Fuel System complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Driving on the interstate - exited onto an interchange ramp at 50 MPH - and the engine stalled without warning. Vehicle at rear nearly rear-ended mine - but missed by a hairs whisker. Another piece of luck was that I was at the crest of the ramp so managed to "coast" towards the shoulder. Waited for a bit - the car wouldn't restart. Had to spend perilous time on the left shoulder before getting my car towed. At the time of writing - the car is sitting in the dealers lot. Nothing special happened prior to this incident. Previously a similar incident had occurred just outside my residence - and the dealer checked it out and said it might just be "bad gas". Saab's customer assistance program was useless. Based on the other incidents reported - refer to odi #s: 10162804, 10137685, 10097342 - there is something definitely wrong with this vehicle. …
I was driving the car when suddenly the car when dead while I was driving it.I was lucky that I was able to restart it and there was a gas station right near by. It did not start up normally and was very sluggish. I was in the middle of traffic when this happened but fortunately not heavy traffic and in the right lane. It was very scary. They towed my Saab to a Saab dealer for me who had to install a new ignition. This happened about 4-5 years ago on my Saab 2003 9-5 station wagon which was built by GM. I believe it was built on the same platform of one of the cadillacs that is under recall.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Saab 9-5 ARC. While driving 20 MPH, the engine misfired and the contact noticed a burning smell. Approximately ten minutes after she parked the vehicle, there were flames coming from the rear of the vehicle near the fuel tank. The flames engulfed the vehicle and caused damaged to the trees and driveway. The fire destroyed the vehicle. As of December 5, 2007, the insurance company or manufacturer had not inspected the vehicle. The contact stated that recall #07V087000 (fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings) was performed two weeks prior to the failure. The contact felt that the recalled part caused the failure. The current and failure mileages were 66,500.
Driving on highway, pressure line from fuel tank came loose and started spraying gas all over the underside of the vehicle. Stream of drips on highway alerted a passing motorist who flagged us down. Lost 5 gallons of gas in just a couple of minutes. Had to pull over and call for roadside assistance. Evacuated car due to large pools of gas under vehicle and drips near hot exhaust pipes. Technician discovered fuel line loose after looking inside port from under back seat. No evidence of any breakage or other issues -- the line simply came loose and was easily re-attached. Car is being taken to dealer for investigation and hopefully a fix. Consultation on internet chat room saabnet.com finds that at least 3 other owners of similar vintage Saab 9-5 vehicles have experienced this same problem. Jb
Driving on thruway,cruise went off sudden loss of speed,ck engine light on. Engine stalled would only idle and shake wouldn't move. Had it towed to shop cleared code ran 1/2 day OK then ck light came back on, pulled it back into my shop. I searched internet for solutions pointed to faulty throttle body. I"m a certified for 34 year motorcycle technician so I took it off and disassembled it as I wanted to get to the bottom as it"s reason for failure. I discovered everything was OK except all of the wire insulation within the internal area of the throttle body had failed and peeled away causing a electrical short or spike. This is due to the use of inferior wire insulation not designed for it"s application. Dlr had new $457.00 part in stock. I installed it,worked fine dlr inspected it. …
There were no unusual events leading to the failure. My wife was driving a 2001 Saab 9-5 station wagon when the engine shut down and she lost all power. Thankfully she was driving on a local road and managed to pull over to the side. The engine would not restart and we had it towed to a local garage. The person who towed said he thought it was a "crank sensor" that failed and when it fails it completely shuts down the gas to the engine. I had it repaired and the local mechanic confirmed that it was a sensor that he called direct ignition which includes the cam sensor . My concern is that if it happened on a highway at 65 MPH, there would have been a serious accident. I don't understand how a car can totally shut down like that without any warning. Saab would not take my complaint because I did not have it checked at their garage. …
Driving in heavy traffic after leaving work, I noticed no loss of power until I attempted to merge with freeway traffic. Soon enough, though I did notice that the gas gauge needle was dropping quicker than normal, and the gasoline fumes became apparent after cracking the windows. The engine stalled for the third and last time just as I escaped off the freeway. Upon inspection, I could see that the fuel line out from the pump under the back seat had come out, forcing all (of that oh-so-precious) fuel out onto the road, just in front of my right rear wheel. I pushed it back in (fuel tank 'roads?), as the retaining clip was not broken. Now with some air in the line, it took a while to suck enough fumes to start up and get to a nearby gas station. Smooth as silk after a dose of fuel. Double zip-ties when I got home. …
Driving slowly in heavy traffic, I noticed a loss of power when I attempted to merge with freeway traffic. The gas gauge needle was dropping quicker than normal, and the gasoline fumes became apparent after cracking a window. The engine stalled for the third and last time as I exited the freeway. Upon inspection, I could see that the fuel 'line out' from the pump under the back seat had come out, forcing fuel out onto the road, just in front of my right rear wheel. I was able to push it back in as the retaining clip was not broken. With air in the line, it took a while to start up and get to a nearby gas station. Double zip-ties when I got home. Called my Saab guy who said there had been a recall, and I need to get their late fix bracket. It will never come out again of its own accord, and I'm thankful that I didn't have to get it towed - this time.
Related recalls (1)
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
On certain passenger vehicles, the fuel pump retaining tabs holding the fuel lines were damaged during production.
Remedy: Dealers will develop a securing bracket that will secure the fuel lines to the fuel pump even if the plastic retaining tabs should break. The recall began on June 13, 2007.
Frequently asked questions
Which Saab 9-5 years have fuel system problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2001 (15), 2000 (11), 1999 (8), 2002 (7) and 2003 (7) model years. Fuel System complaints make up 18% of all complaints for the 2001.
Is there a recall for Saab 9-5 fuel system problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 07V-087 (hoses, lines/piping, and fittings, Mar 7, 2007). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Saab 9-5 fuel system problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 81,000 miles; 19% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the delivery › hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (16 mentions), followed by the delivery › fuel pump (7).
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.