
5
Interior
IB581
Rearview mirrors ______________ 125
Door mirrors __________________ 125
Sun visors ___________________ 135
Safety belts ____________ 17
Airbag _________________ 32
Child safety ____________ 23
Child safety locks ________ 45
Safety belts ____________ 243Glove compartment ______ 136Manual transmission _____ 162
Automatic transmission ___ 163
Electric windows ______________ 131
Ignition switch ________________ 152
Starting the engine ____________ 153
Engine Break-In Period _________ 161
Driving in hot weather __________ 181
Driving in cold weather _________ 179
Parking _____________________ 195
Steering wheel adjustment _ 124
Airbag _________________ 33
Power steering fluid _______ 208
Steering-wheel controls ___ 106
Sentronic, manual mode ___ 167Seats __________________ 12
Electric heating, front seats _ 15
Ventilated front seats______ 15
Safety belts _____________ 17
Child safety _____________ 23
Folding the rear seat, 9-5
Sedan ________________ 139
Folding the rear seat, 9-5
Wagon ________________ 142
Upholstery and trim _______ 243
Side airbags ____________ 36
Interior lighting ________________ 134
Sunroof _____________________ 132
Dome light, front ______________ 223
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6Engine compartment,
4-cyl engine
IB1737
Engine ______________________ 202
Checking the oil level ___________ 203
Oil changing__________________ 204
Engine oil, specification _________ 261
Braking______________________ 172
ABS brakes __________________ 173
Brake and clutch fluid ___________ 207
Brake system _________________ 265
Brake pads ___________________ 265
Fuses _________________ 226
Changing a fuse _________ 228
Relays ________________ 229
Table of fuses ___________ 226Temperature gauge ______ 63
Driving in hot weather_____ 181
Driving in cold weather ____ 179
Coolant________________ 206
Coolant capacity_________ 260
Power steering fluid _______ 208
Steering, technical data ___ 265
Wipers and washers ______ 75
Washers _______________ 213
Washer jets ____________ 213
Jump starting _________________ 191
Battery ______________________ 209
Charging/replacing the battery____ 210
Manual transmission ___________ 162
Automatic transmission _________ 163
Automatic transmission,
technical data ________________ 264
Manual gearbox, technical data ___ 264
Important considerations for driving 155
Turbo unit ___________________ 199
Engine, technical data __________ 260Ignition switch ___________ 152
Drive belts ______________ 211
Spark plugs _____________ 263
Catalytic converter _______ 156Warning labels __________ 8
V.I.N. number ___________ 269
Engine number __________ 269
Gearbox number _________ 269
Color code______________ 269
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7
Engine compartment,
3.0t V6
IB1738
Warning labels __________ 8
V.I.N. number ___________ 269
Engine number __________ 269
Gearbox number ________ 269
Color code _____________ 269Ignition switch ___________ 152
Drive belts ______________ 211
Spark plugs _____________ 263
Catalytic converter _______ 156Important considerations for driving 155
Turbo unit ___________________ 199
Engine, technical data __________ 260
Automatic transmission _________ 163
Automatic transmission,
technical data ________________ 264
Braking______________________ 172
ABS brakes __________________ 173
Brake and clutch fluid ___________ 207
Brake system _________________ 265
Brake pads ___________________ 265Jump starting _________________ 191
Battery ______________________ 209
Charging/replacing the battery____ 210
Fuses _________________ 226
Changing a fuse _________ 228
Relays ________________ 229
Table of fuses ___________ 226Temperature gauge ______ 63
Driving in hot weather_____ 181
Driving in cold weather ____ 179
Coolant________________ 206
Coolant capacity_________ 260
Power steering fluid _______ 208
Steering, technical data ___ 265
Wipers and washers ______ 75
Washers _______________ 213
Washer jets ____________ 213
Engine ______________________ 202
Checking the oil level ___________ 203
Oil changing__________________ 204
Engine oil, specification _________ 261
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12 SafetySeats Both front seats are electrically operated.
On certain models the driver´s seat is
equipped with a memory function.
To facilitate getting into the car, both seats
can be adjusted when either of the front
doors is open.
For safety reasons, if the door is closed, the
seat can only be adjusted when the ignition
is ON.
Note, however, that both seats can be
adjusted for 30 seconds after both doors
have been closed. The following seat adjustments can be
made to achieve a comfortable driving
position:
height
legroom
backrest rake angle
lumbar support
head-restraint height
We recommend that adjustments to the
driver’s seat be performed in the following
order:
1height
2 legroom
3 seat tilt angle
4 backrest rake angle
Lastly, adjust the steering wheel (see page
124).
Side airbags (see page 36).Head restraint(see page 16).
Height To raise the seat, lift the lower control
straight up.
To lower the seat, press the lower control
down.
The same control can be used to adjust the
height of the front and rear edges of the seat
independently.
WARNING
The seats are actuated by powerful
motors. Bear this in mind when adjusting
the seat, and make sure that nothing gets
caught and damaged. Ensure that noth-
ing can be trapped when adjusting the
seat.
Bear in mind that children can be injured
if they play with the electrically-operated
seats.
Always remove the ignition key when you
leave the car to prevent personal injury
caused by the electrically adjustable
seats, for example, due to children play-
ing.
WARNING
Never adjust the driver’s seat except
when the car is stationary.
IB401
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39 Safety
Scrapping or working on airbags
and belt pretensioners Frequently asked questions on func-
tion of airbags
Do you still need to wear a
safety b
elt if
airbags 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
provides 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 or killed 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
distance 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.
WARNING
Under no circumstances should any
modifications be made that affect the
steering wheel or the airbag’s electri-
cal circuitry.
