AI Damage2007 Saab 9-5: common problems
Owners of the 2007 Saab 9-5 filed 17 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 17
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 71% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 6% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- Air bags: 12 complaints (71% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (6% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (6% of all).
- Powertrain: 1 complaints (6% of all).
- Steering: 1 complaints (6% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.3 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- automatic, 5-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
My vehicle was on recall for Takata air bags. My vehicle was then installed with a new set of Takata airbags. Are not these airbags just as unsafe? Have not there been cases of the same issues happening to these airbags? Is my 2017 front passenger Airbag going to explode like a grenade and kill me?
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2007 saab 9-5. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v063000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
Takata recall. 2/3/17 will mark 1 yr since notification of recall. Gm site says working quickly to obtain replacement parts. Use of adverb quickly is inappropriate. I need to know risk factor as my wife and I have a loaded pistol pointed at our heads every time we drive this vehicle. Should we disable the srs system?
Steering column lower u-joint became loose causing vague steering. U-joint is not correctly sized to take loads of steering input and over time becomes loose and noisy. This looseness causes the driver to overcompensate when driving. First notified in june, 2014.
5 weeks later in march 2010, car stalled on I-95 while traveling 70-75 miles per hour in south caroline at least 4 times with 2 different drivers. Thank goodness we were in south carolina not at home in nyc area where I am sure we would have had an accident.
The safety problem with the car is the fact that the brake foot pedal is too close to the gas pedal. When my foot is on the gas pedal and I have to move it to the brake it gets stuck because the space between the brake and the wall to the right of the gas pedal is too close. This is a real danger!
While driving 50 mph and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle stalled. The failure occurs intermittently. The dealer was unable to diagnose the cause or duplicate the failure on two occasions. The contact is aware of the safety risk involved. The current and failure mileages were 5,800. Updated 09/18/07
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 8,820 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 24% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 9-5 has 40 complaints (14 years in the data). This year has 17, below average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2007 Saab 9-5?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, electrical system, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 17. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: stalls while driving (12%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2007 Saab 9-5?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2007 Saab 9-5 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2007 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.