General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Saab 9-3 vehicles manufactured May 31, 2002, to February 15, 2011, 2006-2009 Saab 9-5 vehicles manufactured June 7, 2005, to May 28, 2009, and 2008-2009 Saturn Astra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2007, to July 24, 2008. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Safety risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Manufacturer remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator on Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles and will replace the driver's frontal airbag module on Saturn Astra vehicles, free of charge. The recall began on March 1, 2017. Owners may contact Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007 or Saturn customer service at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 28810.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2011 Saab 9-3 Convertible vehicles manufactured July 30, 2003, to February 15, 2011. In the affected vehicles, the driver's side front seat belt retractor may break, causing the seat belt webbing not to retract.
Safety risk
In the event of a crash, a seat belt that has not retracted may not properly restrain the seat occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
Manufacturer remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt retractor, free of charge. The recall began on October 6, 2015. Owners may contact Saab customer service at 1-800-955-9007. GM's number for this recall is 14222. Note: Special Coverage 10086 will replace the passenger side seat belt retractor if it fails, free of charge, for the life of the vehicle.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Air bags
73
44,000 mi
Engine
66
89,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
13
97,000 mi
Electrical system
12
90,000 mi
Seat belts
11
45,000 mi
Suspension
10
58,000 mi
Power train
9
71,900 mi
Unknown or other
4
100,000 mi
Vehicle speed control
4
80,000 mi
Exterior lighting
3
65,000 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
2
10,700 mi
Structure: body
2
33,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling
1
4,500 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine
1
14,450 mi
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
75,000 mi
Latches/locks/linkages
1
120 mi
Latches/locks/linkages: hood: latch
1
55,000 mi
Power train: manual transmission
1
22,000 mi
Seats
1
—
Service brakes
1
53,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
1
1,500 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
1
1,500 mi
Structure
1
400 mi
Suspension: front: springs: coil springs
1
45,000 mi
Tires
1
33,500 mi
The 2007 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 2009 model has 5 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Open investigations
An investigation is not a recall. It indicates that NHTSA is currently evaluating an alleged defect but has not reached a final determination.
EA21002Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.