Owners have filed 430 complaints on the Saab 9-5, covering 1999–2011. The system named most often is Electrical System (182 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 2000, 2001; cleanest: 2009, 2010, 2011. 8 reports describe a crash, 14 a fire. On average the car was 6.0 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Saab 9-5
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 430 9-5 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 182 Read
I purchased my 2004 Saab 9-5 in 2023. I was under the impression that everything was running and that drivability was proper. When I attempted to drive the automobile it would start, idle 7 minutes and stall. It would not start again for about 35 minutes. I tried to use it, and this behavior continued. Often, in…
I would like to cite NHTSA campaign #05V399000. While driving my 2002 saab 9-5 6 cylinder on 4/20/2006 I began to experience rough operation and reduced power of the engine. I was a short distance from my destination where I parked thinking I would need to be towed. At first I thought my car was overheating because…
August 12, 2006 our 2002 saab 9-5 sportwagon caught fire. Returning home from vacation the check engine light displayed. Information in the owner's manual and a phone call to our saab dealer lead us to believe that the car was safe to drive. As we approached the toll plaza in mays landing, nj the car stalled and began…
Air Bags 57 Read
The contact owns a 2005 9-5 saab. The contact stated that while making a turn she crashed into a parked vehicle. The air bags did deploy after the crash occurred and the driver received injuries to her face and mouth. A police report was filed. She was not transported to the hospital. The vehicle was towed to an…
I was involved with in an accident on friday december 14th, 2012. I was returning to work on my lunch break and a lady ran a red light, pulling out infront of me, and I ended up t-boning her going roughly 45mph. I was extremely disappointed that no air bags were deployed in such a severe head on collision. The car has…
7/26/22 10:23pm on interstate 25 North of Denver mile 249 I was not able to stop and rear ended another vehicle. My air bags did not deploy there were no dash lights indicating any problem with the airbags prior to the accident. My vehicle was not drivable and was towed to H&R Towing in Johnstown, CO. The only…
Engine And Engine Cooling 51 Read
Dt: consumer states on october 6, 2005 while driving on a road the vehicle caught on fire. The fuel line was ripped, and one smelled gasoline all over the passenger side of the vehicle. Consumer stated when putting the vehicle in reverse it will stall intermittently. Consumer took the vehicle to dealer and no codes…
Letter from insurance company regarding loss of saab due to fire with request for payment**cc the consumer noticed that one of the lights on the dashboard had illuminated and the vehicle began to act strangely. The consumer arrived home parked the vehicle in the garage and then suddenly the vehicle caught on fire. *jb…
The contact owns a 2000 saab 9-5. The contact believes that the ignition discharge module was the cause of her vehicle catching fire. The contact stated that before the fire occurred, the check engine light flashed. The contact's husband was driving when he noticed smoke rising from under the hood. He pulled over and…
Fuel System 37 Read
The contact owns a 2002 saab 9-5 arc. While driving 20 mph, the engine misfired and the contact noticed a burning smell. Approximately ten minutes after she parked the vehicle, there were flames coming from the rear of the vehicle near the fuel tank. The flames engulfed the vehicle and caused damaged to the trees and…
The contact owns a 2003 saab 9-5. On july 6, 2007, the contact received recall notice # 07V087000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings). The vehicle is currently located in spain. The manufacturer stated that they are not obligated to repair the vehicle for free because it is located…
The contact owns a 2003 saab 9-5. While the contact's daughter was driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle shut off and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic and they stated that the fuel pump failed and needed to be replaced. Three weeks later, the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA…
Service Brakes 26 Read
Saab 1999 wagon- prior to event computer indicated rear light failure. Then brake failure occured, and cruise control would not disengage. Car could not be stopped, collision with highway wall. Car destroyed. No injuries
Electronic emergency brake does not completely release. Noticed by excessive wear on rear brake pads/rotors, vibration when braking and poor gas mileage
My 2011 saab 9-5 is currently in the saab repair shop to have the brake pedal replaced. The brake pedal would not return to its proper position and was locking the brakes on and also locking the brake lights on. It feels like you have a flat tire and the car feels like something is holding it back. In my case I ruined…
Tires 11 Read
The contact owns a 2006 saab 9-5 equipped with firestone champion hr tires, size: 235/45r/17 (na). The contact stated that the sidewalls of two tires were cracked. Firestone inspected the tires and diagnosed that the contact ran over the utility, which caused the cracks. The vehicle failure mileage was 187,000 and the…
After significant vibration under front end at highway speeds appearing at less than 10,000 miles, car underwent alignment and 3 high speed balances. According to dealership, "all 4 tires were worn on insides and could only be caused by defect." dealer stated that "road forcing will not allow tires to be within the…
Kumho ecsta lx platinum 225/45zr17 tire on left front of saab 9-5 with approximately 25,000 miles use blew out suddenly (rapid loss of air) and without warning at 35 mph. Appears to have several cracks in sidewall near tread. Prior to blowout, slight left pull in car steering was noted during interstate driving, but…
Power Train 9 Read
Purchased a 2007 saab 9-5 wagon in feb 2010 with 14,000 miles still under both bumper to bumper original manufacturer warranty and pre-certified warranty. 5 weeks later in march 2010, car stalled on I-95 while traveling 70-75 miles per hour in south caroline at least 4 times with 2 different drivers. Thank goodness we…
Because of improper design, rear wire harness for reverse lights are being severed causing the reversing lights not to work. This same design flaw can be attributed to the failure of brake lights and electronic trunk release/lock
The contact owns a 2004 saab 9-5. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was found that the crank shaft position sensor, fuel pump, and the twice unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure…
Exterior Lighting 8 Read
The contact owns a 2011 saab 9-5. The contact stated that the check rear taillight warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that both tail light bulb sockets needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate…
The rear tail lights overheat, causing the bulbs to burn out and wiring to melt. We have had the bulbs and sockets replaced multiple times on both sides since 2013, but the only thing that fixes the problem is replacing the entire assembly. Just had the socket and bulb for passenger side replaced twice in one month,…
About once a month since about 10,000 miles I have had to replace one of the rear brake light socket assemblies because the plastic insert that holds the light bulb is melting. When it heats and melts, its shape slightly distorts disconnecting the connection between the light bulb and the light bulb holder. Thank…
9-5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 1 | 5 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | — | 3 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 1 | 4 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 2 | 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 | 276 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.6 |
| Worst single series | 7 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.0 years |
A model average of 1.6 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
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
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 9-5?
By complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 2001 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 9-5 years are the cleanest?
2009, 2010, 2011 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Saab 9-5 have?
430 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1999–2011. Of those, 8 describe a crash and 14 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.