
53 Convertible
9 (ill. 1) Stand at the side of the car and
open the tonneau cover by grasping its
black part.
10 (ill. 2) Get into the car and stand on the
lowered backrest.
11 (ill. 3) Take hold of the handle and pull
the soft top up.
12 Climb down onto the floor and pull the
soft top towards the windshield. Stand-ing at the side of the car, raise the 5th
bow (rear window).
13 Stand at the side of the car and close the
tonneau cover.
14 Tip down the 5th bow/rear window as far
as possible.
Note: In manual raising it is not possible
to completely secure the 5th bow in the
latches of the tonneau cover.
15 Shut the valve of the hydraulic system,
without making it too tight. Replace the
cover over it. Raise the rear-seat back-
rest again. See that the safety belts don’t get caught. Be sure the seat back locks
in place on both sides.
16 Sit down in the front seat, open the
handle and lock the soft top to the wind-
shield beam. Make sure that the hooks
engage in the beam.
17 In the trunk: replace the tool in the soft
top mechanism and lock the soft top ton-
neau by pushing the tool forward until
the stop point.
18 Take the tool out.
The soft top system must be checked and
repaired by an authorized Saab dealer as
quickly as possible.
WARNING
Do not touch the hinges and struts of the
soft top during raising. Keep your hands
clear of the upper beam of the windshield
- this is a pinch hazard area. Do not oper-
ate the soft top with passengers in the
rear seat or with bystanders right next to
the car.
NOTEClose the cover carefully so as not to
damage the small flaps in the front.
IB939
Manual raising of the soft top
ProCarManuals.com

56 ConvertibleTrunk, 9-3 ConvertibleHooking up top storage bagMore space in the trunk can be obtained by
lifting the top storage bag up by the straps
under it and hooking them in the eyelets at
the top of the bag.
The top storage bag can only be hooked up
in this way when the top is raised. If you
attempt to lower the top while the bag is
hooked up, the SID will display the message
"CHECK SOFT TOP STORAGE"; see page
54.
Trunk lid lockUnlocking the trunk lid by using the remote
trunk release button on the driver’s door is
possible only when the top is fully lowered
or raised (note that the ignition must be in
position ON when the top is lowered).
The trunk button on the driver’s door is inop-
erative when the car is locked.Rear seatThe rear seat is intended for two passen-
gers.
The two rear seat positions have three-point
safety belts with inertia reels.
Lowering the rear seatbackTo increase the load-carrying capacity of
the car, the rear seatback can be folded for-
ward. This will be easier if the front seats are
not too far back.
1 Pass the rear safety belts under the
black handles at both ends of the back-
rest. This prevents the safety belts from
becoming caught when the seatback is
raised again.
2 The seatback is fitted with a lock at the
top near the left rear head restraint. Use
the ignition key to unlock the entire back-
rest. Remove the key.
3 Lower the seatback. (If using child seat
top tether strap, detach from anchorage
in trunk prior to lowering the seatback.).Trunk Pass-Through in the rear NOTE
If the trunk lid is opened by unlocking it
with the key when the top is not fully raised
or lowered, damage to the trunk lid and/or
top system could result.
IB855
Suspending top bag
IB856
Lock for rear backrest cushion
ProCarManuals.com

61 Instruments and controls
Warning charging
This light comes on together with if the
battery is not charging. If it comes on while
you are driving, stop the car as soon as pos-
sible and switch off the engine.
Check the alternator drive belt (see page
197). If the belt has broken, the engine may
overheat (cooling system will not function
properly), the battery will not be charged,
the A/C compressor will not run and power
assistance for the steeering will be lost.
Brake warning light
This light should come on briefly when you
turn the ignition key to ON. If it doesn´t come
on, have it fixed so it will be ready to warn
you if there is a problem.
The brake warning light will come on
together with if there is insufficient
brake fluid in the reservoir, see page 194.
If the ABS warning light is on at the same
time, the ABS system may be inoperative
because of a fault (see Anti-lock brake
warning, see page 62).
Parking brake warning
light
The light will show when the parking brake
is on (see page 168.)
If the car driven with the parking brake on,
will also come on and a chime will
sound.
The parking brake is mechanical and oper-
ates on the rear wheels.
WARNING
Never drive the car when these warning
lights are on. Danger of brake failure!
Have the brake system checked at once
by an authorized Saab dealer.
WARNING
Always apply the parking brake when
parking, see page 168.
Always apply the parking brake before
removing the ignition key.
Do not apply the parking brake while
the car is moving.
ProCarManuals.com

125 Interior equipment, trunk
Backrest rake angle To find the most comfortable position, turn
the knob to provide stepless adjustment of
the backrest. Front seats, Coupé and
Convertible versions Both front seats have release levers on the
outside of the backrest. The passenger seat
also has a release on the inside of the back-
rest so that the driver can tilt the backrest for
the convenience of rear-seat passengers.
Raise the release levers to tip the backrest
forward.
Lumbar supportTurn the smaller knob for stepless adjust-
ment of the lumbar support.
WARNING
The backrest should be upright during
driving, so that the safety belt, airbag and
backrest can provide optimum protection
in the event of emergency braking or a
crash.
IB802
Adjusting the backrest 1 Catch, backrest (Coupé and Convertible
versions)
IB804
ProCarManuals.com

