2008 SAAB 9-5 tow

4Exterior
IB3831
Driving with a roof rack load______ 179
Fitting the roof carriers3________ 179
Maximum roof load ____________ 260
Rearview mirror _______________ 118
Hood _______________________ 190
Engine compartment: washing ___ 245
Central locking __________ 44
Trunk lid lock, 9-5 Sedan __ 47
Tailgate, 9-5 SportCombi __ 48
Child safety locks ________ 47
Car alarm3____________ 50Headlights _____________ 73
High/low beam __________ 73
Turn signal and lane change
indicators______________ 75
Headlight washers3_____ 77
Changing bulbs _________ 204
Fuel gauge___________________ 65
Refueling ____________________ 146
Economical motoring ___________ 170
Fuel ________________________ 262
b Tires pressure ________________ 269
Wheels and tires ______________ 268
Braking______________________ 160
Driving in cold weather__________ 172
Compact spare tire_____________ 237
Changing a wheel _____________ 239
Trunk _______________________ 129
Folding the rear seat, 9-5 Sedan __ 129
Folding the rear seat,
9-5 SportCombi ______________ 132
Trunk Release Handle __________ 138
Driving with a spare wheel fitted __ 183
Compact spare tire ____________ 237Towing a trailer3________ 174
Towing the car ___________ 183
Rear towing eye _________ 184Headlights ______________ 73
Rear light cluster, 9-5 Sedan 208
Rear lights clusters,
9-5 SportCombi _________ 210
Changing bulbs __________ 204Moonroof3_____________ 123
Washing the car _________ 244
Waxing and polishing _____ 245
Touching up the paint _____ 245
Anti-corrosion treatment ___ 24895_US_M08.book Page 4 Friday, May 11, 2007 1:06 PM
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14 SafetyFront safety belts Fasten the belt by pulling the belt and insert-
ing 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 242 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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16 SafetyThree-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 242 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning, etc.
IB???IB415
Safety belt, rear seat
IB416
Securing an item on the rear seat
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35 Safety
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child
in the child restraint in a rear seat position in
the vehicle and check with your dealer.
The passenger sensing system is designed
to enable (may inflate) the right front pas-
senger’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 on page 41 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 light on page
61 for more on this, including important
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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59 Instruments and controls
This light indicates a malfunction in the
fuel-injection or ignition system.
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to
fully install the cap. See Fuel cap on page
147. The diagnostic system can determine
if the fuel cap has been left off or improperly
installed. A loose or missing fuel cap will
allow fuel to evaporate into the atmosphere.
A few driving trips with the cap properly
installed should turn the light off.
The car may still be driven with care and
with somewhat diminished performance
(see
page 144).
This light will come on if the engine oil pres-
sure is dangerously low. If the light flashes
or comes on while you are driving, stop the
car, switch off the engine and check the
engine oil level (see page 194).
This light will come on if the battery is dis-
charging. If it comes on while you are driv-
ing, stop the car as soon as possible and
switch off the engine.
Check the alternator drive belt (see page
201). If the belt has broken:
the engine may overheat (cooling system
will not function properly)
the battery will not be charged
the A/C compressor will not run and
power assistance for the steering will be
lost.This light will come on if there is insufficient
brake fluid in the reservoir (see pages 196).
If the ABS warning light is on at the same
time, the ABS system may be inoperative
because of a fault (see ”Anti-lock brake
warning”, page 60).
NOTEThe car should be checked immediately
at a workshop to prevent more serious
faults from arising. We recommend that
you contact an authorized Saab dealer.
Warning, oil pressure
(engine oil)
NOTEUnder no circumstances must the car be
driven when this warning light is on. Low
oil pressure can result in serious engine
damage.
Warning, charging
Brake warning light
WARNING
Never drive the car when this warning
lights is on. Danger of brake failure!
If the level of brake fluid in the reser-
voir is below the MIN mark, the car
should be towed to a workshop. We
recommend that you contact an
authorized Saab workshop.
Have the brake system checked at
once by a workshop. We recommend
that you contact an authorized Saab
dealer.
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60 Instruments and controlsThis light will show when the parking brake
is on (see page 165).
The parking brake is mechanical and oper-
ates on the rear wheels. This light will come on if a fault has occurred
in the ABS system.
On certain variants and 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 196).
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.This light indicates that the headlights or the
parking lights are on.
Parking brake warning
light
WARNING
Always apply the parking brake when
parking, see page 165.
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.
Headlight and parking
light indicator
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73 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 218).
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 driv-
ing.
If the parking lights are on and the driver´s
door is opened, a reminder to turn them off
will sound.
Note: The lighting switch must be in parking
light or headlight position (low beam posi-
tion only) to operate the fog lights (see
page 76).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
1 High beam signal
2 High/low beam switching
IB3854
Light switches
In cold and damp weather, the inside of
the headlamp lens may temporarily mist
up. This misting does not affect the func-
tion or service life of the light fitting.
When the lamps are on, the mist will
eventually disappear.
IB4122
12
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74 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 73. 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 appli-
cable 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.
IB3855
Rear fog light
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