2001 SAAB 9-3 warning light

63 Instruments and controls
Central warning light
This light comes on and a chime will sound
if a fault has been detected in any system
that is critical to safety. Any of the following
can activate the central warning light and
alarm:
 Airbag system.
 Low oil pressure in engine.
 Parking brake is on (when car is moving).
 Brake fluid level low.
 Fault detected in ABS system.
 Electronic brake force distribution (distri-
bution of brake pressure between front
and rear wheels).
 Engine overheating.
 Alternator not charging properly.
Cruise Control
indicator light
The symbol is lit when cruise control is
active.
Engine malfunction
(CHECK ENGINE)
This light indicates a malfunction in the
fuel-injection or ignition system. The car
may still be driven with care and with some-
what diminished performance.
SPORT Mode Indicator
On cars with automatic transmission the
indicator light comes on when you press the
SPORT button on the gear-lever knob.
In SPORT mode, the transmission remains
longer in the (D, 3, 2, 1) gears before
upshifting.
Quit Sport mode by again depressing the
SPORT button; see also page 168.
WARNING
An illuminated CHECK ENGINE indicator
light indicates a serious engine-related
problem. While your car may be able to be
driven with the CHECK ENGINE indicator
light illuminated (limp-home mode), you
are advised to have your car serviced at
an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
Continued driving without this problem
being corrected might cause serious fur-
ther damage to your car and create
unsafe driving conditions. The operator
should be prepared to take action if such
unsafe conditions arise (e.g., apply the
brakes, disengage transmission, turn off
the ignition etc.).
NOTEThe car should be checked immediately
at an authorized Saab dealer to prevent
more serious faults from arising.
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64 Instruments and controls
WINTER Mode Indicator
On cars with automatic transmission the
indicator light comes on when, in the D posi-
tion, you press the WINTER button on the
center console next to the gear selector.
When the car is in the Winter mode it starts
in 3rd gear, which gives a better grip in
slippery conditions by reducing the ten-
dency to spin the wheels.
Quit Winter mode by again depressing the
WINTER button; see also page 168.
CHECK message
indicator
This light indicates that there is a message
in the SID. A chime will also sound
(see page 72).
Automatic transmission
fault indicator
On a car with an automatic transmission,
this warning symbol is illuminated if a fault
has been detected in the transmission.
Switch the ignition off and on again to check
if the fault persists.
Even if the fault persists, it is still possible in
most cases to drive the car (see page 165).
Have the automatic transmission checked
by an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
Rear fog light Indicator
This light shows when the rear fog light is on
(see page 77).
The rear fog light is switched off automati-
cally when the engine is switched off. When
the fog light is next needed, it will have to be
switched on manually again.
High beam Indicator
The symbol is lit when the high beam
is on.
Open door Indicator
If a door has not been closed properly, the
pictogram will indicate the door concerned
(or trunk).
NOTEIf the control module has actuated the
Limp-home function for the automatic
transmission, the car will remain in 4th
gear when D is selected, making it very
sluggish. To overcome this, select posi-
tion 2 to prevent unnecessary wear on the
transmission. The transmission then
starts in 3rd gear. When the car is moving
you can select position D or 3.
When the indicator light is on, the car
must not be driven with a trailer attached.
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65 Instruments and controls
Traction Control System
indicator (option)
The TCS lamp in the tachometer lights up
when the TCS system is activated, i.e. when
the friction between the tires and road
surface is insufficient for the car to acceler-
ate as desired. You may also experience
that the engine does not respond as normal
when the accelerator is depressed.
Operation of the TCS indicates reduced
cohesion between the tires and the road,
and that extra care should be taken by the
driver.
During normal driving, the TCS will improve
both ride comfort and safety, but must not
be regarded as a system to enable the
driver to maintain a higher speed. The same
precautions for safe cornering and driving
on slippery roads must still be adopted (see
page 172.
Traction Control System
OFF indicator (option)
This light comes on when the traction
control system (TCS) is switched off with the
TCS button.
IMPORTANT! The traction control system is
switched on automatically each time the car
is started (see page 172.
This indicator light also comes on if a fault
has been detected in the TCS, in which case
the lamp will not be extinguished when the
TCS is switched off by means of the TCS
button. If a fault is indicated, have the
system checked at an authorized Saab
workshop.
See also the section Traction Control Sys-
tem, on page 172.
Autochecking of lights,
main instrument panel The above warning and indicator lights
should come on when the ignition is
switched on. They go out after about 3 sec-
onds.
The following lamps light up until the engine
starts, as long as no faults exist:
Central warning light .
Oil pressure warning light .
Charge warning light .
IB1279
1 Cars with automatic transmission
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67 Instruments and controls
Temperature gaugeThe temperature gauge shows the temper-
ature of the coolant. The needle should be
in the middle of the scale when the engine
is at normal operating temperature.
If the needle enters the red zone, the
warning light will come on and an alarm
chime will sound. If the needle approaches the red zone,
which can occur in very hot weather or when
the engine is under a heavy load, drive in the
highest gear possible, keep the engine revs
low and avoid shifting down.
Check fuse 3 (radiator fan) in the fuse panel
under the hood, see page 216.
If the needle repeatedly enters the red zone,
stop the car as soon as it is safe to do so and
check the coolant level by looking at the
level visible through the plastic tank - do not
remove the cap.
If the coolant level falls below the MIN mark,
the SID will display the message ”FILL
COOLANT FLUID”.
Pressure gaugeThe turbo gauge indicates the air volume for
combustion, which is equivalent to the
engine load.
