There are 7 stored owner reports matching the electrical system leading-label group for the 2005 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 7 of 7 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)ALTORNATOR KEEP MALFUNCTIONING HAPPEND MULTIPLE TIME
HORN DOES NOT BLOW, PLEASE WAIT LIGHT STAYS ON. AND BURNS THE BATTERY OUT OVER A DAY OR SO WHILE CAR IS STATIONARY HAVE TO RECHARGE.
VEHICLE STALLED DURING A RIGHT TURN AT SLOW SPEED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SAAB 9-3. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SEVERAL ELECTRICAL FAILURES. THE AIR CONDITIONAER, HEADLIGHTS AND THE MOTOR ON THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR ALL FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT A BURN OUT OCCURRED IN THE ELECTRICAL SOCKETS FOR EACH COMPONENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 37,440.
ONGOING DURING ROUTINE DRIVING: THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2005 SAAB 9-3 BURN OUT ON APPROXIMATELY A MONTHLY BASIS REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE BULB. ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGEABLE SOURCES THIS IS DUE TO A CORROSION ISSUE WITH THE HEADLIGHT SOCKETS KNOWN TO THE MANUFACTURER AND SERVICE PROVIDERS. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN DUE TO THE FACT THAT WHEN ONE HEADLIGHT BULB BURNS OUT - THE OTHER HEADLIGHT BULB BURNS OUT SHORTLY THEREAFTER EXPOSING ME TO FOUR OCCURRENCES WHERE I HAVE LOST ILLUMINATION IN BOTH HEADLIGHTS WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. IN ADDITION, THE HEADLIGHT SOCKETS ARE OF POOR CONSTRUCTION AS I HAVE HAD TWO OCCURRENCES OF ONE OF THE THREE TABS WHICH SECURE THE HEADLIGHT SOCKET INTO THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY BREAK OFF. THIS INITIALLY CREATES A SITUATION WHERE THE HEADLIGHT BULB MOVES OUT OF ALIGNMENT CAUSING IMPROPER ILLUMINATION OF THE ROADWAY AHEAD. ULTIMATELY, THE BROKEN TAB ON THE SOCKET LEADS TO BULB FAILURE DUE TO VIBRATION ASSOCIATED WITH VEHICLE OPERATION. REPLACEMENT SOCKETS AVAILABLE FROM THE MANUFACTURER ARE OF THE SAME CONSTRUCTION AND THE UNDERLYING ISSUES HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED. *TR
THE ENGINE IN MY 2005 SAAB 9'3 LINEAR HAS FAILED MANY TIMES WITHIN THE FIRST 4000 MILES. THE SAAB DEALERSHIP ON EACH OF THE THREE OCCASIONS COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SERIOUS CONCERN TO ME AND TO THE OTHER DRIVERS AROUND ME, I HOPE THAT SAAB RECALLS THIS MODEL! *JB
SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED MY SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE THE DIGITAL COMPASS ALWAYS READS NORTH AND CALIBRATED. WENT IN FOR SERVICE AND DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY CANNOT FIX IT. THEY ADVISED ME THE SAAB REPRESENTATIVE IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, AND ALL OF THE CONVERTIBLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, SECONDARY TO A MAGNETIC FIELD CREATED DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS.*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.