ignition SAAB 9-5 2000 User Guide

47 Instruments and controls
Warning, charging
This light will come on together with if
the battery is not charging. If it comes on
while you are driving, stop the car as soon
as possible and switch off the engine.
Check the alternator drive belt (see page
179). 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.
Brake warning light
This light will come on together with if
there is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir (see pages 175 / 176).
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 48).
Parking brake warning
light
This light will show when the parking brake
is on (see page 162).
If the car is driven with the parking brake still
on, will also come on and a chime will
sound.
The parking brake is mechanical and oper-
ates on the rear wheels.
WARNING
Never drive the car when these warning
lights are on. Danger of brake failure!
Have the brake system checked by an
authorized Saab dealer.
WARNING
 Always apply the parking brake when
parking.
 Always apply the parking brake before
removing the ignition key.
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48 Instruments and controls

Anti-lock brake warning
This light together with and indi-
cates that a fault has occurred in the ABS
system. Conventional braking without the
ABS function will still be available.
For safety reasons, stop the car and check
the level of the brake fluid (see page 175).
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.

Airbag warning light
This light together with will come on if
a potentially serious fault has occurred in
the airbag system.
The light will come on for about three sec-
onds when the ignition switch is turned to
the Start or Drive position. It should go out
after the engine has started.
CHECK message indicator
This light indicates that there is a message
in the SID. A chime will also sound
(see page 58).
Central warning light
This light will come on and a chime will
sound if a fault has been detected in any
system that is critical to safety. Any of the
following can activate the central warning
light and alarm:
 Airbag system.
 Low oil pressure in engine.
 Parking brake is on (when car is moving).
 Brake fluid level low.
 Fault detected in ABS system.
 Engine overheating.
 Alternator not charging properly.
The symbol and audible alarm are also acti-
vated if the ignition key is turned to the ON
position and the engine is not started within
10 seconds.
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.
WARNING
 If the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle, it means
the airbag system may not be working
properly.
 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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49 Instruments and controls

