
248 Car careTire Chains
Notice:
If your vehicle does not have
235/45R17 size tires, use tire chains only
where legal and only when you must.
Contact your Saab dealer regarding suit-
able snow chains. Install them on the
front tires and tighten them as tightly as
possible with the ends securely
fastened. Drive slowly and follow the
chain manufacturer’s instructions. If you
can hear the chains contacting your
vehicle, stop and retighten them. If the
contact continues, slow down until it
stops. Driving too fast or spinning the
wheels with chains on will damage your
vehicle.
If a Tire Goes FlatIt’s unusual for a tire to “blowout” while
you’re driving, especially if you maintain
your tires properly. If air goes out of a tire,
it’s much more likely to leak out slowly. But
if you should ever have a “blowout”, here are
a few tips about what to expect and what to
do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a
drag that pulls the vehicle toward that side.
Take your foot off the accelerator pedal and
grip the steering wheel firmly. Steer to main-
tain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts
much like a skid and may require the same
correction you’d use in a skid. In any rear
blowout, remove your foot from the acceler-
ator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go.
It may be very bumpy and noisy, but you can
still steer. Gently brake to a stop – well off
the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to
use your jacking equipment to change a flat
tire safely.
WARNING
If your vehicle has 235/45 R17 size tires,
don’t use tire chains, there’s not enough
clearance.
Tire chains used on a vehicle without the
proper amount of clearance can cause
damage to the brakes, suspension or
other vehicle parts. The area damaged by
the tire chains could cause you to lose
control of your vehicle and you or others
may be injured in a crash.
Use another type of traction device only if
its manufacturer recommends it for use
on your vehicle and tire size combination
and road conditions. Follow that manu-
facturer’s instructions. To help avoid
damage to your vehicle, drive slowly,
readjust or remove the device if it’s
contacting your vehicle, and don’t spin
your wheels.
If you do find traction devices that will fit,
install them on the front tires.93_U S _M 07.book Page 248 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
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257 Car care
Changing a tire
WARNING
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous
without the appropriate safety equipment
and training. The jack provided with your
vehicle is designed only for changing a
flat tire. If it is used for anything else, you
or others could be badly injured or killed if
the vehicle slips off the jack. Use the jack
provided with your vehicle only for chang-
ing a flat tire.
Changing a tire can be dangerous. The
vehicle can slip off the jack and roll over
or fall on you or other people. You and
they could be badly injured or even killed.
Find a level place to change your tire. To
help prevent the vehicle from moving:
1 Set the parking brake firmly.
2 If you have an automatic transmis-
sion, put the shift lever in PARK (P).
For a manual transmission, leave the
car in gear (1st or REVERSE (R)).
3 Turn off the engine and do not restart
while the vehicle is raised.
4 Do not allow passengers to remain in
the vehicle.
To be even more certain the vehicle won't
move, you should put blocks at the front
and rear of the tire farthest away from the
one being changed. That would be the
tire, on the other side, at the opposite end
of the vehicle.
The car jack is designed solely for use
in changing a tire or fitting snow
chains. It must not be used to
support the car during repair work
or servicing.
Never crawl under a car that is
supported only by a jack. Always use
axle stands.
Raising your vehicle too high or with
the jack improperly positioned can
damage the vehicle and even make
the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to
fit the jack lift head into the proper
location before raising the vehicle, and
raise the vehicle only far enough off
the ground so there is enough room for
the spare tire to fit (no more than
25 mm or 1 inch clearance between
the ground and the bottom of the tire).
Switch on the hazard warning lights if
the car is on a road.
The jack should be stored correctly
under the carpeting in the trunk. If it
lies loose in the car, it could thrown
forward and cause personal injury in
the event of a crash or if the car rolls
over.
Grit, salt and rust can clog the inner
threads of the wheel bolts if the car has
been driven for several years exclu-
sively with alloy wheels.
If steel wheels are being installed, the
bolt hole threads in the brake hubs
should be cleaned before the thinner
steel wheels are fitted. It may other-
wise not be possible to achieve the
correct clamping force, despite tight-
ening the wheel bolts to the correct
torque.
93_U S _M 07.book Page 257 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
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299 Index
Index
AABS brakes
____________________ 173
ACC
_________________________ 107
Adjustment, steering wheel
________ 120
Air filter
_______________________ 211
Airbag
_________________________ 32
Anchorage eyes, Sport Sedan
_____ 141
Anti-corrosion treatment
__________ 267
Antilock braking system __________ 173
Anti-spin
______________________ 175
Ashtrays ______________________ 136
Autochecking of lights, warning and
indicator lights
__________________ 89
Autodimming
_______________ 125
, 126
Automatic climate control (ACC)
____ 107
Automatic closing of moonroof
_____ 131
Automatic closing of windows,
Sport Sedan and SportCombi _____ 122
Automatic transmission
___________ 165
BBattery
_______________________ 215
Bedding-in of new brake pads
_____ 163
Before towing a trailer
____________ 193
Belt height, Sport Sedan and
SportCombi
____________________ 14
Brake fluid, grade
_______________ 289Brakes
________________________ 172
Braking _______________________ 172
Bulb changing
__________________ 221
Bulb table
_____________________ 235
Buying new tires
________________ 246
CCabin lighting, Convertible
_________ 80
Cabin lighting, Sport Sedan and
SportCombi
___________________ 133
Calibrating front electric windows
with pinch protection
_____________ 80
Calibration of windows, Sport Sedan
and SportCombi
_______________ 123
Car alarm
______________________ 58
Car transport ___________________ 199
Care of air conditioning
___________ 270
Cargo guard
___________________ 150
Cargo guard, SportWagon
________ 150
Cargo net, SportCombi
___________ 147
Change of address notification
_____ 276
Changing a tire
_________________ 259
Changing bulbs _________________ 221
Changing the battery, remote control
_56
Changing wiper blades
___________ 219
Checking the number of remote
controls
_______________________ 55
Checks before towing a trailer
_____ 193
Child safety
_____________________ 24
Child safety locks, rear doors
_______ 54
Child seats
_____________________ 24Cigarette lighter
_________________ 136
Cleaning the engine bay
__________ 263
Cleaning upholstery
______________ 262
Closing the soft top manually,
Convertible
____________________ 70
Closing the soft top, Convertible
_____ 66
Clutch interlock
_________________ 164
Comfort opening of moonroof
______ 131
Comfort opening of windows,
Sport Sedan and SportCombi _____ 121
Compact spare
_________________ 256
Compact spare wheel fitted, driving
with
_________________________ 257
Compass
______________________ 129
Convertible _____________________ 63
Convertible, washing
_____________ 264
Coolant
_______________________ 211
Crash memory, see EDR
_________ 278
Cruise control
__________________ 171
Cup holder
_____________________ 134
DDate codes, tires
________________ 256
Deactivating rear windows,
Sport Sedan and SportCombi
_____ 123
Deactivating the passenger door
window button, Convertible
________ 79
Deactivating the rear window
switches
_____________________ 123
Deep water, driving through
_______ 196
Definitions and terminology, tire ____ 253
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