What breaks most · 1998 to 2011 model years
Saab 9-5 problems by year
Owners have filed 506 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Saab 9-5 across model years 1998 to 2011. Two years stand out: 1999 for electrical system complaints and 2000 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1998, 2009 and 2005.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1998, 2009, 2005
- Complaints on file
- 5061998 to 2011, all trims
- Worst year
- 1999118 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1116 fires · 12 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 71kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 30Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (1) | |
| 118 | 4 | 2 | Electrical system (70) | |
| 102 | 1 | 3 | Electrical system (53) | |
| 82 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (48) | |
| 53 | 2 | 6 | Electrical system (27) | |
| 47 | 1 | 4 | Electrical system (25) | |
| 19 | 1 | 2 | Electrical system (13) | |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | Suspension (2) | |
| 23 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (13) | |
| 17 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (12) | |
| 20 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (19) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (2) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Air bags (1) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Exterior lighting (5) |
What fails on the 1999 Saab 9-5
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 59% |
70 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1999 Saab 9-5 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 14% |
17 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1999 Saab 9-5 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
8 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1999 Saab 9-5 |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
7 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1999 Saab 9-5 |
| Air bags | 3% |
4 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 3% |
3 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Equipment and infotainment | 3% |
3 | 0 | — |
| Tires | 3% |
3 | 0 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Direct ignition cassette failure. It caused the car to stall in an intersection. I was in a traffic lane turning left with oncoming traffic when it failed. I replaced it at the dealer for $400.00.
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2000 saab 9-5 failed ignition cassette. Saab said they will not pay for repair even though the part had been recalled. Recall # 05v399000. *dt also the fuel pump failed. *jb
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Saab 9-5 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 2000 carry the most filings on the Saab 9-5. The 1999 alone has 118 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Saab 9-5 problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 70 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Saab 9-5 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Saab 9-5 complaints that include mileage is about 71,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.