2008 SAAB 9-7X brakes

Automatic Transmission Operation
There are several different positions for your gear
shift lever.
PARK (P):This position locks the rear wheels.
It is the best position to use when you start the
engine because your vehicle cannot move easily.
{CAUTION:
It is dangerous to get out of your vehicle if
the shift lever is not fully in PARK (P) with the
parking brake rmly set. Your vehicle can roll.
Do not leave your vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left
the engine running, the vehicle can move
suddenly. You or others could be injured.
To be sure your vehicle will not move, even
when you are on fairly level ground, always set
your parking brake and move the shift lever
to PARK (P). SeeShifting Into PARK (P) on
page 2-29. If you are pulling a trailer, see
Towing a Trailer on page 4-30.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in PARK (P) before
starting the engine. Your vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control system. You have
to fully apply the regular brakes rst and then press
the shift lever button before you can shift from
PARK (P) when the ignition key is in RUN.
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Downshifting the transmission in slippery road conditions
could result in skidding, see “Skidding” underLoss of
Control on page 4-12.
DRIVE (D) can be used when towing a trailer, carrying a
heavy load, driving on steep hills, or for off-road
driving. You may want to shift the transmission to
THIRD (3) or, if necessary, a lower gear selection if the
transmission shifts too often.
THIRD (3):This position is also used for normal driving.
It reduces vehicle speed more than DRIVE (D) without
using your brakes. You might choose THIRD (3) instead
of DRIVE (D) when driving on hilly, winding roads, when
towing a trailer, so there is less shifting between gears
and when going down a steep hill.
To shift to the THIRD (3) position, you must rst press the
large button on the shift handle. While the button is
pressed, move the shifter in the THIRD (3) position.
SECOND (2):This position reduces vehicle speed even
more than THIRD (3) without using your brakes. You
can use SECOND (2) on hills. It can help control your
speed as you go down steep mountain roads, but then
you would also want to use your brakes off and on.To shift to the SECOND (2) position, you must rst press
the large button on the shift handle. While the button is
pressed, move the shifter in the SECOND (2) position.
You can also use SECOND (2) for starting the vehicle
from a stop on slippery road surfaces.
FIRST (1):This position reduces vehicle speed even
more than SECOND (2) without using your brakes. You
can use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud.
If the shift lever is put in FIRST (1) while the vehicle is
moving forward, the transmission will not shift into rst
gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.
To shift to the FIRST (1) position, you must rst press the
large button on the shift handle. While the button is
pressed, move the shifter in the FIRST (1) position.
Notice:Spinning the tires or holding the vehicle in
one place on a hill using only the accelerator
pedal may damage the transmission. The repair will
not be covered by your warranty. If you are stuck,
do not spin the tires. When stopping on a hill,
use the brakes to hold the vehicle in place.
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With cruise control, a speed of about 25 mph (40 km/h)
or more can be maintained without keeping your foot
on the accelerator. This can really help on long
trips. Cruise control does not work at speeds below
about 25 mph (40 km/h).
If the brakes are applied, the cruise control shuts off.
{CAUTION:
Cruise control can be dangerous where you
cannot drive safely at a steady speed. So, do
not use your cruise control on winding roads
or in heavy traffic.
Cruise control can be dangerous on slippery
roads. On such roads, fast changes in tire
traction can cause excessive wheel slip, and
you could lose control. Do not use cruise
control on slippery roads.
Setting Cruise Control
{CAUTION:
If you leave your cruise control on when you
are not using cruise, you might hit a button
and go into cruise when you do not want to.
You could be startled and even lose control.
Keep the cruise control switch off until you
want to use cruise control.
1. Move the cruise control switch to on.
2. Get up to the desired speed.
3. Press in the set button at the end of the lever
and release it.
4. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Some vehicles have
a cruise light on the
instrument panel cluster
that comes on when
the cruise control
is engaged.
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Resuming a Set Speed
Suppose the cruise control is set at a desired speed
and then the brakes are applied. This disengages
the cruise control. But it does not need to be reset.
Once you’re going about 25 mph (40 km/h) or more,
you can move the cruise control switch briey from
on to resume/accelerate.
You will go right back up to your chosen speed and
stay there.
If you hold the switch at resume/accelerate the vehicle
will keep going faster until you release the switch or
apply the brake. So unless you want to go faster,
do not hold the switch at resume/accelerate.
Increasing Speed While Using
Cruise Control
There are two ways to go to a higher speed:
Use the accelerator pedal to get to the higher
speed. Press the set button at the end of the
lever, then release the button and the accelerator
pedal. You will now cruise at the higher speed. If the
accelerator pedal is held longer than 60 seconds,
cruise control will turn off.
Move the cruise switch from on to
resume/accelerate. Hold it there until you reach
the desired speed, and then release the switch.
To increase the vehicle speed in very small
amounts, move the switch briey to resume/
accelerate. Each time this is done, the vehicle
goes about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) faster.
Reducing Speed While Using
Cruise Control

Press in the button at the end of the lever until the
lower desired speed is reached, then release it.
To slow down in very small amounts, briey press
the set button. Each time this is done, the vehicle
goes about 1 mph (1.6 km/h) slower.
Passing Another Vehicle While Using
Cruise Control
Use the accelerator pedal to increase the vehicle’s
speed. When you take your foot off the pedal, the
vehicle will slow down to the cruise control speed
set earlier.
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Using Cruise Control on Hills
How well the cruise control works on hills depends upon
the vehicle’s speed, load and the steepness of the
hills. When going up steep hills, you might have to
step on the accelerator pedal to maintain the vehicle’s
speed. When going downhill, you might have to brake
or shift to a lower gear to keep the vehicle’s speed
down. When the brakes are applied this disengages the
cruise control. Many drivers nd this to be too much
trouble and do not use cruise control on steep hills.
