2000 Saab 9-5 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 9-5 years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 14 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 119 complaints with NHTSA about the 2000 Saab 9-5. That is the most of any 9-5 model year in the database (14 years). The most reported problem area is electrical system (57 complaints, 48%), typically at around 80,000 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 5 fires, 4 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 119owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 3complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2000 Saab 9-5 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 57 | 48% | 80,000 | “ignition module” (37%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 14 | 12% | 83,160 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 14 | 12% | 67,250 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 13 | 11% | 146,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 7 | 6% | 83,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 5 | 4% | 64,060 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 2% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 2% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | 62,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 1% | 83,320 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% | 61,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 1% | 135,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 1% | 123,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | 74,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2000 Saab 9-5 recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electrical system:ignition:module
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles equipped with b205/b235 4-cylinder gasoline engines and b308 6-cylinder gasoline engines may experience overheating and burnout of the isolated gated bipolar transistor (igbt) within the ignition discharge module (idm) due to increased susceptibility to electrical loads.
Risk: Overheating of the igbt occurs most often at engine start-up, but it may also occur while the engine is running. Engine stalling may occur, which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect to see what version idm is in the vehicle and replace the idm if it is a version built prior to the introduction of qp3. An interim letter will be mailed to owners in october 2005, informing them of the condition. Parts are now available and owners will be notified to bring their vehicles in to the dealers to have the idm replaced by letter dated march 13, 2006. Owners may contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
Wheels:hub
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, if an owner changes their wheels/tires between summer and winter using a steel wheel in the winter and an alloy wheel in the summer, it is possible for rust and contamination to build up on the wheel hub during the steel wheel usage. If this occurs and the contamination is not removed, it is possible that after the tire change service, some of this contamination could flake or grind away resulting in reduced clamping force of the wheel to the hub. Over several seasons, it is possible that this reduced force could result in fractures developing in the wheel bolts due to wheel to hub movement.
Risk: These fractures would result in wheel bolt breakage, allowing the wheel to detach from the wheel hub, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners will be contacted by mail and asked whether they change between steel and alloy wheels. If they do engage in this practice, they will be instructed to bring their cars to an authorized dealer. The dealer will remove the wheels, clean any contamination from the wheel and wheel hub, and replace the wheels using new improved bolts with attached washers. Owner notification began march 31, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
Air bags
Problem: Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with requirements of fmvss no. 208, "occupant crash protection." the air bag alert labels may not be permanently affixed as required by this standard.
Risk: These vehicles do not comply with the requirements.
Fix: Dealers will clean the sunvisor surface and apply a new air bag alert label on both sunvisors. Owner notification began july 30, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Engine stall/ engine compartment fires (PE05017) — opened Apr 7, 2005, closed Sep 23, 2005, led to recall 05V399000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Complaint about automobile paint.i purchased car recently and the hood and top on car is flaky and faded.the color description is gray.i am wondering if this is a problem with cars that were made in the year 2000.the hood and top would have to be painted.it doesn't look like tree sap or any foreign…
Driving slowly in heavy traffic, i noticed a loss of power when i attempted to merge with freeway traffic. The gas gauge needle was dropping quicker than normal, and the gasoline fumes became apparent after cracking a window. The engine stalled for the third and last time as i exited the freeway…
Driving in heavy traffic after leaving work, i noticed no loss of power until i attempted to merge with freeway traffic. Soon enough, though i did notice that the gas gauge needle was dropping quicker than normal, and the gasoline fumes became apparent after cracking the windows. The engine stalled…
Direct ignition cassette failure...this causes the car to sputter like the engine is going to die and burns the electrical inside of the direct ignition cassette. We had the car hooked up to the machine and tested and got a misfire code (p0325) and once the check engine was cleared it worked again…
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 saab 9-5. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph when the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating. The vehicle was safely driven to the side of the road and the engine was shut off. After waiting for the engine to cool, the contact dispensed oil…
Other Saab 9-5 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 9-5 | 9 | 0 |
| 2010 9-5 | 2 | 0 |
| 2009 9-5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2008 9-5 | 20 | 2 |
| 2007 9-5 | 17 | 2 |
| 2006 9-5 | 23 | 2 |
| 2005 9-5 | 11 | 2 |
| 2004 9-5 | 19 | 2 |
| 2003 9-5 | 47 | 4 |
| 2002 9-5 | 65 | 6 |
| 2001 9-5 | 104 | 4 |
| 2000 | 119 | 3 |
| 1999 9-5 | 118 | 2 |
| 1998 9-5 | 1 | 0 |
See all Saab 9-5 problems by year, every Saab model, or the VIN decoder.
Similar Saab models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2000 Saab 9-5?
Owners most often report electrical system, engine and engine cooling, service brakes, hydraulic problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 57 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2000 Saab 9-5?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2000 Saab 9-5 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other 9-5 model years, the 2000 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.