There are 4 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 2002 Saab 9-3 in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 4 of 4 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SAAB 9-3. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO HESITATE AS IF THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ENGAGED. THE CONTACT ALSO HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. SHE WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE MORE THAN 20 MPH. WHEN THE MECHANIC ATTEMPTED TO TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE, IT FAILED TO SHIFT INTO GEAR. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE GEARS INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION EXPLODED INTO LITTLE PIECES. FOR THREE WEEKS, THE MECHANIC ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION, HOWEVER, THE TRANSMISSION WAS DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED BY ANOTHER TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST. THE CONTACT IS REQUESTING THAT SAAB PAY THE COST TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 60,000. UPDATED 02-01-08. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION LIGHT ILLUMINATED ONCE AGAIN AND IS PRESENTLY IN THE SHOP. UPDATED 02/01/08 *TR
MALFUNCTION OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON A CAR WITH 50000 MILES ON. TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST INDICATED MALFUNCTION BEGAN AT LEAST 5000 MILES PRIOR TO THE BREAKDOWN. *JB
TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 45 MPH. CONSUMER STATED TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP. CONSUMER BUT MANAGED TO PULL VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALER. *AK
THIS IS THE SECOND SAAB, 1993 WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION THAT WILL REQUIRE REPLACING THAT I HAVE OWNED.*AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.