Linkage ball joint excessively worn on the Saab 9-3
Linkage ball joint excessively worn on the Saab 9-3 is recorded on 5,836 tests — 4.2% of all its MOT tests, against 1.8% across every car in the data. That is 2.3× the national share.
Is this unusual for this model?
| Compared with | What it says |
|---|---|
| Every car in the data | 1.8% of tests record it — this model is 2.3× that share |
| The 291 models compared | 45 of 291, 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 2000, 0.3% of this model's tests recorded it; in 2011, 1.5%. The share has risen 1.2 points over that time. Worst year 2007 at 1.7%; best 2000 at 0.3%.
| Year | Failures recorded | Tests | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15 | 4,876 | 0.3% |
| 2001 | 27 | 5,610 | 0.5% |
| 2002 | 42 | 6,106 | 0.7% |
| 2003 | 122 | 10,542 | 1.2% |
| 2004 | 381 | 25,503 | 1.5% |
| 2005 | 504 | 39,216 | 1.3% |
| 2006 | 860 | 61,470 | 1.4% |
| 2007 | 1,288 | 76,944 | 1.7% |
| 2008 | 1,017 | 65,634 | 1.6% |
| 2009 | 593 | 41,247 | 1.4% |
| 2010 | 566 | 38,610 | 1.5% |
| 2011 | 400 | 26,394 | 1.5% |
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 excessively worn: 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 →