SAAB 900 · model year

1996 SAAB 900

78 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1996SAAB900 carries 78 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 5 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1996 900 is power train:manual transmission with 5 filings, followed by electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery (4) and air bags (4). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 1996 900. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

78
Complaints
0
Crashes
5
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

78 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY4
AIR BAGS4
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS3
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE3
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY2
STEERING:COLUMN LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT DEVICE2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER2

Recent Complaints

20240202AIR BAGS

Passenger airbag deployed for no reason while driving car, no warning lights on dashboard, no impact, no precipitating event occured

20051104ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE

DRIVING SMOOTHLY AT 50 MPH IN 1996 SAAB 900 SE TURBO, 99K MILES. ENGINE RPM SUDDENLY BUT SMOOTHLY DROPS TO ZERO AND STOPPED IN A VERY UNSAFE PLACE ON THE HIGHWAY. CAR WOULD NOT RE-START. ABSOLUTELY NO FAULTS OF ANY KIND OCCURRED DURING THE MONTHS LEADING UP TO THIS INCIDENT. THIS CAR'S DIRECT IGNITION CASSETTE WAS REPLACED ONCE ALREADY IN JAN. 2000 BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER. *JB

Mileage: 99,000

20050904FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

IN JUNE 2003, A CRACK WAS DISCOVERED IN THE FUEL TANK OF MY 1996 SAAB 900S. THE TANK WAS REPLACED. ON 28 JULY 2004, THE REPLACEMENT TANK WAS DISCOVERED TO HAVE A LEAK AND WAS REPLACED. ON 1 SEPTEMBER 2005, THE SECOND REPLACEMENT TANK WAS DIAGNOSED AS LEAKING.*JB

Mileage: 58,857

20050904EQUIPMENT

IN JUNE 2003, A CRACK WAS DISCOVERED IN THE FUEL TANK OF MY 1996 SAAB 900S. THE TANK WAS REPLACED. ON 28 JULY 2004, THE REPLACEMENT TANK WAS DISCOVERED TO HAVE A LEAK AND WAS REPLACED. ON 1 SEPTEMBER 2005, THE SECOND REPLACEMENT TANK WAS DIAGNOSED AS LEAKING.*JB

Mileage: 58,857

20050729ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE

PRIOR TO DI FAILURE, STARTING IMPAIRMENT AND MISFIRES DETECTED WITH CEL. UPON FAILURE, CAR WOULD NOT RUN AND STEERING WAS LOST. TO CORRECT FAILURE, NEW DI WAS FITTED AFTER IT WAS BROKEN. SYMPTOMS SHOULD HAVE BEEN REASON ENOUGH TO CHANGE IT EARLY. *NM

Mileage: 100,000

20041206ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

WHILE DRIVING BALL BEARRINGS EXPLODED IN THE LOWER ENGINE. CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD BOOM. THE VEHICLE WAS FULL OF CLEAN OIL. CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MAUFACTURER AND THE DEALER. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT DEALER. *AK

Mileage: 100,000

20031010AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

WHEN THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR WAS OPENED FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, AND SMOKE ENTERED THE PASSENGER'S CABIN. *AK

Mileage: 100,000

20030429FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ON APRIL 27, 2003, MY SAAB 900 SE HAD AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE WHILE DRIVING WITHIN A MINUTE HAD COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE CAR. THE "CHECK BATTERY" LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH THE HAZARD LIGHT. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND JUST ESCAPED THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE POLICE HAD TO CALL ME TO GET THE LICENSE PLATE NUMBER AND VIN, AS THEY HAD MELTED. THE CAR HAD 72,000 MILES AND HAD BEEN CHECKED TWICE IN THE PAST YEAR. JUST MONTHS BEFORE IT HAD BEEN COMPLETELY INSPECTED. THE CAR WAS IN SHOW ROOM CONDITION. *JB

Mileage: 72,000

20030326UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ODOMETER FRAUD. THE ADVERTISED MILEAGE WAS 55,000 BUT THE CARFAX REPORTED THE MILEAGE AT 150,000 MILES OVER A YEAR AGO. I REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER, TOOK BACK MY DEPOSIT AND GAVE BACK THE CAR. THEY INFORMED ME THEY ALREADY HAD ANOTHER BUYER FOR THE CAR AND ARE STILL ADVERTISING IT WITH 55,000 MILES. *JB

