2001 SAAB 9-3 trunk

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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4Exterior Sunroof _______________ 138
Convertible _____________ 48
Washing the car ________ 226
Waxing and polishing ____ 227
Touching-up of paintwork _ 227
Anticorrosion treatment ___ 228
Service program ________ 239Taillights ______________ 208
Stop lights _____________ 208
Light switches ___________ 75
Changing bulbs _________ 206Towing ________________ 185
Towrope attachment eyes _ 185
Towing a trailer _________ 179Trunk lid lock ___________ 144
Lowering the rear seat ____ 144
Trunk _________________ 147
Spare wheel ___________ 149
Tools _________________ 149
Lighting _______________ 208
Driving with a roof rack load ____ 182
Mounting of roof rack __________ 182
Maximum loads ______________ 244
Hood release handle __________ 192
Engine compartment: washing __ 226
Central locking __________ 36
Interior locking buttons ____ 37
Trunk lock ______________ 40
Child safety lock catch ____ 39
Car alarm (Anti-theft system) 41Headlight switches _______ 75
High/low beam control stalk 75
Turn signal & lane change
indicators ______________ 76
Headlamp wipers _______ 204
Changing bulbs ________ 206Fuel filler door __________ 157
Refuelling _____________ 157
Fuel grade ____________ 249
Fuel gauge _____________ 68
Fuel economy __________ 176
Tires & Rims _____________ 217 / 252
Tire pressure ___________ back cover
Driving in cold weather ________ 177
Brakes and braking ___________ 170
Compact spare wheel _________ 220
Changing a wheel ____________ 221
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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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36 SecurityDoorsOpening handleOpen the door by lifting the opening handle
from below.
If the door is stuck (e.g. if frozen), hold the
handle from above to secure a better grip.
Central locking KeyThe key unit consists of a mechanical key
with integrated remote control.
The mechanical key is used for manual
locking and unlocking.
The remote control is used for remote lock-
ing and unlocking.
The key fits all the car’s locks
The key supplied with the car has a code
number on a black plastic tag that needs to
be quoted for ordering additional keys. You
should therefore make a careful note of the
number.
The key contains a unique electronic code
for your car. When the key is inserted in the
ignition, the code is checked. If it matches,
the car can be started. Two keys are supplied with the car. It is pos-
sible to have up to four at one time that are
coded for your car. If one is lost, contact
your authorized Saab dealer to obtain a
replacement. If an additional key is to be
added, all of the original keys must be
brought to the dealer so that the control
module can ‘’learn” to recognize the new
components.
NOTE: For this reason, we strongly advise
you to take two keys with you on long jour-
neys and to keep them separate. If all keys
are lost, it will be necessary to replace costly
electronic components as well as the keys
and remotes. This loss and replacement
cost is not covered by the new car warranty.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also danger-
ous to leave children in a vehicle with the
ignition key. A child or others could be
badly injured or even killed.
IB844
Door handle
IB1524
3
2 1
Remote control 1To lock
2 To unlock
3 To unlock trunk lid
To open trunk lid (Convertible)
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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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40 SecurityTrunk lockThe trunk does not unlock when the other
doors are unlocked. The trunk button on the
driver’s door is inoperative when the car is
locked or moving at a speed greater than
2.7 mph (4 km/h).To unlock
The trunk is unlocked using:
 The button on the key.
 The trunk switch on the inside of the
driver’s door (if the car is unlocked and at
a standstill).
 The key in the trunk lock. The key hole
has a cover plate that must be carefully
pushed aside.
The trunk is opened using the opening
handle above the number plate.
Remote unlocking is confirmed by the direc-
tion indicators blinking three times.
The unlocking button in the driver’s door is
inoperative when the car is locked.
If the trunk is opened using remote unlock-
ing, the alarm will not be triggered.
To lock
The trunk is locked in the following ways:
 When locking all the car’s doors with the
button on the key.
 With the switch on the center con-
sole (except on Convertible models).
 With the key in the driver’s door.
IB1533
Unlocking the trunk lid with the key
IB847
Trunk switch
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41 Security
Car alarmThe car alarm (anti-theft system) is acti-
vated/deactivated when the car is
locked/unlocked by the key (remote or by
the key in the driver´s door.
All the doors plus trunk lid and hood are
monitored by microswitches, and win-
dow-glass sensors will trigger the alarm if
any glass is broken.
Electronic starting interlock (immobilizer),
see page 42.
The car alarm is armed 10 seconds after the
car has been locked by the remote control.
During this ten-second delay period, the
doors, trunk lid and hood may still be
opened without the alarm being triggered.
The LED indicator on the dash will be on
continuously during this period, at the end of
which it will start to flash (once every third
second) when the alarm arms. If a door or the trunk lid or hood has been left
open when the car is locked, the LED on the
dash will flash (three times per second) for
ten seconds to indicate that something is
wrong.
Check to ensure that all the doors, plus
trunk lid and hood, are closed properly.
If the fault persists (LED flashing when
renewed attempt made to activate the car
alarm by remote locking), lock the car using
the key in the driver´s door instead. The car
alarm may not have been activated and you
should get in touch with an authorized Saab
dealer.
Be sure everyone using the car is familiar
with how both the car alarm and the locking
system work. This will avoid the alarm being
triggered inadvertently.
If the alarm is tripped (the direction indica-
tors are flashing and the siren is on) it can
be turned off by unlocking the car using the
button.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also danger-
ous to leave children in a vehicle with the
ignition key. A child or others could be
badly injured or even killed.
IB1524
3
2 1
Remote control 1 Activate/lock
2 Deactivate/unlock
3 Deactivate trunk, sensors/unlock trunk lid
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