Reliability & cost of ownership
Saab 9-5 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Saab 9-5? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Saab 9-5 problems by model year
30 recall entries and 505 owner complaints on file across 14 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 9-5 | 0 | 9 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2010 9-5 | 0 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2009 9-5 | 1 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2008 9-5 | 2 | 20 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2007 9-5 | 2 | 17 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2006 9-5 | 2 | 23 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2005 9-5 | 2 | 11 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2004 9-5 | 2 | 19 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2003 9-5 | 4 | 47 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2002 9-5 | 6 | 54 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2001 9-5 | 4 | 82 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2000 9-5 | 3 | 102 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1999 9-5 | 2 | 116 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 1998 9-5 | 0 | 1 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Saab 9-5, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- electrical system241 complaints
- engine and engine cooling67 complaints
- air bags61 complaints
- fuel system46 complaints
- gasoline41 complaints
- service brakes32 complaints
- hydraulic25 complaints
- equipment16 complaints