2007 SAAB 9-5 light

148 Starting and drivingFilling a portable fuel container Fuel (Gasoline Engine)
Fuel
Use of the recommended fuel is an impor-
tant part of the proper maintenance of your
vehicle.
For optimum performance Saab recom-
mends:

Gasoline Octane
Use premium unleaded gasoline with a
posted octane of 93 or higher for best per-
formance. You may also use regular
unleaded gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher, but your vehicle's acceleration may
be slightly reduced.
If the octane is less than 87, you may get a
heavy knocking noise when you drive. If this
occurs, use a gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher as soon as possible. Otherwise, you
might damage your engine. A little pinging
noise when you accelerate or drive uphill is
considered normal. This does not indicate a
problem exists or that a higher-octane fuel
is necessary. If you are using 87 octane or
higher-octane fuel and hear heavy knock-
ing, your engine needs service.
Gasoline Specifications
It is recommended that gasoline meet spec-
ifications which were developed by automo-
bile manufacturers around the world and
contained in the World-Wide Fuel Charter
which is available from the Alliance of Auto-mobile Manufacturers at www.autoalli-
ance.org/fuel_charter.htm. Gasoline meet-
ing these specifications could provide
improved driveability and emission control
system performance compared to other
gasoline.
California Fuel
If your vehicle is certified to meet California
Emission Standards (see the underhood
emission control label), it is designed to
operate on fuels that meet California speci-
fications. If this fuel is not available in states
adopting California emissions standards,
your vehicle will operate satisfactorily on
fuels meeting federal specifications, but
emission control system performance may
be affected. The malfunction indicator lamp
may turn on and your vehicle may fail a
smog-check test. See Engine malfunction
(CHECK ENGINE) on page 58. If this
occurs, return to your authorized Saab
dealer for diagnosis. If it is determined that
WARNING
Never fill a portable fuel container while it
is in your vehicle. Static electricity dis-
charge from the container can ignite the
gasoline vapor. You can be badly burned
and your vehicle damaged if this occurs.
To help avoid injury to you and others:
Dispense gasoline only into approved
containers.
Do not fill a container while it is inside
a vehicle, in a vehicle’s trunk, pickup
bed or on any surface other than the
ground.
Bring the fill nozzle in contact with the
inside of the fill opening before operat-
ing the nozzle. Contact should be
maintained until the filling is complete.
Do not smoke while pumping gaso-
line.
NOTICEGasolines containing oxygenates, such
as ethers and ethanol, and reformulated
gasolines may be available in your area.
We recommend that you use these gaso-
lines, if they comply with the specifica-
tions described earlier. However, E85
(85% ethanol) and other fuels containing
more than 10% ethanol must not be used
in vehicles that were not designed for
those fuels.
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154 Starting and drivingIf ”Automatic transmission3, fault indicator”
light appears on the main instrument panel,
the system has detected a fault in the auto-
matic transmission or its control module
(see page 62).
This also means that the Limp-home mode
has been selected, to guard against further
damage being done to the transmission. In
this mode, the automatic transmission
starts in 5th gear, and gear changes (if nec-
essary) will have to be made manually.
Stop the car in a safe place. Switch off then
restart the engine. If the fault is intermittent,
the transmission will operate as normal
despite the fault indicator being on. Have
the car checked at a workshop. We recom-
mend that you contact an authorized Saab
dealer.
It is not possible to select the SPORT or
Sentronic mode when the Limp-home mode
is active.
Gear changes must be made manually.
The following gears will be engaged in the
respective selector positions when the auto-
matic transmission is in Limp-home mode:
Overheated transmission fluid If the automatic-transmission fluid should
overheat, the following message will appear
on the SID:
”Gearbox too hot.
Make a safe stop.”
In this event, stop the car in a suitable place,
switch off the engine and open the hood.
Wait for several minutes then turn on the
ignition to check that the message has gone
out. When driving subsequent to the trans-
mission fluid overheating, select a gear in
which the engine speed is about 3,000 rpm.
Overheating of the automatic-transmission
fluid can occur when the car is towing a
heavy load, such as a camping trailer in hilly
country. High ambient temperatures can
also increase the temperature of the trans-
mission fluid or the oil cooler may be faulty.
Contact a workshop. We recommend that
you contact an authorized Saab dealer (see
also page 174).
