160 Starting and driving
Overheated transmission fluid If the automatic-transmission fluid should
overheat, the following message will appear
on the SID:
”TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING”. If this
happens, stop the car and wait for the mes-
sage to be extinguished. Continue driving in
a locked gear that produces an engine
speed of about 3,000 rpm.
Overheating of the automatic-transmission
fluid can occur when the car is towing a
heavy load, such as a camping trailer in hilly
country, with the wrong gear selected,
resulting in abnormally frequent gear
changing. Try selecting position L, 3 or 4.
High ambient temperatures can also
increase the temperature of the transmis-
sion fluid or the oil cooler may be faulty.
Contact an authorized Saab dealer (see
also page 173).
Driving on hilly roads with a heavy
loadThe transmission fluid can overheat when
the gearbox is strained, for example, when
driving with a trailer on hilly roads with the
wrong gear is selected, resulting in many
extra gear changes. To avoid the transmis-
sion fluid overheating, always drive in
Normal mode. The adaptive gear change
patterns are then active.
High air temperatures or a faulty oil cooler
can also cause the transmission fluid to
overheat. Overheating reduces the service
life of the fluid. Contact an authorized Saab
dealer (see also page 173). Towing Towing of cars with automatic transmission,
see page 180.
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, move the
selector lever to position L.
WARNING
Remember to use engine-braking (selec-
tor position L, 3, or 4) to spare the brakes
when you are driving on a long or steep
downhill slope.
Brake failure can result from overheated
brakes!
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175 Starting and driving
Use Normal mode when driving with a trailer
or trailer on hilly roads. The adaptive gear
change pattern function will prevent the
transmission from overheating.
Rises in coolant temperature are indicated
by the temperature gauge in the main instru-
ment panel.
The following can also occur:
the A/C-compressor can be shut off
the gear-change pattern is changed
the CHECK message TRANSMISSION
OVERHEATING can appear on the SID
If TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING
appears on the SID, stop the car as soon as
it is safe to do so and wait until the warning
has been extinguished. When continuing
your journey, select a locked gear (1, 2 or 3)
that will allow you to drive at an engine
speed of about 3,000 rpm (see page 161). Do not drive continuously with the WINTER
mode selected in hilly country when you are
towing a trailer, as this will increase fuel con-
sumption and risk overheating the transmis-
sion.
Driving considerations Always take extra care when towing a
trailer, as the car’s handling will be different
and its braking effect reduced. The trailer’s
braking system and suspension also have a
considerable effect on these characteris-
tics, see also ”Driving with a load” page 178.
If the car is equipped with automatic trans-
mission, select position L when ascending
or descending steep hills.
Trailer hitch loadThe weight distribution on the trailer makes
a lot of difference to the handling properties
of the car and trailer combination. As
regards single-axle trailers, whenever pos-
sible, concentrate the load over the wheels
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 lug-
gage compartment will have to be reduced
by a corresponding amount.
WARNING
Remember to use engine-braking (selec-
tor position L, 3, or 4) to spare the brakes
when you are driving on a long or steep
downhill slope.
Brake failure can result from overheated
brakes!
NOTEIf the ”Automatic transmission, fault indi-
cator” indicator comes on, cease
towing until the problem has been recti-
fied.
IB106
Distribution of load in trailer a Light
b Moderate
cHeavy
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