2008 SAAB 9-3 service

1
Owner’s Manual
Saab 9-3 M2008
© Saab Automobile AB 2007Service Readiness, Saab Automobile AB, Trollhättan, Sweden
Printed in Sweden
Safety 11
Security 47
9-3 Convertible 61
Instruments and controls 81
Interior equipment 119
Starting and driving 151
Car care 203
Customer Assistance and Information 279
Technical data 285
Index 303
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4ExteriorMoonroof_______________ 130
Touching up paintwork ____ 270
Washing _______________ 267
Waxing and polishing _____ 270
Anti-corrosion treatment ___ 271
Service program _________ 280
Body __________________ 270Brake lights _____________ 229
Light switches ___________ 97
Taillights _______________ 229
Changing bulbs __________ 222Towing _________________ 197
Towing hook eyes ________ 197
Towing a trailer __________ 190Folding down the rear seat _ 138
Lighting ________________ 229
Load-through hatch _______ 140
Spare wheel ____________ 142
Tools __________________ 142
Trunk __________________ 138
Maximum loads _______________ 286
Mounting holes for roof carriers ___ 194
Roof load ____________________ 194
Hood _______________________ 204
Washing the engine bay_________ 267
Central locking __________ 48
Child safety locks ________ 52
Lock buttons ____________ 48
Trunk lock ______________ 51High/Low beam switch ____ 97
Direction indicators_______ 101
Front lights _____________ 224
Headlight levelling (xenon) _ 98
Headlight switches _______ 97
Headlight washers _______ 221
Changing bulbs _________ 222Economical motoring _____ 185
Fuel filler door __________ 159
Fuel gauge _____________ 89
Fuel grade _____________ 291
Refueling ______________ 159
Braking _____________________ 172
Changing wheels ______________ 262
Spare wheel _________________ 260
Tire pressure ________________ 296
Tires _______________________ 244
Wheels _____________________ 294
Winter driving ________________ 187
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8
CoolantNever open when engine hot!
Radiator fanRadiator fan may start at any
time.
Battery No sparks, flames or smoking
 Shield eyes, explosive gases can cause blindness or injury
 Sulphuric acid can cause blindness or severe burns
 Flush eyes immediately with water. Get medical help fast
 Do not tip battery. Do not open battery
 NO SPARKS, FLAMES OR SMOKING
 SHIELD EYES
 KEEP OUT OF REACH FROM CHILDREN
ACID
 SEE OWNER’S MANUAL
 EXPLOSIVE GASWarning labelsA/C systemRefrigerant at high pressure.
Do not loosen or remove the A/C system fittings before discharging the A/C
system. Improper service methods may cause personal injury.
System to be
serviced by qualified personnel only. For instructions consult dealer man-
ual.
The A/C system complies with SAE J639.
Charge: 4 cyl. - 680 g and 6 cyl. - 650 g R134a.
Compressor oil: 150 cc PAG oil SP-10 alt.
Saab oil 4759106
Maintenance FreeP/N 127 93 95512V 60Ah 580A (EN)
000 A-12102-EP
LEVEL INDICATORDARK OK
CLEAR LOW
CANADA
NETTOYER LE BOUCHON
DE REMPLISSAGE
AVANT DE L’ENLEVER.
UTILISER SEULEMENT
DU LIQUIDE DOT 4 PROV-
ENANT D’UN CONTE-
NANT SCELLÉ.
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32 SafetyAirbag
Airbag system componentsAirbag in steering wheel
Airbag in instrument panel in front of
passenger seat
Side airbags in front seat backrests
Convertible: The side airbags help
protect the head also
Inflatable curtains along length of headlin-
ing (from front to rear roof pillars)
(SportSedan and SportCombi only)
Safety belt pretensioners for front seats
Convertible: and outer rear seats.
The airbag system supplements the protec-
tion provided by the safety belts to further
enhance the safety of occupants taller than
59 in. (150 cm).
When the system is activated at the moment
of impact, the airbag inflates and then
deflates through holes in the back. The
whole operation takes roughly 0.1 second,
quicker than the blink of an eye.
The steering wheel and passenger airbags
are so-called smart airbags. The driver and
passenger airbag system compensates for
safety belt usage and the force of the crash
at the moment of impact.There are two impact sensors on the front
bumper, under the lacquered shell. Very
soon after the moment of impact, these
register that the car is involved in a crash.
Using this information and data from the
central sensor in the control module, the
control module determines whether or not to
inflate the airbags. The control module also
controls whether other components of the
airbag system are to be deployed: safety
belt pretensioners, inflatable curtains
(SportSedan and SportCombi) and roll over
bars (Convertible).
Which airbag system components are
deployed depends on a number of factors,
such as the force of the crash and the angle
of impact.
If the airbag system registers forces equiv-
alent to a high-speed crash (airbags inflated
to Stage II), the inflatable curtains will also
be activated (SportSedan and SportCombi)
see page 42.
If a fault arises in the airbag system during
a journey, the airbag warning lamp on the
main instrument panel will come on and the
Saab Information Display (SID) will display:
WARNING
To reduce risk of death or serious injury:
Always wear your safety belt.
Always adjust your seat so that you
are as far back as possible but still
able to operate the pedals and reach
the steering wheel and controls com-
fortably.
Passengers 12 and under or shorter
than 59 inches (150 cm) must always
travel in the rear seat as the car is fitted
with a passenger airbag.
Never fit a child seat in front of the pas-
senger airbag.
Airbag malfunction.
Contact service.
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39 Safety
The passenger sensing system is designed
to enable (may inflate) the right front
passenger’s frontal airbag anytime the
system senses that a person of adult size is
sitting properly in the right front passenger’s
seat. When the passenger sensing system
has allowed the airbag to be enabled, the on
indicator will light and stay lit to remind you
that the airbag is active.
