Linkage ball joint dust cover insecure on the Saab 9-3
Linkage ball joint dust cover insecure on the Saab 9-3 is recorded on 1,652 tests — 1.2% of all its MOT tests, against 0.6% across every car in the data. That is 2.0× the national share.
Is this unusual for this model?
| Compared with | What it says |
|---|---|
| Every car in the data | 0.6% of tests record it — this model is 2.0× that share |
| The 233 models compared | 53 of 233, highest first |
| The model's own record | 137,430 tests · every year of the 9-3 → |
A share of tests is not a probability for your car: it counts every Saab 9-3 tested, whatever its mileage, service history and use. The like-for-like comparison on the model page is the fairer number.
Year by year
In 2002, 0.2% of this model's tests recorded it; in 2011, 0.5%. The share has risen 0.3 points over that time. Worst year 2008 at 0.7%; best 2002 at 0.2%.
| Year | Failures recorded | Tests | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 7 | 3,053 | 0.2% |
| 2003 | 30 | 7,028 | 0.4% |
| 2004 | 113 | 17,002 | 0.7% |
| 2005 | 170 | 26,144 | 0.7% |
| 2006 | 253 | 40,980 | 0.6% |
| 2007 | 340 | 51,296 | 0.7% |
| 2008 | 325 | 43,756 | 0.7% |
| 2009 | 179 | 27,498 | 0.7% |
| 2010 | 126 | 25,740 | 0.5% |
| 2011 | 94 | 17,596 | 0.5% |
Years with fewer than 0.2% of tests recording the item are left out: a year with two failures in 400 tests is noise, and this table is not here to make noise look like a trend.
What it costs
A typical UK repair for this item is £18–£45 fitted. It is a job a careful owner can do at home. What the part is, and what to buy →
Prices are typical UK supply-and-fitting estimates, not quotes. What happens if it fails covers the retest rules.
Where this sits
- Linkage ball joint dust cover insecure: every model, every year → — the item's own page, with the part guide.
- Saab 9-3 MOT pass rate by year → — the model's whole record, and what else it fails on.
- Every Saab model →