Owners have filed 102 complaints on the Saab 9-2X, covering 2005–2006. The system named most often is Air Bags (47 reports). Worst years by volume: 2005, 2006; cleanest: 2006, 2005. 2 reports describe a crash, 2 a fire. On average the car was 10.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Saab 9-2X
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 102 9-2X complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 47 Read
This is for two events: 1) I purchased veh new in 2006. In 2012 I had just serviced w/oil change, check up at 51000 mi. One morning, engine made a sound like pebbles hitting it, began to smoke like on fire, all lights came on, engine ceased. I had to tow the veh and to purchase rebuilt engine as was told engine…
I had been driving my car on a city street for < 2 minutes at ~ 30 mph. The red warning triangle with ! Cane on . Within 10 seconds there was a bang under the drivers seat, in about 5 seconds the passenger airbag deployed breaking the windshield and dashboard. In another 5 or so seconds the drivers' side airbag…
The contact owns a 2006 saab 92x. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000
Suspension 17 Read
The contact owns a 2005 saab 9-2x. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 11V464000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower arm) and made an attempt to contact the manufacturer in regard to locating an authorized dealer who could perform the recall repairs. The manufacturer advised the contact that…
The contact owns a 2005 saab 9-2x. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 11V464000 (suspension) and 15V323000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer…
The contact owns a 2005 saab 9-2x. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 11V464000 (suspension) and 15V323000 (air bags) however, the parts to do the repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer…
Fuel/propulsion System 12 Read
The contact owns a 2005 saab 9-2x. The contact stated that he smelled a fuel odor in the cabin of vehicle during cold start ups. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. After diagnosis, they advised him that some screws were loose and needed to be tightened. The vehicle was repaired by tightening the screws on the fuel…
The contact owns a 2005 saab 9-2x. The contact stated that there was a strong gasoline fuel smell in the vehicle. The fuel smell became extremely noticeable when the temperature was lower. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not…
There is an extremely strong gas smell in the cabin when temperatures are below 32 degrees. This appears to be a very common problem on these cars, as well as their subaru cousins (subaru wrx, subaru impreza). Some references: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2127350…
Fuel System 10 Read
Raw fuel is present and pools on the engine only when outside air temps go below freezing. Happens constantly. Many people on the referring internet site have reported the same problem. I have not been able to determine the proper fix
Fuel lines on top of the engine leak during cold weather, below 10 degrees f. There is a strong fuel odor out side the vehicle and inside when the vents are on. The smell goes away after the car is completely warmed up, 10-20 minutes of driving. Car is at the dealer with parts on order to help fix the problem
Strong smell of raw fuel at cold start up. Outside temperature approximately 15f. The smell goes away after the car is warmed up after a period of driving. Subsequent occurrences throughout each winter when temperatures are below 20f. Concerned that the leakage could result in a fire or toxic fumes being passed into…
Structure 3 Read
It is a well known issue with 2005-2006 saab 9-2x's, subaru wrx's that the rear strut towers are prone to rust through and cause a rear strut to completely break free from the body of the vehicle. This is a general motors/subaru issue, since the 9-2x is all subaru parts with saab badging
Severe strut tower rust with many peoples collapsing. This is directly due to subaru and gms manufacturing of the car
Both rear left and right strut towers began rusting to the point the rear suspension alignment was constantly shifting due to the lack of structure remaining in the body
Steering 2 Read
I purchased a 2005 saab 9-2x and shortly after was involved in an accident resulting in my car being totaled. The accident occured when the steering failed to work properly resulting in the car jumping a median and landing on its side. Shortly thereafter the car ignited into a fire starting in the engine, which…
While pulling out of the driveway, I suddenly heard a loud noise from the engine bay and couldn't turn my steering wheel to exit the driveway. The failure was due to the rubber ring (inner ring) of the engine's crankshaft pulley becoming misaligned with the metal ring (outer ring), causing the belt for the power…
Exterior Lighting 2 Read
Driving lights will go out at unknowing times. Received 1st letter from gm a safety recall stating that my saab had a defect relating to head lamps and running lamps could fail. Set up appointment with gm repair shop to have problem resolved. They said that my vehicle wasn't included in the recall . Received 2nd…
The exterior lights have to be replaced on a constant basis. One headlight would go out soon as you fix it the other headlight would go out. However now the issue has become where when I leave to go drive somewhere at night my lights don't even come on at all and I'm forced to have to use my brights in order to drive…
Engine And Engine Cooling 2 Read
Major fuel leak in cold temperatures on a 2005 saab 9-2x aero. The fuel line/hose under the intake manifold leaks significantly in cold temperatures. This is a known issue on the subaru wrx of the same year(s). Subaru of america issued recall campaign wvk-21 on their vehicles, and the saab 9-2x aero is mechanically…
The contact owns a 2005 saab 92 aero (n/a). The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, he noticed a knocking noise from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to his resident. The contact called the authorized dealer who stated that there was nothing they could do to assist. The vehicle had not been…
9-2X years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 55 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.9 |
| Worst single series | 7 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 10.1 years |
A model average of 1.9 hides a worst series at 7. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the 9-2X?
By complaint volume, 2005, 2006 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which 9-2X years are the cleanest?
2006, 2005 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Saab 9-2X have?
102 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2005–2006. Of those, 2 describe a crash and 2 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.