2002 SAAB 9-5 warning light

55 Instruments and controls
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 159).
Have the automatic transmission checked
by an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
Indicator TCS/ESP OFF
(option, certain models
only
The indicator light goes on when the Elec-
tronic Stability Program/Traction Control
System is switched off with the TCS/ESP-
button.
IMPORTANT: the system is automatically
engaged every time the engine is started
(see page 167).
The indicator light also goes on when there
is a fault in the system. In this case the light
cannot be turned off by means of the
TCS/ESP button. If a fault is indicated, have
the system checked by an authorized Saab
dealer.
See also ”Traction Control System (TCS)”,
on page 167 and “Electronic Stability Pro-
gram (ESP) on page 168.
Indicator TCS/ESP
(option, certain models
only
The TCS/ESP indicator light is located in the
tachometer and will be illuminated when
TCS/ESP regulation is occurring, i.e. when
there is insufficient traction between the
tires and the road surface to provide the grip
required for the acceleration called for. The
driver can also sense that the engine is not
responding normally to the accelerator.
Operation of the TCS/ESP indicates
reduced traction between the tires and the
road, and that extra care should be taken by
the driver.
In normal driving, the TCS/ESP will help to
improve both ride comfort and safety, but
must not be regarded as a system to enable
the driver to drive at or maintain a higher
rate of speed. The same precautions for
safe cornering and driving on slippery roads
must still be applied (see page 167).
NOTEIf the control module has actuated the
Limp-home function for the automatic
transmission, the car will remain in 5th
gear when D is selected, making it very
sluggish. To overcome this, select posi-
tion L to prevent unnecessary wear on the
transmission. The transmission then
starts in 2nd gear. When the car is moving
you can select position D,3 or 4.
When the indicator light is on, the car
must not be driven with a trailer attached.
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56 Instruments and controlsAutochecking of lights,
main instrument panel The above warning and indicator lights
should come on when the ignition is
switched on prior to starting. They should go
out after about 3 seconds.
The following lights light up until the engine
is started, presuming that no fault exists:
 Central warning light .
 Oil pressure warning light .
 Warning, charging .
InstrumentsTachometerThe tachometer indicates the engine speed
in thousands of revolutions per minute. The
needle may be allowed to enter the broken
red zone on the dial only for an instant.
A safety cut-out function (in the fuel system)
prevents the engine speed from exceeding
approximately 6,200 rpm.
Odometer and trip meter The odometer records the distance traveled
in miles on U.S. vehicles and on Canadian
vehicles the distance indicated is in kilome-
tres, and the trip meter in miles and tenths
(kilometres and tenths of kilometres on
Canadian vehicles). Reset button The reset button has two functions, deter-
mined by whether the ignition is ON or OFF.
 When the ignition is ON, pressing the
button will reset the trip meter.
 When the ignition is OFF, the display
lights up for 20 seconds enabling you to
read the odometer and trip meter. Press-
ing the button a second time within these
20 seconds will reset the trip meter.
IB1922
IB340
IB341
1 Cars with automatic transmission
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57 Instruments and controls
Speedometer (U.S. speedometer
shown)The speedometer receives signals from the
wheel sensors in the ABS system.
If the NIGHT PANEL mode has been
selected, the scale will be illuminated up to
87 mph (140 km/h). The remainder of the
scale will be illuminated if the speed of the
car exceeds 84 mph (135 km/h).
Fuel gauge Fuel-tank capacity, 18.5 US gal. (70 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 53).
Use the Saab Information display (SID) to
check the approximate distance that can be
traveled on the remaining fuel
(see page 59).
Temperature gauge The 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 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.
If the needle enters the red zone, the
warning light will come on and an alarm
chime will sound.
2030405060
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
240
260220200180160
140 120 100
80
60
40
20
10
IB1851
IB345
IB343
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63 Instruments and controls
CHECK messages When the engine is started, CHECKING will
appear on the display for about four sec-
onds, while the SID checks are being per-
formed.
When a CHECK message is generated
while the car is being driven, a chime will
sound, INFO DISPL will illuminate on the
main instrument panel, and the message
will appear on the SID. The number of mes-
sages that can be displayed by the SID
varies with the specification of the car.
If more than one CHECK message has
been generated, the
+ symbol will appear to
the left of the text on the display. The mes-
sages appear in order of priority.
If a new fault occurs while another message
is being displayed, the message relating to
the new one will appear for 10 seconds,
after which the display will return to the ear-
lier one.
Press CLEAR once to acknowledge a mes-
sage, whereupon it will be cleared from the
display. It will not be displayed again before
the ignition has been switched off and then
on again. The following messages may be displayed:
1 This message will be displayed approxi-
mately 600 miles (1,000 km) before the next
scheduled 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 CLEAR button, then
depressing it a second time for at least eight
seconds until ”SERVICE” appears on the dis-
play 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 being
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, except ”Out-
door temperature (Frost warning)”, see
page 60. Message See
page
FRONT LIGHT FAILURE 205
REAR LIGHT FAILURE 209
FOG LIGHT FAILURE 209
BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE 209
WASHER FLUID LEVEL LOW 203
FILL COOLANT FLUID 196
REPLACE KEY BATTERY 40
KEY NOT ACCEPTED 47
SERVICE THEFT ALARM 47
TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING 160
TIGHTEN FUEL FILLER CAP 152
TIME FOR SERVICE
1)
244
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66 Instruments and controlsCourtesy Headlight FeatureA 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 65. 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.
The length of time for this function can be
adjusted by your authorized Saab dealer.
Rear fog lightPress the button to switch on the rear fog
light, which will only come on if the head-
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.
The rear fog light consists of one light so it
should not be mistaken for brake lights.
Make sure you are familiar with the appli-
cable provincial/state law regarding the
use of rear fog lights.

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 crash and therefore risk injury to
yourself and others.
IB351
Rear fog light
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68 Instruments and controlsFront fog lightsThe front fog lights can be activated in both
dimmed headlight and parking light posi-
tions. Fog lights should only be used in poor
visibility conditions.
Make sure you are familiar with the appli-
cable provincial/state law regarding the
use of fog lights. Reversing lightsThe reversing lights come on automatically
when reverse gear is engaged or selected
with the ignition switched on.
Hazard warning lightsWhen this button is pressed, all the turn
signal 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 the car constitutes a hazard to other road
users.

WARNING
Switch on the hazard flashers if the car
has to be left at the roadside on account
of a crash, engine trouble or a puncture. 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 trian-
gle/flare even further back.
IB355
IB356
Hazard warning lights
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70 Instruments and controlsWipers and washers There are three intermittent wiper positions.
Moving the control stalk to the
spring-loaded position between 0 and 2 will
produce a single sweep of the wipers.
The wipers are designed for optimal clean-
ing at all driving speeds. At higher speeds,
it may be possible to detect a slight ”sweep-
ing” sound. This may be due to the
increased air pressure on the blades at
higher speeds.Headlight washersIf dim-dipped beam is on, the headlights are
washed every seventh time the windshield-
washers are used or if 2 minutes have
elapsed since the windshield was last
washed. If the headlights are not on they are
only washed the first time the windshield is
washed. The headlight washers cannot be
activated separately.
The headlight washers are of the high-pres-
sure type, which means that other parts of
the car may become wet if you activate the
washers while the car is stationary.Rain sensing wipers (option)
The rain sensor automatically controls the
windshield wipers. The sensor is located on
the windshield beside the rearview mirror.
The system varies between single sweeps
of the windshield and continuous wiping
depending on how much water or snow
there is on the windscreen.Activate the system by lifting the control
stalk to position 1. The wipers make one
sweep for reference to see how much water
and snow is on the windshield. In future, the
sensor compares the amount of water and
snow on the windshield with this reference
value. When the engine has been switched
off, the control stalk must be moved to posi-
tion 0 and back to position 1 to reactivate the
sensor.
Set the sensitivity using the control on the
wiper stalk (the same control as used for
wiper delay on cars not fitted with a rain sen-
sor). The sensor has three sensitivity set-
tings. It is most sensitive when in the upper-
most position (1). When a higher degree of
WARNING
To avoid personal injury, turn the rain
sensor off if the ignition is ON when clear-
ing snow and ice from the windscreen.
NOTETo avoid damaging the windshield
wipers, turn the rain sensor off before
washing the car in an automatic carwash.
IB359
0
41
2
3
0 OFF
1 Intermittent operation
2 Low speed
3 High speed
4 Washers
12
IB569
Control for setting wiper delay1 Long delay
2 Short delay
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102 Saab 9-5 Audio SystemAntennas The Audio System has three antennas
incorporated in the rear window; two for FM
diversity and one for AM.
The car has a factory-fitted roof antenna for
a mobile phone/OnStar. Roof loads may
negatively affect telecommunication.
Multipath propagation Multipath propagation occurs when radio
waves from an FM transmitter are reflected
by, e.g. large buildings, causing them to
arrive slightly later than the direct waves.
This can create interference to radio recep-
tion. To avoid this problem as much as pos-
sible the system is equipped with two FM
antennas, so called FM diversity.
NOTERefrain from placing hard or sharp
objects on the rear parcel shelf, to avoid
damaging the antenna leads.
Do not use sun protective film which con-
tains metal particles on the rear window,
this can be the cause of radio interfer-
ence.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of head injuries in the
event of a crash, the headliner and pillar
trims incorporate energy absorbing mate-
rial. These areas must not be modified in
any way. Work on these areas must only
be carried out at an authorized Saab
dealer.
IB386
IB389
IB1743
Accessories and other equipment must
not be fitted to the surfaces marked as
these are where the airbags inflate in the
event of a crash
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