40 SecurityDoorsDoor handlesPull the handle to open the door.
If the door is stuck (e.g. if frozen), hold the
handle from above to secure a better grip.Central locking
Key / Remote control The key unit consists of a mechanical key
with integrated remote control.
The mechanical key is used for manual
locking and unlocking.
The remote control is used for remote lock-
ing and unlocking.
The key fits all the car’s locks.
The key supplied with the car has a code
number on a black plastic tag that needs to
be quoted for ordering additional keys. You
should therefore make a careful note of the
number.
The key contains a unique electronic code
for your car. When the key is inserted in the
ignition, the code is checked. If it matches,
the car can be started.
Your car is supplied with two keys. It is pos-
sible to have up to four keys for a car at one
time. If you loose one key you should have
this replaced as soon as possible by con-
tacting your Saab dealer. When the new key
is programmed into the system, the missing
key is automatically erased.
NOTE: For this reason, we strongly advise
you to take two keys with you on long jour-
neys and to keep them separate. If all keys
are lost, it will be necessary to replace costly
electronic components as well as the keys.
This loss and replacement cost is not cov-
ered by the new car warranty.
If an additional key is to be added, all of the
original keys must be brought to the dealer
so that the control module can ”learn” to rec-
ognize the new components.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also danger-
ous to leave children in a vehicle with the
ignition key. A child or others could be
badly injured or even killed.
Key / Remote control1To lock
2 To unlock
3 Opening the trunk (9-5 Sedan)
Unlocking the tailgate (9-5 SportWagon)
IB3153
3
2 1
ProCarManuals.com
41 Security
To check the number of keys that are pro-
grammed for the car; see page 50.Electronic starting interlock
(immobilizer)Each time the key is removed from the igni-
tion, the electronic starting interlock is acti-
vated and the car is thus immobilized, see
also page 47.Reprogramming lock system
functionsCertain lock system functions can be repro-
grammed by your authorized Saab dealer;
see page 282.
Locking/unlocking the car When the car is locked and unlocked the
theft alarm is also affected.
Remote locking (1)
Press once on the control: all doors
locked.
The hazard warning lights will flash once.
The tailgate cannot be opened now from
inside using the switch on the driver´s door.
Remote unlocking (2)
Press once on the control: the driver´s
door is unlocked. Press a second time to
unlock the rest of the doors.
The hazard warning lights will flash twice.
If remote unlocking should fail to work
Unlock the driver’s door with the key. To
silence the alarm, insert the key into the igni-
tion switch and turn it to the ON position.
The car can now be started. Contact your
local Saab dealer to have the system
checked and rectified.
NOTICEThe key contains delicate electronics.
Do not expose it to water.
Avoid rough handling.
Do not place the key where it may be
subjected to high temperatures, e.g.
on the instrument panel.
The key may malfunction if it becomes
very cold. Warm it in your hands for a
couple of minutes.
Never open the key. For changing the
battery, see page 43.
IB3154
Locking/unlocking by remote control.1To lock
2 To unlock
ProCarManuals.com
42 Security
Locking by key (1)
When the car is locked and unlocked the
theft alarm is also affected.
Turn the key clockwise: all doors locked.
The trunk lid/tailgate cannot be opened now
from inside using the switch on the driver’s
door.
Unlocking by key (2)
Turn the key counterclockwise once: the
driver´s door will unlock.
Turn the key counterclockwise twice: all
doors, but not trunk lid/tailgate, unlocked. The central locking can also be operated
from inside the car by means of the
switch on the center console.
To lock all doors: press the symbol side of
the switch once.
To unlock the driver´s door: press the
switch once.
To unlock all doors: press the switch
twice.
This switch is inoperative when the car is
locked from the outside using the remote
control.
The interior locking buttons on each door
affect only the respective door.
WARNING
The remote control also works from inside
the car. Therefore, hold the key in such a
way that the buttons are not unintention-
ally pressed when the key is turned, or
inserted or removed from the ignition
switch.
