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Engine coolingPart report

2000 Saab 9-3 Engine cooling Problems

Complaints
13about this part
Share
26%of 50 total for the year
Median mileage
95,890miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 13 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2000 Saab 9-3, 26% of the 50 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 95,890 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The serpentine belt on my Saab 9-3, model year 2000 has failed 3 times on me. The last time the serpentine belt disintegrated into tiny pieces while the car was driven and almost LED to an accident. This happened less than 6 months and 5,000 miles after the belt was replaced. According to the repair facility the disintegration was due to the idler pulley seizure and they claim it happens frequently on such cars.”

NHTSA complaint #10225625, filed 2008-04, 111,180 miles

“My car stopped on mass turnpike around midnight. I had vehicle towed to the nearest Saab dealer. Their diagnosis was the oil sludge. Even at that time the dealer did not mention anything about special warranty the Saab announced in 2005. I have never received any information from the Saab as well. After I search the internet I found out about the special warranty. I filed a claim and submitted all oil change receipts I had ( it is their requirement to qualify for the special warranty). The car is almost 8years old. …”

NHTSA complaint #10226768, filed 2008-05, 104,000 miles

“I bought a used 2.0l 2000 Saab 9-3 a year ago. Since then, the car has had problems that many other owners of this similar make/model/year have had. I've replaced the throttle housing, serpentine belt, belt tensioner, crankshaft sensor, and most recently the water pump. Now, I'm getting a check engine light fault code p1312 and p1334, which points to the direction ignition module. I know that there was a recall of the direct ignition module in certain saabs for this make/model/year, but it's odd that my car coincidentally happens to have the same problem. …”

NHTSA complaint #10236271, filed 2008-07, 100,000 miles

“Saab 2000 9-3 turbo continued to be plagued with no start problems (recalled item repaired by Saab dealership. Oil sludge as a result of problems related to recall caused engine/turbo to fail at 94,000 on interstate highway. Car has been towed to mechanic. Service at dealership is documented and should have prevented this type of engine. Turbo failure.”

NHTSA complaint #10269966, filed 2009-05, 94,000 miles

“2000 9-3 had the ignition module recall done a few years ago. While driving at 45 MPH the motor stopped. Lost all electrical power. Car would not restart. The repair shop replaced the catalytic because it was plugged. They said it could be caused by the ignition module.”

NHTSA complaint #10246362, filed 2008-10, 77,715 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine cooling: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
200912%
200821%
200764%
2006116%
200544%
200494%
20033215%
2002616%
20011424%
20001326%
199958%

Other parts of the 2000 Saab 9-3

Electrical system
23 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