| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2006 Saab 9-3 repairs by problem area
Engine (25%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (1%)
Brakes and Traction Control (4%)
Suspension and Steering (16%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (29%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (12%)
Other (12%)
Chart based on 387 repairs.
2006 Saab 9-3 engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (1%)
$1000 - $2499 (5%)
$500 - $999 (7%)
$100 - $499 (28%)
< $100 (59%)
Chart based on 83 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2006 Saab 9-3
Engine not specified
| 46000 mi US $60 |
New starter, new flywheel. |
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 250hp 2.8L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 87000 mi US $150 |
Faulty oil pressure sensor was causing the car to report low oil pressure upon start up and when heavy acceleration was called for. Intercooler pipe clamps loosened which caused the car to go into limp home mode and display trac control, elec slip pgm and gearbox malfunction errors. |
| US $220 | Ingniter on one of the spark plugs required maintenance |
| 84000 mi US $234 |
evap purge valve $386 |
| 79500 mi US $400 |
Vacuum leak |
| 8000 mi | My coolant container had cracked, leaking coolant out. I noticed it because the "Low Coolant" light came on. They replaced the container and all is well. |
| 11000 mi | There was a leak in the heater core. The dealership ordered in a new one and replaced it. |
| 15000 mi | The engine revs a little too high on cold start. It returns to a regular rev when in gear. They replaced... something... but it didn't fix the problem. I'll take it in again at some point again. |
| 34000 mi | I ran out of gas one day, even though the gauge showed that I still had 1-2 gallons. When I brought it in to the shop, they said that running it that low on fuel caused the fuel pump to go. They replaced it, and my gauge is now registering correctly. |
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 250hp 2.8L V6 6-speed manual FWD
| 54000 mi | Coolant expansion tank cap replaced. |
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 47000 mi | Slow coolant leak that required refill ~every month. Problem diagnosed as leaking banjo fitting, part ordered. |
| 118000 mi US $1170 |
Check engine light came on and diagnosed as failed ignition coil. All four ignition coils and spark plugs replaced. |
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 196000 mi US $80 |
OIl leak from valve cover. |
| 212000 mi US $400 |
Thermostat stuck open. Stalling under heavy acceleration caused by leaking valve cover gasket soaking plugs/wires with oil. |
| 225000 mi US $900 |
Ignition coils replaced |
| 53200 mi | Check engine light on but no error message from computer. Told it was a hot weather related problem and light was reset. |
| 65000 mi US $240 |
Bad coil pack caused engine to misfire. Coil pack replaced. |
| 108000 mi US $118 |
Water pump was leaking. Replaced water pump. Drained and refilled coolant. |
| 156500 mi US $191 |
Fuel pump failed. Fuel pump replaced. |
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Wagon
turbocharged 150hp 1.9L I4 Diesel 6-speed manual FWD
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 250hp 2.8L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 57040 mi | Check engine light came on, dealer said there is a problem in fuel pump, fuel pressure is low. |
| 58280 mi | coolant tank |
| 62000 mi $600 |
radiator cap leaks from time to time |
| 75020 mi | Smell of coolant appear after shutting the engine, |
| 75020 mi | engine take long time to start after refulling, fuel pump pressure is weak. |
| 128300 mi US $55 |
I replaced leaking coolant hoses from tank that run over top the turbo shield Part# 12842478 & 12842477 and 4 hose clamps. Check engine light for faulty boost control valve. Replaced boost control valve part # 12787706. I bought the kit from the GM dealer at less than Saab sells the valve itself so I got the three vacuum lines with the valve. |
| 155000 mi US $100 |
Replaced the hard vacuum line, vacuum noise on start up is quiet. Resolved the check engine code as well. |
| 164074 mi US $1000 |
