| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2003 Saab 9-3 repairs by problem area
Engine (34%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (7%)
Brakes and Traction Control (3%)
Suspension and Steering (12%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (34%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (6%)
Other (4%)
Chart based on 308 repairs.
2003 Saab 9-3 engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (3%)
$1000 - $2499 (10%)
$500 - $999 (22%)
$100 - $499 (32%)
< $100 (32%)
Chart based on 96 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2003 Saab 9-3
Engine not specified
| 151000 mi US $950 |
replaced radiator, 500 |
| 166000 mi | Secondary air injection pump Exhaust mounts rusted out and was barely hanging on. |
| 51000 mi US $700 |
Changed Exhaust parts and reset ECU program by Tech II machine. |
| 188000 mi US $150 |
Coil Pack replacement |
2003 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 6-speed manual FWD
| 78000 mi US $45 |
hooting noise from turbo when letting off accelerator. Due to a valve on the turbo. Put stock air filter back in(took out K&N) and it helped reduce hooting(pssst) noise when presure is released. Also have a squeeky AC fan. |
| 75000 mi US $1100 |
emissions air pump |
| 117000 mi US $100 |
SAI Cutoff valve |
| 97000 mi | When sold an air intake problem caused the car to severely shudder (and almost stall out) during heavy acceleration. |
| 208000 mi US $600 |
oil leak. Noticed oil on driveway after parking car. Shop said it was a common problem on my car. said oil was actually leaking into power steering fluid.. which made sense since my steering had also been "off" during leak. |
| 258000 mi US $500 |
water pump broke |
| 62300 mi US $788 |
Secondary Air Injection pump and check valve had failed. They were replaced. |
| 67000 mi US $480 |
The check valve for the SAI pump did not work. The fuel pump sensor had to be replaced. |
| 84000 mi US $100 |
One of the ignition coils stopped working and had to be replaced. |
| 66960 mi €80 |
Replaced boost control valve |
| 73160 mi €150 |
Engine mount |
2003 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 139800 mi US $150 |
Weeping radiator from plastic fins on both driver and passenger sides. Ordered replacement radiator, installed by self. |
| 155000 mi US $55 |
Lower oxygen sensor failed |
| 158000 mi US $42 |
Brake booster vacuum line had rotted away from power steering pump leak. Replaced part with new part supplied by dealer. |
| 109300 mi US $250 |
Bad coil |
| 39680 mi | Many ongoing problems when sold. Ignition control unit (ICU)... |
| 119000 mi US $700 |
radiator/hoses leak. |
| 49000 mi | Rear Main Engine Seal |
| 102500 mi US $630 |
Replace Alternator |
| 81000 mi | Main seal leaking |
| 64187 mi $60 |
intake pressure sensor |
| 72736 mi $300 |
preheating oxygen sensor replacement |
| 74957 mi $175 |
water temp. regulator coolant coolant reservior |
| 75956 mi $170 |
rear oxygen sensor replacement |
| 78120 mi $7172 |
check engine light on due to oxygen sensor voltage low check engine light on due to front oxygen sensor reading low voltage check engine light on due to front oxygen sensor reading low voltage. could caused by catalytic converter leak |
| 62000 mi C $300 |
Visited shop for spark plug change, routine. Since then, engine rough idle. Apparently cylinder/valve damage after spark plug routine change. Vehicle at shop ever since, 2.5 weeks. Due to cost, adjustor has to authorize repairs. |
| 63240 mi C $100 |
Replaced engine w/ used one. due to cylinder 3 & 4 damage. cylinder 3 was damaged in shop, cylinder 4 was damaged during a previous visit. |
| 70680 mi | Coolant level dropped twice in 2 weeks to warning level. Shop not able to find leak, used dye in coolant and returned 1 week later, still no evidence of leak. Told to keep eye on levels. No repair, no cost. |
