Vehicle report
1999 SAAB 9-5
This model year
What the record shows
The 1999 Saab 9-5 is a midsize car, and the 6th model year of a nameplate NHTSA records from 1994 to 2012.
The EPA rated three configurations: engines from 2.3-litre four-cylinder to 3-litre six-cylinder, front-wheel drive only, two transmissions and running on regular gasoline.
Combined fuel economy ranges from 19 to 22 mpg depending on which one you have.
The federal record holds 118 owner complaints and 37 service bulletins for it.
Counts are reports, not rates. A complaint is something an owner chose to file; it is unverified and unadjusted for how many of these cars were sold, so the useful comparison is against other model years of the same car. Recalls and investigations carry more weight because a manufacturer or regulator acted on them.
Reading this report
Complaint counts are reports filed with NHTSA, not failure rates. A common model collects more of them than a rare one that breaks more often.