2001 SAAB 9-3 light

32 SafetyAIR BAG warning light SRS servicing
The SRS must be inspected as part of the
normal service program but otherwise may
be regarded as maintenance-free.
Scrapping or working on airbag and
belt pretensioners
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.
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.
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34 SafetyAre 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 much as pos-
sible 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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37 Security
To check the number of keys that are pro-
grammed for the car; see page 45.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 42. Reprogramming lock system
functionsCertain lock system functions can be repro-
grammed by your authorized Saab dealer;
see page 255.
Locking/unlocking the carWhen the car is locked and unlocked with
the key, the theft alarm is also affected.
Remote locking (1)
Press once on the control: all doors
lock.
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.
Remote unlocking (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.
NOTEThe key contains delicate electronics.
 Do not expose it to water.
 Avoid rough handling.
 Do not place the key where it may be
subjected to high temperatures, e.g.
on the fascia.
 The key may malfunction if it becomes
very cold. Warm it in your hands for a
couple of minutes.
 Never open the key except to change
the battery. For changing the battery,
see page 39.
WARNING
The remote control also works from inside
the car. Therefore, hold the key in such a
way that the buttons are not unintention-
ally pressed when the key is turned, or
inserted or removed from the ignition
switch.
Otherwise, the doors may be unintention-
ally locked or the tailgate unlocked. On
Convertible models, the trunk may even
be opened.
IB1525
Locking / unlocking by remote control 1To lock
2 To unlock
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38 SecurityLocking 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.The 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.

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 remember that
locked doors can hamper rescuers in the
event of an accident.
IB995
Switch for operation of central locking
IB1527
Central locking 1To lock
2 To unlock
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42 SecurityActivating the car alarmThe car alarm cannot be activated if the
driver’s door is open or if the ignition switch
is in position ON.
If, on the other hand, one of the other doors
or the trunk or hood is open or opened and
not closed again during the 10-second
delay period, it will be excluded from the
alarm function.
If it is then closed, a new delay period of ten
seconds will start, and the door (or trunk or
hood) will once again be secured by the
alarm system.
As usual, the LED will be on continuously
during the new delay period and will start to
flash every three seconds after the 10-sec-
ond period has elapsed.
Window glass sensorThe car-alarm (anti-theft system) incorpo-
rates a sensor that monitors the window
glass for the sound of breakage. The sensor
is fitted inside the rear dome light (on Con-
vertibles: in the front interior light).
To avoid false alarms, such as the alarm
being triggered by children or pets left inside
the car, the sensor can be temporarily dis-
abled.
To disable the sensor
To disable the sensor, first turn off the igni-
tion and remove the key from the switch.
Next, press and hold the NIGHT PANEL
button until ”DOOR ALARM ONLY” appears
on the SID and a chime sounds. The car
alarm must now be activated within three
minutes, or the glass sensor will become
active again.
The glass sensor will be enabled again
automatically the next time the car is
unlocked. The sensor can also be enabled
again by repeating the procedure for dis-
abling it. When the sensor has been
enabled, ”FULL THEFT ALARM” will
appear on the SID.
If a fault is detected in the glass sensor,
”SERVICE THEFT ALARM” will appear on
the SID.
9-3 Convertible: when the car is parked
with the soft top down, the glass sensor will
be automatically disabled.
Electronic starting interlock
(immobilizer)When the key is inserted in the ignition, a
signal is sent to the receiver. If the signal is
verified, the engine can be started.
Each time the key is removed from the igni-
tion, the electronic immobilizer is activated.
If a fault is detected (e.g. in the transmitter)
”KEY NOT ACCEPTED” will appear on the
SID.
In this case, you can still start the car if you
turn the ignition key to ON and press one of
the buttons on the key.
Take the car to an authorized Saab dealer to
have the system checked.
The LED on the top of the dash dou-
ble-flashes when the car is immobilized.
