2005 Saab 9-2X: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 111 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (39% of complaints); the 2006 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jan 2020
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 111 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2025
“The contact owns a 2005 Saab 9-2X. The contact received notifications of NHTSA 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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2025
“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.”Owner report · Suspension · Oct 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“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”Owner report · Structure · Oct 2020
“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.”Owner report · Suspension · Oct 2020
“It is a well known issue with 2005-2006 saab 9-2x's, subaru wrx's that the rear strut towers are prone to rust through and cause a rear strut to completely break free from the body of the vehicle. This is a general motors/subaru issue, since the 9-2x is all subaru parts with saab badging.”Owner report · Structure · Oct 2020
“Car has had the recall actions performed on the lower control arms. The passenger control arm failed in the same place addressed by the recall, despite having the 'fix'. It failed while I was driving on a public road, resulting in loss of control and damage of multiple other components.”Owner report · Suspension · Sep 2020
“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.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Oct 2019
“My car was repaired at patrick cadillac in schaumburg, but still the "airbag" light is on at the dashboard. The mechanic old me that the light is not part of the recall. Since the light is on, that means that there is a problem with the safety airbag. Another issue is with the ABS. Whenever I step on the breaks, the ABS shakes as if it's bouncing on the breaks, and the whole car shakes. Is there a problem with the ABS systems? I thought my breaks needed changing, and all four break pads were changed, but the problems persists.”Owner report · Air Bags · Apr 2019
“Fuel smell in cold weather. This seems to happen in cold weather only. When I start the car, I get a smell of fuel in the cabin. The car is parked. When I have the air recirculation button pressed, the smell does not enter the cabin.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Jan 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 1 of these complaints and injuries in 0 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
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.
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.
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.
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 NHTSA 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2005 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact 9-2X by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Saab 9-2X reliable?
NHTSA has 111 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2005 Saab 9-2X. The most complained-about area is air bags (39% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2005 Saab 9-2X problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 100,000 miles or less.
Does the 2005 Saab 9-2X have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning suspension:front:control arm:lower arm. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.