Total Complaints
4 filings
SAAB 900 · model year
1999 SAAB 900
4 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1999SAAB900 carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 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 1999 900 is suspension:front with 1 filings, followed by electrical system:ignition:switch (1) and power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl) (1). 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 1999 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.
4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20000123ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE CAR WAS RUNNING THREE TIMES. FIRST TWO TIMES CAR WAS IDLING, THIRD TIME CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN AT 60 MPH. ENGINE SHUT OFF WITH NO WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. SAAB DEALER CLAIMED IN THE FIRST TWO INSTANCES THAT THIS COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAPPEN WITH CAR RUNNING. IN FIRST INSTANCE, DEALER REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH. IN SECOND INSTANCE, DEALER REPLACED GEAR POSITION SWITCH. IN THIRD INSTANCE, DEALER REPLACED CHAFED WIRING HARNESS TO PASSENGER SEAT. WE ARE NOT CONVINCED THAT SAAB HAS FIXED THIS MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM, AND ARE EVEN MORE WORRIED THAT A CHAFED WIRE FOR THE HEATED SEAT CAN CAUSE AN IMMEDIATE ENGINE SHUTDOWN ON ANY SAAB 9-3.
20000123POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE CAR WAS RUNNING THREE TIMES. FIRST TWO TIMES CAR WAS IDLING, THIRD TIME CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN AT 60 MPH. ENGINE SHUT OFF WITH NO WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. SAAB DEALER CLAIMED IN THE FIRST TWO INSTANCES THAT THIS COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAPPEN WITH CAR RUNNING. IN FIRST INSTANCE, DEALER REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH. IN SECOND INSTANCE, DEALER REPLACED GEAR POSITION SWITCH. IN THIRD INSTANCE, DEALER REPLACED CHAFED WIRING HARNESS TO PASSENGER SEAT. WE ARE NOT CONVINCED THAT SAAB HAS FIXED THIS MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM, AND ARE EVEN MORE WORRIED THAT A CHAFED WIRE FOR THE HEATED SEAT CAN CAUSE AN IMMEDIATE ENGINE SHUTDOWN ON ANY SAAB 9-3.
20000123ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE CAR WAS RUNNING THREE TIMES. FIRST TWO TIMES CAR WAS IDLING, THIRD TIME CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN AT 60 MPH. ENGINE SHUT OFF WITH NO WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. SAAB DEALER CLAIMED IN THE FIRST TWO INSTANCES THAT THIS COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAPPEN WITH CAR RUNNING. IN FIRST INSTANCE, DEALER REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH. IN SECOND INSTANCE, DEALER REPLACED GEAR POSITION SWITCH. IN THIRD INSTANCE, DEALER REPLACED CHAFED WIRING HARNESS TO PASSENGER SEAT. WE ARE NOT CONVINCED THAT SAAB HAS FIXED THIS MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM, AND ARE EVEN MORE WORRIED THAT A CHAFED WIRE FOR THE HEATED SEAT CAN CAUSE AN IMMEDIATE ENGINE SHUTDOWN ON ANY SAAB 9-3.
19991129SUSPENSION:FRONT
FRONT END DRIFTS ACROSS THE ROAD, STRANGE NOISES IN FRONT END, RIMS AND TIRES WEAK, GLASS ROOF NOISE, PAINT DEFECTS( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 205,65, 16 )
Compare 1999SAAB900 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1999 SAAB 900 have?▼
The 1999 SAAB 900 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1999 SAAB 900?▼
The most-complained component for the 1999 SAAB 900 is SUSPENSION:FRONT with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL).
Is the 1999 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.