Engine malfunction
This light indicates a malfunction in the
fuel-injection or ignition system. The car
may still be driven with care and with some-
what diminished performance (see page
132).
Indicator, fuel
This light comes on when there is less than
about 2.5 gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the
tank.
Indicator, cruise control
This light shows when the cruise-control
system is active (see page 145).
Indicator, high beam
This light shows when the headlights are on
high beam (see page 61).
Indicator, rear fog light
This light shows when the rear fog light is on
(see page 62).
The rear fog light is switched off automat-
ically 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
should not be mistaken for rear light.
Indicator, open door
If a door has not been closed properly, the
pictogram will indicate the door concerned
(or tailgate).
WARNING
An illuminated “Engine malfunction” indi-
cator light indicates a serious
engine-related problem. While your car
may be able to be driven with the “Engine
malfunction” indicator light illuminated
(Limp-home mode), you are advised to
have your car serviced at a qualified facil-
ity as soon as possible.
Continued driving without this problem
being corrected might cause serious fur-
ther damage to your car and create
unsafe driving conditions. The operator
should be prepared to take action if such
unsafe conditions arise (e.g., apply the
brakes, disengage transmission, turn off
the ignition etc.).
NOTEIf the car runs out of fuel, air can have
been drawn in with the fuel, which, in turn,
can cause the catalytic converter to be
damaged by overheating.
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50 Instruments and controls
Indicator, SPORT-mode
This light will come on in cars with automatic
transmission when the S (SPORT) button
on the selector lever has been pressed
(position D, 3, 2 or 1) see page 144.
In this mode, the gear changes occur later,
at higher engine revs, giving the engine and
transmission a sportier feel.
To cancel the SPORT mode, press the S
button on the selector lever again. The
mode is also deselected automatically
when the selector lever is moved to P or R.
Indicator, WINTER-mode
This light shows when the WINTER mode
has been selected in cars with automatic
transmission (see page 144).
In the WINTER mode, the car pulls away in
3rd gear, to help prevent wheelspin on an
icy road.
To cancel the WINTER mode, press the W
button.
Fault indicator, automatic
transmission
On a car with an automatic transmission,
this warning symbol is illuminated if a fault
has been detected in the transmission.
Switch the ignition off and on again to check
if the fault persists.
Even if the fault persists, it is still possible to
drive the car (see page 140).
Have the automatic transmission checked
by an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible. NOTEIf the control module has actuated the
Limp-home function for the automatic
transmission, the car will remain in 4th
gear when D is selected, making it very
sluggish. To overcome this, move the
selector lever to position 2.
When the indicator light is on, the car
must not be driven with a trailer attached.
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52 Instruments and controlsAutochecking of lights,
main instrument panel The above warning and indicator lights
should come on when the ignition is
switched on prior to starting. They should go
out after about 3 seconds.
The following lights light up until the engine
is started, presuming that no fault exists:
 Central warning light .
 Oil pressure warning light .
 Warning, charging .
InstrumentsTachometerThe tachometer indicates the engine speed
in thousands of revolutions per minute. The
needle may be allowed to enter the broken
red zone on the dial only for an instant.
A safety cut-out function (in the fuel system)
prevents the engine speed exceeding
approximately 6,200 rpm.
Odometer and trip meter The odometer records the distance trav-
elled in miles on U.S. vehicles and on Cana-
dian vehicles the distance indicated is in
kilometres, and the trip meter in miles and
tenths (kilometres and tenths of kilometres
on Canadian vehicles). Reset button The reset button has two functions, deter-
mined by whether the ignition is ON or OFF.
 When the ignition is ON, the button will
reset the trip meter.
 When the ignition is OFF, the button will
bring up the display for 20 seconds to
allow the odometer and trip-meter read-
ings to be viewed.
IB1279
IB340
IB341
1 Cars with automatic transmission
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58 Instruments and controlsResetting values
To reset the values, press CLEAR for at
least four seconds.
The following functions will be reset
simultaneously:
 Estimated range on remaining fuel
(function based on a fuel consumption of
28 mpg).
 Average fuel consumption.
 Average speed.
 Arrival time (function based on current
speed).
Programmed values for DIST, ALARM and
SPD W will not be reset (see the respective
function).
CHECK messages When the engine is started, CHECKING will
appear on the display for about four sec-
onds, while the SID checks are being per-
formed.
When a CHECK message is generated
while the car is being driven, a chime will
sound, INFO DISPL will come on on the
main instrument panel, and the message
will appear on the SID. The number of mes-
sages that can be displayed by the SID
varies with the specification of the car.
If more than one CHECK message has
been generated, the
+ symbol will appear to
the left of the text on the display. The mes-
sages appear in order of priority.
If a new fault occurs while another message
is being displayed, the message relating to
the new one will appear for 10 seconds,
after which the display will return to the ear-
lier one.
Press CLEAR once to acknowledge a mes-
sage, whereupon it will be cleared from the
display. It will not be displayed again before
the ignition has been switched off and then
on again. The following messages may be displayed:
Message See
page
FRONT LIGHT FAILURE 182
REAR LIGHT FAILURE 185
FOG LIGHT FAILURE 186
BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE 185
TEST BRAKE LIGHTS
1)
185
WASHER FLUID LEVEL LOW 181
FILL COOLANT FLUID 174
REPLACE KEY BATTERY 35
KEY NOT ACCEPTED 42
SERVICE THEFT ALARM 42
TRANSMISSION OVERHEAT-
ING 141
TIGHTEN FUEL FILLER CAP 134
TIME FOR SERVICE
2)
218
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61 Instruments and controls
Switches
Daytime running lights
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 194).
Note to owners in Canada: Daytime Run-
ning Lights must not be disconnected as
they are a Canadian Federal legal require-
ment.
Parking lights
The parking lights can be switched on
regardless of the position of the ignition
switch.
Note:
The lighting switch must be in parking or
headlight position (low beam position only)
to operate the fog lights (see page 63).
Headlights
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, lift
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 lifted to the first spring-loaded
position (position 1) and remain on until the
stalk is released.
Courtesy Headlamp 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 igni-
tion and remove the key. Then, open the
driver’s door and lift the high/low beam con-
trol stalk fully to its second position. The low
beam headlights will come on after the
driver’s door has been closed and will
remain on for about 30 seconds. The length
of time for this function can be adjusted by
your authorized Saab dealer.
IB349
1
2
1 High beam signal
2 High/low beam switching
IB350
Light switches
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63 Instruments and controls
Front fog lightsThe front fog lights can be activated in both
dimmed headlamp and parking light posi-
tions. Fog lights should only be used in poor
visibility conditions.
Make sure you are familiar with the appli-
cable provincial/state law regarding the
use of fog lights. Reversing lightsThe reversing lights come on automatically
when reverse gear is engaged or selected
with the ignition switched on.
Hazard warning lightsWhen this button is pressed, all the turn
signal indicators and a symbol in the button
flash simultaneously. If the ignition is on,
both indicator lights on the instrument panel
will also flash.
If the hazard warning lights are left on for
some time, the flasher frequency will be
reduced to save the battery.
Hazard warning lights should only be used
if the car constitutes a hazard to other road
users.

