2Introduction This manual provides practical guidance on
driving and caring for your Saab.
The Saab 9-5 is available with the following
engine variants:
2.3t Ecopower
2.3T Ecopower
2.3 Turbo Ecopower
Although this manual describes the most
important differences between model vari-
ants, it does not include precise specifica-
tions of the different variants. Some differ-
ences also occur to meet special legal
requirements in different countries.
Importation and distribution of Saab auto-
mobiles, spare parts and accessories are
handled exclusively by General Motors of
Canada Limited in Canada and by Saab
Cars USA, Inc. in the U.S.A.We recommend that you read through the
manual before taking the car out for the first
time and that you keep it in the car for future
reference.
To find a specific item, use the overviews
given on pages 3–6. A list of contents is
given at the beginning of each section of the
manual, and there is also a comprehensive
index at the back of the book.
Supplied with the car is a Warranties and
Service Record booklet and a tire warranty
folder which specifies the regular mainte-
nance to be carried out. The book also
contains important warranty conditions. Since the policy at Saab is one of continual
improvement, we retain the right to incorpo-
rate modifications and to alter specifications
during production without prior notice.
If you have any questions concerning your
car, its equipment, the warranty conditions
or the like, your Saab dealer will be pleased
to help.
Best wishes,
Saab Automobile AB
Saab Automobile AB does not accept liability for
any damage caused by the fitting of spare parts,
exchange parts or accessories that are not
approved by Saab Automobile AB.
The specifications, design particulars and illus-
trations included in the manual are not binding.
WARNING
WARNING texts warn against the danger
of injury if the specified instructions are
not followed.
NOTICENOTICE texts warn of potential damage
to the car if the recommendations are not
followed.
IB1734
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4Exterior
IB1736
Driving with a roof rack load______ 183
Fitting the roof carriers (accessory) 183
Maximum roof load ____________ 270
Rearview mirror _______________ 122
Hood _______________________ 200
Engine compartment: washing ___ 255
Central locking __________ 40
Trunk lid lock, 9-5 Sedan __ 44
Tailgate, 9-5 SportWagon __ 45
Child safety locks ________ 43
Car alarm ______________ 46Headlights _____________ 69
High/low beam __________ 69
Turn signal and lane change
indicators______________ 71
Headlight washers (certain
models) _______________ 73
Changing bulbs _________ 215
Fuel gauge___________________ 61
Fuel filler flap _________________ 153
Refueling ____________________ 154
Economical motoring ___________ 174
Fuel ________________________ 272
b Tires pressure ________________ 279
Wheels and tires ______________ 278
Braking______________________ 168
Driving in cold weather__________ 176
Compact spare tire_____________ 246
Changing a wheel _____________ 247
Trunk _______________________ 135
Folding the rear seat, 9-5 Sedan __ 135
Folding the rear seat, 9-5 Wagon _ 138
Trunk Release Handle __________ 144
Spare wheel and tools __________ 145
Compact spare tire ____________ 246Towing a trailer __________ 178
Towing the car ___________ 188
Rear towing eye _________ 189Headlights ______________ 69
Rear light cluster, 9-5 Sedan 220
Rear lights clusters, 9-5
Wagon ________________ 222
Changing bulbs __________ 215Sunroof ________________ 128
Washing the car _________ 254
Waxing and polishing _____ 255
Touching up the paint _____ 255
Anti-corrosion treatment ___ 256
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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
120).
Side airbags (see page 35).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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31 Safety
Airbag The AIRBAG system comprises an airbag in
the steering wheel, a front passenger airbag
and side airbags in the front seats.
The system supplements the protection
provided by the safety belts to further
enhance the safety of the occupants.
If a fault is detected in the AIRBAG, the
AIR BAG warning light on the main instru-
ment panel will come on (see pages 56 and
36). When the system is triggered by impact of a
frontal crash, the airbags in the steering
wheel and passenger side of the dash board
are inflated, after which they deflate through
vents in the back of the bags.
The driver and passenger airbags are
so-called smart airbags. This means that
the system compensates for factors such as
the force of the collision.Note:
The sensor reacts differently depending on
whether or not the front seatbelts on the
driver’s and passenger sides are used. Situ-
ations can therefore arise where only one of
the airbags inflates.
It is also possible for only the seatbelt
pretensioners to be activated and for the
airbags to remain uninflated.
The entire process takes less than
0.1 second – literally, faster than the blink-
ing of an eye.
These airbags are triggered only by moder-
ate to severe frontal or near-frontal crashes.
They will not be activated by minor front-end
impacts, rear-end or side impacts, or by the
car rolling over.
WARNING
To reduce risk of injury:
Always wear your safety belt.
