2004 SAAB 9-3 air condition

36 SafetyAirbag warning lamp Servicing the airbag system
The airbag system must be inspected as
part of the normal service program but oth-
erwise may be regarded as maintenance-
free.
Scrapping or working on airbag and
belt pretensioners
WARNING
 If the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle, it means
the airbag system may not be working
properly. See page 77.
 The airbags in your vehicle may not
inflate in a crash, or they could even
inflate without a crash.
 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.
WARNING
 Under no circumstances should any
modifications be made that affect the
steering wheel or the airbag’s electri-
cal circuitry.
 During any welding, both battery
cables must be disconnected and
covered.
 Before quick drying paint in the vicinity
of the electronic control module, the
module’s grounding points and wiring
must be covered.
 Airbags and safety belt pretensioners
must be deployed under controlled
conditions 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 be carried out by autho-
rized personnel only.
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37 Safety
Frequently asked questions on
function of the airbagDo you still need to wear a safety belt if air-
bags are fitted?Yes, always! The airbag system compo-
nents merely supplement the car’s normal
safety system. Moreover, the front airbags
will only be actuated in a moderate to severe
frontal, or near-frontal crash, which means,
of course, that they provide no protection in
minor frontal crashes, major rear- or side-
crashes or if the car rolls over.
The safety belts help to reduce the sideway
movement of the body in a crash.
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, 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 airbags in the steering wheel
and passenger side of the dash board
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 airbag? The airbag will not be activated in all frontal
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 neces-
sarily be triggered.
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77 Instruments and controls
This light reminds the driver to buckle up.
This light comes on when the parking brake
is applied (see page 167).
The parking brake is mechanical and oper-
ates on the rear wheels.This light comes on if a potentially serious
fault has occured in the airbag system.
The following message is shown on the
Saab Information Display (SID):
This light will come on for about four sec-
onds when the ignition switch is turned to
the Start or Drive position.
Seatbelt reminder
Parking brake warning
light
WARNING
Always apply the parking brake when
parking, see page 167.
Always apply the parking brake
before removing the remote control.
Do not apply the parking brake while
the car is moving.
Airbag warning lightAirbag malfunction.
Contact 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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80 Instruments and controlsTemperature gaugeThe temperature gauge shows the temper-
ature of the coolant. The needle should be
in the middle of the scale when the engine
is at normal operating temperature.
If the needle goes into the red zone (which
can occur at high outside air temperatures
or under heavy engine loads), choose the
highest possible gear ratio and the lowest
possible engine speed, and avoid shifting
down.If the needle repeatedly enters the red zone,
stop the car as soon as it is safe to do so and
check the coolant level (see page 199).
Turbo gaugeThe turbo gauge indicates the air volume
used for combustion, which is equivalent to
the engine load.
At low loads and when the engine is used for
braking, the needle will move within the
white zone.
Under certain barometric conditions the
needle may enter the first part of the red
zone without necessarily indicating that a
fault has arisen.
NOTICEIf the needle, despite the above action,
enters the red zone, stop the car in a suit-
able place and allow the engine to idle. If
the needle continues to rise, switch off the
engine.
WARNING
Never open the cap of the expansion tank
completely when the engine is hot, open
with care. The pressure in the cooling-
system can cause hot coolant and steam
to be released. Failure to heed this warn-
ing may result in personal injury.
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98 Instruments and controlsManual climate-control
systemFresh air for the cabin is drawn in through an
inlet grille at the bottom edge of the wind-
shield. It passes through a filter before
reaching the climate control system and
delivery into the cabin. The air is evacuated
via openings in the parcel shelf. It is then led
through outlets on either side of the car
behind the rear bumper.
The incoming air is treated in three stages:
first it passes through a filter; it is then dehu-
midified and cooled; and finally, if required,
it is heated.
To optimize the performance of the A/C sys-
tem, all windows and the sunroof should be
shut.
To reduce potential misting on the insides of
the windows, the glass should be cleaned
with a quality glass cleaner. How often this
will need to be done depends on how clean
the air is - if there are smokers in the car, the
windows will need to be cleaned more fre-
quently.
The output of air is controlled by the fan
speed.
Temperature controlThe temperature of the incoming air can
be infinitely varied using the temperature
control.
Fan
Control panel: manual climate control1 Temperature
2 Fan speed
3 Air distribution
4 Seat heating, front right seat
5 Recirculation6 Rear window/door mirror heating
7 Hazard warning lights
8 Air conditioning (A/C)
9 Seat heating, front left seat
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101 Instruments and controls
Air ventsThe air vents swivel universally, so that air
can be directed as desired. In winter, for
instance, the outer vents can be directed
onto the door windows for enhanced
demisting.
