- 11006621Aug 26, 2024Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which…
- 11002312Jun 6, 2024This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414…
- 10083898Apr 27, 2016This preliminary information communication advises the technician if unable to place an onstar call in the ignition on mode after the onstar canada upgrade, to contact the gm…
- 10083484Apr 19, 2016This preliminary information communication provides information to help the dealership technicians perform a parasitic drain test for the onstar module. When performing battery…
- 10078735Apr 19, 2016This preliminary information communication provides information to help the dealership technicians perform a parasitic drain test for the onstar module. When performing battery…
- 10078734Apr 19, 2016This preliminary information communication advises the technician the steps on repairing the concern. A customer may identify a concern of unable to reactivate a vehicle's onstar…
- 10083900Apr 8, 2016This preliminary information communication advises the technician, if unable to place an onstar call in the ignition on mode after the onstar canada upgrade to contact the gm…
- 10190512Dec 1, 2015OnStar® Voice Fallback Number Update Some customers may have received a letter from OnStar® stating that "We recently tried to provide a software update to the OnStar® hardware…
- 10027804Nov 1, 2008General motors corp: special coverage adjustment; analog onstar deactivation. *pe updated 2/17/09.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 3% |
| 2009 | 1 | 2% |
| 2008 | 11 | 6% |
| 2007 | 12 | 8% |
| 2006 | 13 | 7% |
| 2005 | 9 | 9% |
| 2004 | 13 | 6% |
| 2003 | 46 | 22% |
| 2002 | 14 | 38% |
| 2001 | 23 | 39% |
| 2000 | 23 | 46% |
| 1999 | 22 | 34% |
Other parts of the 2000 Saab 9-3
13 complaintsAir bags
10 complaintsFuel system
3 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaintsEquipment
2 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsOther or unknown
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaintsTires
1 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
1 complaintsVehicle speed control
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2000 Saab 9-3
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology