2003 SAAB 9-5 brake

58 Instruments and controls

Anti-lock brake warning
This light will come on if a fault has occurred
in the ABS system.
On certain variants and as well
as can light up to indicate a fault in the
electronic brake force distribution system
(distribution of the brake pressure between
the front and rear wheels).
Conventional braking without the ABS func-
tion will still be available.
For safety reasons, stop the car and check
the level of the brake fluid (see page 207).If the level is normal, depress the brake
pedal firmly two or three times. Now check
the level again. If the level is still normal, you
may drive the car, with considerable cau-
tion, to the nearest authorized Saab dealer
to have the brake system checked.


Airbag warning light
This light together with will come on if
a potentially serious fault has occurred in
the airbag system.
The light will come on for about three sec-
onds when the ignition switch is turned to
the Start or Drive position. It should go out
after the engine has started.
WARNING
 If the ABS is inoperative, there is a
danger of the rear wheels locking up
on hard braking.
 If the level of brake fluid in the reser-
voir is below the MIN mark, the car
should be towed to an authorized
Saab dealer.
WARNING
 If the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle, it means
the airbag system may not be working
properly. One or more of the following
conditions may occur:
- Non-deployment of the airbags in the
event of a crash.
- Deployment of the airbags without a
crash.
- Deployment of the airbags in
crashes less severe than intended.
 To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have your vehicle serviced
right away if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
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59 Instruments and controls
CHECK message indicator
This light indicates that there is a message
in the Saab Information Display (SID). A
chime will also sound
(see page 69).
Central warning light
This light will come on and a chime will
sound if a fault has been detected in any
system that is critical to safety. Any of the
following can activate the central warning
light and alarm:
 Airbag system.
 Low oil pressure in engine.
 Parking brake is on (when car is moving).
 Brake fluid level low.
 Fault detected in ABS system.
 Electronic brake force distribution (distri-
bution of brake pressure between front
and rear wheels).
 Engine overheating.
 Alternator not charging properly.
Engine malfunction
(CHECK ENGINE)
This light indicates a malfunction in the
fuel-injection or ignition system. The car
may still be driven with care and with some-
what diminished performance (see page
155).
Indicator, fuel
This light comes on when there is less than
about 2.5 gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the
tank.
WARNING
An illuminated ”Engine malfunction
(CHECK ENGINE)” indicator light indi-
cates an engine-related problem. While
your car may be able to be driven with the
”Engine malfunction (CHECK ENGINE)”
indicator light illuminated (Limp-home
mode), you are advised to have your car
serviced at an authorized Saab dealer as
soon as possible.
Continued driving without this problem
being corrected might cause serious
further damage to your car and create
unsafe driving conditions. The operator
should be prepared to take action if such
unsafe conditions arise (e.g.brake
smoothly, engage neutral, stop in a suita-
ble place, switch off the engine, etc.).
NOTICEThe car should be checked immediately
at an authorized Saab dealer to prevent
more serious faults from arising.NOTICEIf the car runs out of fuel, air can be drawn
in with the fuel, which, in turn, can cause
the catalytic converter to be damaged by
overheating.
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60 Instruments and controls
Indicator, cruise control
This light shows when the cruise-control
system is active (see page 171).
Indicator, high beam
This light shows when the headlights are on
high beam (see page 71).
Indicator, rear fog light
This light shows when the rear fog light is on
(see page 72).
The rear fog light is switched off automat-
ically 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.
Bi-Xenon headlight fault
indicator
(certain variants only)
This light indicates that there is a fault in the
Bi-Xenon headlight system, which consists
of xenon headlights and an automatic level-
ling system.
If a fault arises in the Bi-Xenon headlight
system, the headlights will be angled down
to avoid dazzling drivers in oncoming traffic.
Adjust your speed accordingly as visibility
will be reduced.
Indicator, open door
If a door has not been closed properly, the
pictogram will indicate the door concerned
(or tailgate).
Indicator, SPORT-mode
automatic transmission
This light will come on in cars with automatic
