Saab VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
“Move your mind”
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.
Saab at a glance
- Founded
- 1945 (auto division)
- Parent
- Svenska Aeroplan AB
- Headquarters
- Trollhättan, Sweden
- GM ownership
- 1989-2010
- Bankrupt
- December 2011
- Iconic model
- 99 Turbo (1977, first volume turbo)
- Innovations
- Standard headrests (1968), heated seats (1971)
- Status
- Defunct (no current production)
- Basic warranty
- 4 years / 50,000 miles (historical)
- Powertrain warranty
- 5 years / 100,000 miles (historical)
Decode any Saab VIN
Enter a 17-character VIN below to retrieve the trim, factory options, original window-sticker MSRP and any open NHTSA recall affecting that specific vehicle. ForCar.org pulls the same dataset that Saab dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Saab technology
Saab heritage
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.
Market position
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.
New-vehicle warranty
SAAB VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick SAAB VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any SAAB VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Saab models (7)
Frequently asked questions
When was Saab founded and by whom?
Saab was founded in 1945 by Svenska Aeroplan AB and is headquartered in Trollhättan, Sweden.
Where is the VIN on a Saab vehicle?
The 17-character VIN appears in four standard locations: dashboard at the windshield base (driver side), driver-side door jamb sticker, the engine bay (firewall or engine block stamping), and the vehicle's title, registration and insurance documents.
How many Saab models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 7 Saab nameplates. Any 17-character Saab VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What is the Saab warranty?
Basic: 4 years / 50,000 miles (historical). Powertrain: 5 years / 100,000 miles (historical).
How to check Saab recalls by VIN?
Enter your VIN in the decoder above. ForCar.org queries NHTSA's open-recall dataset for that specific VIN and returns any safety recalls or Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that affect your vehicle.
Disambiguation: 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).
← All brands