| 93300 mi US $120 |
loose exhaust heat shield |
| 108000 mi US $900 |
Replaced coils. |
| 108000 mi US $600 |
Vacuum intake, fuel pump, system flush |
2003 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 205hp 2.0L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 92000 mi US $1079 |
Oil Cooler had a leak and needed to be replaced. |
2003 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 175hp 2.0L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 60000 mi US $200 |
Coolant leak tube replaced. |
| 62000 mi | Coolant leak fixed again. |
| 78000 mi US $500 |
Replaced oil gasket. Car had a major oil leak underneath, and was drenched in oil that was smoking from under the car. |
| 240000 mi | Car sold - Still ran great engine and transmission-wise! Has oil leak (moderate), |
| 47500 mi | Updated transmission software to combat rough shifts/surges (partially failed) Replaced aerial which wasn't flush with roof Repaired lumbar support in driver's seat Fixed rattle from passenger seat (loose screw) |
| 2000 mi | Car failed to start. Towed and repaired under warranty. |
| 64500 mi US $1008 |
Rear crank seal leaking, replaced |
| 141000 mi US $1100 |
Replaced entire exhaust system |
| 151800 mi US $235 |
Tensioner broke, snapping the belt rendering the car inoperable. |
| 86000 mi US $118 |
Ignition switch went bad |
| 78850 mi US $144 |
Car did not start. Had it towed to a mechanic, the fuel pump went out. Last April(less than a year and 12000 miles ago) the Saab dealer replaced it but it went out again. I am trying to get my money back from the dealer but they don't want refund. Faulty O-ring between the radiator and transmission. It was leaking coolant so I got it fixed, fortunately did not need to replace the radiator. |
| 82000 mi US $600 |
The vehicle was leaking coolant. Waterpump had to be replaced. |
| 6200 mi | Gearbox malfunction. Reprogrammed SPS. Covered by warranty. |
| 12600 mi | Water pump bolts leaking, reseal bolts. Covered by warranty. Onstar unit replaced. |
| 24700 mi | Low coolant. Radiator leak on driver side seam. Replaced under warranty. |
| 31000 mi | Performed oil cooler quick coupling reprogramming under warranty |
| 74000 mi US $60 |
Gearbox malfunction on display. Repair shop said they could not duplicate, probably intermittent problem. |
| 73000 mi US $168 |
Rear Main Seal continued a slow oil leak, as Dealership foretold. Returned to Dealer, where problem was successfully repaired. |
| 73000 mi US $400 |
Neutral Safety Switch, leaving the car thinking it was in 2nd gear (incapable of being in Park, so I left in a level parking lot with the e-brake on). Could not be restarted, as it was in gear. Towed to shop. Repaired. |
| 84000 mi US $550 |
oil leak in gasket behind timing belt. |
| 126300 mi US $1200 |
Water pump replaced. |
| 82000 mi | Engine light came on. Dealer replaced some kind of vacuum part. |
| 84000 mi | Engine light caused by faulty engine "back flow(?)" valve. Replaced under CPO warranty. |
| 86000 mi | Immobilizer malfunction. Had to replace ignition key module. |
| 60000 mi US $1000 |
Replace secondary air injection pump, check valve, and associated hoses, as pump was ruined because of previously "stuck open" check valve, allowing exhaust gas condensate to enter the pump and freeze during winter months. |
| 81000 mi US $566 |
Replacement O2 sensor and ECU reflash to latest version. |
| 90000 mi | O2 sensor. O2 sensor wiring harness compromised, allowing moisture in. Took three repair trips to resolve. |
| 94000 mi | Anti-vibration shaft chain tensioner needs to be replaced. Auxiliary air pump needs to be replaced. |
2003 Saab 9-3 4dr Sedan
turbocharged 175hp 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 126000 mi US $450 |
Engine stall and missfire. Fix was replacement of ignition. Liquid was spilled into it. It would turn off the engine while running or missfire. |
