Airbag complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Saab 9-5. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V063000 (air bags); however, the part for the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I had my airbag replaced on recall several years ago. I now have an error alert on my dash indicating an air bag problem. My service technician tells me there are no parts available. What alternatives are available for me, besides drive an unsafe car or junk it (probably illegal to sell )
My vehicle was on recall for Takata air bags. My vehicle was then installed with a new set of Takata airbags. Are not these airbags just as unsafe? Have not there been cases of the same issues happening to these airbags? Is my 2017 front passenger Airbag going to explode like a grenade and kill me? These are all questions I have, but I am told these airbags are safe. Yet I have seen lawsuits where someone died in another vehicle make but with 2017 Takata airbags as the cause of death and or injury. Should not my car have been replaced with non Takata brand airbags? Are any Takata airbags safe when compared to other brands?
Takata recall - I received the attached letter in May, 2016. The vehicle is unsafe to drive. However, GM tells me it's OK to drive. That's not acceptable. Attached is an e-mail string of my correspondence with GM. I can't drive the car, it's in storage; and I can't sell it without full disclosure, which makes it worthless. And it's been six months with no indication that the replacement parts will be available soon.
Takata recall - airbag on above car was replaced under recall on 5/25/2017. Now, the airbag light keeps turning on sporadically. The garage - just Saab [phone] - who replaced the airbag claimed the first time when I took the car back to them that it was "resistance" that caused the light to come on and they fixed this problem. The airbag light is still coming on sporadically and I believe that the airbag I received as a replacement is defective. The garage insists I drive the car back to them, again, so they can check the airbag again. Here is what is happening: when the car is backed out of the garage, the airbag light and chime come on and stay on for a few seconds then the airbag light turns off. Then, the car is driving forward, again, the airbag light comes on for a few seconds and then turns off. The car is driven for many miles and the light stays off. …
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2006 Saab 9-5. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V063000 (air bags) however, the contact was unable to get the repair completed due to lack of available dealers to service the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact to ship the vehicle to california or takes the vehicle to the local Cadillac dealer. Honolulu Buick GMC Cadillac located at 2945 n nimitiz hwy, honolulu, hi was contacted and informed the contact that they did not perform that type of service. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Saab 9-5. The contact stated that while parked, the passenger's side impact air bag erroneously deployed. The vehicle was not involved in a crash or any type of impact. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test however, dealer did not provide an explanation on what caused the air bag to inadvertently deploy. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 103,000.
Related recalls (2)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Saab 9-3 vehicles manufactured May 31, 2002, to February 15, 2011, 2006-2009 Saab 9-5 vehicles manufactured June 7, 2005, to May 28, 2009, and 2008-2009 Saturn Astra vehicles manufactured April 11, 2007, to July 24, 2008.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag inflator on Saab 9-3 and 9-5 vehicles and will replace the driver's frontal airbag module on Saturn Astra vehicles, free of charge.
Air bags
Vehicle description: certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with requirements of FMVSS no. 208, "occupant crash protection." the air bag alert labels May not be permanently affixed as required by this standard.
Remedy: Dealers will clean the sunvisor surface and apply a new air bag alert label on both sunvisors. Owner notification began July 30, 2001.
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Frequently asked questions
Which Saab 9-5 years have airbag problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2008 (19), 2006 (13) and 2007 (12) model years. Airbag complaints make up 95% of all complaints for the 2008.
Is there a recall for Saab 9-5 airbag problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 16V-063 (inflator module, Feb 3, 2016); 01V-168 (air bags, May 18, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Saab 9-5 airbag problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles; 35% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the side/window (4 mentions), followed by the frontal (1).
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.