There are 3 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2002 Saab 9-5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TRANSMISSION "CLUNK" OCCURRED WITH SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. DEALER DIAGNOSED VALVE BODY AND RECOMMENDED TRANSMISSION REBUILD. AAMCO DIAGNOSED SAME ISSUE RESULTING FROM METAL SHAVINGS BEING RELEASED FROM TORQUE CONVERTER INTO TRANSMISSION. ENTIRE TRANSMISSION INCLUDING TORQUE COVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT 74,000 MILES.*JB
I AM EXPERIENCING A TRANSMISSION ISSUE WITH MY 2002 SAAB 9-5. JUDGING BY THE NUMBER OF MENTIONS I HAVE SEEN IN ONLINE FORUMS, THIS IS A PRETTY WIDE SPREAD ISSUE. THE SAAB TSB THAT RELATES TO THIS ISSUE IS 440-2497, OCTOBER 2004. MY LOCAL DEALER HAS ADVISED ME I NEED TO FOOT THE BILL FOR A NEW TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE. IT APPEARS VERY SIMILAR TO THE EXPLORER/MOUNTAINEER VALVE BODY ISSUE THAT WAS ELEVATED TO RECALL STATUS A FEW YEARS AGO. *JB
WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BOTH CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. VEHICLE WENT INTO "LIMP MODE", WHERE POWER IS MINIMIZED MAKING FOR A DANGEROUS DRIVING SITUATION. TOOK VEHICLE TO KACHINA SAAB DEALERSHIP IN SCOTTSDALE, AZ AND WAS TOLD TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING WITH ONLY 50K MILES OF ALL HIGHWAY DRIVING. ALSO WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC AT DEALERSHIP THIS IS COMMON OCCURRENCE ON ALL SAABS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, ALTHOUGH I HAD A FULL VEHICLE SERVICE AND INSPECTION DONE JUST 2 WEEKS AGO, AT THIS SAME DEALERSHIP, AND ALL CHECKED OUT "GREAT". *JB
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026