2007 Saab 9-3 Owner's Manual - Page 164

164 Starting and driving Adaptive gear change patterns The adaptive gear change pattern function adapts gear changing to the prevailing driving conditions. The transmission control module senses the engine load, vehicle speed and temperature of the transmission. A suitable gear change pattern is then selected automatically to avoid unnecessary gear changes and undesired increases in transmission temperature. Certain variants use a special change pattern for the first few minutes after a cold start so that the catalytic converter reaches its working temperature more quickly. Thermal transmission protection The transmission has built-in protection against overheating. If the temperature of the transmission fluid exceeds 302°F (150°C), engine torque will be limited to 147 ft.lbs. (200 Nm). The following message is shown on the SID: Gearbox too hot. Make a safe stop. Open hood. If this message appears, stop the car as soon as it is safe to do so and allow the engine to idle until the message has gone out. The selector lever should be in position P. Selector lever detent Park Brake Shift Lock The transmission has a security function known as Park Brake Shift Lock. To move the gear selector lever out of the P or N position, the gear selector lever detent (catch) must be pressed in at the same time as the brake pedal is held depressed. The detent button on the selector lever has to be pressed in before the lever can be moved between certain positions. Temporary override of Park Brake Shift Lock, see page 166. Lock-up The transmission's torque converter has a lock-up function. This can lock the torque converter, thus reducing the engine speed and fuel consumption. Kick-down When the accelerator is pressed down fully, a down change is made to optimize acceleration, e.g. for overtaking. Following this, the next higher gear will be selected at the optimum engine speed, unless you ease off the accelerator before reaching this.