Let's first look at the overall view.
Saab is better than the average car and better than the premium brands and competitors Jaguar, Audi, BMW, Alfa Romeo and Cadillac. Only two European brands, Mercedes and Volvo, are better than Saab, in addition to many Asian brands.
Let's go deeper into the numbers.
Here we can see that Saab's breakdowns are mostly connected to engine and electrics/electronics and to some degree the heat and ventilation system. And if we dig even deeper into Saab's electrics/electronics breakdown, the report says that a repeated problem for the Saab 9-3 with a diesel engine has been the generator (alternator, dynamo), which according to the report can indicate a problem with the construction. Furhermore, many of the engine breakdowns are due to the Saab 9-5 having a repeated problem with the turbo. The risk of getting a problem with the turbo is five times bigger in a Saab 9-5 than the average car with a turbo.
Then let's look at the average cost of repairing the breakdown.
The graph shows that in Sweden Saab is among the absolute cheapest cars to repair if it breaks down. The average cost of repairing a breakdown on a Saab costs only approx. SEK 11,000, while repairing Volvo costs approx SEK 12,500, a Mercedes or a BMW approx SEK 18,000 and an Audi approx SEK 20,000.
And finally, I am happy to report that no Saab is among the 20 car models with the highest breakdown frequency. But on the list we can find models from Alfa Romeo, BMW, Landrover, Volkswagen and Porsche among others.
