2000 SAAB 9-3 warning light

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
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12 SafetySafety belts Three-point inertia-reel safety belts are pro-
vided for all seats. Research has established that it is danger-
ous for rear-seat passengers not to wear
their safety belts.
Otherwise, in the event of an accident, the
rear-seat passengers can be thrown for-
ward against the front-seat backrests,
imposing much higher stresses on the
front-seat passengers and belts and result-
ing in needless injury to everyone in the car.
Safety-belt reminder When the ignition is switched on, the ”fasten
belts” reminder will light up for 6 seconds or
until the driver and any passengers are
wearing their belts. An audible alarm will
also sound for six seconds or until the driver
has fastened his belt.
WARNING
Safety belts must be worn at all times by
all car occupants. Child safety, see page
18.
Check that the tongue of the belt lock
engages properly.
The A-pillar area (area beside the wind-
shield) and the headlining of your Saab
contain padding designed to reduce head
injuries (3 or 5-door only). No modifica-
tions to these areas should be made
unless done so by your authorized Saab
dealer.
WARNING
For safety reasons, you should adjust
safety belts only while the car is station-
ary.
FASTEN BELTS
IB1302
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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
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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
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24 SafetyFront passenger seat The airbags are interconnected and have a
common warning light, AIR BAG. The pas-
senger airbag module is housed in the
fascia above the glove compartment and is
marked ”SRS AIR BAG”.
Both airbags will be inflated in the event of a
moderate to severe frontal, or near-frontal
collision, even if the passenger seat is unoc-
cupied.
AIR BAG warning light
SRS servicingThe SRS must be inspected as part of the
normal service program but otherwise may
be regarded as maintenance-free.
WARNING
Never secure a rear-facing child seat in
the right front seat of a car equipped with
a passenger airbag. Inflation of the airbag
in the event of an accident could seriously
injure or kill a child.
WARNING
 Children 12 and under can be killed by
the airbag.
 The back seat is the safest place for
children.
 Never allow a child to stand in front of
the seat or to sit on the lap of a
front-seat passenger. Serious injury or
death could result if the airbag is
inflated in a collision.
 Never place anything on the dash or in
front of the seat as, in addition to being
a hazard to passengers, this could
interfere with the function of the airbag
in the event of an accident. The same
applies to the mounting of accessories
on the dash.
 Keep feet on the floor - never put feet
up on the dash, on the seat or out of
the window.
 Do not carry anything in your lap.
WARNING
 If the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle, it means
the airbag system may not be working
properly.
 The airbags in your vehicle may not
inflate in a crash, or they could even
inflate without a crash.
 To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have your vehicle serviced
right away if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
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26 SafetyHow loud is the inflation? The noise of the inflation is certainly loud,
but it is very short-lived and will not damage
your hearing. For a short time afterwards
you could experience a buzzing noise in
your ears.
Most people who have experienced it
cannot remember the noise of the inflation
at all - all they remember is the noise of the
crash. Can you still use a child seat in the front if a
passenger airbag is installed? Definitely not!
Children 12 and under can be injured or
killed by the airbag.
The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for
children.
NEVER put a child seat in the front.
Are the smoke and fumes given off when the
airbag operates at all harmful? Most people who have remained in a car
with little or no ventilation for several min-
utes complained only of minor irritation of
the throat and eyes. Avoid as far as possible
getting dust on your skin as there is a risk of
skin irritation.
If this trouble persists, you should consult a
doctor.
If you suffer from asthma, the incident may
bring on an attack, in which case you should
follow the normal procedure advised by
your doctor. It is advisable to consult a
doctor afterwards.
What should I do if the AIR-BAG warning
light comes on? If the warning light is on, it means that a fault
has been detected in the system. The
airbag cannot be relied on to operate as
intended and it might even be activated
erroneously. You should therefore take the
car to an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNING
When an airbag is inflated there is dust in
the air.
Because the dust/smoke can, in certain
cases, cause irritation to the skin, the fol-
lowing precautions should be taken:
 As soon as possible, wash any
exposed skin using a mild soap and
water.
 If there is irritation of the eyes, flush
them liberally with clean water for at
least 20 minutes.
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31 Security
Electronic starting interlock
(immobilizer)Each time the key is removed from the igni-
tion, the electronic starting interlock is acti-
vated and the car is thus immobilized, see
also page 36.
Locking/unlocking the carWhen the car is locked and unlocked with
the remote control or the key (see page 35),
the theft alarm is also affected.
To lock by remote control (1)
Press once on the control: all doors
locked.
The hazard warning lights will flash once to
confirm.
The trunk lid cannot be opened now from
inside using the switch on the driver’s door.
To unlock by remote control (2)
Press once on the control: driver´s
door is unlocked. Press a second time to
unlock the rest of the doors.
The hazard warning lights will flash twice to
confirm. Locking by key (1)
Turn the key clockwise: all doors and trunk
lid locked.
The trunk lid cannot be opened now from
inside using the switch on the driver’s door.
Unlocking by key (2)
Turn the key counterclockwise once: the
driver´s door unlocked.
Turn the key counterclockwise twice: all
doors, but not trunk lid, unlocked.
IB845
Central locking 1To lock
2 To unlock
IB965
Locking / unlocking by remote control 1To lock
2 To unlock
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32 SecurityThe central locking can also be operated
from inside the car by means of the
switch on the center console (except on
Convertibles).
 To lock all doors: press the symbol side of
the switch once.
 To unlock the driver´s door: press the
switch once.
 To unlock all doors: press the switch
twice.
This switch is inoperative when the car is
locked from the outside.The interior locking buttons on each door
affect only the respective door on sedan.
The driver´s door lock button will
lock/unlock both on the Convertible.
If the car is left with the doors open, the inte-
rior lighting will be switched off automati-
cally after 20 minutes, to prevent a dead
battery.

Changing the remote-control
batteryWhen the battery voltage in the remote con-
trol falls below a predetermined level the
SID will issue the following message:
REPLACE KEY BATTERY. Press the
CLEAR button on the SID to acknowledge
this message. You must then replace the
battery without delay to avoid malfunctions.
The life of the battery is 4-5 years. After
changing the battery you must press the
unlocking button of the remote control four
times (or until the door locks cycle) while the
car is within the range of the remote control
in order for the control module to recognize
the remote.
WARNING
Having the doors locked when you are
driving will reduce the likelihood of:
 Children, in particular, opening doors
and falling out of the car.
 Intruders entering the car when it is
moving slowly or at a standstill.
 Injury resulting from a door bursting
open in the event of an accident.
However, you must also be remembered
that locked doors can hamper rescuers in
the event of an accident.
IB995
Switch for operation of central locking
IB843
Changing the battery of the remote control1Battery
2 Control module
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