Saab 9-5
Owners filed 557 complaints across 14 model years of the Saab 9-5. The 2000 drew the most (119).
Which Saab 9-5 years should you avoid?
No Saab 9-5 year stands out. Across the 5 model years old enough to judge, none drew twice the complaints of a typical year (about 104), and none shows an unusual share of fires, crashes or deaths for its age.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Saab 9-5 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 9 | 0 | — | — | Exterior Lighting | Routine | |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | — | — | Visibility › Windshield | Routine | |
| 2009 | 2 | 1 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2008 | 20 | 2 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2007 | 17 | 2 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2006 | 23 | 2 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2005 | 11 | 2 | — | 2 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2004 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2003 | 47 | 4 | — | 1 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2002 | 65 | 6 | 5 | 2 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2001 | 104 | 4 | 5 | 1 | Electrical System › Ignition › Module | Routine | |
| 2000 | 119 | 3 | 5 | 3 | Electrical System › Ignition › Module | Routine | |
| 1999 | 118 | 2 | 1 | 4 | Electrical System › Ignition › Module | Routine | |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip › Control Unit/Module | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.