2009 SAAB 9-3 warning

142 Interior equipment
WARNING
 Lay heavy bags on the floor. Place smaller and lighter bags on
top.
 Elastic cargo net3: WARNING. Avoid eye injury. DO NOT
overstretch. ALWAYS keep face and body out of recoil path.
DO NOT use when strap has visible signs of wear or damage.
 Secure heavy and bulky items using the lashing eyes provided
in the trunk. This will avert the danger of luggage flying around
if the car should brake suddenly or be involved in a crash.
 Secure small items if the backrest is folded down. Small items
can also be thrown around inside the car and cause personal
injury.
 Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 284).93_US_MY09.book Page 142 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

143 Interior equipment
Load-through hatch, SportCombiA load-through hatch is incorporated in the rear seat backrest to
enable long, narrow items to be carried inside the car.
Before loading or unloading long items, switch off the engine and
apply the parking brake. This avoids the danger of the car moving
off if a long item were to knock the gear or selector lever into gear.
 Fold down the armrest and open the hatch by lifting the handle.
WARNING
 Always secure the load firmly, for example using the middle
safety belt. This reduces the danger of personal injury result-
ing from the displacement of the load on hard braking or in the
event of a crash.
 Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 284).93_US_MY09.book Page 143 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

144 Interior equipmentTie down eyes, SportCombiThere are tie down eyes in the trunk that
should be used to secure loads. In general,
loads should be placed as far forward and
as low down as possible in the trunk.
Driving with the trunk lid open, see
page 193.
WARNING
 Put heavy loads as low down and as
far forward as possible in the luggage
compartment, i.e. against the back of
the rear seat.
 Never stack cargo so high that any
part of the cargo lies above the edge
of the backrest, if a cargo guard3 is
not being used.
 Always tie down the cargo so that it
cannot be thrown forward during
heavy braking or in the event of a
crash.
 Unsecured and heavy cargo can
increase the risk of injury during hard
braking, sudden avoidance manoeu-
vres and in the event of a crash.
 Use the lashing eyes and suitable
anchorage straps3 for optimum
securing of loads.
 Provide protection on sharp edges to
prevent damage to the cargo straps.
93_US_MY09.book Page 144 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

145 Interior equipment
Cargo net3
 If possible, avoid having the rear seat
folded down when driving with a heavy
load, because the anchoring possibili-
ties are restricted when the rear seat
is in this position. That the rear seat
is in the upright is a basic require-
ment for protection against cargo
displacement in the event of a
crash.
 Improve safety by fastening the outer
safety belts. Check that the red "indi-
cator-flag" next to the opening han-
dles is not visible. If the red "indica-
tor-flag" is visible the backrest is not
locked.
 Match your speed and driving style to
how the car is loaded. The handling
characteristics of the car can be
affected since a load in the trunk will
alter the car’s center of gravity.
 An object weighing 55 lbs. (25 kg) cor-
responds to a weight of 2200 lbs.
(1,000 kg) in a front-end collision at
32 mph (50 km/h).
 Adjust the car’s load (passengers and
luggage) so that the gross vehicle
weight and the axle weight are not
exceeded, see page 284.
WARNING
Never overload the cargo net3. If the
elastic breaks this may cause per-
sonal injury. Do not use a cargo net
that shows signs of wear.
 Never use the elastic floor net3 and
elastic side net3 when the rear seat is
folded down. These nets are only
intended to keep light objects tidy, not
for the anchoring of loads.
 Secure the load in the luggage com-
partment firmly. Using a cargo net is
not considered as load securing.
 The only purpose of a cargo net is to
prevent light objects from being
thrown forward into the cabin during
heavy breaking.
93_US_MY09.book Page 145 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

148 Interior equipmentCargo guard3, SportCombi
To fit
1 Hold the cartridge so that the extendible
part faces backward.
2 Position the cartridge over the pin (1) on
the left and right-hand sides. Press the
cartridge down and rotate it slightly
forward until a click is heard.
3 Check the fitting by pulling the cartridge
up, it should now be fitted firmly.
To remove
1 Retract the cargo guard into the
cartridge.
2 Pull the handle (2) back and lift up the
cartridge. Repeat this on the other side.Opening the cargo guard
The cargo guard can be opened halfway in
order to facilitate loading objects into the
luggage compartment (and to avoid stretch-
ing in over the luggage compartment to
reach the cargo guard).
1 Open the tailgate.
2 Press the rear lip of the cargo guard
down, e.g. with an elbow. The cargo
guard now opens halfway so that objects
can be more easily loaded into the
luggage compartment.
3 Pull the cargo guard down to the lower
positionNOTICEDo not place any objects on the extended
cargo guard. It is designed to shield
against view and not for storage.
WARNING
A cassette that is incorrectly fitted can
detach and cause personal injury in the
event of a collision, heavy breaking or
similar.
Fitting the cargo guard1 Pin on which the cargo guard is fitted
2 Handle for removing the cargo guard
Opening the cargo guard
93_US_MY09.book Page 148 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

