4Exterior
IB1736
Driving with a roof rack load______ 166
Fitting the roof carriers, 9-5 Sedan
and 9-5 Wagon without roof rails _ 166
Maximum roof load ____________ 252
Rearview mirror _______________ 108
Hood _______________________ 182
Engine compartment: washing ___ 238
Central locking __________ 38
Trunk lid lock, 9-5 Sedan __ 42
Tailgate, 9-5 SportWagon __ 43
Child safety locks ________ 41
Car alarm ______________ 44Headlights _____________ 67
High/low beam __________ 67
Turn signal and lane change
indicators______________ 69
Headlight washers _______ 71
Changing bulbs _________ 197
Fuel gauge___________________ 59
Refueling ____________________ 138
Economical motoring ___________ 157
Fuel ________________________ 254
b Tires pressure ________________ 261
Wheels and tires ______________ 260
Braking______________________ 152
Driving in cold weather__________ 159
Compact spare tire_____________ 230
Changing a wheel _____________ 231
Trunk _______________________ 121
Folding the rear seat, 9-5 Sedan __ 121
Folding the rear seat,
9-5 SportWagon ______________ 124
Trunk Release Handle __________ 130
Spare wheel and tools __________ 170
Compact spare tire ____________ 230Towing a trailer __________ 161
Towing the car ___________ 171
Rear towing eye _________ 172Headlights ______________ 67
Rear light cluster, 9-5 Sedan 203
Rear lights clusters,
9-5 SportWagon_________ 206
Changing bulbs __________ 197Sunroof ________________ 114
Washing the car _________ 237
Waxing and polishing _____ 238
Touching up the paint _____ 238
Anti-corrosion treatment ___ 240
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18 SafetyFront safety belts Fasten the belt by pulling the belt and inser-
ting the tongue in the buckle. Check that it is
securely fastened.
Grasp the shoulder belt close to the buckle
and pull the belt towards the shoulder to
tighten the lap belt part.
Then grip the belt at the shoulder, pull it out
and, without letting go, allow the slack to be
taken up by the reel. Make sure that the belt
is well in on the shoulder.
Because the lower belt-anchorage points
are on the seat, the belt buckle follows the
movement of the seat during seat adjust-
ment.To release the belt, press the red button on
the belt buckle, as illustrated.
See page 235 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning, etc.
Belt height adjustmentThe front safety belts and the outside belts
in the rear (9-5 Sedan) are equipped with
automatic height adjustment.
After fastening the belt, grasp it at chest
height, pull it out and, without letting go,
allow the slack to be taken up by the reel.
Make sure that the belt is well in on the
shoulder.
IB411
To fasten the belt
IB412
Press the red button to release the belt
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19 Safety
Safety belt use during pregnancyPregnant women must always wear a
safety belt to protect both themselves and
the unborn child.
The lap belt should be placed low, across
the hips and over the upper thighs.
Safety belt, rear seat
Three-point safety belts are provided for all
three rear seat passengers.
Fasten the belt by pulling out the strap care-
fully and inserting the tongue in the lock.
Check that it is securely fastened.
Then grip the diagonal part of the strap near
the lock and pull the belt upwards towards
the shoulder to tighten the lap strap. The lap
strap should lie low over the hips.
The diagonal part should lie as far in on the
shoulder as possible.
To release the belt, press the red button on
the belt lock.
See page 235 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning, etc.
WARNING
Make sure that the belt does not
become trapped when the backrest is
folded down or raised (see page 121).
If cargo has to be placed on a seat, it
must be properly secured with the
safety belt. This reduces the risk of the
cargo being thrown about during hard
braking or a crash, which could cause
personal injury.
Check that the belt is not twisted or
lying against sharp edges.
Make sure you use the correct safety
belt buckle. The buckles for the center
and left-hand rear seats are close
together.
IB414
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54 Instruments and controlsThis light will show when the parking brake
is on (see page 179).
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 opera-
tes on the rear wheels. This light will come on if a fault has occurred
in the ABS system.
On certain variants and as well
as can light up to indicate a fault in the
electronic brake force distribution system
(distribution of the brake pressure between
the front and rear wheels).
Conventional braking without the ABS func-
tion will still be available.
For safety reasons, stop the car and check
the level of the brake fluid (see page 189).
If the level is normal, depress the brake
pedal firmly two or three times. Now check
the level again. If the level is still normal, you
may drive the car, with considerable cau-
tion, to the nearest authorized Saab dealer
to have the brake system checked.
Parking brake warning
light
WARNING
Always apply the parking brake when
parking, see page 179.
Always apply the parking brake
before removing the ignition key.
Do not apply the parking brake while
the car is moving.
Anti-lock brake warning
WARNING
If the ABS is inoperative, there is a
danger of the rear wheels locking up
on hard braking.
If the level of brake fluid in the reser-
voir is below the MIN mark, the car
should be towed to an authorized
Saab dealer.
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60 Instruments and controls Check fuse 1 (radiator fan) in the fuse panel
under the hood, see page 215.