Codes P0300, P0202 and P0302 stored/reset. Replaced spark plugs, boost control valve cylinder 2 fuel injector and intake manifold gasket. Replaced ECU with used unit. |
| 169000 mi US $600 |
Replaced fuel computer that I had to source used for $200 because the OEM replacement was not available and is year specific at $925. Replaced all 6 coils. The Indie mechanic let me buy the Bosch coils at a 50% savings to me. |
| 102000 mi US $250 |
Replaced purge valve. |
| 35000 mi | Once again, small coolant leak noticed. Given some B.S. explanation that it was normal. Topped off coolant. |
| 40000 mi | Coolant still leaking. Decided to replace the coolant tank and cap. |
| 42000 mi | Cooling fan stuck on high, even when car was shut off. Fan would run until low voltage safety shut it off, killing the battery. Replaced battery and made software change for fan. This is the third battery in two years. |
| 44000 mi | Intermittent rough idle, to the point that it has died a few times. Not consistent, difficult to predict, and not repaired. Dealer indicates several other aeros with similar symptoms. GM Tech Assistance engaged with no result. |
| 45000 mi | Rough idle continues. Dealer still cannot duplicate. Opened TAC case with GM. |
| 45000 mi | New coolant reservoir. Also new spark plugs. |
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 250hp 2.8L V6 6-speed manual FWD
| 101000 mi US $50 |
Engine was displaying multiple codes P2300, P2303, P2306, P2309, P2312, and P2315, indicating "ignition coil short to ground" for each cylinders 1 - 6. Attempted the following repairs: - Replace spark plugs and ignition coils - Replace main relay - Cleaned and soldered all splices in wiring harness on '+' side to ignition coils. - Cleaned and soldered ground and +12V splices throughout the wiring harness from the battery/fusebox to ignition coils - Cleaned ground connections G7F and G7R, and verified low resistance to battery terminal from each - Used a micro-ohmeter to test resistance from ground to pins 3 and 4 of each coil connector. Found 3 that were suspect (20+ m? vs 10m? for other pins) and replaced the coil connectors. None of these things corrected any of the codes, although I'm sure they didn't hurt. Ended up getting a stage 0 tune from Vermont Tuning, which I HIGHLY recommend. Before applying the tune we logged data and there was no data to suggest that the codes were 'real'. The codes came back after the tune was applied (and data logged and observed again), so a custom tune was made to block them out since all voltages and data look good. |
| 44000 mi | replaced cracked coolant reservoir bottle |
| 132800 mi | Radiator cooling fans not operating properly, very difficult to work on. |
| 147000 mi US $800 |
Fuel pump non operational, fuel pressure sensor non operational system replaced. |
| 142000 mi US $20 |
Coolant Cap broke. Had to order a new one and replace. |
| 9000 mi | coolant expansion bottle was leaking when coolant expanded, dealer replaced expansion bottle |
| 19000 mi | coolant expansion bottle was leaking when coolant expanded, dealer replaced expansion bottle. Successful repair. |
| 31000 mi | radiator coolant expansion bottle cracked and leaking, repeat problem |
| 68000 mi US $70 |
Hard start condition after fuel fill threw CEL. Replaced EVAP fuel purge valve. |
| 20000 mi | Replaced expansion tank - second time. |
| 25000 mi | Coolant tank replaced (third time). |
| 25000 mi | Coolant tank replaced (fourth time). |
| 70000 mi | ECM ordered. ECM installed, didn't fix problem. Ignition coils, vacuum line and spark plugs replaced - no cost under certified warranty. |
| 73000 mi | Replaced fuel pressure sensor |
| 89800 mi | Replace fuel pump |
| 94500 mi | Coolant leak - replaced coolant tank |
| 100000 mi US $140 |
CEL came on - code ME9 P0089-00. Checked fuel pressure regulator - no problem |
| 100800 mi US $332 |
replace canister purge valve |
| 103000 mi | Replaced coolant tank |
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 81000 mi US $10 |
Car was losing coolant. The leak was determined to be a faulty radiator cap. The cap had to be ordered and delivered the next day, but the repair took $10. ID'ing the problem took less than an hour with a pressurization check. |