150 Starting and drivingIgnition switchThe ignition switch is located on the center
console between the front seats. In cars
with automatic transmission, the remote
control can only be removed when the
selector lever is in position P.
To allow the various systems in the car time
to register that the remote control has been
inserted into the ignition switch, do not turn
the remote control for roughly half a second.
LOCK positionThe parking lights, hazard warning lights
and interior lighting can be turned on.
Cars with automatic transmission: Move
the gear lever to P.
The gear lever is locked in position. This is
the only position in which the remote control
can be removed.
Cars with manual transmission: The
remote control can be removed regardless
of the position of the gear lever.OFF positionParts of the electrical system are operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the
OFF position with the engine not running
as this could cause the battery to run flat
in a matter of hours.
Cars with automatic transmission: The
gear lever is not locked. See also page 163.
If the ignition switch is turned from ON to
OFF before the car is stationary then turning
to LOCK may not be possible. In which case
turn the ignition switch to the ON position
until the ABS lamp goes out,
NOTICETake care not to spill drinks or to drop
crumbs over the ignition switch. If dirt or
liquid gets into it, the switch may not
operate properly.
If snow from clothing falls into the ignition
switch and melts, the ignition switch can
seize (freeze). Brush snow off clothing
before getting into the car.
WARNING
 Always remove the remote control
before leaving children unattended in
the car.
 Apply the parking brake before remov-
ing the remote control.
 Never remove the remote control
while the car is moving. This will acti-
vate the steering wheel lock and make
it impossible to steer the car.
93_US_MY09.book Page 150 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

151 Starting and driving
approx. 2 seconds. Following which, turn it
back to OFF.ON positionThe entire electrical system is operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the ON
position when the engine is not running.
Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position
to disconnect the electrical system.
When you turn the ignition switch to ON,
some indicator and warning lights will come
on in the main instrument panel. These
should go out after about 3 seconds.ST - starter positionThe starter motor operates (automatic
transmission: selector lever must be in P or
N) when the ignition switch is turned to this
position. When released, the ignition switch
will spring back to the ON position.
The car has an electronic restart lock. If the
engine fails to start, the ignition switch must
first be turned back to a position between
OFF and LOCK before the starter motor can
be operated again.
Steering wheel lockThe steering wheel lock is electronic. The
lock engages when the remote control is
removed from the ignition and unlocks when
the remote control is inserted. A click can be
heard when the steering wheel lock locks
and unlocks.
If the car is parked with one front wheel
touching the curb, for example, you may
need to turn the steering wheel slightly
when you insert the remote control to allow
the steering wheel lock to unlock. If you do
not succeed on first attempt you must
remove the remote control before trying
again. Turn the steering wheel and insert
the remote control into the ignition switch.
If the steering wheel lock does not disen-
gage it will not be possible to turn the remote
control in the ignition switch.
The following message is shown on the SID:If a fault arises affecting the steering wheel
lock, the following message will be
displayed on the SID:
If the steering wheel lock malfunctions while
the remote control is in the ignition switch,
this may prevent the removal of the remote
control or prevent the car from being
restarted once the engine has been
switched off.
If you have to leave the car, lock the car by
pressing down the lock buttons on the
doors. Lock the front left door from outside
with the traditional key (see page 50). The
car is now locked but the alarm is inactive.
Pull out key, turn
steering wheel. Restart.
Steering lock malfunc.
Make a safe stop.
93_US_MY09.book Page 151 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

152 Starting and drivingStarting the engine
Starting the engineAvoid racing the engine or loading it heavily
before it has warmed up. Do not drive away
before the warning and indicator lights have
gone out.
The engine has an automatic choke and
should be started as follows:
Cars with manual transmission
To start the engine the clutch pedal must
be fully depressed.
1 Make sure the parking brake is applied.
2 Depress the clutch pedal but do not
touch the accelerator.
3 Start the engine. Let the ignition switch
spring back as soon as the engine has
started and is running smoothly.
Allow the engine to idle for about
10 seconds. Do not apply full throttle for at
least 3 minutes after starting.Cars with automatic transmission
The selector lever must be in the P or N
position.
1 The selector lever must be in the P or N
position.
2 Keep your foot on the brake pedal.
Note! Once the engine has started, the
brake pedal will sink. This is perfectly
normal.
3 Start the engine. Let the ignition switch
spring back as soon as the engine has
started and is running smoothly.
Allow the engine to idle for about
10 seconds. Do not apply full throttle for at
least 3 minutes after starting.
WARNING
 When starting the engine:
– Sit down in the driver’s seat.
– Depress the clutch pedal fully (M/T). If
the gear lever is not in the neutral posi-
tion, the clutch pedal must be fully
depressed or the car will jump for-
wards or backwards, which may
cause a crash.
– Never start the car from outside the
vehicle, e.g. through a window that is
down. This could lead to serious per-
sonal injury.
 Cars with automatic transmission:
select position P to remove the ignition
key. The key can only be removed in
this gear position.
 Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless,
odorless, poisonous gas. Be alert to
the danger of CO – always open the
garage doors before starting the
engine in the garage.
 Do not rest or sleep in the car when
parked with the engine running. There
is a risk of depressing the accelerator
which could lead to engine damage.
 There is also a danger of CO poison-
ing if the exhaust system is leaking.93_US_MY09.book Page 152 Tuesday, April 15, 2008 10:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com