
36 SafetyHow 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 front airbags inflate? The airbag will only be inflated under certain
predetermined conditions in a moderate to
severe frontal, or near-frontal crash, depen-
ding 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
possible.
What won’t trigger the front airbags? The airbag will not be activated in all
front-end 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 necessarily be triggered. How loud is the inflation? The noise of the inflation is certainly loud,
but it is very short-lived and will not damage
your hearing. For a short time afterwards
you could experience a buzzing noise in
your ears.
Most people who have experienced it
cannot remember the noise of the inflation
at all – all they remember is the noise of the
crash. Can you still use a child seat in the front if a
passenger airbag is installed? Definitely not!
Children 12 and under or shorter than
55 inches (140 cm) can be killed by the
airbag.
The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for
children.
NEVER put a child seat in the front.
Sit as far back as possible from the airbag.
Always use safety belts and child res-
traints.
Are the smoke and fumes given off when the
airbag operates at all harmful? Most people who have remained in a car
with little or no ventilation for several minu-
tes complained only of minor irritation of the
throat and eyes. Avoid as far as possible
getting dust on your skin as there is a risk of
skin irritation.
If you suffer from asthma, the incident may
bring on an attack, in which case you should
follow the normal procedure advised by
your doctor. It is advisable to consult a
doctor afterwards.What should I do if the AIRBAG warning
light comes on? If the warning light is on, it means that a fault
has been detected in the system. The
airbag cannot be relied on to operate as
intended and it might even be activated
erroneously. You should therefore take the
car to an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
ProCarManuals.com

38 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 contac-
ting 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 cove-
red 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
recognize the new components.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also
dangerous 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
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39 Security
To check the number of keys that are pro-
grammed for the car; see page 48.
Locking/unlocking the carWhen 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 trunk/tailgate release switch on the dri-
ver´s door will not work when all doors are
locked.
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 front 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 repaired.
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 41.
WARNING
The remote control also works from inside
the car. Therefore, hold the key in such a
way that the buttons are not unintentio-
nally pressed when the key is turned, or
inserted or removed from the ignition
switch.
Otherwise, the doors may be unintentio-
nally locked or the tailgate unlocked. On
Sedan models, the trunk may even be
opened.
IB3154
Locking/unlocking by remote control.1To lock
2 To unlock
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40 SecurityLocking 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/tailgate release switch on the dri-
ver’s door will not work when all doors are
locked.
Unlocking by key (2)
Turn the key counterclockwise once: the dri-
ver´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.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 drain on the bat-
tery. In such cases the electrically operated
seats will not function.
WARNING
Having the doors locked when you are
driving will reduce the likelihood of:
Passengers, especially children, ope-
ning 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.
IB451
Switch for operation of central locking
IB1555
2
1
Locking/unlocking by key1To lock
2 To unlock
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41 Security
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 ack-
nowledge this message. You must then
replace the battery without delay to avoid
malfunctions. The life of the battery is nor-
mally 4 years.Contact a Saab dealer to
have the battery replaced.
WARNING
If small children ride in the rear seats, the
safety locks on rear doors should be acti-
vated to prevent unintentional opening
from the inside.
IB1871
Child safety lock on rear doors
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44 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 39.
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 Electro-
nic starting interlock (immobilizer), see
page 45 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 trigge-
red.
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.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also
dangerous 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)
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46 SecurityAlarm signals When the car alarm is armed, it will be trig-
gered if any door, or the trunk lid or hood, is
opened.
The alarm will also be triggered if an attempt
is made to bypass or short-circuit the igni-
tion switch, or to disconnect the battery.
If the alarm is triggered, the following alarm
signals will be set off:
Flashing of hazard warning lights for five
minutes.
Horn wailing for 30 seconds.
The alarm signals will stop if the alarm is
deactivated (car unlocked) during the alarm
period.
Panic-functionIn the car alarm system there is a feature
called "Panic-function".
To activate panic function:
Push and hold one of the buttons on the
key for 2 seconds. Or, if you are sitting
inside the car, push the LOCK-switch on
the center console for 2 seconds.
These actions will trigger the alarm (hazard
warning lights and horn).
To deactivate panic function:
Push one of the buttons on the key, push
the LOCK-switch in the center console,
turn the key in the driver´s door or turn the
ignition to ON.
When the panic-function is activated the car
will be locked/unlocked depending upon
which button was pushed.
When the ignition is ON the panic-function
cannot be activated.
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47 Security
Overview of functions
Alarm signals may differ between model variants for different
countries.
Some of the car-alarm functions can be reprogrammed – con-
sult your Saab dealer for further details (see page 264). 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 gre-
atly 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
triggered.
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