Does the Saab 9-3 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?

The Saab 9-3 records 17.60 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.11 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−2.51, 95% interval −2.66 to −2.36). It ranks 481 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Saab 9-3 by registration

What exactly fails on brakes?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Saab 9-3 is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 10,530 times in 2019–2024.

Saab 9-3: most frequent brakes defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	10,530	3.15
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake	7,927	2.37
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement	7,003	2.09
Parking brake inoperative on one side	4,106	1.23
A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded	3,645	1.09

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 334,332 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

If a Saab 9-3 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?

15.2% of Saab 9-3 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,667 miles later (59,243 advisories followed).

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 59,243 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

Does the Saab 9-3 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?

What exactly fails on brakes?

If a Saab 9-3 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?

Related pages

Other pages for this model