At low loads, the needle will move within the
white zone. At higher loads and during
heavy acceleration, the needle will enter the
yellow area. At very high loads (certain var-
iants only) the needle may enter the first part
of the red zone without indicating that there
is a fault.
NOTEIf the needle, despite the above action,
enters the red zone, stop the car immedi-
ately.
If the needle stays in the red zone, stop
the engine.
WARNING
Never open the coolant expansion tank
cap when the engine is hot. It contains hot
coolant under pressure. Failure to heed
this warning may result in personal injury.
IB343
IB344
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68 Instruments and controlsUnder certain barometric conditions the
needle may enter the first part of the red
zone without necessarily indicating that a
fault has arisen.
If the needle repeatedly enters the red zone
and the engine at the same time loses
power, because the monitoring system is
holding the charging pressure down, you
should contact an authorized Saab dealer.
If the speed exceeds 143 mph (230 km/h),
the increase in speed will be limited by the
lowering of the boost pressure. The pres-
sure gauge then moves towards the middle
of the orange zone, indicating reduced
engine output and thus reduces the speed
of the car as well.
Fuel gaugeThe fuel-tank capacity is 17.0 gal. (64 liters).
The fuel gauge shows the amount of fuel left
in the tank. When this is down to about
2.5 gal. (10 liters), a warning light on the
main instrument panel will come on (see
page 62).
Use the Saab Information display (SID) to
check the approximate distance that can be
travelled on the remaining fuel
(see page 69).
Refueling; see page 157.
Gear selector indication
(cars with automatic transmission)An indicator showing which gear is selected
is situated in the main instrument panel.
IB345
IB1280
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73 Instruments and controls
The following CHECK messages may be
displayed: 1) This message will be displayed approximately
600 miles (1,000 km) before the next sched-
uled service is due, or when 365 days have
elapsed since the last service. The message
should be cleared at the time of that service
(see the Saab Warranties & Service Record
Booklet).
This message can also be deleted by first
briefly pressing the CLR button, then depress-
ing it a second time for at least eight seconds
until "SERVICE" appears on the display and a
chime sounds. The message can only be
deleted when it is shown on the SID.
Night panelTo improve night-driving conditions inside
the car, the Night Panel mode can be
selected. In this mode, the amount of infor-
mation displayed is reduced, and only the
most important instruments and displays
will be illuminated.
When the Night Panel button is pressed,
only the speedometer will be illuminated (up
to the 87-mph or 140-km/h graduation), all
the other instruments illumination will be
extinguished and their needles moved to
zero. Both the SID and the ACC displays will
be extinguished and the backlighting for
switches and other controls will be dimmed.
Note: All indicator and warning lights,
together with the display of CHECK mes-
sages, will operate as normal. The following conditions will wake up the
respective displays in the Night-Panel
mode:
 Setting of the Audio System, SID or ACC
(display comes on for ten seconds).
 CHECK message generated in the SID.
 High engine revs cause the rev counter to
be illuminated until the engine speed has
fallen again.
 If the quantity of fuel remaining falls below
4 gallons (15 liters), the fuel gauge will be
illuminated.
 If the engine temperature rises above nor-
mal, the temperature gauge will be illumi-
nated.
 If the speed of the car exceeds 84 mph
(135 km/h), the entire speedometer will
be illuminated.
 In cars with automatic transmission, if the
selector lever is moved from D to position
3, 2 or 1, the selector indication on the
main instrument panel will be illuminated.
To restore the displays and lighting to the
normal mode, press the Night-Panel button. Display shows: See
page
BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE 208
FRONT LIGHT FAILURE 206
REAR LIGHT FAILURE 208
FOG LIGHT FAILURE 209
WASHER FLUID LEVEL LOW 205
TIGHTEN FUEL FILLER CAP 157
FILL COOLANT FLUID 198
KEY NOT ACCEPTED 45
REPLACE KEY BATTERY 45
SERVICE THEFT ALARM 45
TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING 165
TIME FOR SERVICE
1)
236
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76 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 ignition and remove the key
 Open the driver’s door
 Pull the high/low beam control stalk
towards the steering wheel like you are
flashing the high beam, see page 75. The
low beam headlights will now come on
immediately after the driver’s door has
been closed (within 30 seconds) 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.
102
IB1595
Turn signal & lane change indicators 1 Right turn signal indicators
2 Left turn signal indicators
IB749
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77 Instruments and controls
Back-UpThe back-up lights come on automatically
when reverse gear is engaged or selected
with the ignition switched on.
Rear fog lightPress the button to switch on the rear fog
light, which will only come on if the head-
lights or front fog lights are on.
The rear fog light will go off automatically
when the engine is switched off. When the
fog light is next needed, it will have to be
switched on manually again.
Your Saab is equipped with one rear fog
light and this is located on the driver´s side
in the rear taillight housing.
Make sure you are familiar with the appli-
cable provincial/state law regarding the
use of rear fog light.
Front fog lightsPress the button to switch on the fog lights
fitted in the front spoiler. These should be
used in poor visibility. They will only operate
on low beam and switch off automatically on
high beam.
Make sure you are familiar with the appli-
cable provincial/state law regarding the
use of fog lights.
WARNING
Switch on the hazard flashers if the car
has to be left at the roadside on account
of an accident, engine trouble or a flat tire.
If you carry a warning triangle or flares,
they should be set up along side of the
road 300 ft. (100 m) behind your vehicle.
If the car is not clearly visible (e.g. over
the brow of a hill or bridge), place the tri-
angle/flare even further back.
WARNING
In poor visibility, avoid following the tail
lights of the vehicle in front. If the vehicle
stops suddenly, you may be unable to
avoid a collision and therefore risk injury
to yourself and others.
IB750
IB751
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