Owners have filed 101 complaints on the Saab 9000, covering 1987–1998. The system named most often is Power Train (17 reports). Worst years by volume: 1993, 1992, 1994; cleanest: 1998, 1997, 1987. 3 reports describe a crash, 6 a fire. On average the car was 6.2 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Saab 9000
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 101 9000 complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Power Train 17 Read
The tracation control goes on and off unrelated to any road conditions. The engine cannot be adequately controlled nor the engagement of the transmission is smooth enough for maintaining control of the road. It is an accident waiting to happen, which it almost did several times
Faulty vehicle transmission in 1996 saab 9000.*mr the replaced transmission failed resulting in the consumer having to drive the vehicle manually. The dealer found that the problem was internal with the transmission shifts, it stayed in 4th gear. They had to replace it with a rebuilt transmission
My last two automobiles have been saab turbo's. My 1993 sabb turbo 9000 and my present 1995 turbo 9000 both developed transmission problems. My first one at approx. 49,000 miles and present one at 59,000 (appx.) miles. A partner of mines also had a transmission problem with his sabb turbo in the 60,000 mile range.…
Service Brakes 17 Read
Problems with ABS on a 1997 saab 9000 cs.*mr the ABS ecm unit was replaced at 45900, at 55393 most of the brake system had to be replaced, the consumer believed that this type of brake work should not occur at such low mileage, also the exhaust system and radiator had to be replaced. *jb
The dealer replaced the transmission four times in the past two years. *ak the vehicle had to be driven manually and stayed in 4th gear. The mechanic found an internal transmission problem. The rear brake pads were worn, the transmission oil pump was worn out, the hazards did not work when the weather was hot, but…
The automatic transmission was replaced three times. *ph the first transmission was replaced due to a worn out oil pump(the fluid was burned), and there was a whining noise. The second incident happened while the consumer was driving and the transmission did not shift properly (had to drive back manually/the mechanic…
Fuel System 11 Read
The vehicle burned and was totalled. Tt
Gas gauge inoperative
When attempting to accelerate, vehicle hesitated with pedal pushed to the floor having no or minimum repsonse. After inspection by mechanic, the the fuel tank collapsed, and another mechanic stated that this could be a fuel injection failure. Please describe details
Engine And Engine Cooling 10 Read
1996 saab 9000 aero rear-ended an izuzu rodeo. Damage to the rodeo was almost unnoticeable. Saab engine however erupted into flames and was a total loss. A factory certified technician less than 30 days prior to fire had serviced saab. Response from saab customer service - the issue did not concern saab and was…
Engine fire
Engine died in a 7 year-old car with approximately 45,000 miles
Electrical System 10 Read
While driving a fire started on the passenger side under sunvisor which is equipped with a power mirror , cause unknown. Please give any further details
Caught on fire in the garage from under the hood from the wiring harness. Please describe. Tt
Consumer was driving and car caught on fire call manufacturer said car was repaired under recall consumer has no knowledge of recall purchase car new . Tt
Air Bags 8 Read
Consumer received NHTSA recall 99V109000 concerning air bag module. After having the ecm replaced and installed a cover over the ecm SRS light appeared on the dashboard. Vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The cause had not been determined
SRS light came on within 1 day spontaneous driver side air bag deployed at hwy. Speed, able to get car to shoulder slight burns inside right forearm, clear and dry day
The contact owns a 1994 saab 9000 cse. The contact stated that while traveling 15-20 mph, the driver side air bag deployed erroneously. The failure caused injuries to the contact's head, leg and shoulders. The police were contacted and a report was filed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was…
Seat Belts 7 Read
The rear center seat belt buckle came apart. It is held on to the belt by a lead pin. That pin came loose. The belt is no longer useable. It has to be replaced. A child was strapped in at the time and the car was in motion. The seat belt and latch will require replacement. I am concerned this safety feature is not safe
Driver's seat belt becomes twisted and may fail in an accident. No accident has yet occurred
One wheel was originally replaced at 20000 miles by dealer. It was not round. SRS (restraint system) was recalled and worked on in august of 1999, but has failed already (september of 1999)
Vehicle Speed Control 6 Read
While pulling out of a parking space, as soon as the car was put in drive, the vehicle took off. The vehicle hit other cars. Dealer has not seen vehicle
Turbo apc solenoid valve failed. Yh
I was driving to work going 25mph when the car started accelerating. I stepped on the brake and I was barely able to stop. Since I was in traffic, I continued to a stop sign where the car stopped after a short lunge forward. I checked to be sure that the cruise control was off and I checked the dashboard and there…
9000 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Suspension | — | — | |
| 1997 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1996 | Engine And Engine Cooling | 1 | 1 | |
| 1995 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1994 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 1993 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 1992 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 1991 | Fuel System, Gasoline,power Train,equipment | — | — | |
| 1990 | Electrical System | — | 1 | |
| 1989 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 1988 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1987 | Electrical System | — | 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 | 92 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.1 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.2 years |
A model average of 1.1 hides a worst series at 4. 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
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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 9000?
By complaint volume, 1993, 1992, 1994 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 9000 years are the cleanest?
1998, 1997, 1987 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Saab 9000 have?
101 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1987–1998. Of those, 3 describe a crash and 6 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.