For some children who have outgrown child
restraints and for very small adults, the pas-
senger sensing system may or may not turn
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag,
depending upon the person’s seating pos-
ture and body build. Everyone in your vehi-
cle who has outgrown child restraints
should wear a safety belt properly —
whether or not there is an airbag for that per-
son.If a person of adult-size is sitting in the right
front passenger’s seat, but the off indicator
is lit, it could be because that person is not
sitting properly in the seat. If this happens,
turn the vehicle off and ask the person to
place the seatback in the fully upright posi-
tion, then sit upright in the seat, centered on
the seat cushion, with the person’s legs
comfortably extended. Restart the vehicle
and have the person remain in this position
for about two minutes. This will allow the
system to detect that person and then
enable the passenger’s airbag.Aftermarket equipment, such as seat
covers, can affect how well the passenger
sensing system operates. You may want to
consider not using seat covers or other
aftermarket equipment if your vehicle has
the passenger sensing system. See Adding
Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehi-
cle for more information about modifications
that can affect how the system operates.
WARNING
If the airbag readiness light in the instru-
ment panel cluster ever comes on and
stays on, it means that something may be
wrong with the airbag system. If this ever
happens, have the vehicle serviced
promptly, because an adult-size person
sitting in the right front passenger’s seat
may not have the protection of the frontal
airbag. See Airbag warning lamp on
page 43 for more on this, including impor-
tant safety information.
WARNING
Stowing of articles under the passenger’s
seat or between the passenger’s seat
cushion and seatback may interfere with
the proper operation of the passenger
sensing system.
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43 Safety
For optimal protection, do not sit too close to
the door. Bear this in mind, for example, if
someone is sleeping in the car. The inflat-
able curtain comes down from the headlin-
ing and covers a large portion of the side
windows.
Airbag warning lamp What Will You See After an
Airbag Inflates?
After an airbag inflates, it quickly deflates,
so quickly that some people may not even
realize the airbag inflated. Some compo-
nents of the airbag module - the steering
wheel hub for the driver's frontal airbag, the
instrument panel for the right front passen-
ger's frontal airbag or the ceiling of your
vehicle near the side windows - will be hot
for a short time. The parts of the bag that
come into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There will be some
smoke and dust coming from the vents in
the deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does
not prevent the driver from seeing or being
able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.
WARNING
If the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle, it means
the airbag system may not be working
properly. See page 85.
The airbags in your vehicle may not
inflate in a crash, or they could even
inflate without a crash.
To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have your vehicle serviced
right away if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
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44 SafetyIn many crashes severe enough to inflate an
airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle
deformation. Additional windshield break-
age may also occur from the right front pas-
senger airbag.
Airbags are designed to inflate only once.
After an airbag inflates, you will need
some new parts for your airbag system. If
you do not get them, the airbag system
will not be there to help protect you in
another crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly other parts.
The service manual for your vehicle
covers the need to replace other parts.Your vehicle is equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module which
records information after a crash. See
Vehicle Data Collection and Event Data
Recorders on page 284.
Let only qualified technicians work on
your airbag system. Improper service can
mean that your airbag system will not
work properly. See your dealer for
service.
Notice: If you damage the covering for
the driver's or the right front passenger's
airbag, or the side impact airbag cover-
ing on the ceiling near the side windows,
the bag may not work properly. You may
have to replace the airbag module in the
steering wheel, both the airbag module
and the instrument panel for the right
front passenger's airbag, or side impact
airbag module and ceiling covering for
the roof-mounted side impact airbag. Do
not open or break the airbag coverings.
Servicing the airbag systemThe airbag system must be inspected as
part of the normal service program but oth-
erwise may be regarded as mainte-
nance-free.Scrapping or working on airbag
and belt pretensioners
WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there is dust in
the air. This dust could cause breathing
problems for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble. To
avoid this, everyone in the vehicle should
get out as soon as it is safe to do so. If you
have breathing problems but can not get
out of the vehicle after an airbag inflates,
then get fresh air by opening a window or
a door. If you experience breathing prob-
lems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
WARNING
Under no circumstances should any
modifications be made that affect the
steering wheel or the airbag’s electri-
cal circuitry.
During any welding, both battery
cables must be disconnected and cov-
ered.
Before quick drying paint in the vicinity
of the electronic control module, the
module’s grounding points and wiring
must be covered.
Airbags and safety belt pretensioners
must be deployed under controlled
conditions before the car is scrapped
or any of the system’s components are
removed. Airbags or belt pretension-
ers that have been deployed as a
result of a crash must be replaced by
new ones.
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54 SecurityChanging the key battery
When the voltage of the remote control
battery drops below a certain level, the
Saab Information Display (SID) will display:
Change the battery as soon as possible to
avoid malfunctioning.
Battery type: For optimum performance in
all temperatures and good service life, Saab
recommends the use of a Sony or Pana-
sonic CR2032, 3V lithium battery.
The battery should last for about 4 years of
normal use.
The battery type is marked on the inside of
the remote control. Avoid leaving finger-
prints on the faces of the battery.1 Press the emblem on the reverse of the
remote control to remove the traditional
key.
2 Insert the tip of the key into the small slot
and turn the key to split the remote
control.
WARNING
Keep the battery and other small compo-
nents of the remote control out of reach of
children.NOTEThe electronics of the remote control are
sensitive to electrostatic discharge. Incor-
rect handling when changing the battery
can damage the remote control. Avoid
touching electronic components of the
remote control with your hands.
Remote control battery
low. Replace battery.
Press the emblem to remove
the traditional key
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