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 by looking at the
level visible through the plastic tank – do not
remove the cap.
If the coolant level falls below the MIN mark,
the Saab Information Display (SID) will dis-
play the message
”Coolant level low.
Refill.”.
Pressure gaugeThe turbo gauge indicates the air volume for
combustion, which is equivalent to the
engine load.
At low loads, the needle will move within the
white zone. At higher loads and during
heavy acceleration, the needle will enter the
yellow area. At very high loads or under cer-
tain barometric conditions, the needle may
enter the first part of the red zone without
indicating that there is a fault.If the needle repeatedly enters the red zone
and the engine at the same time loses
power, because the monitoring system is
holding the charging pressure down, you
should contact an authorized Saab dealer.
If the speed exceeds 149 mph/240 km/h
(155 mph/250 km/h, 9-5 Aero) the increase
in speed will be limited by the lowering of the
boost pressure. The pressure gauge then
moves towards the middle of the orange
zone, indicating reduced engine output and
thus reduces the speed of the car as well.
NOTICEIf the needle, despite the above action,
enters the red zone, stop the car immedi-
ately, let the engine idle.
If the needle stays in the red zone, stop
the engine.
WARNING
Never open the cap of the expansion tank
completely when the engine is hot, open
with care. The pressure in the coo-
ling-system can cause hot coolant and
steam to be released. Failure to heed this
warning may result in personal injury.
IB344
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67 Instruments and controls
Switches The parking lights and daytime running
lights come on automatically when the igni-
tion switch is ON.
Note to owners in the U.S.: If you do not
want Daytime Running Lights, this feature
can be disconnected: switch off the engine
and remove fuse No. 35 (see page 213).
Note to owners in Canada: Daytime Run-
ning Lights must not be disconnected as
they are a Canadian Federal legal require-
ment.
The parking lights can be switched on
regardless of the position of the ignition
switch. Do not use parking lights when dri-
ving.
Note: The lighting switch must be in parking
light or headlight position (low beam posi-
tion only) to operate the fog lights (see
page 70).The headlights come on automatically when
the ignition is ON and go off when the igni-
tion switch is turned to the LOCK position.
The parking lights, however, can be on
when the ignition switch is in the LOCK posi-
tion.
High/low beamTo switch between high and low beam, pull
the control stalk fully towards you
(position 2). When the high beam is on, the
indicator on the main instrument panel will
be illuminated.
High beam flasher The headlights come on to high beam when
the stalk is pulled to the first spring-loaded
position (position 1) and remain on until the
stalk is released.
Daytime running lights
Parking lights
Headlights
IB1594
121 High beam signal
2 High/low beam switching
IB350
Light switches
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68 Instruments and controlsCourtesy Headlight FeatureA delay function allows the headlights to
remain on low beam for about 30 seconds
after the driver’s door has been closed.
To activate this function,
Switch off the ignition and remove the key
Open the driver’s door
Pull the high/low beam control stalk
towards the steering wheel like you are
flashing the high beam, see page 67. The
low beam headlights will now come on
immediately after the driver’s door has
been closed (within 30 seconds) and will
remain on for about 30 seconds.
The length of time for this function can be
adjusted by your authorized Saab dealer.
Rear fog lightPress the button to switch on the rear fog
light, which will only come on if the head-
lights are on.
The rear fog light will go off automatically
when the engine is switched off. When the
fog light is next needed, it will have to be
switched on manually again.
The rear fog light consists of one light so it
is not be mistaken for brake lights.
Make sure you are familiar with the app-
licable provincial/state law regarding the
use of rear fog lights.
WARNING
In poor visibility, avoid following the tail
lights of the vehicle in front of you. If the
vehicle stops suddenly, you may be
unable to avoid a crash and therefore risk
injury to yourself and others.
IB351
Rear fog light
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82 Instruments and controlsCondensation When the A/C system is running, the intake
air is dehumidified, and the resultant con-
densation is drained off through two outlets
underneath the floor of the car, in the vicinity
of the front doors.
It is therefore perfectly normal for water to
be seen dripping from these outlets when
the car is parked. Greater amounts of con-
densation will result in warmer, more humid
ambient air.
Formation of ice and mist in
extremes of weather It is only in the most extreme conditions that
icing and misting of window glass are likely
to be a problem, e.g. in torrential rain or
severe cold coupled with high relative humi-
dity, or when passengers are perspiring
heavily or wearing wet clothes.
The following measures are recommended
if such problems should occur:
1 Select AUTO and 70°
F (21°C) for both
temperature zones.
2 Select Defroster.
If this is not enough...
3 Increase the fan speed.
If this is not enough...
4 Select a higher temperature.
The following measures are recommended
if the occupants feel that it is cold and drafty
in the car:
1 Make sure that all the air vents are fully
open, including the center rear vent.
If this is not enough...
2 Direct the air flow away from the body
(but not towards the interior temperature
sensor).
If this is not enough...
3 Raise the temperature setting a degree
or two. If this is not enough...
4 Lower the fan speed.
Fault diagnosis and maintenance, see
page 234.
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