2001 SAAB 9-3 ECU

1
Owner’s Manual
Saab 9-3 M2001
© Saab Automobile AB 2000 Service Readiness, Saab Automobile AB, Trollhättan, Sweden
Printed in Sweden
Safety 11
Security 35
Convertible 47
Instruments and controls 59
Saab 9-3 Audio System 93
OnStar - Telematics 117
Interior equipment, trunk 129
Starting and driving 151
Car care 191
Maintenance and owner assistance 235
Technical data 243
Index 257
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8
Long loads Always SECURE LOAD to prevent it from shift-
ing during transport.
An unsecured load could cause passenger
injuries in braking situations or in the event of a
collision.
Cover sharp edges with a protective wrap.
 Max. weight 30 lbs. (15 kg).
 Max. length 6 ft. (2 metres).
See your Owner’s Manual before securing
loads. IB989
Belt beam Warning for pinch risk due to
movable parts when beam is in
unlocked position.
WARNING
WL9
Wheel changing: Intended for the Saab 9-5 and 9-3. Use the jack
only on firm, level ground. Use blocks. Max. jack
load: 2200 lbs. (1000 kg). For further information,
see the manual.
IB994
AIR BAG
WARNING
Flip visor over
50 10 111
WARNING
DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can occur.
 Children 12 and under can be killed by the air bag.
 The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for children.
 NEVER put a rear-facing child seat in the front.
 Sit as far back as possible from the air bag.
 ALWAYS use SEAT BELT and CHILD RESTRAINTS
IB1195
USA CANADA
USACANADA
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14 Safety Children who have grown out of a child
seat should be restrained by the car’s
standard three-point belts. Make sure that
the shoulder belt is not in contact with the
neck or throat. If it is, a booster seat/cush-
ion may be necessary.
Front seat belts Fasten the belt by pulling the belt and insert-
ing the tongue in the buckle. Check that it is
securely fastened.
Because the lower belt-anchorage points
are on the seat (9-3 5-door), the belt buckle
follows the movement of the seat during
seat adjustment. In the 9-3 Coupé and
9-3 Convertible, the lower outer anchorage
point is in the rear of the sill, which makes it
all the more important that the lap strap is
not slack during use.
Grasp the shoulder belt close to the buckle
and pull the belt towards the shoulder to
tighten the lap belt part.
The belt must be as far in on the shoulder as
possible.To release the belt, press the red button on
the belt buckle, as illustrated.
See page 224 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning etc.
WARNING
Never fasten the safety belt with the
shoulder belt behind the body or pull the
belt off the shoulder and under the arm.
IB1304
To fasten the belt
IB1305
Press the red button to release the belt.
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16 SafetySafety belts, rear seat Three-point safety belts are provided for all
three rear-seat passengers (2 for Convert-
ible model).
Fasten the belts by pulling the belt across
you and inserting the tongue into the buckle.
Check that it is securely fastened.
Grasp the shoulder belt close to the buckle
and pull the belt towards the shoulder to
tighten the lap belt part.
The belt must be as far in on the shoulder as
possible.
Press the red button on the belt buckle to
release the belt.
See page 148 for securing of load.
See page 224 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning etc.
WARNING
 Make sure that the belt does not
become trapped when the backrest is
folded down or raised (see page 144).
 If you must carry an item of luggage on
a seat, ensure that it is held securely
by the safety belt. This will reduce the
risk of injury by flying objects in the
event of an accident.
 Protect the belt from sharp edges.
IB960
Safety belts, rear seat (the central head restraint is an accessory)
IB821
Securing a load on the rear seat
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19 Safety
Child safety
Car safety tips Protect your children from getting
trapped in the trunk of a car
WARNING
 Children must always be suitably
restrained in the car. All child
restraints and booster seats are
designed to be secured in vehicle
seats by the lap belt or the lap belt of a
lap-shoulder belt. If the child restraint
is not properly secured, a child can be
endangered in a crash.
 NEVER put a child seat in the front.
 Children 12 and under can be killed by
the airbag.
 According to accident statistics, the
BACK SEAT is SAFER for properly
restrainen children than the front seat.
 Sit as far back as possible from the air
bag.
WARNING
 Never leave your children unattended
in a car, even for a short time.
– Children can suffer heat stroke - per-
haps die - in a matter of minutes.
– Children can put the car into gear and
hurt themselves or others.
 At gas stations, take the keys from the
car while filling the tank.
 Never allow children to climb on top of -
or under motor vehicles.
