1999 SAAB 9-5 Wagon from North America - Comments

This car had several "minor" recalls within the first year that required 2 trips to the dealer.

The battery blew out within the first year, requiring a tow to service.

Within one month of replacing the battery, the car had to be towed again to service. The fuel tank leaked, and had to be fully replaced.

Within less than one week of replacing the fuel tank, the car started spewing excessive exhaust. The turbo seals had blown and the entire turbo unit had to be replaced.

Four months after replacing the turbo unit, there was a burning smell when the car was idling. The crankshaft pulley seal was leaking and had to be repaired.

One month later, the transponder receiver was replaced for "not accepting key."

Three months later, the car started failing again, and would not move more than 20MPH. It had to be towed. The vacuum pump was broken, damaging the brakes. The entire brake system was replaced. This repair took about one week, and necessitated consultations between the dealer and "Saab Tech" to fully sort out the problem.

This car has racked up 3 to 4 major repairs per annum. It has been almost completely rebuilt, except for the transmission. I would be a fool to keep this car beyond the warranty period.

Wow, that's pretty bad for a car with around 35,000 miles. You always have to be cautious when buying a first model year car because they could have some problems that weren't solved by a recall and such.