Saab is a Swedish carmaker founded in 1945. The cars themselves are another matter: across 4 VIN prefixes on record they came off lines in 3 countries — Sweden 88.9%, the United States 6.6%, Japan 4.6%. 7 models are tracked here (1981–2026). Reliable? yes, on balance — 4.1 out of 5 across 7 rated models, though the spread between model years is far wider than the badge suggests (every model ranked →).
Who makes Saab
Saab Automobile AB is a discontinued Swedish automobile manufacturer that operated from 1945 to 2011, headquartered in Trollhättan, Sweden. Founded as a subsidiary of aircraft maker Svenska Aeroplan AB (Saab AB), the company began producing automobiles in 1949 with the Saab 92, designed by aircraft engineers using two-stroke front-wheel-drive technology. General Motors acquired 50% of Saab Automobile in 1989 and full ownership in 2000. Saab pioneered safety features including standard headrests (1968), heated seats (1971), side-impact protection (1972) and the first turbocharged passenger car in volume production (1977 Saab 99 Turbo). The 9-3 and 9-5 sedans defined Saab's last commercially active years, with the 9-7X and 9-4X SUVs representing failed attempts to expand into crossover segments. GM declared Saab insolvent in 2009, sold to Spyker Cars in 2010, and Spyker filed for Saab bankruptcy in December 2011. National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) acquired Saab assets in 2012 but lost rights to the Saab name in 2014. Saab Automobile no longer exists as an active brand. Recall data for Saab vehicles is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org maintains historical Saab VIN data from the brand's 1956-2011 US era.
Svenska Aeroplan AB (Saab) was founded in 1937 to build military aircraft for the Swedish Air Force. After World War II, with reduced military demand, the company diversified into automobiles using aircraft-inspired engineering — the 1949 Saab 92 had a streamlined low-drag body, front-wheel drive (rare for the era) and a two-stroke transverse engine. The 1968 Saab 99 introduced the four-stroke architecture and pioneered headrests as standard equipment. The 1985 9000 was Saab's first executive-class sedan and the platform that GM evaluated when acquiring its 1989 stake.
| Saab | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1945 |
| Founded by | Svenska Aeroplan AB |
| Headquarters | Trollhättan, Sweden |
| Slogan | «Move your mind» |
| Models tracked here | 7 (1981–2026) |
| Assembled in | 3 countries |
Technology it is known for: Turbocharged engines (since 1977), Saab Combustion Control (SCC), Aircraft-inspired ergonomics, Night Panel cockpit dimming, Active Head Restraints.
This page covers Saab Automobile AB (defunct passenger-car brand) — not Saab AB (the still-operating Swedish defense and aerospace company that retained the Saab name after the 1990 split with Saab Automobile).
Where Saab cars are actually built
A badge says where a company is registered, not where its cars were bolted together. The first three characters of any VIN — the world manufacturer identifier — say the second thing, and that is what we counted: 2,146 vehicles on record, 4 distinct manufacturer codes.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | YS3, Y53 | 1982–2011 | |
| the United States | 5S3 | 2005–2009 | |
| Japan | JF4 | 2005–2006 |
Read your own: the first character is the region, the first three together identify the plant's manufacturer. A Saab beginning YS3 was assembled in Sweden.
All Saab models 7
Every Saab model we track, grouped by body type. Click any model for its VIN decoder, recalls, MPG, safety and ForCar Reliability Score — broken down by year.
Saab SUVs & crossovers 3
| Model | Years | Recalls | Complaints | Best MPG | ForCar score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saab 9-7X | 2005–2009 | 12 | 171 | 16 mpg | 4.0/5 |
| Saab 9-2X | 2005–2009 | 5 | 10 | 23 mpg | 3.5/5 |
| Saab 9-4x | 2011–2012 | 2 | 5 | 20 mpg | 5.0/5 |
Saab Cars & sedans 4
Saab by the numbers
What the federal records say about the marque. Each line links to the full breakdown by model and year.
| Topic | Saab | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 149 campaigns | Most recalled: Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings |
| Owner complaints | 1,717+ filed | Most reported: 9-3 |
| Fuel economy | 24 mpg best | Leader: 9-3 |
| Crash safety | ★★★★★ top rated | 1 models tested by NHTSA |
| Insurance | $1,499/yr typical | Cheapest: 9-5 |
Compare model years like a dealer does.
- Full research report on any model year
- Market chart: how this model holds value
- Exact values with mileage adjustment
- Price-drop alerts on the trims you're watching
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Get a Saab window sticker by VIN
Recreate any Saab's original Monroney label — MSRP, factory options, EPA MPG and safety — free from the VIN.
Saab window stickers →How to read a Saab VIN
Every Saab built since 1981 carries a unique 17-character VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). It encodes where and when the vehicle was made, its engine and body — here's what each part means:
- WMI (1–3) — country & manufacturer. Tells you it's a Saab and the country it was built in (real Saab codes below).
- VDS (4–8) — model, body style, engine, trim & restraints. The 8th digit is the engine code.
- Check digit (9) — a math check that proves the VIN is genuine.
- Model year (10) — the year it was built (e.g. R = 2024, S = 2025).
- Plant (11) — which factory assembled it.
- Serial (12–17) — the unique sequential production number.
- FinlandYK1
- SwedenYS3
The remaining digits — engine (8th), model-year letter (10th) and plant — follow the universal SAE standard. You can decode any VIN for free and get the year-code table, the country codes and the exact spots where the number is stamped.
Who owns Saab, and what you get
Saab is independent, Swedish-owned. Saab competed in the European luxury and near-luxury segments against BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Volvo, Volkswagen and Alfa Romeo with quirky-engineered Scandinavian positioning that emphasized turbocharging, safety and aerodynamics. The brand never achieved volume sales sufficient to support standalone product development, and GM's 1989-2010 ownership produced increasingly badge-engineered products that diluted the brand identity. Saab's 2011 bankruptcy ended the brand commercially, and subsequent revival attempts have not produced new vehicles.
| Saab | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Sweden |
| Ownership | Independent |
| Basic warranty | 3 years / 36,000 miles |
| Powertrain warranty | 5 years / 60,000 miles |
| Assembly countries | Sweden, United States, Japan |
⚠ Worth knowing before you rely on it: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, while basic cover here runs 3 years / 36,000 miles. See when Saab models actually start to break →
Saab — frequently asked
Is Saab swedish?
Saab is a Swedish company, headquartered in Trollhättan and founded in 1945. The cars are a separate question: 88.9% of the Saab vehicles in our records were assembled in Sweden.
Where are Saab cars made?
Across 4 manufacturer codes on record, assembly splits as: Sweden (88.9%), the United States (6.6%), Japan (4.6%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the manufacturer and plant country — that is where these shares come from.
Who owns Saab?
Saab is independent.
How many Saab models are there?
We track 7 Saab models spanning 1981–2026. The full list is above, ordered by how often each is searched.
What is the Saab warranty?
New vehicles come with 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Terms vary by model year and market — confirm with a dealer.
Is Saab reliable?
It depends far more on the model and year than on the badge. Every Saab model is ranked by complaint rate here, along with the age at which each starts to fail.