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43 Security
Alarm signals When the car alarm is armed, it will be trig-
gered if any door, the trunk lid or hood, is
opened, or if a window is broken.
The alarm will also be triggered if an attempt
is made to bypass or short-circuit the igni-
tion switch, or to disconnect the battery.
If the alarm is triggered, the following alarm
signals will be set off:
 Flashing of hazard warning lights for five
minutes.
 Siren wailing for 30 seconds.
The alarm signals will stop if the alarm is
deactivated (car unlocked) during the alarm
period.
Panic-functionIn the car alarm system is a function called
"Panic-function".
To activate panic function:
 Push and hold one of the buttons on the
key for 2 seconds, or if you are sitting
inside the car...
 Push the LOCK-switch on the center con-
sole for 2 seconds (not Convertibles).
These actions will trigger the alarm (hazard
warning lights and siren).
To deactivate panic function:
 Push one of the buttons on thekey.
 Push the LOCK-switch in the center con-
sole.
 Turn the key in one of the doors or
 Turn the ignition to ON.
When the panic-function is activated the car
will be locked/unlocked depending upon
which button was pushed.
When the ignition is ON the panic-function
cannot be activated.
NOTE It is possible to inadvertently deacti-
vate the car alarm and at the same
time unlock the car, if the button on the
key is pressed by mistake when the
car is still within its range.
 When locking the car by remote con-
trol in extremely cold weather, it is
advisable to check that the lock
system has operated properly. To do
so, check that the interior locking but-
tons are all down.
If not, unlock and relock the car again.
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44 SecurityOverview of functions
Alarm signals may differ between model variants for different coun-
tries.
Some of the car-alarm functions can be reprogrammed – con-
sult your Saab dealer for further details (see page 255). Locking/
activation Hazard warning lights flash once (0.5 seconds).
Horn chirps once.
The LED will come on for 10 seconds.
Unlocking/
deactivation Hazard warning lights flash twice.
Horn chirps twice.
The LED will come on for two seconds.
Unlocking/
deactivation of
trunk lid alarm Hazard warning lights flash three times.
Horn chirps three times.
The LED will flash three times per second for
10 seconds.
Alarm triggered Hazard warning lights flash for 5 min.
Siren wails for 30 seconds.
To switch off the alarm, deactivate the system in
the normal way (unlocking) by unlocking the
door with the key or the remote
Window-glass
sensor The sensor detects if any window is broken and
triggers the alarm.
To disable the sensor, see page 42.
Key The range of the key is normally 5-10 yds.
(5-10 metres), although it can be substantially
more than this in ideal conditions.
If the key is not working, it may be because the
code signal has not been synchronized with that
in the control module for the car alarm. To rectify
this, press the unlock button on the key at least
four times in quick succession. When it is recog-
nized, the door locks will cycle.
If a key is lost, the new one will have to be pro-
grammed (all keys must be present) to match the
car’s unique security code. Get in touch with an
authorized Saab dealer. Battery for key The battery for the key will normally have a life of
4 years. When the battery needs changing,
”REPLACE KEY BATTERY” will appear on the
SID.
After fitting a new battery, press the unlock but-
ton on the key at least four times (when the car
is in its range) in succession, so that the car
alarm can recognize the signals from the trans-
mitter.
Car-battery
voltage If the battery is disconnected while the alarm is
active (car is locked), for example during an
attempt to steal the car, the alarm will be trig-
gered.
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47 Convertible
ConvertibleGeneral safety instruc-
tions ................................ 48
Folding the soft top ......... 49
Raising the soft top ......... 51
Manual raising of the soft
top ................................... 52
Fault messages in SID ..... 54
Central operation of the
windows, 9-3 Convertible 55
Trunk, 9-3 Convertible ..... 56
Rear seat ........................... 56
Cleaning the soft top, 9-3
Convertible ..................... 57
Interior lighting................. 58
Manually opening the fuel
filler door ........................ 58
IB1361
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