2002 SAAB 9-5 seats

3
Instrument panel
IB1080
Indicator and warning lights ______ 50
Speedometer _________________ 57
Odometer and trip meter ________ 56
Fuel gauge __________________ 57
Engine temperature gauge ______ 57
Parking lights ____________ 65
High/low beam __________ 65
Daytime running lights _____ 65
Rear fog light ____________ 66
Instrument illumination _____ 67
Changing bulbs _________ 204High/low beam control stalk 65
Turn signal and lane change
indicator _______________ 67
Cruise control __________ 164Front fog lights ___________ 68
Ashtrays (accessory) __________ 128
Cigarette lighter socket _________ 129
Tr i p c o m p u t e r
(Saab Information Display, SID) __ 59
Night panel __________________ 63
Clock _______________________ 64
Traction Control (TCS) Switch 55, 167
OnStar switch ________________ 106
Wipers and washers ______ 70
Rear wiper ______________ 71
Washer fluid ___________ 202
Replacing wiper blades __ 202Audio system ___________ 83
Steering-wheel controls___ 100Hazard warning lights _____ 68Climate control system:
automatic _____________ 72
Air conditioning: simple
fault diagnosis _________ 231
Seat heating controls __________ 121
Ventilated front seats ___________ 121Audio system steering-wheel
controls _______________ 100
ProCarManuals.com

5
Interior
IB581Internal rearview mirror ________ 123
Door mirrors _________________ 123
Sun visors___________________ 128
Safety belts _____________ 12
Airbag (SRS) ___________ 28
Child seats _____________ 19
Child safety lock catch ____ 41
Safety belt care ________ 232Glove compartment _____ 129Manual transmission ____ 156
Automatic transmission __ 157
Electric windows _____________ 125
Ignition switch _______________ 146
Starting the engine ___________ 147
Break-In period_______________ 155
Driving in hot weather _________ 173
Driving in winter ______________ 171
Parking ____________________ 185
Steering-wheel adjustment 122
Airbag (SRS) ____________ 28
Power steering _________ 198
Audio system
steering-wheel controls ___ 100Seat adjustment ________ 118
Seat heating ___________ 121
Ventilated front seats _____ 121
Safety belts _____________ 12
Child seats _____________ 19
Folding down the rear seat,
9-5 Sedan _____________ 132
Folding down the rear seat,
9-5 Wagon ____________ 135
Upholstery: cleaning _____ 232
Side airbags (SRS) _______ 32
Interior lighting ________________ 69
Sunroof ____________________ 126
Interior lighting: changing bulbs __ 213
ProCarManuals.com

12 SafetySafety belts Three-point inertia-reel safety belts are pro-
vided for all seats. Research has established that it is danger-
ous for rear seat passengers not to wear
their safety belts.
Bear in mind that in certain states it is a legal
requirement for all occupants of the car to
wear a safety belt.
Safety-belt reminderWhen the ignition is switched on, the ”fasten
belts” reminder will light up until the driver
fastens the safety belt. In addition an audi-
ble signal sounds for 6 seconds, or until the
driver fastens his belt.
WARNING
Safety belts must be worn at all times by
all car occupants.
Child safety, see page 19.
Check that the locking tongue is properly
locked in the belt lock.
WARNING
In the event of a crash, the rear-seat pas-
sengers can be thrown forward against
the front-seat backrests, imposing much
higher stresses on the front-seat passen-
gers and belts and resulting in needless
injury to everyone in the car.
WARNING
Adjustments of the safety belt should be
done when the car is stationary so that
attention to traffic is not reduced.
IB409
FASTEN BELTS
ProCarManuals.com

13 Safety
Safety belt pretensionersThe belts of the front seats are fitted with
automatic pretensioners, which are acti-
vated in the event of a severe frontal or
rear-end crash, provided that the safety
belts are being worn. They serve to reduce
the forward movement of the body by ten-
sioning the belt.
The safety belt pretensioners are not acti-
vated by vehicle rollover.
The belt pretensioners do not activate in
less severe frontal or rear-end crashes.
Correct position for safety belt  The lap portion of the belt should be
pulled as tightly as comfortable and as
low as possible across the hips, so that it
is just touching the top of the thighs. The
shoulder belt should be well in on the
shoulder but not touching the neck.
 Check to ensure that the belt is not twisted
or rubbing against any sharp edges.
 There should not be any slack in the belt.
Pull the belt tight – particularly important
when thick outer clothing is worn.
 Refrain from tilting the backrest more than
necessary, as the safety belt provides
better protection when the seat is in the
more upright position.
 Only one person per safety belt!
 For most of the time a safety belt is worn,
the retractor will allow the wearer freedom
of movement. The retractor locks up auto-
matically if the belt is jerked or withdrawn
sharply, the car tilts, the brakes are
applied hard or a crash occurs.
WARNING
If the car is involved in a crash, the safety
belts, belt pretensioners and other com-
ponents must be inspected by an autho-
rized Saab dealer and replaced as neces-
sary.
Never make any alterations or repairs to
the safety belt yourself. Visit an autho-
rized Saab dealer for any necessary
repairs.
WARNING
Proper positioning of the safety belt is
extremely important. An out of position
safety belt can result in the wearer sliding
underneath the belt in a crash (submarin-
ing) and injury can result from the lap por-
tion cutting into the abdomen.
WARNING
If two people share a belt, they risk injury
by being crushed together in the event of
a crash.
IB410
Correctly positioned safety belt
ProCarManuals.com

