214 problems have been reported for the 2008 SAAB 9-3. The following chart shows the 16 most common problems for 2008 SAAB 9-3. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's air bags with 70 problems. The second most common problem is related to the vehicle's engine and engine cooling (68 problems).
In our research we use the PPMY index to compare the reliability of vehicles. The PPMY index of a certain model is defined as the problems reported per thousand vehicles per Year. The total sales of the 2008 SAAB 9-3 in the United States are 19,009 units [1]. If the total number of problems reported by SAAB 9-3 owners in the last 17 years is 214, and the age of the vehicle is 17, the PPMY index can then be calculated as
PPMY Index = 214 / 19,009 / 17 * 1000 = 0.66.
For more information, refer to this page: A study of reliability comparison across SAAB 9-3 model year vehicles.
The following chart shows the number of problems reported during each of the service years since the debut of the 2008 SAAB 9-3 in 2008.
| Service Year | Number of Problems |
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| 2025 | |
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| 2008 |
When making the decision between buying a new or used SAAB 9-3, the following table can be used to compare the 2008 SAAB 9-3 with the SAAB 9-3 from other model years. Note that the number of problems reported for the 2008 9-3 is 214 while the average number of problems reported for the 13 model years of the SAAB 9-3 is 134.