2000 SAAB 9-3 steering

3
Instrument panel High/low beam ________________ 71
Parking lights __________________ 71
Daytime running lights ___________ 71
Changing bulbs _______________ 181High/low beam control stalk 71
Direction indicators _______ 72
Cruise Control __________ 148Rear fog light ___________ 73
Front fog lights ___________ 73Instrument lighting ________ 74
Warning and indicator lights _____ 54
Tachometer __________________ 59
Speedometer _________________ 59
Odometer and trip meter ________ 59
Gauge showing turbo pressure ___ 60
Fuel gauge __________________ 61
Temperature gauge ____________ 60
IB731
Ashtrays ___________________ 123
Cigarette lighter ______________ 123
Tr i p c o m p u t e r
(Saab Information Display, SID) __ 62
Night panel __________________ 63
Clock ____________________ 64, 70
Washers and wipers ______ 74
Rear-window wiper _______ 75
Replacing wiper blades __ 179Audio system____________ 90
Cassette player __________ 96
CD player ______________ 99Hazard warning lights _____ 72Climate control system:
manual _______________ 76
Climate control system:
automatic _____________ 80
Car care ______________ 167Seat heating controls ____ 118
Steering-wheel-mounted
controls, Audio System __ 105
ProCarManuals.com

5
Interior Power steering _________ 226
Steering-wheel adjustment 118
Airbag _________________ 22
Internal rearview mirror ________ 124
Door mirrors ________________ 124
Vanity mirror ________________ 122
Safety belts _____________ 12
Safety-belt care ________ 199
Airbag _________________ 22
Child seats _____________ 18
Child safety lock catch ____ 33Glove compartment _____ 123Gear changing _________ 141
Manual transmission ____ 141
Automatic transmission __ 141
IB1353
Seat adjustment ________ 112
Safety belts _____________ 12
Seat heating ___________ 118
Rear seat _____________ 125
Folding down the rear seat 125
Child seats _____________ 18
Upholstery: cleaning _____ 200
Interior lighting switch _________ 121
Interior lighting: changing bulbs __ 185
Center console ______________ 119
Electric windows _____________ 119
Sunroof ____________________ 120
Convertible __________________ 42
Ignition switch _______________ 134
Starting the engine ___________ 135
Engine break-in period ________ 140
Parking ____________________ 151
Driving in hot/cold weather _____ 154
ProCarManuals.com

6Engine bay: turboWarning labels ___________ 7
V.I.N. number __________ 229
Engine number _________ 229
Gearbox number ________ 229
Color coding ___________ 229Ignition system _________ 225
Drive belt ______________ 179
Alternator _____________ 179
Spark plugs ____________ 225
Catalytic converter ______ 137
Simple fault tracing
(A/C, ACC) ____________ 207Turbo-compressor ________ 60
Pressure gauge __________ 60
Important considerations
for driving _____________ 136
Technical data: engine ___ 223Manual transmission __________ 173
Automatic transmission ________ 173
Transmission oil ______________ 173
Gearbox: technical data ________ 226
Battery _____________________ 177
Battery charge _______________ 177
Jump starting ________________ 162IB733
Engine: description ____________ 168
Engine oil, level control
and topping up _______________ 172
Engine oil: changing ___________ 172
Oil grade, viscosity ____________ 223
Washer fluid ___________ 180
Topping up with fluid _____ 180
Washer jets ___________ 180
Wiper/washer control stalk _ 74
Steering servo _______________ 177
Fluid checking
and topping up ______________ 177
Coolant, checking
and topping up ________ 174
Coolant, changing ______ 175
Temperature gauge ______ 60
Driving in hot weather ____ 156
Driving in cold weather ___ 154Fuse panels ___________ 187
Changing a fuse ________ 187
Table of fuses __________ 189
Relays _______________ 191
Brake system ________________ 227
Brake fluid __________________ 176
Brake pads __________________ 176
ABS brakes _________________ 149
ProCarManuals.com

