2002 Saab 9-5 Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 33about this part
- Share
- 51%of 65 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 47,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 33 complaints about the electrical system of the 2002 Saab 9-5, 51% of the 65 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 47,000 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“In the last week- june 2,2004 to june 9th,2004-my car, a Saab 9.5 has suddenly and without warning lost power , the emergency lights on the dashboard came on, and I had all I could to narrowly advoiding a three car collision. Is there a previous safety defect complaint on this car?”
NHTSA complaint #10075239, filed 2004-06, 25,600 miles“Ignition switch shut off while on a busy highway twice! Once in 2006 and once later another year plus once in a driveway (car purchased used in the fall of 2005). The Saab switch is located in the center console and if it is hit it switches off and shuts down the car, same as recalled switches in other GM cars. Very dangerous on the highway, but I was lucky and able to steer to the side without a crash. There should have been a lock mechanism to prevent it from happening. It never occurred to me to report it though it is definitely a safety hazard in a what was at the time a GM owned product. …”
NHTSA complaint #10576665, filed 2014-04, 40,000 miles“2002 Saab 9-5 has had failure of headlight bulbs at a rate of one or two per year from the very first year I have owned this car. No other bulb has burned out in the past 8 yr. A local garage mechanic told me it was related to a faulty front electrical harness in the Saab but the dealer said this was not a recall, even though it has been a problem from the first year of ownership. Now I have 2 headlight bulbs burning out within one day of each other -- one high beam, one regular. Is there a recall of electrical harness on saabs to correct frequent headlight bulb burnout? …”
NHTSA complaint #10260332, filed 2009-02, 5,000 miles“I would like to cite NHTSA campaign #05v399000. While driving my 2002 Saab 9-5 6 cylinder on 4/20/2006 I began to experience rough operation and reduced power of the engine. I was a short distance from my destination where I parked thinking I would need to be towed. At first I thought my car was overheating because there seemed to be steam coming from under the hood but there was an odd smell. I went into the coffee shop I was visiting and within a minute or two I turned to check on my car and I saw that the interior was filled with smoke. …”
NHTSA complaint #10156128, filed 2006-04, 76,000 miles“I was driving in traffic when my engine started to stall and lost power. I noticed a burning smell coming from the engine compartment. I pulled the car over and could not re-start it. It was towed to the dealer who diagnosed a failed ignition module. My car is a 2002 Saab 9-5 and had been re-called because of failures of this component. However, despite the fact that the car engine was of the type that should have been covered by the recall, when Saab notified its' dealers it limited the modules to be replaced to only certain serial numbers. …”
NHTSA complaint #10160629, filed 2006-06, 81,285 milesRelated recalls
- 06V410000Oct 26, 2006Certain passenger vehicles equipped with b308 6-cylinder gasoline engines may experience overheating and burnout of the isolated gated bipolar transistor…Covers: Saab 9-5 2002–2003
- 05V399000Sep 14, 2005Certain passenger vehicles equipped with b205/b235 4-cylinder gasoline engines and b308 6-cylinder gasoline engines may experience overheating and burnout of…Covers: Saab 9-5 2000–2002, 9-3 2000–2002
Related service bulletins
- 11006621Aug 26, 2024Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which…
- 11002312Jun 6, 2024This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414…
- 10252735Mar 28, 2024This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement fasteners with conductive finish.
- 10083898Apr 27, 2016This preliminary information communication advises the technician if unable to place an onstar call in the ignition on mode after the onstar canada upgrade, to contact the gm…
- 10083484Apr 19, 2016This preliminary information communication provides information to help the dealership technicians perform a parasitic drain test for the onstar module. When performing battery…
- 10078735Apr 19, 2016This preliminary information communication provides information to help the dealership technicians perform a parasitic drain test for the onstar module. When performing battery…
- 10078734Apr 19, 2016This preliminary information communication advises the technician the steps on repairing the concern. A customer may identify a concern of unable to reactivate a vehicle's onstar…
- 10190512Dec 1, 2015OnStar® Voice Fallback Number Update Some customers may have received a letter from OnStar® stating that "We recently tried to provide a software update to the OnStar® hardware…
- 10039281Jun 16, 2011Gm: the wipers, turn signals, and power windows are inoperative. 1999-2009 saab 9-5.
- 10027804Nov 1, 2008General motors corp: special coverage adjustment; analog onstar deactivation. *pe updated 2/17/09.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2 | 10% |
| 2007 | 1 | 6% |
| 2006 | 2 | 9% |
| 2005 | 2 | 18% |
| 2004 | 13 | 68% |
| 2003 | 25 | 53% |
| 2002 | 33 | 51% |
| 2001 | 56 | 54% |
| 2000 | 57 | 48% |
| 1999 | 70 | 59% |
Other parts of the 2002 Saab 9-5
13 complaintsFuel system
9 complaintsOther or unknown
3 complaintsSeat belts
3 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
3 complaintsAir bags
2 complaintsSteering
2 complaintsVehicle speed control
2 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
1 complaintsSeats
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2002 Saab 9-5
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology