2Introduction This manual provides practical guidance on
driving and caring for your Saab.
The Saab 9-5 is available with the following
engine variants:
2.3t Ecopower.
2.3 Turbo Ecopower.
3.0t V6 Ecopower.
Although this manual describes the most
important differences between model vari-
ants, it does not include precise specifica-
tions of the different variants. Some differ-
ences also occur to meet special legal
requirements in different countries.
Importation and distribution of Saab auto-
mobiles, spare parts and accessories are
handled exclusively by General Motors of
Canada Limited in Canada and by Saab
Cars USA, Inc. in the U.S.A.We recommend that you read through the
manual before taking the car out for the first
time and that you keep it in the car for future
reference.
To find a specific item, use the overviews
given on pages 3-7. A list of contents is
given at the beginning of each section of the
manual, and there is also a comprehensive
index at the back of the book.
Supplied with the car is a Warranties and
Service Record booklet and a tire warranty
folder which specifies the regular mainte-
nance to be carried out. The book also con-
tains important warranty conditions. Since the policy at Saab is one of continual
improvement, we retain the right to incorpo-
rate modifications and to alter specifications
during production without prior notice.
If you have any queries concerning your car,
its equipment, the warranty conditions or
the like, your Saab dealer will be pleased to
help.
Best wishes,
Saab Automobile AB
Saab Automobile AB does not accept liability for
any damage caused by the fitting of spare parts,
exchange parts or accessories that are not
approved by Saab Automobile AB.
The specifications, design particulars and illus-
trations included in the manual are not binding.
WARNING
WARNING texts warn against the danger
of injury if the specified instructions are
not followed.
NOTENOTE texts warn of potential damage to
the car if the recommendations are not
followed.
IB1734
ProCarManuals.com
29 Safety
Airbag (Supplemental
Restraint System
"SRS") The supplementary restraint system (SRS)
comprises an airbag in the steering wheel,
a front passenger airbag and side airbags in
the front seats.
The system supplements the protection
provided by the safety belts to further
enhance the safety of the occupants.
If a fault is detected in the SRS, the
AIR BAG warning light on the main instru-
ment panel will come on (see pages 52 and
34). When the system is triggered by impact of a
frontal crash, the airbags in the steering
wheel and passenger side of the dash board
are inflated, after which they deflate through
vents in the back of the bags.
The front airbags are inflated in two stages.
The first stage process is a less severe,
softer inflation of the airbag. This stage is
used in lower force crashes, or if the seat is
positioned close to the steering wheel or
dashboard. The second stage process is a
more forceful and quicker inflation of the air-
bag. This stage is used in more severe
crashes and/or when the seat adjustment is
back a significant distance from the steering
wheel or dashboard.
The entire process takes less than
0.1 second – literally, faster than the blink-
ing of an eye.
These airbags are triggered only by moder-
ate to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes.
They will not be activated by minor front-end
impacts, rear-end or side impacts, or by the
car rolling over.
WARNING
To reduce risk of injury:
Always wear your safety belt.
Always adjust your seat so that you
are as far back as possible but still
able to reach the steering wheel and
controls comfortably.
Children 12 and under or shorter than
140 cm (55 inches) should always
travel in the rear as the vehicle is
equipped with an airbag on the pas-
senger side.
WARNING
Even if the car is equipped with SRS
(airbag), safety belts must still always
be worn by all occupants.
Note that because an airbag inflates
and deflates extremely rapidly, it will
not provide protection against a
second impact occurring in the same
incident. Always use your safety belt.
Always sit with the whole of your back
in contact with the backrest of the seat,
and with your seat as far back as is
practical. This is to reduce the risk of
injury from contact with the backrest of
the seat when the airbag inflates and
also because the airbag needs space
in which to inflate.
Never attach anything to the steering
wheel or passenger side of the instru-
ment panel, as this could result in
injury if the airbag should inflate. The
same applies to anything you might
have in your mouth, such as a pipe, for
instance.
Some components of the airbag will
be warm for a short time. In some cir-
cumstances the airbag can cause
minor burns or abrasions to the body
when the airbag inflates/deflates.
ProCarManuals.com
35 Safety
Frequently asked questions on func-
tion of airbagsDo you still need to wear a
safety b
elt if air-
bags are fitted?
Yes, always! The airbag merely supple-
ments the car’s normal safety system.
Moreover, the airbag will only be actuated in
a moderate to severe frontal, or near-frontal
crash, which means, of course, that it pro-
vides no protection in minor frontal crashes,
major rear-end or side-on crashes or if the
car rolls over.
The safety belts help reduce the chance of
the car occupants from being thrown around
and injured inside the car.
But they also ensure that, if a crash occurs
in which the airbags are inflated, the airbag
will make the optimum contact with the
occupant, i.e. square on from the front. If the
occupant meets the airbag in an offset posi-
tion, the protection afforded will be reduced.
In addition, airbags provide no protection
against a secondary impact occurring in the
same incident. So there is no doubt about
the benefit of wearing safety belts at all
times.
Do not sit too close to the airbag: it needs
room to inflate.
The airbag inflates very quickly and power-
fully in order to protect an adult person,
before they are thrown forward, in a serious
frontal crash.
How do I position the seat to leave room for
the airbag to inflate?Don’t have your seat too far forward.
Recline the seat back to increase the dis-
tance between you and the airbag. For short
drivers, special accessory pedal extensions
are available through your Saab dealer.
Airbags inflate extremely rapidly and with
great force - to be fast enough to protect an
adult in the seat. When do the front airbags inflate? The airbag will only be inflated under certain
predetermined conditions in a moderate to
severe frontal, or near-frontal crash,
depending on such factors as the force and
angle of the impact, the speed of the car on
impact, and the resistance to deformation of
the impacting object.
The airbag can only be activated once in the
same incident.
Do not attempt to drive the car after an
airbag has been inflated, even if it is possi-
ble.
What won’t trigger the front airbags? The airbag will not be activated in all
front-end crashes. For instance, if the car
has hit something relatively soft and yielding
(e.g. a snow drift or a hedge) or a solid
object at a low impact speed, the airbag will
not necessarily be triggered. How loud is the inflation? The noise of the inflation is certainly loud,
but it is very short-lived and will not damage
your hearing. For a short time afterwards
you could experience a buzzing noise in
your ears.
Most people who have experienced it
cannot remember the noise of the inflation
at all - all they remember is the noise of the
crash. Can you still use a child seat in the front if a
passenger airbag is installed? Definitely not!
Children 12 and under can be injured or
killed by the airbag.
The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for
children.
NEVER put a child seat in the front.
ProCarManuals.com
39 Security
To check the number of keys that are pro-
grammed for the car; see page 47.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 44.Reprogramming lock system
functionsCertain lock system functions can be repro-
grammed by your authorized Saab work-
shop; see page 259.
Locking/unlocking the car When the car is locked and unlocked the
theft alarm is also affected.
Remote locking (1)
Press once on the control: all doors
locked.
The hazard warning lights will flash once
and the horn chirps once to confirm.
The tailgate cannot be opened now from
inside using the switch on the driver´s door.
Remote unlocking (2)
Press once on the control: the driver´s
door is unlocked. Press a second time to
unlock the rest of the doors.
The hazard warning lights will flash twice
and the horn chirps twice to confirm.
If remote unlocking should fail to work
Unlock the driver’s door with the key. To
silence the alarm, insert the key into the igni-
tion switch and turn it to the ON position.
The car can now be started. Contact your
local Saab dealer to have the system
checked and rectified.
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 instrument panel.
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 40.
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
Sedan models, the trunk may even be
opened.
IB1557
Locking/unlocking by remote control.1To lock
2 To unlock
ProCarManuals.com
46 SecurityOverview of functions
Alarm signals may differ between model variants for different coun-
tries.
Some of the car-alarm functions can be reprogrammed – con-
sult your Saab dealer for further details (see page 259). Locking/
activation Hazard warning lights flash once and the horn
chirps once.
The LED will come on for 10 seconds.
Unlocking/
deactivation Hazard warning lights flash twice and the horn
chirps twice.
The LED will come on for two seconds.
Unlocking/
deactivation of
trunk lid/tailgate
alarm Hazard warning lights flash three times and the
horn chirps three times.
The LED will flash three times per second for 10
seconds.
Alarm triggered Hazard warning lights flash for 5 min.
Siren wails for 30 seconds.
To switch off the alarm, deactivate the system in
the normal way (unlocking).
Window-glass
sensor The sensor detects if any window is broken and
triggers the alarm.
To disable the sensor, see page 44.
Key The range of the key is normally 5-10 yds.
(5-10 metres), although it can be substantially
more than this in ideal conditions.
If the key is not working, it may be because the
code signal has not been synchronized with that
in the control module for the car alarm. To rectify
this, press the unlock button on the key at least
four times in quick succession. When it is recog-
nized, the door locks will cycle.
If a key is lost, the new one will have to be pro-
grammed (all keys must be present) to match the
car’s unique security code. Contact an author-
ized Saab dealer.Battery for key The battery for the key will normally have a life of
4 years. When the battery needs changing,
”REPLACE KEY BATTERY” will appear on the
SID.
Contact an authorized Saab dealer.
Car-battery
voltage If the battery is disconnected while the alarm is
active (car is locked), for example during an
attempt to steal the car, the alarm will be trig-
gered.
ProCarManuals.com
47 Security
Overview of LED signals and SID messagesSome signals may differ between model variants for different
countries.Status LED signal
Activation (during 10-second delay). Comes on for 10 seconds.
Alarm activated (after delay). Flashes once every other
second.
Deactivation. Comes on for 2 seconds.
Alarm not activated. Off.
Door, trunk lid/tailgate or hood open
or opened during delay period.Flashes three times per sec-
ond for 10 seconds.
Unlocking the trunk lid/tailgate. Flashes three times per sec-
ond for 10 seconds.
Closing of door, trunk lid/tailgate or
hood after delay period.Comes on for 10 seconds.
Car immobilized but not locked.
Car alarm not activated.Flashes twice at three sec-
onds intervals.
Fault in a switch serving doors, hood
or trunk lid.Flashing (instead of being
on continuously) during
delay period.
SID message Reason/action
SERVICE THEFT ALARM Probably a fault in one of the sensors
or the alarm siren.
Have the car checked by an autho-
rized Saab dealer.
KEY NOT ACCEPTED Fault in key transmitter or in igni-
tion-switch receiver.
Turn ignition switch to ON and press
the unlock button on the key. Start
the engine.
Have the car checked by an autho-
rized Saab dealer.
REPLACE KEY BATTERY Fit a new battery in the key, see page
40.
DOOR ALARM ONLY Window-glass sensor disabled.
FULL THEFT ALARM Window-glass sensor in circuit.
REMOTE KEY
TRANSPONDRTurn the ignition key to position ON
and then press the button for open-
ing the trunk lid. SID displays the
number of keys and transmitters
(transponders) coded to the car.
ProCarManuals.com
60 Instruments and controlsOutdoor temperature
(Frost warning)Regardless of which function has been
selected, except Night Panel Mode, SID will
automatically display the outdoor tempera-
ture when it is between 26° and 38°F (-3°
and +3°C). This also applies if the
temperature has moved outside the range
of 21° to 43°F (-6° to +6°C) but is again
between 26° and 38°F (-3° and +3°C).
Entering values for the functions Values can be entered for the following
functions: SPD∅, DIST, ARRIV, ALARM
and SPD W.
1 Select the desired function using or
.
2 Press the SET button for at least one
second (figures start to flash and a
chime sounds).
3 Use or to increase or decrease
the value (press CLEAR to reset).
4 Press SET to record the value.Average fuel consumptionThe average fuel consumption is calculated
using the values for fuel consumed and dis-
tance driven since last reset. This value is
stored in the car’s trip computer even when
the engine is switched off.
Select FUEL Ø with .
To reset the value, press the CLEAR button
for 4 seconds. A chime will be heard and
CLEARED will be displayed.
Setting the date1 Use to select TEMP.
2 Press the SET button for at least one
second (year starts to flash and a chime
sounds).
3 Set the year using or .
4 Touch SET.
5 Set the month in the same way.
6 Touch SET.
7 Set the day in the same way.
8 Press SET to save the date setting.
WARNING
Remember that roads can be icy even at
temperatures of above 38°F (+3°C),
especially on bridges and stretches of
road that are sheltered from the sun.
ProCarManuals.com
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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