Automatic transmission3,
fault indicator
Position R D M L
Gear Reverse 5th 5th 2nd
NOTICEIf the control module has actuated the
Limp-home function for the automatic
transmission, the car will remain in 5th
gear when D is selected, making it very
sluggish.
Select position L to prevent unnecessary
wear on the transmission. The transmis-
sion then starts in 2nd gear. Once the car
is moving you can select position D.
When the indicator light is on, the car
must not be driven with a caravan or
trailer attached.
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156 Starting and drivingSentronic, manual mode 3Move the selector lever to the M position.
Select a higher gear by pushing the
right-hand paddle on the steering
wheel. Select a lower gear by pushing the
left-hand paddle on the steering wheel.
An example of when you may wish to make
manual gear changes is when overtaking, to
enable you to remain in a low gear for an
extended period of time.
Changes from 3rd to 4th and from 4th to 5th
can be made when the engine speed is
above roughly 2,000 rpm.
If you select a gear that is judged too high by
the system, the selected gear position will
be shown briefly on the main instrument
panel and then the gear that is actually
engaged.If the road surface is slippery, you may wish
to pull off in 2nd or 3rd to reduce the risk of
wheel spin.
When descending hills you should select a
low gear to increase the braking effect of the
engine and thus spare the brakes.
Manual gear selections are shown on the
main instrument panel. The selector posi-
tion and the current gear are displayed.When the selector lever is in the M position,
as opposed to the D position, engines are
much more responsive to changes in accel-
erator position. The accelerator has a differ-
ent feel.
When in manual mode, kick-down operates
for 4th and 5th gears (below 2,000 rpm).
Kick-down cannot be activated in 1st, 2nd or
3rd gears.
For optimum performance, gear changes
should be made before reaching 6,000 rpm.
To avoid damaging the engine and trans-
mission, the transmission will shift up a gear
if the engine is in danger of overrevving. You
may feel a slight jolt before this gear change
is effected.
IB3880
Paddles on the steering wheel for
changing gear manually
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157 Starting and driving
Selector positions
P
To shift out of the P position you must
depress the brake pedal and the ignition
must be ON.
The parking position (P) must only be selected
when the car is at a complete standstill. The
selector lever is locked and the transmission is
mechanically immobilized. Always apply the
parking brake after parking the car.
The engine can be started. The key can be
removed.
R
The reverse (R) position must only be selected
when the car is at a complete standstill. The
detent-release button must be pressed before
the selector lever can be moved to R. Wait until
reverse gear has engaged (car starts to creep)
before touching the accelerator.
N
In the Neutral position (N), the transmission is
disengaged from the engine. The engine can be
started, but first ensure that the parking brake is
on, to prevent the car from moving off unexpect-
edly.
To prevent the engine and transmission from
becoming hotter than necessary, select N for
stops other than brief ones, e.g. if stuck in a traf-
fic jam.
The normal drive position (D) is recommended
for waiting at traffic lights.
D
The Drive position (D) is the position for normal
motoring. Gear changes between 1st and 5th
will take place automatically, the timing of which
is determined by the throttle (accelerator) posi-
tion and the speed of the car.
After moving the selector lever to D, pause to
give the gear time to engage (car starts to pull).
M
Move the selector lever from position D to M to
allow you to change gear manually. Refer to
page 156.
L
Select position L if you wish to drive in 1st gear.
No upchanges will be made if you pull off in posi-
tion L. If you move the selector lever from posi-
tion D or M to L at a high vehicle speed, the
transmission will automatically shift down
through 4th, 3rd and 2nd gears to 1st gear,
depending on the car’s speed. Use this position
for descending steep hills if the car is heavily
loaded to spare the brakes.
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159 Starting and driving
Cruise controlFor safety reasons (brake system func-
tion) the brakes must be applied once,
when the engine has started, before the
cruise control system can be activated.
The system is operated by means of the
controls on the stalk switch:
ON/OFF (switch on/off).
RESUME/– (Resume preset speed).
SET/+ (to set the desired speed).
CANCEL (Cancel operation of system,
e.g. to reduce speed temporarily).
When the system is ON, the CRUISE indi-
cator light will appear on the main instru-
ment panel and will be extinguished when
the system is switched OFF. If CANCEL is
selected, CRUISE will flash once.