138 Interior equipment, trunkTrunk, Coupé and 5-doorTrunk lid lockUnlock the trunk lid by pressing on the key, by pressing the
remote release button on the driver’s door or by using the key. The
alarm horn sounds three times and the lights flash when the trunk is
released with the remote control.
Programming features, see page 245.
Lowering the entire rear seatTo lower the rear seat, the front seats must be moved forward if they
are in the most rearward position. The seat back must be almost ver-
tical.
1 Flip up the seat bottom by pulling the loops located between the
backrest cushions and seat cushions.
2 Rest the seat cushions on edge just behind the front seats.
3 Release the entire backrest cushion, including the belt beam, by
pressing in the latch in the handle on the left (driver’s) side. After
this has been done, the fact that the belt beam has been
released is indicated by the red "warning tabs" popping up on the
right and left sides of the beam. For increased load capacity with
the backrest cushion down, remove the rear seat head restraints
(5).
WARNING
When the back seat has been put back in place, make certain that
the belt beam is locked firmly on both sides (the red warning tabs
must go down). This is vital since the upper anchorages for the
safety belts are located in the belt beam. The belts will not
restrain a rear seat occupant if the belt beam is not properly
latched.
When the entire rear seat has been lowered, you must remove the
rear window shelf. Otherwise it could come loose and cause per-
sonal injury during a crash.
IB850
ProCarManuals.com

139 Interior equipment, trunk
4 Lower the entire backrest cushion by pulling this same handle
(item 3) forward. At the same time, pivot the beam backwards.
IMPORTANT: When you replace the belt beam using the handle
(item 3), you must verify that it is properly locked and that the two
red "warning tabs" go down (thereby indicating that locking has
taken place properly).
5 To increase the volume, the rear head restraints can be removed
before the backrest cushion is lowered.
Lowering the right-hand part of the rear seat
WARNING
Never leave a child or animal unattended in the car. During sunny
weather the temperature in the cabin/luggage compartment can
climb to 160-180°F (70-80°C). Small children are very susceptible
to heat stroke.
The tail pipe of the exhaust system can become very hot during
driving. Bear this in mind when loading and unloading the car so
that children, for example, do not burn themselves.
WARNING
If the head restraints have been removed, they must be stored
safely so that they cannot be thrown about and injure someone
while braking or in a crash.
Do not ride in the rear seat without having remounted the head
restraints, and making sure they are properly locked in place.
Whenever you handle any system containing moving parts,
such as the belt beam, always be careful not to get pinched.
Never keep objects on the rear window shelf since they can be
thrown forward and cause personal injury during heavy brak-
ing or in the event of a crash.
When the back seat has been put back in place, make certain
that the belt beam is locked firmly on both sides (the red warn-
ing tabs must go down). This is vital since the upper anchor-
ages for the safety belts are located in the belt beam.
The
belts will not restrain a rear seat occupant if the belt beam is
not properly latched
ProCarManuals.com

140 Interior equipment, trunkTo provide more flexibility, the rear seat is divided so that you can
lower the narrower (right) part separately.
1 Tilt the seat cushion forward by pulling the loop located between
the backrest and the seat cushion.
2 Stand the seat cushion on end behind the front seats.
3 Release the right backrest cushion by means of the latch on the
belt beam’s right side just behind the head restraint.
4 Lower the right backrest cushion.
IMPORTANT: When you replace the right backrest cushion, make
certain that it is properly locked.
IB1308IB852
Warning tabs
ProCarManuals.com

142 Interior equipment, trunkTie downsFour tie downs for securing the load are
fitted inside the trunk. Place the load as far
in as possible.Trunk lightingTo the left in the trunk is a light which goes
on and off when the trunk lid is opened and
closed.
The lighting can also be turned on and off
using the button on the light housing. If the
trunk lid is left open, the lighting will go off
after 20 minutes to prevent the battery from
being drained.
WARNING
Load opening:
Always secure a load properly. You can,
for example, use the hip strap in the
center rear safety belt. This will reduce
the risk of having the load thrown about
during a crash and causing personal
injury.
Trunk:
Lay heavy suitcases flat on the floor.
Then place smaller and lighter items of
luggage on top.
Always secure heavy, bulky loads to the
four tie downs in the trunk. This will
reduce risk of having them thrown about
during heavy braking or during a crash
and causing personal injury. When the
backrest is lowered, narrow objects can
also be thrown around and cause injury.
You should thus secure them well.
To retain the car’s safe normal handling
characteristics, you must be careful not to
exceed its maximum load capacity, (see
page 234).
The tail pipe of the exhaust system can
become very hot during driving. Bear this
in mind when loading and unloading the
car so that children, for example, do not
burn themselves.
WARNING
Never place any objects on top of the
rear parcel shelf. In the event of a
crash, unsecured cargo may present a
safety hazard and cause personal
injuries to vehicle occupants.
Do not obstruct outward vision or the
ability to exit the vehicle when loading
the vehicle.
When the rear seat backrest is placed
upright after having been folded for-
ward, ensure that all rear safety belts
are accessible and properly routed.
Make sure that tire pressures are
properly adjusted in accordance with
altered vehicle weight (refer to tire
pressures in the Specifications sec-
tion of this manual).
IB854
ProCarManuals.com