2011 Saab 9-5: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
9 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
58,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2011 model year. Data snapshot: . 7 complaints include usable failure mileage.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Exterior Lighting is the most frequently named component, appearing in 5 of 9 complaints (55.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 4 | 44.4% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 1 | 11.1% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | 5 |
| Service Brakes | 2 |
| Air Bags | 1 |
| Power Train | 1 |
| Steering | 1 |
| Structure:Body | 1 |
Exterior Lighting: 5; Service Brakes: 2; Air Bags: 1; Power Train: 1; Steering: 1; Structure:Body: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 2 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 1 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 2 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 2 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 2; 25,000 to 49,999: 1; 50,000 to 74,999: 2; 75,000 to 99,999: 2; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (2). 2 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2 |
2013: 1; 2015: 2; 2016: 4; 2018: 2
Pattern summary
Exterior Lighting leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 4 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10536965 · 2013-08-23 (August 23, 2013)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 SAAB 9-5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK REAR TAILLIGHT WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT BOTH TAIL LIGHT BULB SOCKETS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 22,000.
Owner-reported narrative. 22,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10536965 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10726594 · 2015-06-22 (June 22, 2015)
HAVE A 2011 9-5 AERO AND JUST HIT 58K. VERY RECENTLY I'VE BEEN NOTICING THE POPPING/THUDDING WHEN DRIVING AWAY QUICKLY WITH THE WHEEL TURNED, EX: WHEN PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN AND TURNING LEFT/RIGHT. I ALSO CAN FORCE THE CAR TO EXHIBIT THE BINDING/GRINDING DEEP NOISE WHEN IN FIRST WITH THE WHEEL TURNED ALMOST AT LOCK EITHER RIGHT OR LEFT WITH VERY LITTLE THROTTLE DEPRESSION. READING ANY SAAB FORUM I COULD, AND SPEAKING TO DEALERS AND READING SERVICE BULLETINS IN RELATION TO THIS CAR, ALL OTHER SAAB VEHICLES WITH THE HALED 4.0 SYSTEM WHI…
Owner-reported narrative. 58,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10726594 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10806185 · 2015-11-23 (November 23, 2015)
ELECTRONIC EMERGENCY BRAKE DOES NOT COMPLETELY RELEASE. NOTICED BY EXCESSIVE WEAR ON REAR BRAKE PADS/ROTORS, VIBRATION WHEN BRAKING AND POOR GAS MILEAGE.
Owner-reported narrative. 36,290 miles reported. Look up ODI 10806185 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10824423 · 2016-02-05 (February 5, 2016)
THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS OVERHEAT, CAUSING THE BULBS TO BURN OUT AND WIRING TO MELT. WE HAVE HAD THE BULBS AND SOCKETS REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES ON BOTH SIDES SINCE 2013, BUT THE ONLY THING THAT FIXES THE PROBLEM IS REPLACING THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY. JUST HAD THE SOCKET AND BULB FOR PASSENGER SIDE REPLACED TWICE IN ONE MONTH, AND IT IS GONE AGAIN.
Owner-reported narrative. 87,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10824423 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10852021 · 2016-03-28 (March 28, 2016)
ABOUT ONCE A MONTH SINCE ABOUT 10,000 MILES I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ONE OF THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT SOCKET ASSEMBLIES BECAUSE THE PLASTIC INSERT THAT HOLDS THE LIGHT BULB IS MELTING. WHEN IT HEATS AND MELTS, ITS SHAPE SLIGHTLY DISTORTS DISCONNECTING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE LIGHT BULB AND THE LIGHT BULB HOLDER. THANK GOODNESS THERE ARE REPLACEMENT PARTS ON EBAY BUT HAVING TO SPEND AN EXTRA 20 BUCKS EVERY OTHER MONTH SEEMS RIDICULOUS AND CERTAINLY SOMETHING WORTHY TO LOOK INTO AS A RECALL.
Owner-reported narrative. 15,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10852021 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10852417 · 2016-03-30 (March 30, 2016)
SINCE 35,000 MILES, I AM CONSTANTLY GETTING NOTIFICATION ERRORS TO A REPLACE REAR TURN SIGNAL WITH EACH USAGE OF IT. SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE SIGNAL BLINKING IS OVERAGGRESSIVE, ANNOUNCING ITS MALFUNCTION TO MY FELLOW ROAD COMPANIONS AND TRAFFIC AUTHORITIES WHO THEN POLITELY TELL ME MULTIPLE TIME A DAY THAT MY TURN SIGNAL IS ABOUT TO GO OUT. ALTHOUGH I APPRECIATE THIS, I HAVE REPLACED THE BULB MULTIPLE TIMES TO RULE OUT FAULTY BULBS. WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS, THE ISSUE STARTS ALL OVER AGAIN. THE TURN SIGNAL BLINKS AT 160+ CLICKS PER MINUTE VERSUS THE…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10852417 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10862214 · 2016-04-29 (April 29, 2016)
TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 SAAB 9-5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V063000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS FOR THE RECALL WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10862214 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11124540 · 2018-09-05 (September 5, 2018)
MY 2011 SAAB 9-5 IS CURRENTLY IN THE SAAB REPAIR SHOP TO HAVE THE BRAKE PEDAL REPLACED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT RETURN TO ITS PROPER POSITION AND WAS LOCKING THE BRAKES ON AND ALSO LOCKING THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON. IT FEELS LIKE YOU HAVE A FLAT TIRE AND THE CAR FEELS LIKE SOMETHING IS HOLDING IT BACK. IN MY CASE I RUINED THE BRAKE ROTORS AND DISCS AS THE BRAKES WERE LOCKED. THIS COULD HAVE STARTED A FIRE AND MADE THE CAR HARD TO HANDLE AND OF COURSE REDUCED THE PROPER BRAKING ABILITY. GM SHOULD PUT OUT AN IMMEDIATE SAFETY RECALL ON THIS ISSUE…
Owner-reported narrative. 66,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11124540 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.