| 104000 mi US $750 |
Fuel pump needed replacement. |
| 123160 mi C $240 |
Replaced leaking oil pressure switch. Also had the serpentine drive belt replaced. Car had 199954km at the time. |
| 105000 mi US $340 |
replaced SAI pump/or smog pump, and the SAI check valve. Bought both from eEuroparts.com |
| 128000 mi US $80 |
Replaced rusted out flex pipe |
| 89000 mi US $581 |
Engine and transmission mounts replaced to solve buzzing/rattling and rough engine. Problem not solved. |
| 89000 mi US $961 |
The problem ended up being a balance shaft tensioner. |
2003 Saab 9-3 4-door
turbocharged 4-cylinder manual 2WD
| 37000 mi | fuel pump |
| 37000 mi | charcoal canister for fuel system |
2003 Saab 9-3 4-door
turbocharged 4-cylinder automatic 2WD
| 62000 mi US $1200 |
After replacing the fuel system module with its sensor and having a subsequent engine stoppage, the dealer reinstalled the ECM software. A week later the car stalled in traffic again and would not restart. Towed to dealer, dealer had to install another After fuel system module replacement, the car stalled on the road, had car towed to the dealership. The reflashed ECM based on diagonistics. Eventually in a later visit the ECM was replaced. Fuel gauge failed to report fuel level. Dealer reported fuel pump and module had to be replaced. |
| 43000 mi | Oil pump leaking fluid. |
2003 Saab 9-3 2dr Convertible
turbocharged 210hp 2.0L I4 5-speed shiftable automatic FWD
| 63240 mi C $1500 |
Engine sludge & PCV fix from latest TSB. The engine thus needed to drop sump,remove valve cover,secondary oil lines and clean. Replace timing chain and serpentine belt. Email: ultimately replaced engine. |
| 63240 mi C $360 |
This was a TSB for PCV valve retrofit to avoid possible sludge build up. |
| 65100 mi C $560 |
Water pump replaced. |
| 76500 mi £155 |
ignition system failed |
2003 Saab 9-3 2dr Convertible
turbocharged 205hp 2.0L I4 5-speed manual FWD
| 118300 mi US $1140 |
temp sensor for coolant |
| 110000 mi | intermittent engine temp sensor failure grinding noise from passenger side mid-engine (around drive belts) |
| 132000 mi US $3500 |
Valve seals blew - installed new old stock crate engine |
2003 Saab 9-3 2dr Convertible
turbocharged 205hp 2.0L I4 4-speed automatic FWD
| 156000 mi US $300 |
Exhaust system...muffler |
| 114500 mi US $200 |
Replaced DIC with proper unit. Red (Trionic 5) on a car that needed a black (Trionic 7). Car ran fine with the red - but the knock sensor on a T5 DIC is far more sensitive subsequently pulling the timing back a bit too much. |
| 106300 mi US $100 |
Replaced oil drain box and hose according to technical service bulletin. Parts purchased online and installed myself. Engine had sludge problem and this fixed it over next two oil changes. |
| 127000 mi US $185 |
Flex pipe rusted out (second time in two years) and needed to be replaced. Muffler has small holes, but still consider it serviceable. |
| 63000 mi US $800 |
Hole in stainless exhaust flex tube caused by corrosion. |
| 94000 mi | Stretched timing chain. |
| 111800 mi US $500 |
transmission supports giving out |
| 142000 mi US $200 |
02 sensor, about a week after the alternator |
| 153000 mi US $950 |
I had a transmission mount and one motor mount replaced for about $800. Also had an oil leak and had a gasket replaced for approximately $150. I will need the other motor mount replaced for about 300 $ and also brakes for about 500 $ when I return to the States in June. |
| 219000 mi US $425 |
I needed the ignition module replaced; |
| 219000 mi | Bringing it back next week for left transmission mount repair and tire rotation - to the new shop in NH, not the shop in Maine |
| 55000 mi | repair/replacement of ignition sensor and replace serpentine belt. |
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