3
Instrument panel
IB1080
Indicator and warning lights ______ 46
Speedometer _________________ 53
Odometer and trip meter ________ 52
Fuel gauge __________________ 53
Engine temperature gauge ______ 53
Parking lights ____________ 61
High/low beam __________ 61
Daytime running lights _____ 61
Rear fog light ____________ 62
Instrument illumination _____ 62
Changing bulbs _________ 182High/low beam control stalk 61
Turn signal and lane change
indicator _______________ 62
Cruise control __________ 145Front fog lights ___________ 63
Ashtrays ___________________ 112
Cigarette lighter ______________ 112
Tr i p c o m p u t e r
(Saab Information Display, SID) __ 54
Night panel __________________ 59
Clock _______________________ 60
Traction Control (TCS) Switch 51, 147
Wipers and washers ______ 65
Washer fluid ___________ 180
Replacing wiper blades __ 180Audio system ___________ 77
Steering-wheel controls____ 94Hazard warning lights _____ 63Climate control system:
automatic _____________ 67
Air conditioning: simple
fault diagnosis _________ 206
Seat heating controls __________ 106
Ventilated front seats ___________ 105Audio system steering-wheel
controls ________________ 94
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5
Interior
IB581Internal rearview mirror ________ 108
Door mirrors _________________ 108
Sun visors___________________ 112
Safety belts _____________ 12
Airbag (SRS) ___________ 23
Child seats _____________ 18
Child safety lock catch ____ 35
Safety belt care ________ 207Glove compartment _____ 113Manual transmission ____ 137
Automatic transmission __ 138
Electric windows _____________ 110
Ignition switch _______________ 130
Starting the engine ___________ 131
Break-In period_______________ 137
Driving in hot weather _________ 151
Driving in winter ______________ 150
Parking ____________________ 162
Steering-wheel adjustment 107
Airbag (SRS) ____________ 23
Power steering _________ 176
Steering-wheel controls ____ 94Seat adjustment ________ 102
Seat heating ___________ 106
Ventilated front seats _____ 105
Safety belts _____________ 12
Child seats _____________ 18
Folding down the rear seat,
9-5 Sedan _____________ 116
Folding down the rear seat,
9-5 Wagon ____________ 119
Upholstery: cleaning _____ 208
Side airbags (SRS) _______ 28
Interior lighting ________________ 64
Sunroof ____________________ 111
Interior lighting: changing bulbs __ 189
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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. Bear in mind that in certain states it is a legal
requirement for all occupants of the car to
wear a seat belt.
Safety-belt reminderWhen the ignition is switched on, the ”fasten
belts” reminder will light up until the driver or
front-seat passenger are wearing their
belts. In addition an audible signal sounds
for 6 seconds, or until the driver fastens his
belt.
Safety-belt pretensionersThe belts of the front seats are fitted with
automatic pretensioners, which are acti-
vated in the event of a severe frontal colli-
sion or very violent rear-end collision. They
serve to reduce the forward movement of
the body by tensioning the belt.
The belt pretensioners do not activate in
less severe frontal collisions, nor to side col-
lisions, or rollovers.
WARNING
Safety belts must be worn at all times by
all car occupants.
Child safety, see page 18.
Check that the locking tongue is properly
locked in the belt lock (see page 17).
The A-pillar area (area beside the wind-
shield) and the headlining of your Saab
contain padding designed to reduce head
injuries. No modifications to these areas
should be made unless done so by your
authorized Saab dealer.
WARNING
Adjustments of the safety belt should be
done when the car is stationary so that
attention to traffic is not reduced.
WARNING
If the car is involved in a collision, the
safety belts, belt pretensioners and other
components must be inspected by an
authorized Saab dealer and replaced as
necessary.
Never make any alterations or repairs to
the safety belt yourself but visit an autho-
rized Saab dealer.
IB409
FASTEN BELTS
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18 SafetyChild safety
The same attention must be given to child
safety in the car as is given to adults.
Children travel most safely when properly
restrained, but restraints must be suitable
for the size of the child. Always follow the
child seat/booster cushion manufacturer´s
instructions when installing these devices in
your vehicle.
Make sure you are acquainted with the
legal requirements for seating children
in the car.
Make sure that it is possible to fit a child
restraint in accordance with the manufac-
turer’s child seat instructions.Saab 9-5 Sedan
For child car seats that are approved for
rear-facing installation in the rear seat and
have top tether straps, we recommend that
you position it on one of the outer places.
Fasten such a child seat with the three-point
seat belt and the two underside anchorage
tethers.
The tethers should be attached according to
the manufacturer´s instructions, to the fixing
points beneath the driver´s and passen-
ger´s seat. The fixing points on electrically
adjustable seats are color marked.
