Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Saab 9-3 2011: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 66 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2011 Saab 9-3 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Coil spring (front).

Summary

The 2011 Saab 9-3 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 2,179 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
66 in every 100
Did not pass first time
34 in every 100735 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
14 yearsabout 111,050 miles
First tests counted
2,179

What failed most often

  1. Coil spring (front)18 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (front)9 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)7 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2011 Saab 9-3 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the suspension sub-frame (rear): 21 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 735 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Failed on 46 first tests21 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A suspension sub-frame insecurely attached to the chassis or axle is Major, and Dangerous when it is insecure and impairing directional stability. A sub-frame that is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail is also Dangerous. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens it is Major.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 100 first tests, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 135 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 79 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Other power steering components

Noted on 24 first tests21 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Noted on 59 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Exhaust system (front)

Noted on 32 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Flexible brake hoses (rear)

Noted on 23 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 36 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
66in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
30in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 66.3% of 2,179 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 69.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 30 not fixed make the 34 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as tested
Diesel1,768118,688 miles66
Petrol41079,749 miles69

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100200020052011Older cars
40608010020002011Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 67 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199965 in every 100454
200065 in every 100568
200165 in every 100608
200269 in every 100679
200363 in every 100746
200458 in every 1001,777
200561 in every 1002,719
200660 in every 1004,231
200763 in every 1005,547
200864 in every 1004,841
200964 in every 1003,192
201066 in every 1003,100
2011 This car66 in every 1002,179

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2011 Saab 9-3.

Of 2011 Saab 9-3 vehicles with under 75,000 miles, 77 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 151,000 miles or more, 62 in every 100 did.

Under 75,000435 tests
77
75,000–99,000438 tests
64
99,000–122,000 Typical car425 tests
67
122,000–151,000445 tests
61
151,000 and over436 tests
62

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 75,00099,000–122,000151,000 and over
Coil spring (front)4.44.28.0
Tyre condition (front)2.32.14.1
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)0.92.12.8

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

38in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

36in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

8in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2011 Saab 9-3 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Coil spring (front), about 18 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 66.3% of 2,179 first MOTs on the 2011 Saab 9-3 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 69.8%. Among 735 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension sub-frame (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (6.3% of those tests; 46 observed failures; about 21× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2011 Saab 9-3 at the first attempt were Coil spring (front) (18.4%), Tyre condition (front) (8.8%) and Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (6.9%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Suspension sub-frame (rear) (6.3% of those tests; 46 observed failures; about 21× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension sub-frame (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (6.3% of those tests; 46 observed failures; about 21× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2011 Saab 9-3 include Suspension sub-frame (rear), Coil spring (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2011 Saab 9-3 (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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