To set the desired speed Move the switch to ON. Accelerate to the
desired speed (minimum speed: 25 mph
(40 km/h))and press SET/+. To increase the preset speed Accelerate to the desired speed and press
SET/+.
You can also increase the speed of the car
using the SET/+ button. Press it once to
increase the speed by 1 mph (1.6 km/h) or
hold it in and release when the desired
speed is reached. Temporary increase in speed Press the accelerator to override the preset
speed, e.g. for overtaking. When you release the accelerator, the
system will revert to the preset speed.
To cancel temporarily Move the control stalk to CANCEL
(spring-loaded position before OFF posi-
tion). This will disengage the system but the
preset speed will be retained in the system
memory. (The memory is deleted when the
engine is switched off.) To re-engage the system To revert to the preset speed, slide the
switch to RESUME/–. This will only operate
when the car’s speed is above 25 mph
(40 km/h).
WARNING
Do not use the Cruise control system
on wet or icy roads, in dense traffic or
on winding roads.
Set the control to OFF when you do
not want to use the system, to prevent
the system being activated inadvert-
ently.
IB3881
Cruise-control switches
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162 Starting and drivingThe ABS system has a built-in diagnostic
function which will switch on the Anti-lock
brake warning light if a fault is detected in
the system (see page 60).
The ABS system will not reduce the braking
distance on loose gravel or on snow or ice
but, because the wheels cannot lock up,
some steering control is retained.
When the ABS system is working, i.e. mod-
ulation of the brake pressure is in progress,
the brake pedal will pulsate and a ticking
noise will be heard. All this is perfectly nor-
mal.
Press the pedal down hard (you cannot
press too hard) and steer the car to safety.
Do not release the brake pedal before the
car has come to a halt or the danger has
passed!
If the road is slippery, the ABS system will
operate even when only light pressure is
applied to the pedal. This means that you
can brake gently to test the condition of the
road and adapt your driving accordingly.
It is well worth practicing the use of ABS
brakes on a skid pad or other suitable
facility.
IB3882
Braking with ABS brakes.
When the system is operating, the brake
pedal will pulsate gently and the system
will make a ticking noise.
IB3883
Braking with ABS – evasive steering
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164 Starting and drivingThe ESP
® indicator light
The indicator light on the main instru-
ment comes on for a short period of time
when the ESP
® system is operative.
Operation of the ESP
® system indicates
reduced cohesion between the tires and the
road, and that extra care should be taken by
the driver.
The ESP
® OFF-indicator light
The light on the main instrument comes
on if:
A fault has been detected and the system
has therefore been switched off.
The system has been switched off manu-
ally.
When the ignition key is turned to the ON
position, the lamp is lit for about four sec-
onds while the system undergoes a
self-test.
Turning the ESP
® system off
The system can be turned off manually with
the ESP
® button, whereupon the light
on the main instrument panel will come on.
The ESP® system cannot be switched off if
the car is travelling faster than 35 mph
(60 km/h).
The ESP® system is always operative
during braking, even if it has been switched
off manually.
NOTICESuspension modifications, such as
changing the type of wheels, dampers or
springs, can affect the function of the
ESP
® system.
Always consult a workshop before chang-
ing any suspension components. We rec-
ommend that you contact an authorized
Saab dealer.
IB4475
ESP
® button
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165 Starting and driving
Parking brake

The parking brake is situated between the
front seats and acts on the rear wheels.
When the parking brake is on, the indicator
light on the main instrument panel will
be on. To release the parking brake, lift the
lever slightly, press the release button and
release the lever by pushing down on it.
Parking
WARNING
Always apply the parking brake when
you park the car.
Always apply the parking brake
before removing the ignition key.
Do not use the parking brake while
driving.
WARNING
Do not leave children or pets unat-
tended in the car. In warm, sunny
weather, the temperature inside the
car can reach 160–180°F (70–80°C).
Park where the vehicle will not create
an obstruction or a hazard to other
road users.
Do not park on dry grass or other com-
bustible material. The catalytic con-
verter gets very hot and could start a
fire.
Apply the parking brake.
Shift to Reverse for manual transmis-
sion (automatic transmission: move
selector lever to P (Park)), and remove
the ignition key. Lock the car.
IB360
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