Always adjust your seat so that you
are as far back as possible but still
able to operate the pedals and reach
the steering wheel and controls
comfortably.
Children 12 and under or shorter than
55 inches (140 cm) should always
travel in the rear seat as the car is fitted
with a passenger airbag.
Never fit a child seat in the front of the
passenger airbag.
IB419
Inflated airbag (driver side) Inflation and deflation together take less than
0.1 second.
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37 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.
The headlining and roof pillar trim
must not be modified in any way. Work
on these areas must only be carried
out at a Saab dealer.
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49 Security
Overview of functions
Alarm signals may differ between model variants for different coun-
tries.
Some of the car-alarm functions can be reprogrammed – con-
sult your Saab dealer for further details (see page 282). Locking/
activation Hazard warning lights flash once.
The LED will come on for 10 seconds.
Unlocking/
deactivation Hazard warning lights flash twice.
The LED will come on for two seconds.
Unlocking/
deactivation of
trunk lid/tailgate
alarm Hazard warning lights flash three times.
The LED will flash three times per second for 10
seconds.
Alarm triggered Hazard warning lights flash for 5 min.
Horn wails for 30 seconds.
To switch off the alarm, deactivate the system in
the normal way (unlocking).
Key The range of the key is normally 5–10 yds. (5–
10 metres), although it can be substantially more
than this in ideal conditions (range can vary
greatly depending on the position of the car and
its surroundings).
If the key is not working, it may be because the
code signal has not been synchronized with that
in the control module for the car alarm. To rectify
this, press the unlock button on the key at least
four times in quick succession. When it is recog-
nized, the door locks will cycle.
If a key is lost, the new one will have to be pro-
grammed (all keys must be present) to match the
car’s unique security code. Contact an author-
ized Saab dealer.Battery for key The battery for the key will normally have a life of
4 years. When the battery needs changing,
”Remote control battery low. Replace battery.”
will appear on the Saab Information Display
(SID).
Contact an authorized Saab dealer.
Car-battery
voltage If the battery is disconnected while the alarm is
active (car is locked), for example during an
attempt to steal the car, the alarm will be trig-
gered.
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50 SecurityOverview of LED signals and SID messagesSome signals may differ between model variants for different
countries. Status LED signal
Activation (during 10-second delay). Comes on for 10 seconds.
Alarm activated (after delay). Flashes once every other
second.
Deactivation. Comes on for 2 seconds.
Alarm not activated. Off.
Door, trunk lid/tailgate or hood open
or opened during delay period.Flashes three times per sec-
ond for 10 seconds.
Unlocking the trunk lid/tailgate. Flashes three times per sec-
ond for 10 seconds.
Closing of door, trunk lid/tailgate or
hood after delay period.Comes on for 10 seconds.
Car immobilized but not locked.
Car alarm not activated.Flashes twice at three sec-
onds intervals.
Fault in a switch serving doors, hood
or trunk lid.Flashing (instead of being
on continuously) during
delay period.
SID message Reason/action
Theft protection failure.
Contact service.Probably a fault in one of the sensors
or the horn.
Have the car checked by an autho-
rized Saab dealer.
Key not accepted.
Contact service.Fault in key transmitter or in igni-
tion-switch receiver.
Turn ignition switch to ON and press
the unlock button on the key. Start
the engine.
Have the car checked by an autho-
rized Saab dealer.
Remote control battery
low. Replace battery.Fit a new battery in the key, see page
43.
REMOTE KEY
TRANSPONDRTurn the ignition key to position ON
and then press the button for open-
ing the trunk lid. Saab Information
Display (SID) displays the number of
keys and transmitters (transponders)
coded to the car.
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63 Instruments and controls
Selector lever indication
(Automatic transmission) The position of the selector lever is indi-
cated on the main instrument panel. If
manual mode is selected, the current gear
is also displayed.
Saab Information
Display (SID) The Saab Information Display (SID) shows
CHECK messages and incorporates eight
trip-computer functions.
The SID is also used by the Audio System.
Trip computerSelecting the function
Use the button to scroll through the
following functions: Use the button to scroll through the
following functions:
WARNING
It is strongly recommended that the SID
settings be changed only when the car is
stationary. The driver’s attention can
otherwise easily be distracted from the
road.
Dist Distance to destination / Trip
meter.
Arriv Estimated time of arrival.
Alarm Alarm function.
Speed W Speed warning (chime).
Date Date, month and year
Temp. Outdoor temperature and Date.
D.T.E. Estimated range (distance to
empty fuel tank).
Fuel∅ Average fuel consumption
since function last reset.
Speed∅ Average speed since function
last reset.
CLEARSET
NIGHT PANEL
IB3084
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