2001 Saab Aero

Routine

Owners filed 11 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › ignition › module. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System › Ignition › Module3
010
Tires › Tread/Belt1
000
Seats1
001
Fuel System, Other › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings1
000
Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Fuel Pump1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling1
000
Electrical System1
000
Air Bags1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Air Bags
Filed Jun 11, 2008100,000 milesFL

THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON WITHOUT NOTICE, AND HORN STOPS WORKING, TOOK TO DEALER WHO SAID IT WAS THE CLOCK SPRING AND THIS IS A TYPICAL PROBLEM. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE AIRBAG IS NEEDED TO PREVENT INJURIES. I HAVE HEARD OF OTHER PEOPLE BEING INJURED BY THIS. (THE 9-5 IS THE SAME AS THE 95 AND THE 952 AND THE AERO). *TR

Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Fuel Pump
Filed Jan 3, 200794,800 milesNV

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN I NOTICED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. THE STEERING AND BRAKES WERE DIFFICULT TO USE AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS FLASHING. I MANAGED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WOULD NOT START ONCE STOPPED, LATER I NOTICED THAT WHEN I TRIED TO TURN THE ENGINE OVER, GASOLINE WAS SPEWING OUT NEAR THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR AND NEAR THE EXHAUST PIPE! I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED TRYING TO START THE CAR AND LEFT FOR A CALL BOX TO GET A TOW. I GOT IT TOWED TO THE SACRAMENTO SAAB DEALER WHERE THEY SAID THE RETAINER FOR THE FUEL PUMP BROKE. I AM AWARE THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS RECALLED FOR THE SAAB 9-3 MODELS, HOWEVER THE 9-5 HASN'T BEEN SUBJECTED TO THIS RECALL AS OF YET. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, HAD THE GAS IGNITED, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. THEN AT THE DEALER, THE ENTIRE PUMP WAS REQUIRED TO BE REPLACED, EVEN THOUGH THE RETAINER (A SMALL PLASTIC CLIP) FAILED AND THE PUMP WAS STILL IN WORKING ORDER. *JB

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jan 5, 200654,000 milesMO

CAR LEAKING DARK FLUID...TOOK CAR INTO DIFFERENT SAAB SERVICE CENTER STATED SEEN ISSUE A LOT SINCE LAST TIME I TOOK CAR INTO DIFFERENT SINCE SAAB DEALERSHIP NO ONE COULD FIGURE OUT THE IDM WAS DEFECTIVE UNTIL AFTER RECALL HEAD GASKET WENT BAD AND COOLANT SENSOR MELTED...IS THIS DUE TO DEFECT IN CAR OR IS THIS JUST THE BEGINNING OF MORE ISSUES TO COME...54000 MILES ON VEHICLE $1200 PART. *NM

Electrical System › Ignition › Module
Filed Sep 20, 200562,000 milesVA

THE DIRECT IGNITION MODULE/CASSETTE FAILED ON MY 2001 9-5 AERO AND I HAD TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP. I JUST DISCOVERED ON THE SAAB BULLETIN BOARD (I.E. SAABNET) THAT THIS PART FAILS REGULARLY IN SAABS, PARTICULARLY IN THE 2001 9-5S. *JB

Electrical System › Ignition › ModuleFire
Filed Mar 8, 200442,133 milesOR

ELECTRICAL FIRE AND FAILURE OF IGNITION MODULE. *AK

Electrical System › Ignition › Module
Filed Aug 7, 200351,699 milesCA

2001 SAAB AERO WHILE TRAVELING IN THE FAST LANE OF A FREEWAY AT 65 MPH WITHOUT WARNING EXPERIENCED COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. FORTUNATELY, THE CAR MADE IT ACROSS 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC TO THE SHOULDER (RAINY DAY AT DUSK); THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS THEN FAILED WITHIN 25 MINUTES. DIAGNOSED AS A DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE (DIC) FAILURE, BUT FLASHERS FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. MECHANIC STATED THAT THE DIC FAILURE WAS COMMON, BUT REPLACEMENTS SELDOM FAILED. IN OUR SMALL CIRCLE, OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR HAD DIC FAILURE WITH HIS 2000 SAAB 9-5 AND STATED WE WERE THE ONLY SAAB OWNERS HE HADN'T KNOWN TO HAVE THE PROBLEM; A COLLEAGUE OF MY WIFE'S HAD DIC FAILURE WHILE ALSO DRIVING ON A FREEWAY.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed May 13, 200311,000 milesMA

WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER. *NLM

Electrical System
Filed Apr 7, 2003NY

IN BOTH MY 2001 SAAB 9-5 AND MY 1999 SAAB 9-3, UPON ENTERING THE VEHICLE WHEN I LOCK THE ELECTRONIC DOORS AND TURN THE IGNITION KEY IN QUICK SUCCESSION, THE DOOR LOCKS OPEN. ALTHOUGH THIS PROBLEM WAS DEMONSTRATED TO THE SAAB DEALER, THEY COULD NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THEIR HAS BEEN A CHRONIC PROBLEM OF ELECTRICAL CHARGE BUILD-UP IN THE IGNITION CONSOLE (WHERE THE DOOR LOCK SWITCH IS LOCATED), AND WHEN LOCKING THE DOORS AND STARTING THE IGNITION ARE PERFORMED IN QUICK SUCCESSION, IT CAUSES AN ELECTRICAL SHORT WHICH POPS OPEN THE LOCKS. MY 1996 SAAB 900 HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM, BUT IN THAT CASE, AFTER LOWERING THE WINDOWS (SWITCHES ALSO IN IGNITION CONSOLE), THERE WAS AN ELECTRICAL CHARGE BUILD-UP WHICH PREVENTED RAISING THE WINDOWS FOR APPROXIMATELY 3-5 SECONDS. *JB

Fuel System, Other › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Filed Feb 18, 20038,000 milesMA

FUEL AND VABOR LEAK, CAUSED ORDOR OF FUEL INSIDE MV AND ON OUTSIDE RIGHT REAR AREA. DEALER REPLACED PART # 54-62-288 FUEL FILLER TUBE, #48-99-621 FUELLINB235PLST AND # 79-74-546 O-RING

Tires › Tread/Belt
Filed Mar 20, 2002SC

MICHELLEN MXM 17 IN. CONSUMER HAS NO OTHER TIRE INFO. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE PASSENGER FRONT AND REAR TIRE SHREDDED. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.

Seats1 injured
Filed Jan 3, 2002ME

DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT HAVE HARD PROTRUSIONS WHICH INJURE THE COCYX AND RELATED LIGAMENTS WHILE RIDING IN THE CARE A SHORT TIME.

11 of 11 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2001
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
2001 — this page11010Routine
20004000Routine

Compare every Aero year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.