Ending Cruise Control
To turn off the cruise control, do one of the following:
Step lightly on the brake pedal,
move the cruise control switch to off, or
shift the transmission to NEUTRAL (N).
If your vehicle has the StabiliTrak®feature,
cruise control will turn off if road conditions cause
StabiliTrak
®to activate.
If the accelerator pedal is held longer than
60 seconds, cruise control will turn off.
The cruise control will turn off automatically if the
traction control system or StabiliTrak
®system activate,
if your vehicle has either feature.
Erasing Speed Memory
The cruise control set speed memory is erased when
the cruise control or the ignition is turned off.
Headlamps
The exterior lamp control is located in the middle
of the turn signal/multifunction lever. SeeTurn
Signal/Multifunction Lever on page 3-7.
O(Exterior Lamp Control):Turn the control with this
symbol on it to operate the exterior lamps.
The exterior lamp control has the following four positions:
O(On/Off):Turn the control to this position to turn off
the Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) and Automatic
Headlamps. Turning the control to this position again
turns the automatic lighting system back on. This feature
is not available for vehicles rst sold in Canada.
AUTO (Automatic):Turn the control to this position to
put the headlamps in automatic mode. AUTO mode
will turn the exterior lamps on and off depending upon
how much light is available outside of the vehicle.
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{CAUTION:
Your brake system may not be working
properly if the brake system warning light is
on. Driving with the brake system warning
light on can lead to an accident. If the light
is still on after you have pulled off the road
and stopped carefully, have the vehicle towed
for service.
Antilock Brake System
Warning Light
For vehicles with
the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), this
light comes on briey
when the engine
is started.That is normal. If the light does not come on then,
have it xed so it will be ready to warn you if there
is a problem.
If the ABS light stays on, turn the ignition off, if the light
comes on when you are driving, stop as soon as it is
safely possible and turn the ignition off. Then start the
engine again to reset the system. If the ABS light still
stays on, or comes on again while you are driving, your
vehicle needs service. If the regular brake system
warning light is not on, your vehicle still has brakes, but
not antilock brakes. If the regular brake system warning
light is also on, your vehicle does not have antilock
brakes and there is a problem with the regular brakes.
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-34.
For vehicles with a Driver Information Center (DIC),
seeDIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-48for
all brake related DIC messages.
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Police records show that almost 40 percent of all motor
vehicle-related deaths involve alcohol. In most cases,
these deaths are the result of someone who was
drinking and driving. In recent years, more than
17,000 annual motor vehicle-related deaths have been
associated with the use of alcohol, with about
250,000 people injured.
For persons under 21, it is against the law in every
U.S. state to drink alcohol. There are good medical,
psychological, and developmental reasons for
these laws.
The obvious way to eliminate the leading highway
safety problem is for people never to drink alcohol and
then drive.
Medical research shows that alcohol in a person’s
system can make crash injuries worse, especially
injuries to the brain, spinal cord, or heart. This means
that when anyone who has been drinking — driver
or passenger — is in a crash, that person’s chance of
being killed or permanently disabled is higher than if the
person had not been drinking.Control of a Vehicle
The following three systems help to control your vehicle
while driving — brakes, steering, and accelerator. At
times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask
more of those control systems than the tires and road can
provide. Meaning, you can lose control of your vehicle.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.
Braking
SeeBrake System Warning Light on page 3-34.
Braking action involves perception time and reaction
time. First, you have to decide to push on the brake
pedal. That is perception time. Then you have to bring
up your foot and do it. That is reaction time.
Average reaction time is about three-fourths of a
second. But that is only an average. It might be less
with one driver and as long as two or three seconds or
more with another. Age, physical condition, alertness,
coordination, and eyesight all play a part. So do alcohol,
drugs, and frustration. But even in three-fourths of a
second, a vehicle moving at 60 mph (100 km/h) travels
66 feet (20 m). That could be a lot of distance in an
emergency, so keeping enough space between
your vehicle and others is important.
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And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with the surface of the road, whether it is pavement
or gravel; the condition of the road, whether it is
wet, dry, or icy; tire tread; the condition of the brakes;
the weight of the vehicle; and the amount of brake force
applied.
Avoid needless heavy braking. Some people drive
in spurts — heavy acceleration followed by heavy
braking — rather than keeping pace with traffic. This is
a mistake. The brakes might not have time to cool
between hard stops. The brakes will wear out much
faster if you do a lot of heavy braking. If you keep pace
with the traffic and allow realistic following distances,
you will eliminate a lot of unnecessary braking.
That means better braking and longer brake life.
If your vehicle’s engine ever stops while you are driving,
brake normally but do not pump the brakes. If you do,
the pedal could get harder to push down. If the
engine stops, you will still have some power brake
assist. But you will use it when you brake. Once the
power assist is used up, it can take longer to stop and
the brake pedal will be harder to push.
Adding non-dealer/non-retailer accessories can affect
your vehicle’s performance. SeeAccessories and
Modifications on page 5-3.Antilock Brake System (ABS)
Your vehicle has the Antilock Brake System (ABS),
an advanced electronic braking system that will
help prevent a braking skid.
When you start the engine and begin to drive away,
ABS will check itself. You might hear a momentary
motor or clicking noise while this test is going on.
This is normal.
If there is a problem with
ABS, this warning light will
stay on. SeeAntilock
Brake System Warning
Light on page 3-35.
Along with ABS, your vehicle has a Dynamic Rear
Proportioning (DRP) system. If there is a DRP problem,
both the brake and ABS warning lights come on
accompanied by a 10-second chime. The lights and
chime will come on each time the ignition is turned on
until the problem is repaired. See your dealer/retailer
for service.
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