Otherwise, the doors may be unintention-
ally locked or the tailgate unlocked. On
Sedan models, the trunk may even be
opened.
IB451
Switch for operation of central locking
IB1555
2
1
Locking/unlocking by key1 To lock
2 To unlock
ProCarManuals.com
43 Security
If the car is left with the doors open, the inte-
rior lighting and the courtesy lights in the
doors will be switched off automatically after
20 minutes, to prevent a flat battery. In such
cases the electrically operated seats will not
function.
Child safety locksThe rear doors are equipped with child
safety locks that are operated by means of
a catch adjacent to the door lock.
Insert a key and turn the catch 45° clockwise
or counterclockwise as indicated by the
label on the door.
When the child safety catch is in the locked
position, the door cannot be opened from
the inside.
Changing the key batteryWhen the battery voltage in the key falls
below a predetermined level the Saab Infor-
mation Display (SID) will issue the following
message: ”Remote control battery low.
Replace battery.”. Press the CLEAR button
on the SID to acknowledge this message.
You must then replace the battery without
delay to avoid malfunctions. The life of the
battery is normally 4 years.Contact a Saab
dealer to have the battery replaced.
WARNING
Having the doors locked when you are
driving will reduce the likelihood of:
Passengers, especially children,
opening doors and falling out of the
car.
Intruders entering the car when it is
moving slowly or at a standstill.
Injury resulting from a door bursting
open in the event of a crash.
However, you must also remember that
locked doors can hamper rescuers in the
event of a crash.
WARNING
If small children are carried in the rear
seat, the safety locks on rear doors
should be activated to prevent uninten-
tional opening from the inside.
IB1871
Child safety lock on rear doors
ProCarManuals.com
46 SecurityCar alarm The car alarm (anti-theft system) is acti-
vated/deactivated when the car is
locked/unlocked by the remote control or by
the key, see page 41.
The antenna for the alarm system is located
in the center console.
All the doors plus trunk lid/tailgate and hood
are monitored by microswitches.
Your Saab 9-5 is equipped with an Elec-
tronic starting interlock (immobilizer), see
page 47 for details.
The car alarm is armed 10 seconds after the
car has been locked by the remote control.
During this ten-second delay period, the
doors, trunk lid/tailgate and hood may still
be opened without the alarm being trig-
gered.
The LED indicator on the instrument panel
fascia will be on continuously during this
period, at the end of which it will start to flash
(once every other second). If a door or the trunk lid/tailgate or hood has
been left open when the car is locked, the
LED on the fascia will flash (three times per
second) for ten seconds to indicate this.
Check to ensure that all the doors, plus
trunk lid/tailgate and hood, are closed prop-
erly.
If the fault persists (LED flashing when
renewed attempt made to activate the car
alarm by remote control), lock the car using
the key instead. The car alarm will not have
been activated and you should get in touch
with an authorized Saab dealer.
To avoid inconvenience caused by the
alarm being triggered inadvertently, make
sure that anyone else using the car is famil-
iar with how both the car alarm and the lock-
ing system work.
If the alarm is tripped (the direction indica-
tors are flashing and the horn is on) it can be
turned off by unlocking the car using the
button.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also danger-
ous to leave children in a vehicle with the
ignition key. A child or others could be
badly injured or even killed.
IB3153
3
2 1
Remote control 1 Activate/lock
2 Deactivate/unlock
3 Unlock trunk/tailgate
Unlocking the tailgate (9-5 SportWagon)
ProCarManuals.com
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.
ProCarManuals.com
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.
ProCarManuals.com
67 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 approximately
600 miles (1,000 km) before the next sched-
uled 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 64. Message See
page
Fog light failure. 216
Rear light failure. 220
Brake light failure. 220
Washer fluid level low. Refill. 214
Coolant level low. Refill. 207
Remote control battery low.
Replace battery. 43
Key not accepted. Contact service. 50
Theft protection failure. Contact
service. 50
Gearbox too hot. Make a safe stop. 162
Tighten fuel filler cap. 154
Time for service.
1)
264
ProCarManuals.com