The amount of air can be individually con-
trolled by the regulator on each vent. If you
wish to reduce the airflow, start by half-
shutting the vent in question.The air conditioning is combined with the
conventional climate control system and
is switched on by pressing the but-
ton, provided that the fan control is in
position 1-5.
The incoming air is treated in three stages:
first it passes through a filter; it is then dehu-
midified and cooled; and finally, if required,
it is heated.
If the engine coolant gets too hot, the A/C
compressor will be turned off and the follow-
ing message will be shown on the Saab
Information Display (SID):
Convertible: When the soft top or all the
windows are open in a hot, humid climate, it
is recommended to switch off the air condi-
tioning to save fuel. Also, if the air condition-
ing is on, condensation may form on cold
surfaces such as the floor air ducts.
Condensation waterWhen the A/C compressor is on, the incom-
ing air is dehumidified. The resulting con-
densation water is drained away through an
outlet under the car.
It is therefore perfectly normal for water to
be seen dripping from this outlet when the
car is parked. The warmer the ambient air
and the higher the humidity, the more con-
densation will form.
When the button is pressed, the reg-
ular air intake will be closed. In this mode,
the air inside the cabin is recirculated.
Use recirculation when you wish for rapid
cooling at very high outside temperatures.
Switch the air conditioning (A/C) on first.
If necessary, recirculation can be switched
on manually to avoid unpleasant air from
entering the car.
Only use recirculation for a short period
of time at temperatures lower than 50°F
(+10°C), such as to avoid unpleasant air.
Mist or ice may otherwise form on the
windows.
Air conditioning (A/C)A/C off due to high engine
temperature.
Recirculation
Panel vent
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112 Instruments and controlsACC- ConvertibleWhen the soft top is folded, the ACC system
switches to manual temperature control.
There are eleven temperature settings: 0–
10.
The system adjusts itself as follows:
 AUTO goes out.
 Heating, air distribution and fan speed are
not affected.
 Recirculation and rear window heating
are cut out.
 The A/C compressor is switched off (man-
ual activation is possible by pressing the
AC button).
All manual selections are possible with the
exception of rear window heating.
When the soft top is raised, the system
reverts to the AUTO mode and the previous
set temperature.
Note: When the soft top or all the windows
are open in a hot, humid climate, turning the
air conditioning on manually can cause con-
densation to form on cold surfaces, such as
the air ducts.
ProfilerSome of the functions of the ACC system
can be customized.
1 Press the CUSTOMIZE button to go to
Profiler.
2 Select Climate System using the
INFO dial.
3 Press in the INFO dial.
4 Select Rear Defroster, Heated Seats,
Fan Settings, Air Distribution, A/C Mode,
Dual/Single Zone or Default Settings by
turning the dial.
5 Confirm this selection by pressing the
INFO dial.
Once you have adjusted the ACC system
settings under Profiler, CUSTOMIZE will
appear on the ACC display.
ACC display when soft top folded
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114 Instruments and controlsFan Settings
High speed:
This selection give a slightly higher
fan speed than Medium speed
though with continued automatic
regulation.
Medium speed:
Normal automatic fan speed. This is
one of the Default Settings.
Low speed:
This selection give a slightly lower
fan speed than Medium speed
though with continued automatic
regulation.
Convertible: Fan speed is not regulated
automatically when the soft top is open.
Air Distribution
Auto:
The ACC system adapts air tem-
perature and distribution to the pre-
vailing conditions. This is one of the
Default Settings
.
Manual:
Windshield:
The ACC system directs almost
all air to the windshield.
Panel:
The ACC system directs almost
all air to air vents in the fascia.
Floor:
The ACC system directs almost
all air to the floor.
A/C Mode
Auto:
Automatic engagement and disen-
gagement of the A/C. This is one of
the Default Settings.
A/C off:
A/C compressor OFF (see also
page 106). The A/C compressor
can be activated temporarily by
pressing the AC or AUTO button
while on the road and if the outside
temperature is above 41°F (+5°C).
The A/C will be off the next time the
engine is started, if the engine has
been switched off for more than
2hours.
Convertible: The A/C compressor is
switched off when the soft top is folded
down.
Further customizations to this function can
be made at a Saab dealer.
 The A/C compressor can be on even
when the soft top is folded down.
 The A/C compressor can be set to
operate as when the soft top was last
folded down.Dual/Single Zone
Dual zone:
Individual temperature setting for
each zone (see page 104). The sys-
tem saves the settings when the
engine is switched off. This is one of
the Default Settings.
Single zone:
Common temperature setting when
the engine is started. If the temper-
ature setting for the passenger zone
is changed, the system will switch to
Dual zone control. Single zone con-
trol will return the next time the
engine is started having been
switched off for more than 2 hours.
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