There are 2 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2006 Saab 9-5in NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
UNKNOWN- DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE UNIT HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES. EACH TIME OF REPLACEMENT THE ACTUAL PART HAS MELTED, BURNED OUT CAUSING THE CAR TO AUTOMATICALLY SHUT DOWN. THE CAR ONLY HAS 72,000 MILES. THE PART IS MELTING AGAIN MAKING THIS THE FOURTH REPLACEMENT IN A 3 MONTH PERIOD. ENGINE - EXHAUST MANIFOLD/CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND ALL SAAB AUTHORIZED DEALERS IN NORTHERN CA. STATE THEY ARE UNABLE TO GET PART DUE TO BEING ON BACK ORDER AND NO IDEA WHEN THE PART WILL BE AVAILABLE. BUT I WAS ABLE TO FIND THE PART OUT OF STATE IN CHICAGO AT QUALITY AUTO PARTS. *TR
CAR SHUT OFF TWICE WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY.EACH TIME I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO SHOULDER AND RE START. I TOOK THE CAR TO SAAB DEALER AND THEY COULD NO FIND ANYTHING. I LATER TOOK CAR TO ANOTHER SAAB DEALER AND THEY INSTALLED A NEW DEVICE (BELIEVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH COMPUTER) AND SAID THAT IF THAT DID NOT TAKE CARE OF PROBLEM, THEY DID NOT HAVE AN ANSWER. THERE WERE NO FURTHER ISSUES UNTIL MAYBE 2 YEARS LATER, ALSO SHUT OFF WHILE COMING OFF A RAMP BUT THAT MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO LOW FUEL ACCORDING TO DEALER (MY FUEL WAS LOW). THERE HAVE NOT BEEN ANY FURTHER INCIDENTS. *TR
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