"How reliable is the 2003 Saab 9-5?"

"Based on 69 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Saab 9-5 has a median complaint mileage of 75400 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Saab 9-5?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Saab 9-5 is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, accounting for a significant portion of the 69 total complaints filed."

2003 Saab 9-5: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 69 complaints

Total Complaints

75,400mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

45,959 25th Percentile

75,400 Median Mileage

97,355 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

TIRES

SUSPENSION:REAR

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WE PURCHASED OUR 2003 9-5 ARC IN MARCH OF 2003. IMMEDIATELY, I NOTICED THE EXHAUST SMELLED OF HUMAN GAS, SERIOUSLY. SOON AFTER THE STENCH SEEPED INTO THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE. AT 7000 I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE AND I BROUGHT THE CAR IN TO HAVE CHECKED OUT BY THE DEALER. THEY INFORMED ME THERE WAS NOT..."

"WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, ANOTHER VEHICLE REAR END THE CONSUMER. THIS CAUSED THE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE WAS HIT MY OTHER VEHICLE'S FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES. BOTH FRONTAL AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES AND WERE TRANSPORT..."

"THE VEHICLE STALLED ON 4 SEPARATE OCCASIONS FROM VARIOUS SPEEDS OF 25 MPH OR MORE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE DEALER HAS CLEANED AND TIGHTENED THE BATTERY CABLES, THE FIRST TIME, THEY REPLACED THE CRANK SENSOR, T-7 AND THE IGNITION SWITCH, THE SEC..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28