Vehicle Data Hub

2002 Saab 9-5 electrical system problems

46 complaints about electrical system have been filed for the 2002 Saab 9-5, which is 52% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
46 52% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
43,000 miles 41 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
0 and 2
Injuries and deaths
0 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When electrical system problems show up

Electrical system complaints by mileage, 2002 Saab 9-5 Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 43,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 5 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 12 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 12 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 8 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 3 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 1 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 0 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 43,000 miles
Based on 41 complaints that include mileage. 71% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles5
20k to 40k miles12
40k to 60k miles12
60k to 80k miles8
80k to 100k miles3
100k to 120k miles1
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 41 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 43,000 miles, and 71% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 2 fires.

What owners wrote

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.

Reported at 76,000 miles, April 2006 Fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 saab 9-5. While driving at speeds of 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle lost power steering and braking ability. The contact was able to move the vehicle off the roadway and restart the vehicle. The vehicle resumed normal operation upon restarting. The dealer was contacted and advised that the electrical ignition module would need to be replaced.

Reported at 103,000 miles, June 2010

Electrical system problems in other years

Electrical system problems across all Saab models