 Always look for children before backing
your motor vehicle out of a garage or
driveway.
 To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning,
never let a car idle in the garage.
 Supervise young children around buck-
ets of water while washing your car.
Small children can drown in seconds in
less than an inch of water.
WARNING
 Teach your kids not to play in or around
cars.
 Watch your children when loading or
unloading the car so they don´t get
locked in by mistake.
 Always lock the doors and trunk of your
car, and keep the keys out of children´s
sight and reach.
 Keep the rear fold-down seats closed
to help prevent kids from getting into
the trunk from inside the car.
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20 SafetyThe 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.
When fitting child seats in cars you must
always read the instructions supplied by
the manufacturer.
Lockable belt tongue If fitting a child seat that is intended to be
secured in position by the lap portion of the
safety belt, make use of the locking function
of the buckle.
Locking the lap portion of the belt lessens
the risk that the seat will work loose while
the car is in motion.
The button for the locking function is located
on the back of the buckle.
1 Position the child seat in the back of the
car.
2 To activate the locking function, move
the locking button on the tongue of the
belt to the position marked
”CHILD SEAT” (item 1 in the figure) in
order to activate the locking function.
3 Secure the base of the child seat with
the lap portion of the safety belt in accor-
dance with the installation instructions
accompanying the child seat.
4 Grasp the shoulder part of the safety belt
and pull it upwards to tighten the lap por-
tion against the child seat.
5 Check for correct locking function by
pulling on the lap portion of the belt. The
belt must not unreel.
IB822
Locking the lap belt 1 Locked
2 Unlocked
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22 SafetyLATCH installationTo facilitate the proper fitting of new spe-
cially-design child restraints, 9-3's except
Convertibles have rigid lower anchorages
(ISOFIX) and top tether anchorages in the
two outboard rear seating positions. There
is an additional top tether anchorage for the
center rear seating position.
LATCH is a U.S./Canadian government
standard for an uniform method of fitting
child restraints without using the standard
safety belts. Only certain child restraints are
equipped to utilize these rigid lower anchor-
ages behind where the seat cushion and
seat back come together. LATCH child
seats also utilize a top tether strap that is
found on some newer child seats that still
require installation with the standard safety
belts.
There are two bars attached to the car body
for each specially designed LATCH child
restraint. A small circular label is located on
the seat back just above each attachment
bar to facilitate installing the child restraint.1 Place the child restraint on one of the
designated outboard rear seat cushions.
2 Press the child restraint rearward, lining
up the restraint attachment arms with
the labels.
3 Follow the child restraint instructions to
confirm that both restraint arms are
properly attached to the bars.
4 Attach the top tether strap to the in-car
anchorage and tighten according to the
restraint instructions, see page 23 and
24.
5 Pull the child restraint to make a second
check that restraint is securely attached
at both the lower anchorage bars and
the top tether strap.
For the top tether, only use the strap sup-
plied with the child restraint.
Always follow the installation instructions
supplied with the child restraint.
The availability of LATCH child restraints
may be limited.
Child restraints using rigid lower anchor-
ages (ISOFIX) cannot be fitted where a inte-
grated booster seat is installed.
IB1684IB1685
Rigid 2-point lower attachment with top
tether
Semi-rigid 2-point lower attachment with
top tether
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23 Safety
Child tether anchorages, Coupé and
5-door modelsChild restraints with a tether strap must be
anchored according to law.The belt anchorage beam is provided with
three top tether anchorages. Use the one
that is located just behind the child restraint
and attach the restraint as follows:
1 Open the luggage compartment.
2 Unhook the rubber straps.
3 Lift the parcel shelf slightly and pull it
clear of the guide pins in the front edge
of the shelf support.
4 Fold the anchorages up as illustrated.
5 Raise the headrest to provide access to
the anchor. The child restraint tether
must be routed under the headrest. To
make it more comfortable for the child,
the headrest may be removed.
6 Attach the tether to the anchorage that
is located just behind the child restraint.
7 Secure the lower part of the child
restraint by means of the seat belt as
described in the child restraint mounting
instruction.
8 Tighten the tether so that the back of the
child restraint is pressed hard against
the backrest.
Fold the anchorages down when not in use.
Forward facing child restraint in
center rear positionWhen installing a forward facing child
restraint in the center rear position the child
restraint must be fitted using the standard
safety belt together with the top tether
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.
IB1362
Child tether anchorage, Coupé and 5-
door models.
The tether strap is not a part of the child
tether anchorage.
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