Before starting any welding work on
the car, always disconnect the nega-
tive (–) battery lead and cover the
conductor.
Airbags and belt pretensioners must
be deployed under controlled condi-
tions before the car is scrapped or any
of the system’s components are
removed. Airbags or belt pretension-
ers that have been deployed as a
result of a crash must be replaced by
new ones.
Airbag-system components must
never be transferred for use in another
vehicle.
All work involving the scrapping or
replacement of airbags or belt preten-
sioners must only be carried out by
knowledgeable personnel.
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57 Instruments and controls
Warning, charging
This light will come on together with if
the battery is discharging. If it comes on
while you are driving, stop the car as soon
as possible and switch off the engine.
Check the alternator drive belt (see page
211). If the belt has broken, the engine may
overheat (cooling system will not function
properly), the battery will not be charged,
the A/C compressor will not run and power
assistance for the steering will be lost.
Brake warning light
This light will come on together with if
there is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir (see pages 207).
If the ABS warning light is on at the same
time, the ABS system may be inoperative
because of a fault (see ”Anti-lock brake
warning”, page 58).
Parking brake warning
light
This light will show when the parking brake
is on (see page 195).
If the car is driven with the parking brake still
on, will also come on and a chime will
sound.
The parking brake is mechanical and oper-
ates on the rear wheels.
WARNING
Never drive the car when these warning
lights are on. Danger of brake failure!
Have the brake system checked at once
by an authorized Saab dealer.
WARNING
Always apply the parking brake when
parking, see page 195.
Always apply the parking brake
before removing the ignition key.
Do not apply the parking brake while
the car is moving.
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167 Starting and driving
Descending hillsIf the speed of the car increases while
descending a steep hill, despite the acceler-
ator being released, the control module will
change down a gear when you brake. If you
desire more powerful engine braking, man-
ually select a lower gear.
Sentronic, manual modeMove the selector lever to the M position.
Select a higher gear by flicking the
right-hand paddle towards you. Select
a lower gear by flicking the left-hand paddle
towards you.
An example of when you may wish to make
manual gear changes is when overtaking, to
enable you to remain in a low gear for an
extended period of time.
Changes from 3rd to 4th and from 4th to 5th
can be made when the engine speed is
above roughly 2,000 rpm.
If the road surface is slippery, you may wish
to pull off in 2nd or 3rd to reduce the risk of
wheel spin.
When descending hills you should select a
low gear to increase the braking effect of the
engine and thus spare the brakes.
Manual gear selections are shown on the
main instrument panel. The selector posi-
tion and the current gear are displayed.When the selector lever is in the M position,
as opposed to the D position, gas engines
are much more responsive to changes in
accelerator position. The accelerator has a
different feel.
When in manual mode, kick-down operates
for 4th and 5th gears (below 2,000 rpm).
Kick-down cannot be activated in 1st, 2nd or
3rd gears.
For optimum performance, gear changes
should be made before reaching 6,000 rpm.
To avoid damaging the engine and trans-
mission, the transmission will shift up a gear
if the engine is in danger of overrevving. You
may feel a slight jolt before this gear change
is effected.
Paddles on the steering wheel for
changing gear manually
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179 Starting and driving
Driving in a low gear results in higher fuel
consumption than in a high gear because
of the higher engine speed for a given
road speed. Always change up to a higher
gear as soon as traffic conditions allow
and use the highest gear as much as pos-
sible.
Check the air pressure in the tires once a
month. Incorrect pressures increase tire
wear. It is better to have slightly higher
pressure than lower.
Check fuel consumption regularly.
Increased consumption can indicate that
something is wrong and that the car
needs to be checked by an authorized
Saab dealer.
Practical trials on the roads have demon-
strated that substantial savings in fuel con-
sumption can be made if the above advice
is heeded.Road conditions Wet roads increase fuel consumption, as do
unpaved roads and driving in hilly country
(the amount of fuel saved driving downhill is
less than the additional amount required to
climb the hill).
Engine block heater (standard
equipment in Canada, accessory in
U.S.)The following are just some of the benefits
to the car and the environment of using an
engine block heater:
Lower fuel consumption.
Exhaust emissions substantially reduced
over short runs.
Reduced wear on the engine.
Inside of car warms up faster.
The engine heater is effective at outside
temperatures up to +15–20°C. The warmer
it is outside, the shorter the time the engine
heater needs to be connected. Longer than
1.5 hours is unnecessary.
If the car is equipped with a removable,
electrical cabin heater that is not in use, this
should be stored in the luggage compart-
ment.
Driving in cold weatherBefore starting a journey in cold weather
you should check the following:
That the wiper blades have not become
frozen to the windshield/glass.
Brush any snow away from the air intake
for the heater system (opening between
hood and windshield).
It may be advisable to lubricate the
door-lock cylinder (use molybdenum
disulphide, MoS
2) to prevent its freezing.
If the lock has frozen, take care not to
break the key (or use the remote control)
– heat it first or spray it with de-icer.
Periodically during the winter, add gaso-
line anti-freeze to the fuel to dispel any
condensation in the fuel tank which could
freeze and cause problems in the system.
Keep the tank well filled to reduce the risk
of condensation forming.
If the car is parked outside in freezing
weather, fuel additives (gasoline
anti-freeze) will not do any good as it
cannot remove water that has already fro-
zen. Park the car in a warm place so that
any ice that may have built up melts, then
add gasoline anti-freeze when filling up
the tank. Condensation is caused by
changes in the outdoor temperature or by
the car being parked alternately in a
garage and outside.
It is particularly important when the roads
are slippery that the brakes and tires be in
good condition.
WARNING
Never switch the engine off while driving
as the effect of the brakes and power
steering will be greatly reduced.
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