2002 SAAB 9-3 trunk

141 Interior equipment, trunk
Removing the parcel shelf1 Open the trunk lid.
2 Unhook the rubber ties.
3 Lift the rear parcel shelf and pull it away from the guide pins in
the front edge of the shelf support.
Load opening (trunk pass through) A load opening is provided in the backrest so that you can carry long
narrow objects.
Switch off the engine and set the parking brake before loading or
unloading long objects. Otherwise, there is risk that you will inadvert-
ently bump the gear/selector lever and the car could start moving.
1 Lower the rear armrest.
2 Open the cover by lifting the locking handle.
IB853
IB090
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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
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143 Interior equipment, trunk
Trunk Release HandleThere is a glow-in-the-dark trunk release
handle located inside the trunk on the latch.
This handle will glow following exposure to
light. Pull the release handle down to open
the trunk from the inside.
Tools and spare wheelThe tool kit and compact spare wheel are
kept beneath the carpeting in the trunk.
The screwdriver handle has a "button" for
removing a certain type of plastic rivet.
NOTEThe trunk release handle was not
designed to be used to tie down the trunk
lid or as a an anchor point when securing
items in the trunk. Improper use of the
trunk release could damage it.
WARNING
After use, return tools and the spare
wheel to their designated locations to
reduce the risk of personal injury in the
event of a crash.
WARNING
Saab 9-3 Viggen Coupé: Avoid placing
your hands on the upper part of the rear
fender when the tailgate is to be closed
because of the risk of getting finger
caught between the spoiler and the
fender.
IB1890
IB1259
Rear spoiler, Saab 9-3 Viggen.
IB1932
Trunk Release Handle
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144 Interior equipment, trunkManually opening the
fuel filler door Coupé and 5-door models If the fuel filler door (which is controlled by
the central locking system) does not unlock,
proceed as follows.
Check fuse 25. If it is blown or its replace-
ment blows, you can release the lock motor
from the door as follows:
1 Use a sharp knife to release the pre-cut
rectangle on the right in the upholstery in
the trunk so that you can access the two
retaining screws that secure the lock
motor to the fuel filler door.
2 Unscrew the retaining screws some-
what and back them out through the
screw holes, whereupon the lock motor
will be released from the door.
Have an authorized Saab dealer investigate
the problem.
Manually opening the fuel filler door, Con-
vertible, see page 58.
IB860
1 Cutout outline in the upholstery of the trunk
2 Undo the retaining screws of the lock motor
3 Remove the screws through the screw
holes
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145 Starting and driving
IB943
Starting and driving
Ignition switch ................. 146
Starting the engine .......... 147
Important considerations
for driving....................... 148
Refueling .......................... 151
Engine Break-in Period... 155
Manual transmission ...... 155
Automatic transmission . 156
Cruise Control ................. 163
Braking ............................. 164
Traction Control System 166
Parking ............................. 168
Economical motoring ..... 170 Driving in cold weather ... 171
Driving in hot weather ..... 173
Towing a trailer ................ 173
Driving with a roof rack
load .................................. 176
Driving with the trunk lid
open ................................ 179
Driving in deep water....... 179
Towing the car.................. 179
Jump starting ................... 181
Driving considerations
with compact spare
wheel/tire fitted............... 184
For long trips .................... 184
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169 Starting and driving
Parking on a hillWhen parking on a steep hill, turn the front
wheels so that they will be blocked by the
curb if the car should move.
Long-term parkingIf the car is not going to be used for some
time, e.g. 3–4 months, the following steps
are recommended:
 Run the engine to normal temperature
before long-term parking.
 Drain the washer-fluid reservoir and
hoses.  Wash and wax the car. Clean the rubber
seals on the hood, trunk lid and doors,
and lubricate them with glycerol (glyc-
erin).
 After washing the car, dry the brake discs
by taking the car out on the road and
applying the brakes a few times. If the traf-
fic conditions allow, brake quite heavily
just before parking.