| 119000 mi US $300 |
Vacuum pump had a small oil leak the last 10,000 miles. Replaced it for $300 and resolved the problem. Car ran fine with the repair needed, risk of bad smell of oil burning was only concern. |
| 123400 mi US $80 |
Oil consumption was slightly elevated. Shop took care of it by blowing carbon off of the cylinders and valves. Consumption was resolved. |
| 129700 mi US $150 |
Oil leak around oil level monitor. Oil sensor rubber seal replaced. Check engine light came on. Shop reset it. My guess was correct about an engine misfire. Solved it with $28 fuel spark plug cleaner and a full tank of premium fuel. |
| 207000 mi | New spark plugs |
| 207000 mi US $15 |
Replaced engine gasket on short block |
| 170000 mi US $1200 |
ECU went bad. Saab mounted these on top of the exhaust manifold. Not a great place. Many people have dead cars and need an ECU |
| 77000 mi US $194 |
SID showing braked system failure and speedometer stopped functioning. Dealer found a service bulletin requiring re-flash of ECM. Successfully corrected problem. |
| 161000 mi US $100 |
Ecu replacement |
| 70100 mi US $130 |
Crankshaft Position Sensor failed. Car limped to a nearby garage. |
| 72200 mi US $20 |
passenger window would not go all the way up. Random stops. Dealer reprogrammed safety stopping points |
| 32860 mi C $200 |
Mass Airflow sensor cleaned |
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 129000 mi US $20 |
Thermostat stuck partially open (was replaced 6 mo prior) and I replaced it in 30 min at my apt complex |
| 146000 mi US $75 |
Ignition coil failed, causing misfire. Repair was $75 for the coil, 5 min to replace |
| 187000 mi US $180 |
Radiator developed a leak, needed to be replaced |
| 27000 mi | I noticed coolant loss (but did not see where it was going--a very small leak), took it to the dealer and they added UV dye to the coolant. They told me to bring it back later to have them check to see if they can find where it is leaking. |
| 33000 mi | Saab directed the dealer to replace the shortblock to resolve the coolant loss issue. |
| 34000 mi | Oil leak from engine. Shop sprayed leak detection powder on engine to isolate source on Friday, then told me to bring it in on Monday. |
| 36000 mi | Dealer determined that turbocharger oil pipe is leaking. Replaced turbocharger oil delivery pipe which fixed the oil leak. |
| 103000 mi | Replaced fuel cap to correct P0456 code |
2006 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 150hp 1.9L I4 Diesel 6-speed manual FWD
| £300 | egr valve faulty - replaced |
| £500 | inlet manifold replaced - known issue but still had to pay - replaced |
2006 Saab 9-3 2dr Convertible
turbocharged 250hp 2.8L V6 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 104700 mi US $100 |
Oil sensor leak |
| 59300 mi | Expansion tank hoses needed to be replaced. known issue, |
| 61500 mi US $2600 |
Check engine light code indicated fuel pressure out of spec. Replace sensor and pump. $1600 for both |
| 67000 mi US $1300 |
Since July 2014 car had been missing at idle. No problems under load. Problem not reproducible when brought into shop during Sept 2014. Problem set CEL Dec 2014. Codes P0300, 0301,0303,0305,0306. Misfires. Replaced all ignition coils. |
2006 Saab 9-3 2dr Convertible
turbocharged 250hp 2.8L V6 6-speed manual FWD
| 12000 mi | Replaced expansion tank and coolant. |
| 30000 mi | vacuum hose replaced |
| 33000 mi | Low coolant light appeared. Coolant tank replaced. Key became hard to remove from ignition. Ignition switch replaced. |
| 30000 mi US $585 |
Fuel pump delivering inconsistent output pressure triggering CEL and stuttering at idle. Replaced fuel pump. |
| 82300 mi £230 |
radiator hose burst |
| 107000 mi £20 |
Burst radiator hose |
2006 Saab 9-3 2dr Convertible
turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 45000 mi | Faulty ignition coil. Ordered and installed replacement. |
| 130700 mi | Engine oil leak. Removed subframe brace and cleaned lower end of engine to determine source of leak. Faulty seal at oil pan to engine block. |
| 143000 mi US $75 |
Oil leak at sump gasket surface. Removed oil sump, cleaned surfaces, reinstalled. |
See TrueDelta's information for all Saab models.