If you intend to install another make of child
car seat, make sure that it is possible to fit it in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions.
When fitting child seats in cars you must
always read the instructions supplied by
the car seat manufacturer.
WARNING
Children must always be suitably
restrained in the car.
NEVER put a child seat in the front.
Children 12 and under can be killed by
the airbag.
The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place
for children.
Sit as far back as possible from the air
bag.
WARNING
A special accessory is available for lock-
ing the center armrest so that a child seat
can be installed in the middle seat. See
your Saab dealer for details.
When a rear-facing child seat is fitted in
the center position of the rear seat in the
Saab 9-5 Sedan the center armrest must
be secured in place with this strap. If this
is not done, the center armrest could
swing down in the event of a frontal colli-
sion and cause injury to the child.
IB1204
Fitting the locking strap on the center arm-
rest, Saab 9-5 Sedan.
The locking strap is standard equipment
on certain markets.
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19 Safety
Saab 9-5 Wagon:
For child car seats that are approved for
rear-facing installation in the rear seat and
have top tether straps, we recommend that
you position the seat in the center seat. This
type of child seat must be secured with the
three-point seat belt and the two underside
anchorage belts. These belts should be
attached to the attachment points beneath
the driver’s and passenger’s seat. The
attachment points on electrically-adjusted
seats are marked in colour.
If a child seat from another manufacturer is
used, ensure that it can be correctly
mounted, according to the child-seat
instructions.
When fitting child seats in cars you must
always follow the instructions supplied
by the car seat manufacturer.
Child tether anchorages(required in Canada, available at no
charge from Saab in the U.S.)
Child restraints with a tether strap must be
anchored according to Canadian law.
If you have any questions regarding child
tether anchorages please contact your
Saab dealer.
There are two designs of child tether
anchorages.
Upon request, your Saab dealer will obtain
the anchorage hardware kit and install it for
you. Please use the tether anchorage hard-
ware kit available from your Saab dealer as
the hardware was specifically designed for
your vehicle.9-5 Sedan:
1 Open the cover of the appropriate
anchorage.
2 Place the child restraint in the rear seat.
3 Attach the tether to the anchorage.
WARNING
Child tether anchorages are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by
correctly fitted child restraints.
Under no circumstances are they to be
used for:
Adult safety belts.
Harnesses.
Attaching other items or equipment to
the vehicle.
Load securing device.
IB587
Child tether anchorages in parcel shelf,
Saab 9-5 Sedan
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23 Safety
Airbag (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 48 and
26). 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.
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
140 cm (55 inches) should always
travel in the rear as the vehicle is
equipped with an airbag on the pas-
senger side.
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.
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28 SafetyWhat 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.
Side airbags Side airbags are housed inside the back-
rests of the front seats and are designed to
protect the driver and front passenger in the
event of a side impact.
In a side impact, only the airbag on that side
will be activated, and only then if certain pre-
determined conditions are met such as the
force and angle of the impact, the speed of
the car on impact, and at which point on the
car’s side the impact occurs.
The sensors, which are fitted in the front
doors, sense the rise in pressure caused by
the door panel being pressed in during an
impact condition. The side airbag trigger will
be commanded based on the characteris-
tics of this pressure rise.
WARNING
When an airbag is inflated there is dust in
the air.
Because the dust sometimes contains
particles of a substance resembling dish
detergent, the following 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.
IB422
Side airbag inflated
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69 Instruments and controls
Temperature control The cabin is divided into two temperature
zones:
The driver’s zone.
The passenger zone (front and rear
seats).
The desired temperature can be set
between 58 and 82°F (15 and 27°C). In
addition, there are also HI and LO settings
(see below). The HI and LO settings for the
passenger zone can only be selected if they
are also selected for the driver’s zone.
The displayed temperature is not the abso-
lute temperature but corresponds to the
comfort level normally experienced at that
temperature after allowance has been
made for the air flow, relative humidity, solar
radiation, etc., currently prevailing inside
the car.
The most usual temperature setting is
64-75°F (18-24°C), depending on per-
sonal preference and what clothing is
worn.
It is recommended that changes in the
temperature setting be made in steps of
2°F (1°C).
Once the desired climate has been
achieved, the rear center vents can be
closed to prevent warm air being distrib-
uted at face height.Settings when HI selected:
Maximum heat.
Air distribution to windshield and floor.
Recirculation OFF (even if manually
selected before).
Fan: high speed.
Settings shown on ACC display.
Settings when LO selected:
Maximum cooling (A/C compressor will
run even if ECON manually selected
before).
Air distribution through panel vents.
Fan: maximum speed.
Recirculation ON.
Settings shown on ACC display.
IB369
Air vent at rear side window
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