 Fill the fuel tank with fuel to prevent con-
densation forming in it.
 Top up the coolant and check the anti-
freeze before the onset of winter.
 Park the car in a dry, covered and
well-ventilated building. Leave the park-
ing brake OFF!
 Disconnect the negative (-) battery lead.
If freezing temperatures are likely to occur
during the long-term parking, remove the
battery and store it away from freezing
temperatures.
 Ideally, the car should be put up on
blocks, with the wheels off the ground. If
this is not possible, inflate the tires to
about 43 psi (300 kPa).
 Leave all the windows open a crack and
cover the car with a fabric tarpaulin - not
one made of plastic which will not breath.
IB879
1Pointing downhill and
against the curb
– Turn the wheels into the
curb and edge the car for-
ward until the wheels touch
the curb. 2Pointing uphill and
against the curb
– Turn the wheels away
from the curb and edge the
car back until the wheels
touch the curb. 3Pointing uphill or down-
hill – no curb
– Turn the wheels towards
the edge of the road. If the
car should start rolling, it
will not run into the road.
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176 Starting and drivingTrailer hitch loadThe weight distribution on the trailer makes
a lot of difference to the handling properties
of the car and trailer combination.With sin-
gle-axle trailers, whenever possible, con-
centrate the load over the axle and keep it
as low as possible.
The trailer should be loaded so that the
maximum load on the towbar ball is 5% to
7% of the trailer weight with a maximum per-
missible tongue weight of 165 lbs (75 kg).
Note that this load must be added to the total
load for the car. If this now exceeds the
specified load capacity, the load in the trunk
will have to be reduced by a corresponding
amount.
Driving with a roof rack
loadThe maximum permissible roof load is
220 lbs (100 kg). Note that the roof load is
included in the car’s maximum permissible
load (see page 235).
Strong, sturdy roof carriers designed spe-
cially for the car are available from your
Saab dealer. Always secure the roof load
safely.
WARNING
 A roof load will affect the car’s center
of gravity and aerodynamics. Be
aware of this when cornering and driv-
ing in crosswinds.
 Adjust your speed to the prevailing
conditions.
 Due to higher aerodynamic drag, fuel
economy may suffer when driving with
a roof rack.
IB880
Distribution of load in trailer aLight
b Moderate
cHeavy
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178 Starting and drivingDriving with a loadThe driving characteristics of the car are
affected by the way it is loaded.
 Place heavy loads as far forward and as
low as possible in the trunk.
 Secure the load to the tie downs, see
page 142.
 The load should be such that the car´s
total weight or axle weight are not
exceeded, see page 235.
 Heavy loads mean that the car’s center of
gravity is further back. As a result, the car
will sway more during evasive steering.
 Never exceed the permissible load in the
roof box, even if there is room for more.
 Ensure that the tire pressure is correct –
slight overinflation is preferable to under-
inflation.
 The braking distance of a loaded car is
always greater. Keep your distance from
the vehicle in front.
Tire pressure, see page 211 and back
cover.
TiresThe tire pressure should match the current
load and speed of the car; see the back
cover or the tire pressure label on
page 243.
The tire pressures given apply to cold tires,
that is tires that are the same temperature
as the outside air temperature.
The tire pressure increases as the tires
become warm (e.g. during highway driving)
with approximately 0.3 bar (4 psi). When
the temperature of the tires changes by 50°
(10°C), the tire pressure will change 0.1 bar
(2 psi).Never reduce the pressure of a hot tire. If the
tires are hot when you check them, only
increase the pressure, if necessary.
Underinflated tires wear more quickly than
slightly overinflated tires.
If a valve is leaking, simply unscrew it and fit
a new one.
Important! Remember to adjust the tire
pressures if you change the load in the car
or intend to drive at substantially lower or
higher speeds than normal.NOTECheck the tire pressure at least once a
month. Underinflation is the main cause
of:
 Damage to the wheels.
 Premature tire wear.
 Damage to the sidewalls.
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