transmission when the S (SPORT) button
on the selector lever has been pressed
(position N or D) see page 170.
In this mode, the gear changes occur later,
at higher engine revs, giving the engine and
transmission a sportier feel.
To cancel the SPORT mode, press the S
button on the selector lever again. The
mode is also deselected automatically
w h e n t h e s e l e c t o r l e v e r i s m o v e d t o P , R , M
or L.
Indicator, WINTER-mode
automatic transmission
This light shows when the WINTER mode
has been selected in cars with automatic
transmission (see page 170).
In the WINTER mode, the car pulls away in
3rd gear, to help prevent wheelspin on an
icy road.
To cancel the WINTER mode, press the W
button.
NOTICEIf the Bi-Xenon headlight fault indicator
lights up, have your car checked as soon
as possible at an authorized Saab dealer.
If you do not rectify the problem, nighttime
visibility will be poor since the range of the
headlights is reduced.
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69 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 66. Message See
page
FRONT LIGHT FAILURE 215
REAR LIGHT FAILURE 219
FOG LIGHT FAILURE 219
BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE 219
WASHER FLUID LEVEL LOW 213
FILL COOLANT FLUID 206
REPLACE KEY BATTERY 45
KEY NOT ACCEPTED 52
SERVICE THEFT ALARM 52
TRANSMISSION OVERHEATING 166
TIGHTEN FUEL FILLER CAP 158
TIME FOR SERVICE
1)
254
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72 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 71. 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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139 Interior equipment and trunk
TrunkFolding the rear seat, 9-5 SedanThe rear seat is split and the two sections can be folded indepen-
dently. Folding down of the rear seat is easier if the front seats are
not all the way back, and the rear head restraints are folded down.
1 Raise the rear seat cushions by pulling the loop located between
the cushion and the backrest. A small pad will open up first. Con-
tinue pulling the loop until the entire rear seat cushion is raised.
2 Tip the seat cushion forward.
3 Press the button adjacent to the respective backrest to release it.
4 Fold down the backrest.
WARNING
 Rear-seat passengers should always ensure that the head
restraint is raised and in proper position for the seats to be
occupied.
 Keep hands well clear of all moving parts.
 Never place heavy objects on the rear window shelf. There is
always a danger of loose objects flying about and causing
injury if the car should brake suddenly or be involved in a
crash.
 Before folding up the backrest, hang the outer safety belts
onto the hook on the respective courtesy handle to prevent
them from becoming trapped.
 Check that the back rest release button (3) is flush with the
surround before entering the rear seat.
31
2
4
IB1849
IB461
Outer safety belt hooked onto courtesy handle
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140 Interior equipment and trunk
WARNING
 Place heavy items closest to the backrest and stow smaller
and lighter items on top.
 Secure heavy and bulky items using the four tie down points
provided in the trunk. This will avert the danger of luggage
flying around if the car should brake suddenly or be involved
in a crash (see page 141).
 Secure small items if the backrest is folded down or the
load-through hatch is open. Small items can also be thrown
around inside the car and cause personal injury.
 Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 258).
 Make sure that the seat cushions and backrests are properly
secured when folding them back to their normal position.
Check that the button (item 3 on page 139) is flush with the
surround before entering the back seat.
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.
IB462
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141 Interior equipment and trunk
Trunk pass-through hatch A trunk pass-through hatch is incorporated in the rear seat backrest
to enable long, narrow items to be carried inside the car.
Items should not weigh more than 33 lbs. (15 kg) nor be more than
2 yards (2 metres) in length. See the label on the hatch.
1 Fold down the armrest.
2 Raise the hatch by lifting the handle.
Before loading or unloading long items, switch off the engine and
apply the handbrake. This averts the danger of the car moving off
suddenly if a long item were to knock the gear or selector lever into
gear. Tie DownsFour tie downs for securing the load are fitted inside the trunk. Place
the load as far in as possible.
WARNING
 Anchor the load securely (e.g. using middle safety belt) to
avoid danger of injury resulting from displacement of load on
hard braking.
 Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 258).
IB463IB464
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