Check a VIN

2005 Saab 9-2X problems

The most common problem on the 2005 Saab 9-2X is airbags, typically around 97,800 miles. Its complaint count is close to a typical 9-2X model year.

Typical yearClose to a typical year
Year score
73/100
Owner complaints
111
Recalls
4
Service bulletins
107
Worst area
Airbags
Fuel economy
19-23mpg

The worst 2005 Saab 9-2X problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2005 Saab 9-2X

Fuel smell 28Fuel leak 13Ball joint 8

Recalls 4

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported January 2, 2020 · 258,813 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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. Subaru Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKA-20.

Recall number 20V001000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported January 2, 2020 · 111,562 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles had their passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
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. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑844‑373‑6614. Saab owners may contact the Saab Customer Assistance Center at 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is TKC-20.

Recall number 20V003000 · Recall details

Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator moduleReported May 28, 2015 · 432,016 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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 vehicles manufactured February 18, 2003, to May 5, 2008, and 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to March 17, 2005. The affected vehicles are equipped with a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
Risk
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
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. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1‑800‑782‑2783. The Saab recall began on July 27, 2015. Owners of Saab vehicles may call 1‑800‑955‑9007. Subaru's number for this recall is WQR-53. Note: The recall completely supersedes recall 14V‑399 (WQL-48) and partially supersedes recall 14V‑763 (WQP-51) in that model year 2004 through 2005 Subaru Impreza and model year 2005 Saab 9-2x vehicles are now only part of this campaign. Note: On December 18, 2015 Subaru informed the federal safety agency of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2003-2004 Subaru Baja, 2003-2008 Subaru Legacy and 2003-2008 Subaru Outback vehicles.

Recall number 15V323000 · Recall details

Suspension: front: control arm: lower armReported September 6, 2011 · 318,215 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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, wisconsin, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, maine, minnesota, missouri, new jersey, ohio, rhode island, west virginia and the district of columbia. The front lower control arms may break at the hanger brackets due to corrosion if the hanger bracket is exposed to salty and humid environments such as roads containing snow melting agent.
Risk
A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
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. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during december 2011. Owners may contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Owners may contact saab at 1‑800‑955‑9007.

Recall number 11V464000 · Recall details

See all 4 recalls for the 2005 Saab 9-2X

Defect investigations

Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpened February 24, 2015, still open

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 systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.Takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida.Accordingly ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas.Takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.During PE14-016 four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.Also during PE14-016 four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina.Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.The investigation now includes all manufacturers and vehicles known to be affected at this time.ODI's investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

EA15001

Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpened June 11, 2014, closed March 2, 2015

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 systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, areas with consistently high absolute humidity and climatic conditions believed to be a significant factor in the inflator ruptures.As part of the recall actions, inflators removed from remedied vehicles are to be returned to Takata for testing.Takata's initial test results on passenger inflators from remedied vehicles indicated a much higher than anticipated rupture frequency for inflators returned from Florida.Accordingly, ODI requested all 10 manufacturers expand the regional recalls for passenger inflators to include other geographic areas where high absolute humidity conditions exist, including the Gulf States and other coastal areas.Takata's testing of the passenger inflators to date continues to indicate this geographic area as having the highest risk, with no ruptures occurring from inflators returned from outside the expanded recall regions.During PE14-016, four additional passenger inflator field events occurred, all in vehicles from the same expanded geographic region.Also during PE14-016, four additional driver inflator field events occurred including two in vehicles from regions not known for high absolute humidity, specifically California and North Carolina.Accordingly, ODI requested all five of the affected vehicle manufacturers currently using the subject Takata driver inflators expand to nationwide recalls.Significantly, neither of the affected vehicle manufacturers or Takata provided any explanation to account for these two driver air bag inflator ruptures outside the area of high absolute humidity.Takata testing of returned driver inflators indicates a lower rupture frequency as compared to passenger inflator testing.All test ruptures reported by Takata to date have occurred on inflators returned from high absolute humidity areas.The PE is now closed/upgraded to an Engineering Evaluation (EA15-001) to include all manufacturersand vehicles known to be affected at this time.ODI's EA investigation will focus on, among other things, root cause analysis, other potential defect consequences, identification of affected vehicles scope, and adequacy of the remedy.The recalls related to this PE are: 14V343, 14V344, 14V348, 14V351, 14V353, 14V655, 14V700, 14V701, 14V752, 14V763, 14V770, 14V773, 14V787, 14V802 and 14V817.The number of vehicles affected are an estimate since some vehicles may have both the driver and passenger side inflators recalled. The five ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.the federal safety agency.dot.gov/owners/Searchreference under the following identification numbers: 10537899, 10568848, 10585224, 10605877, 10651492

PE14016

Front suspension control arm failureOpened April 7, 2011, closed September 23, 2011

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 Columbia (DC). For the purpose of this investigation, salt belt states include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and DC.ODI's analysis of consumer complaint data identified 11 reports alleging failure of either the right or left lower control arm due to excessive corrosion. All of these complaints were associated with vehicles currently registered or originally sold in a salt belt state. Through a similar analysis of complaint and warranty data submitted to ODI by Subaru, ODI identified 18 consumer complaints and 6 warranty claims associated with failure of the left or right front lower control arm due to excessive corrosion. All of these consumer complaints associated with vehicles either currently registered of originally sold in a salt belt state.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.

