Most common 2005 Saab 9-2X problems
Share of the 111 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Saab 9-2X complaints by model year
2005 Saab 9-2X recalls (4)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts,…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to July 21, 2004, 2004-2005 Impreza vehicles manufactured January 28, 2003, to May 31, 2005, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy vehicles manufactured January 22, 2003, to May 2, 2008, 2003-2008 Subaru Outback…
Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners and General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The Subaru recall began on June 17, 2015.
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower arm
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 impreza, model year 2003-2008 forester, and model year 2005-2006 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured from September 5, 2000 through November 26, 2007 originally sold, or currently registered in, massachusetts, maryland, michigan, new hampshire, new york, pennsylvania, vermont,…
Remedy: Subaru will handle their vehicles and Saab will handle theirs. Dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2005 Saab 9-2X:
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Front suspension control arm failure
On September 6, 2011, Fuji Heavy Industries USA, Inc, on behalf of Subaru of America, Inc notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) it would be conducting a safety recall of certain model year (MY) 2002 through 2007 Subaru Impreza, MY 2003 through 2008 Subaru Forester, and MY 2005 through 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold or currently registered in one the salt belt states including the District of…
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
What 2005 Saab 9-2X owners say
Air bags all 46 →
The contact owns a 2005 Saab 9-2X. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 11V464000 (Suspension) and 15V323000 (Air Bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer and Chevrolet 112 [phone]) were contacted but referred the contact to Subaru for recall repair assistance. The Subaru manufacturer and GM manufacturer were notified of the issue, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Does recall supposed to be done under the general motors they're refusing to do this recall. And it's the law they have to do this recall not my fault. It's a sob that was made by Subaru, but it's GM's product 05-06.
Fuel & propulsion system all 41 →
This vehicle, being made by Saab and Subaru of America, is exibiting the same exact issue as described by the 2002-2003 Subaru wrx fuel leak recall initiated by the NHTSA in 2003 (I believe). This issue is starting to appear, even in mild climates like mine in california, on vehicles well beyond the 02-03my. My vehicle is equivalent to the 2005 Subaru wrx wagon. It uses the same engine/fuel system. It doesn't get very cold here, but on a 50 degree f day this morning, I had a strong smell of fuel for the second time in a row. I anticipate this will happen every morning, from now on. This is an obvious fire and safety hazard, proven by the fact the NHTSA already had soa issue a recall previously for the same issue. The "fix" is not working long term, since my vehicle fell into manufacture years after the fact. …
When temperature is below freezing, there is a strong smell of fuel in the cabin until the engine reaches operating temperature. It is noted that the fuel lines are leaking near the clamps under the intake manifold on the passenger side. Approx. 1 drip every 2 seconds until the engine is warm and the rubber seals again. It appears this is a known issue with many Subaru models, however there has only been a partial TSB and the 2005my has not been included at the time of this posting. The smell is very strong when stopped, and goes away once in motion. Once the car warms up, there is no sign of any smell. Fuel leak location is also very near the turbocharger, which gets to very high temperature.
Suspension
The contact owns a 2005 Saab 9-2x. The contact stated while attempting to park the vehicle, the control arm fractured. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was told rubber bushings and rubber control arm links could be worn. The control could just break apart from rust. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired in 2012 under NHTSA campaign number: 11V464000 (Suspension) however, the failure still occurred. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure but offered no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The consumer is still waiting to have the vehicle repaired. …
The contact owns a 2005 Saab 9-2X. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 11V464000 (Suspension) and 15V323000 (Air Bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer and Chevrolet 112 [phone]) were contacted but referred the contact to Subaru for recall repair assistance. The Subaru manufacturer and GM manufacturer were notified of the issue, but no assistance was provided. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
2005 Saab 9-2X engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 20 / 26 / 23 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 20 / 27 / 22 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
EPA ratings. Class: Wagon.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Saab 9-2X a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the 9-2X to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 111 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2005 Saab 9-2X?
The air bags — 46 complaints, 41% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the fuel & propulsion system (41) and suspension (17).
How many recalls does the 2005 Saab 9-2X have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2005 Saab 9-2X, the most recent from January 2, 2020 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do 2005 Saab 9-2X problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 100,000 miles; 8% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.