WARNING
Switch on the hazard flashers if the car
has to be left at the roadside on account
of an accident, engine trouble or a punc-
ture. If you carry a warning triangle or
flares, they should be set up along side of
the road 300 ft. (100 m) behind your vehi-
cle. If the car is not clearly visible (e.g.
over the brow of a hill or bridge), place the
triangle/flare even further back.
IB355
IB356
Hazard warning lights
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64 Instruments and controlsInterior lighting The interior lighting consists of one dome
light in the front and one in the back, a
map-reading light in the front, two reading
lights in the back, floor courtesy lights in the
front (in some model variants) and door
courtesy lights on all doors.
The courtesy lights come on automatically
when the respective door is opened. Each
reading light has its own switch adjacent to
the lamp.
The switch for the dome lights is on the front
overhead panel. When the switch is in the
mid-position (door-activated), the interior
lighting will come on:  When the car is unlocked from the out-
side.
 When any door is opened.
 When the ignition key is withdrawn from
the switch.
When the switch on the overhead panel is in
the mid-position, the lighting is switched off
automatically 30 seconds after the last door
has been closed or when the ignition is
switched ON.
There is also a light in the sun visors. The
light comes on when the cover over the
vanity mirror is opened.
When the ignition is OFF, if a door has been
left open for 20 minutes, the interior lighting
will be switched off automatically to save the
battery.
Luggage-compartment lightingThe luggage-compartment lighting comes
on automatically when the trunk is opened
and goes out when the trunk is closed.
The lighting will also be switched off auto-
matically after 20 minutes if the trunk has
been left open.
123
IB357
1 Interior lighting on continuously
2 Lighting comes on when a door is opened
3 Lighting always off
1
2
1
IB358
1 Reading lights
2 Dome light
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71 Instruments and controls
The rear-window and door-mirror heating is
controlled manually. Switch off the heating as soon as the rear window
is clear, to avoid imposing a heavy load on the bat-
tery longer than necessary. Note, however, that the
heating will go off automatically after 5-10 minutes
(depending on the outdoor temperature) or sooner
if the voltage in the electrical system falls below
10 V
.
The ACC system can be programmed to switch on
the heating automatically when the outdoor temper-
ature is below 41°F (+5°C) and the temperature
inside the car is below 50°F (+10°C) (see ”Program-
ming I and II”, on pages 73 and 74).
Recirculation is selected automatically for effective
cooling, but it can also be switched on/off manually.
Although recirculation does not substantially affect
the air quality, it is useful to prevent unpleasant
smells or fumes being drawn into the car from
outside.
IB373IB374
To increase the fan speed in steps.
If, after being off, the ignition is switched on but the
engine is not started, the fan will run at low speed
until the engine is running.
To decrease the fan speed in steps.
If the fan is set to 0, the A/C compressor will cut out
and ECON will appear on the display.
If, after being off, the ignition is switched on but the
engine is not started, the fan will run at low speed
until the engine is running.
IB375IB376
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