18 SafetyHead restraintThe front seats in the Saab 9-5 are
equipped with Saab Active Head Restraints
(SAHRs). These reduce the risk of whiplash
injury if the car is hit from behind.
In the event of a rear-end crash, the body is
forced back against the backrest. This, in
turn, causes the mechanism to press the
head restraint forward and upwards, thus
limiting the backward movement of the
head.
The SAHR is a mechanical system, actu-
ated by body weight. The mechanism is built
into the top of the backrest, where it is con-
nected to the head restraint.
Therefore, the SAHR does not need to be
replaced after a minor rear-end crash.The head restraint can be raised or lowered
and is adjustable in various positions.
 Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
 Lowering: press the catch on the left-hand
side of the attaching point and press down
the head restraint.
Rear-seat head restraints9-5 Sedan: The rear head restraints have
three adjustment positions for passenger
comfort.
They can also be folded down to increase
the driver’s rearward vision when the seat is
unoccupied.
9-5 Wagon: The height of the rear head
restraints can be adjusted by depressing
the catch on the left-hand collar in the same
way as the front head restraints.
WARNING
 Adjust the head restraint so that the
head is well supported and the center
of the head restraint is at ear height,
thus reducing the likelihood of neck
injury in a crash.
 The rear head restraint should not be
folded down when the seat is occu-
pied.
IB460
IB400
ProCarManuals.com

19 Safety
Child safety

Car safety tips Protect your children from getting
trapped in the trunk of a car
For Trunk Release Handle info see page 42
and 141.
WARNING
 NEVER put a rear-facing child seat in
the front.
 Children must
always be suitably
restrained in the car.
All child restraints and
booster seats are
designed to be
secured in vehicle
seats by the lap belt of a lap-shoulder
belt or LATCH. If the child restraint is
not properly secured, a child can be
injured in a crash.
 Children 12 and under can be killed by
the airbag.
 According to crash statistics, the
BACK SEAT is SAFER for properly
restrained children than the front seat.
 Sit as far back as possible from the air
bag.
WARNING
 Never leave your children unattended
in a car, even for a short time.
– Children can suffer heat stroke - per-
haps die - in a matter of minutes.
– Children can put the car into gear and
hurt themselves or others.
 At gas stations, take the keys from the
car while filling the tank.
 Never allow children to climb on top of -
or under motor vehicles.
 Always look for children before backing
your motor vehicle out of a garage or
driveway.
 To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning,
never let a car idle in the garage.
 Supervise young children around buck-
ets of water while washing your car.
Small children can drown in seconds in
less than an inch of water.
WARNING
 Teach your kids not to play in or around
cars.
 Watch your children when loading or
unloading the car so they don´t get
locked in by mistake.
 Always lock the doors and trunk of your
car, and keep the keys out of children´s
sight and reach.
 Keep the rear fold-down seats closed
to help prevent kids from getting into
the trunk from inside the car.
ProCarManuals.com

20 SafetyThe same attention must be given to child
safety in the car as is given to adults.
Saab recommends rearward facing child
restraints.
Children travel most safely when properly
restrained, but restraints must be suitable
for the size of the child. Always follow the
child seat/booster cushion manufacturer´s
instructions when installing these devices in
your vehicle.
Make sure you are acquainted with the
legal requirements for seating children
in the car.
Make sure that it is possible to fit a child
restraint in accordance with the manufac-
turer’s child seat instructions.
When fitting child seats in cars you must
always read the instructions supplied by
the manufacturer.
LATCHLATCH (Lower Anchorages & Top tethers
for CHildren) consists of top tether and
lower anchorage (“ISOFIX”) for child
restraints in two outboard the rear seats.
ISOFIX are lower attachments located
where the seat and back cushions come
together. Top tether are upper attachments
located between belt beam and parcel shelf,
see page 23 and 24.
Saab recommends rearward facing child
restraints for children 3 and under.
IB1832
ProCarManuals.com

21 Safety
LATCH installationTo facilitate the proper fitting of new spe-
cially-designed child restraints rigid lower
anchorages (ISOFIX) have been installed to
the vehicle that shall be used with the top
tether anchorages in the two outboard rear
seating positions. There is an additional top
tether anchorage for the center rear seating
position that is to be used together with the
safety belt.
LATCH is a U.S./Canadian government
standard for an uniform method of fitting
child restraints without using the standard
safety belts. Only certain child restraints are
equipped to utilize these rigid lower anchor-
ages behind where the seat cushion and
seat back come together. LATCH child
seats also utilize a top tether strap that is
found on some newer child seats that still
require installation with the standard safety
belts.
There are two bars attached to the car body
for each specially designed LATCH child
restraint. A small label is located on the seat
back just above the outer attachment bars
to facilitate installing the child restraint. The
label contains a circle and a rearward facing
child restraint.1 Open the LATCH (ISOFIX)- lid (1) on
one of the designated outboard rear
seating position by pulling the strap
located on the lid and rotate (2) the lid
upwards. See illustration.
2 Place the child restraint on the seat
cushion.
3 Press the child restraint rearward into
the opening between the lid and the
cushion, lining up the restraint attach-
ment arms with the labels.
4 Follow the child restraint instructions to
confirm that both restraint arms are
properly attached to the bars.
5 Attach the top tether strap to the in-car
anchorage and tighten according to the
restraint instructions, see page 23 and
24.
6 Pull the child restraint to make a second
check that restraint is securely attached
at both the lower anchorage bars and
the top tether strap.
IB1938
12
Open the LATCH-lid.
ProCarManuals.com