22 SafetyAirbag (Supplemental
Restraint System
"SRS") The supplementary restraint system (SRS)
comprises an airbag in the steering wheel,
a front passenger airbag and side airbags in
the front seats.
The system supplements the protection
provided by the safety belts to further
enhance the safety of occupants.
If a fault is detected in the SRS, the
AIR BAG warning light on the main instru-
ment panel will come on (see pages 56 and
24). When the system is triggered by impact of a
frontal collision, the airbags in the steering
wheel and passenger side of the dash board
are inflated, after which they deflate through
vents in the back of the bags.
The entire process takes less than
0.1 second – literally, faster than the blink-
ing of an eye.
These airbags are triggered only by moder-
ate to severe frontal or near-frontal colli-
sions. They will not be activated by minor
front-end impacts, rear-end or side impacts,
or by the car rolling over.
Side airbags, see page 27.
WARNING
To reduce risk of injury:
Always wear your safety belt.
Always adjust your seat so that you
are as far back as possible but still
able to reach the steering wheel and
controls comfortably.
 Children 12 and under or shorter than
55 inches (140 cm) should always
travel in the rear as the vehicle is
equipped with an airbag on the pas-
senger side.
IB827
Airbag in course of inflation (driver’s side)
IB826
SRS (airbag) system with belt
pretensioners 1 Electronic control module and sensor
2 Belt pretensioners (for both front safety belts)
3 Steering wheel with integral airbag
4 Recess for airbag on passenger’s side
ProCarManuals.com

23 Safety
WARNING
 Even if the car is equipped with an
SRS (airbag), safety belts must still
always be worn by all occupants.
 Note that because an airbag inflates
and deflates extremely rapidly, it will
not provide protection against a
second impact occurring in the same
incident. Always use your safety belt.
 Always sit with the whole of your back
in contact with the backrest of the seat,
and with your seat as far back as is
practical. This is to reduce the risk of
injury from contact with the backrest of
the seat when the airbag inflates and
also because the airbag needs space
in which to inflate.
 Never attach anything to the steering
wheel or passenger side of the instru-
ment panel, as this could result in
injury if the airbag should inflate. The
same applies to anything you might
have in your mouth, such as a pipe, for
instance.
 Some components of the airbag will
be hot for a short time. In some circum-
stances the airbag can cause burns or
abrasions to the body when the airbag
inflates/deflates.
 Never rest your hands or forearms on
the steering-wheel center padding.
 If the AIR BAG warning light remains
on after the car has been started or
comes on while you are driving, have
the car checked immediately by an
authorized Saab dealer. The warning
light could signify that the airbags may
not inflate in a crash, or they could
even inflate without a crash.
Operation of the airbag in a front-end
collision.
Moment of impact.
Sensor detects
retardation and
sends a signal via
the control module to
a gas generator that
inflates the airbag.
The inflating airbag
cushions the driver.
Airbag now fully
inflated.
The steering column
has collapsed and
the airbag starts to
deflate. IB828
ProCarManuals.com

