2001 Saab 9-5 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other 9-5 years
- Far more complaints than other years 3rd of 14 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 104 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Saab 9-5. That ranks 3rd out of 14 9-5 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (56 complaints, 54%), typically at around 58,000 miles. Complaints mention 1 crash, 5 fires. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 104owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 1complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2001 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 | 56 | 54% | 58,000 | “direct ignition” (32%) | $2,750 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 24 | 23% | 60,100 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 15 | 14% | 58,599 | — | — |
| Wheels | 5 | 5% | 117,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 2% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 2% | 96,980 | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 2% | 139,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 139,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 1 | 1% | 10 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 1% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 1% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 1% | 73,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2001 Saab 9-5 recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the fuel pump retaining tabs holding the fuel lines were damaged during production.
Risk: Over time, this could cause the fuel lines to loosen from the pump resulting in fuel leakage. If an ignition source were present, the fuel may ignite resulting in a vehicle fire.
Fix: Dealers will develop a securing bracket that will secure the fuel lines to the fuel pump even if the plastic retaining tabs should break. The recall began on june 13, 2007. This is an expansion of previous recall campaigns - see 04v557 and 06v126. Owners may contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
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.
With only 670 miles on a new set of tires, an inspection for a completely unrelated reason found that there was a bulge in 3 of the 4 NEW tires. Installed in Jun, issue found in Dec; car is driven very little. Tires were purchased from Tire Rack and installed by Discount Tire. Inspection by…
Turbo malfunction at a cost of $455.00 and also engine filter box.vehicle still not running correctly.will only go at speed of 25 mph.repaired on 03/27/2018.started out smoking all over the place from exhaust.was told turbo went bad.i think a lot of these cars have this problem as i read on…
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saab 9-5. While driving 15 mph, the front driver side wheel detached from the vehicle without warning. The vehicle became difficult to control, slammed to the ground, and came to a stop. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed that the vehicle…
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 saab 9-5. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was eventually able to restart. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The vin was not included in…
My 2001 saab 9-5 has been experiencing a check engine light for awhile on and off. The vehicle will sometimes stall randomly and not start until engine cools down. The codes for cel lead to direct ignition. A previous recall on these vehicles, one my vehicle received. I called dealer and they said…
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 | 104 | 4 |
| 2000 9-5 | 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 2001 Saab 9-5?
Owners most often report electrical system, engine and engine cooling, fuel system, gasoline problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 56 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Saab 9-5?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2001 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 2001 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.