PE11011

Technical service bulletins for the 2005 Saab 9-2X 107

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 107 bulletins for the 2005 Saab 9-2X

2005 Saab 9-2X fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
2.5L 4‑cyl4WD2026-2722-23
2.0L 4‑cyl4WD1723-2419-20

What 2005 Saab 9-2X owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Feb 10, 2025 · Airbags, Suspension · NY

The contact owns a 2005 Saab 9-2X. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency 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 (631) 317-2348) 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.

Filed Feb 10, 2025 · Airbags · NY

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.

Filed Jun 1, 2021 · Suspension · 90,000 miles · PA

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 the federal safety agency 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 consumer stated after arguing with GM, the appoint was set for July 16, 2021.The consumer stated it was determined to be damage a broken control arm, broken sway bar link, broken sway bar and axle being pulled from the differential. There was a temporary control arm replaced in order for the vehicle to move, but the repairs have not been made for this vehicle. The vehicle will need an alignment and parts replaced upon inspection to see if there is more damage. than initial inspection showed.

Filed Oct 21, 2020 · Body, Suspension · 104,000 miles · AZ

It is a known issue in the saab 9-2x community that the rear strut towers rust out and fall apart. This is an issue that should be addressed as it is so common whether in a rust prone state or not.

Filed Oct 16, 2020 · Body, Suspension · 140,000 miles · WA

Metal plate rear strut towers rusting out. Constantly, presents potential for suspension to fail and rear running gear to puncture the body

Filed Oct 16, 2020 · Body · 100,854 miles · MI

Both rear left and right strut towers began rusting to the point the rear suspension alignment was constantly shifting due to the lack of structure remaining in the body

Filed Oct 15, 2020 · Suspension · 123,100 miles · CA

My strut towers have begun to rust, and if I don't repair and weld it soon, my rear struts might rip through the towers. The rear strut towers of saab 92x rust out over time due to moisture getting through the towers and getting trapped under sound deadening material. This causes virtually every non-fairweather 92x to undergo a rusted strut tower on the frame. This is such a problem, the first recommended step when buying used is to check these frames as the rear struts can rip through when they are rusted and cause a potentially fatal accident. The only proper fix is welding.

Filed Oct 15, 2020 · 120,000 miles · OH

The four bolts that the rear seats attach to hold moisture which then infiltrates the strut towers and causes them to rot out. What will happen is you can be driving and without notice, a wheel will disconnect from the body of the car and immediately become a hazard that forces you to wreck the car since the wheel is no longer attached. Every saab 9-2x has this issue and every owner either parts the car out or has to have it repaired which I recently did to the tune of $1,075. Just to keep the car safe to drive. The fix requires the rusted area to be cut out and then new metal welded in so it can regain structural rigidity.

Filed Oct 15, 2020 · Body, Suspension · 100,000 miles · TX

Strut towers corrosion

Filed Oct 15, 2020 · Body · CT

Severe strut tower rust with many peoples collapsing. This is directly due to subaru and gms manufacturing of the car.

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2005 Saab 9-2X before you buy

Compare the 2005 Saab 9-2X

Other model years

20052006

Questions about the 2005 Saab 9-2X

Is the 2005 Saab 9-2X reliable?

Owners have filed 111 complaints about the 2005 Saab 9-2X, close to a typical 9-2X model year.

What is the 2005 Saab 9-2X year score?

The 2005 Saab 9-2X scores 73 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Saab 9-2X: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2005 Saab 9-2X?

Airbags, with 46 complaints, typically around 97,800 miles. Next is fuel system (41).

How many recalls does the 2005 Saab 9-2X have?

4 recalls, covering air bags and suspension.

Was there a recall on the 2005 Saab 9-2X airbags?

Yes, 3 recalls: 20V001000, 20V003000, 15V323000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What gas mileage does the 2005 Saab 9-2X get?

Official estimates for the 2005 Saab 9-2X range from 19 to 23 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 4-cyl, 4WD) gets 20 city and 26-27 highway.

Share your experience with the 2005 Saab 9-2X

Tell other buyers what went wrong and what it cost. We review every report before it appears, and we never publish names, emails or VINs.

No names, contact details or links. Reports about a dealer or a person are not published.

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2005 Saab 9-2X?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history
Is this car on a recall?Check VIN