25 Safety
Scrapping or working on airbag and
belt pretensioners Frequently asked questions on func-
tion of the airbag
Do you still need to wear a
safety b
elt if air-
bags are fitted?
Yes, always! The airbag merely supple-
ments the car’s normal safety system.
Moreover, the airbag will only be actuated in
a moderate to severe frontal, or near-frontal
collision, which means, of course, that it pro-
vides no protection in minor frontal colli-
sions, major rear-end or side-on collisions
or if the car rolls over.
The safety belts help reduce the chance of
the car occupants from being thrown around
and injured inside the car.
But they also ensure that, if a collision
occurs in which the airbags are inflated, the
airbag will make the optimum contact with
the occupant, i.e. square on from the front.
If the occupant meets the airbag in an offset
position, the protection afforded will be
reduced.
In addition, airbags provide no protection
against a secondary impact occurring in the
same incident. So there is no doubt about
the benefit of wearing safety belts at all
times.
Do not sit too close to the airbag: it needs
room to inflate.
The airbag inflates very quickly and power-
fully in order to protect an adult person in a
serious frontal collision.
How do I position the seat to leave room for
the airbag to inflate?Don’t have your seat too far forward.
Recline the seat back to increase the dis-
tance between you and the airbag. For short
drivers, special accessory pedal extensions
are available through your Saab dealer.
Airbags inflate extremely rapidly and with
great force - to be fast enough to protect an
adult in the seat. When does the airbag inflate? The airbag will only be inflated under certain
predetermined conditions in a moderate to
severe frontal, or near-frontal collision,
depending on such factors as the force and
angle of the impact, the speed of the car on
impact, and the resistance to deformation of
the impacting object.
The airbag can only be activated once in the
same incident.
Do not attempt to drive the car after an
airbag has been inflated, even if it is possi-
ble. What won’t trigger the airbag? The airbag will not be activated in all
front-end collisions. For instance, if the car
has hit something relatively soft and yielding
(e.g. a snow drift or a hedge) or a solid
object at a low impact speed, the airbag will
not necessarily be triggered.
WARNING
 Under no circumstances should any
modifications be made that affect the
steering wheel or the airbag’s electri-
cal circuitry.
 Before starting any welding work on
the car, always disconnect the nega-
tive (–) battery lead and cover the con-
ductor.
 Airbags and belt pretensioners must
be deployed under controlled condi-
tions before the car is scrapped or any
of the system’s components are
removed. Airbags or belt pretension-
ers that have been deployed as a
result of an accident must be replaced
by new ones.
 Airbag-system components must
never be transferred for use in another
vehicle.
 All work involving the scrapping or
replacement of airbags or belt preten-
sioners must only be carried out by
knowledgeable personnel.
ProCarManuals.com

71 Instruments and controls
SwitchesThe parking lights and daytime running
lights come on automatically when the igni-
tion switch is in the ON position.
Note to owners in the U.S.: If you do not
want Daytime Running Lights, this feature
can be disconnected: switch off the engine
and remove fuse No. 15 (see page 189).
Note to owners in Canada: Daytime Run-
ning Lights must not be disconnected as
they are a Canadian Federal legal require-
ment.
The parking lights can be switched on
regardless of the position of the ignition
switch. Do not use parking lights when driv-
ing.
Note:
The lighting switch must be in parking or
headlight position to operate the rear fog
light (see page 73).The headlights come on when the ignition
switch is in the OFF, ON or START posi-
tions. Note that they go off again when the
ignition switch is turned to LOCK.
High/low beam To switch from high to low beam, move the
control stalk towards the steering wheel to
position 2. Headlight flasher To flash your headlights, move the control
stalk towards the steering wheel to
position 1. The high beam will remain on
until you release the switch.
Daytime running lights
Parking lights
Headlights
IB745
Light switches
1 Headlight flasher
2 High/low beam
IB746
ProCarManuals.com

72 Instruments and controlsCourtesy Headlamp Feature A delay function allows the headlights to
remain on low beam for about 30 seconds
after the driver’s door has been closed.
To activate this function, switch off the igni-
tion, remove the key, open the driver’s door
and pull the high/low beam control stalk
towards the steering wheel like you are
flashing the high beam, see page 71. The
low beam headlights will now come on
immediately after the driver’s door has been
closed and will remain on for about
30 seconds.
Turn signal & lane change indicatorsTo switch on the indicators, move the stalk
up or down.
The stalk has fixed positions for indicating a
right or left turn, and the indicators are can-
celled automatically (stalk returns to off
position) after most turns.
The stalk also has an intermediate,
spring-loaded position that is useful for sig-
nalling when changing lanes or passing.
The respective indicator lights on the instru-
ment panel flash at the same frequency as
the indicators
Hazard warning lightsWhen this button is pressed, all the turn
signal & lane change indicators and a
symbol in the button flash simultaneously. If
the ignition is on, both indicator lights on the
instrument panel will also flash.
If the hazard warning lights are left on for
some time, the flasher frequency will be
reduced to save the battery.
Hazard warning lights should only be used
if, because of an accident or breakdown, the
car constitutes a hazard to other road users.
IB748
Turn signal & lane change indicators 1 Right indicators
2 Left indicators
IB749
ProCarManuals.com