20030314ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

THE TIMING BELT FAILED. *JB (SAAB 900 SE)

20020909FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

20020814SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

WHILE DRIVING HEARD A RADDLING NOISE, HAD IT CHECKED OUT. MAIN FRONT LEFT SPRING HAD FRACTURED. SPRING REPLACEMENT, 44 83-178.CONTACTED DEALER.*AK

20020709POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

WILL NOT SHIFT INTO FIRST, FIFTH, OR REVERSE. KEY CANNOT BE REMOVED SINCE IT WILL NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE. SAAB HAS REFUSED TO PAY FOR REPAIR.*AK

20020503FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

PLASTIC FUEL TANK IS LEAKING, DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

20020502FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

S MODEL, CONSUMER SMELLED FUEL, DEALER DETERMINED THE PLASTIC FUEL TANK WAS LEAKING. PART WAS REPLACED, NEW FUEL TANK HAS LEAKED TWICE.*JB

20020319POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

INTERMITTENTLY GEARBOX LIGHT WILL LIGHT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOSE 1ST AND SECOND GEAR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS VEHICLE MAY NOT GET UP TO HIGHTWAY SPEEDS AT RAMPS, ALMOST CAUSING A REAR END COLLISION. THIS IS A KNOW ISSUE W/ SAAB. I CONTACTED THEM REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. THEY STATED THERE ARE NO SAFETY ISSUES OPEN ON THIS VEHICLE. OVER 25 POSTS FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM ON SAABNET.COM. DEALER HAS TRIED TO REPAIR VEHICLE TWICE WITHOUT SUCCESS. I HAVE SPENT OVER $800.00 TRYING TO REPAIR THIS SAFETY PROBLEM . PLEASE HELP. *AK

20020212POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY

THIS CAR HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A NIGHTMARE. IT HAS REQUIRED THREE TOWS FROM JUNE 2001 TO FEBRUARY 2002. THE MOST EXPENSIVE FAILURE OCCURRED THE DAY AFTER I HAD TAKEN THE CAR TO A LOCAL DEALER FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE (INTERNATIONAL MOTORS, FALLS CHURCH, VA), AND THE TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH FAILED BECAUSE THERE WAS A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK THAT WAS NOT CAUGHT BY THEIR MECHANICS. I HAVE CONTACTED SAAB CORPORATE BY LETTER IN DECEMBER 2001 ABOUT MY MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. THEIR RESPONSE BY TELEPHONE WAS THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO. *AK

20020212POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION

THIS CAR HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A NIGHTMARE. IT HAS REQUIRED THREE TOWS FROM JUNE 2001 TO FEBRUARY 2002. THE MOST EXPENSIVE FAILURE OCCURRED THE DAY AFTER I HAD TAKEN THE CAR TO A LOCAL DEALER FOR A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE (INTERNATIONAL MOTORS, FALLS CHURCH, VA), AND THE TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH FAILED BECAUSE THERE WAS A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK THAT WAS NOT CAUGHT BY THEIR MECHANICS. I HAVE CONTACTED SAAB CORPORATE BY LETTER IN DECEMBER 2001 ABOUT MY MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. THEIR RESPONSE BY TELEPHONE WAS THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO. *AK

20010612POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

WHILE TRAVELING 60MPH TRANSMISSION BECAME LOCKED IN GEAR. WAS NOT ABLE TO SHIFT INTO ANOTHER GEAR. HAD REMAINED IN 4TH GEAR UNTIL ABLE TO SHIFT. TOOK VEHICLE TO SERVICE STATION, AND MECHANIC COULD NOT LOCATE ANY PROBLEMS. TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP.*AK

20010515ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

TIMING CHAIN HAS TO BE REPLACED AFTER 75,000 MILES. VEHICLE WAS MAKING A LOUD WARNING NOISE. SAAB DEALER FOUND PROBLEM AFTER DOING A ROUTINE SERVICE CHECK. ALTHOUGH THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN FOUND, DEALER HAS NEVER DONE REPAIRS. *AK

Compare 1996SAAB900 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1996 SAAB 900 have?
The 1996 SAAB 900 has 78 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 5 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 SAAB 900?
The most-complained component for the 1996 SAAB 900 is POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY and AIR BAGS.
Is the 1996 SAAB 900 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.