SAAB 9-3 2002 User Guide

11
SafetySafety belts ...................... 12
Head restraint .................. 18
Child safety...................... 19
Airbag (Supplemental
Restraint System "SRS") 28
IB1885
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12 SafetySafety belts Three-point inertia-reel safety belts are pro-
vided for all seats. The results of studies show that it is equally
important to wear safety belts in the rear
seat as in the front seats.
Safety-belt reminder When the ignition is switched on, the ”fasten
belts” reminder will light up until the driver
fastens the safety belt. In addition an audi-
ble signal sounds for 6 seconds, or until the
driver fastens his belt.
WARNING
Safety belts must be worn at all times by
all car occupants. Child safety, see page
19.
Check that the locking tongue is properly
locked in the belt lock.
WARNING
In the event of a crash, the rear-seat pas-
sengers can be thrown forward against
the front seat backrests, imposing much
higher stresses on the front seat passen-
gers and belts and resulting in needless
injury to everyone in the car.
WARNING
For safety reasons, you should adjust
safety belts only while the car is station-
ary.
FASTEN BELTS
IB1302
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13 Safety
Safety-belt pretensionersThe belts of the front seats are fitted with
automatic pretensioners, which are acti-
vated in the event of a severe frontal crash
or very violent rear-end crash. They serve to
reduce the forward movement of the body
by tensioning the belt.
The belt pretensioners do not activate in
less violent frontal or rear-end crashes.
Correct position for safety belt  The lap part of the belt should be pulled
as tightly as comfortable and as low as
possible across the hips, so that it is just
touching the top of the thighs. The shoul-
der belt should be well in on the shoulder
but not touching the neck.
 Check to ensure that the belt is not twisted
or rubbing against any sharp edges.
 There should not be any slack in the belt.
Pull the belt tight – particularly important
when thick outer clothing is worn. Refrain from tilting the backrest more than
necessary, as the safety belt provides
better protection when the seat is in the
more upright position.
 Only one person per safety belt!
 For most of the time a safety belt is worn,
the retractor will allow the wearer freedom
of movement. The retractor locks up auto-
matically if the belt is jerked or withdrawn
sharply, the car tilts, the brakes are
applied hard or a crash occurs.
WARNING
If the car is involved in a crash, the safety
belts, belt pretensioners and other com-
ponents must be inspected by an autho-
rized Saab dealer and replaced as neces-
sary.
Never make any alterations or repairs to
the safety belt yourself but visit an author-
ized Saab dealer.
WARNING
Proper positioning of the safety belt is
extremely important. An out of position
safety belt can result in the wearer sliding
underneath the belt in a crash (submarin-
ing) and injury can result from the lap por-
tion cutting into the abdomen.
WARNING
If two people share a belt, they risk injury
by being crushed together in the event of
a crash.
IB816
Correctly positioned safety belt.
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14 Safety Children who have grown out of a child
seat should be restrained by the car’s
standard three-point belts. Make sure that
the shoulder belt is not in contact with the
neck or throat. If it is, a booster seat/cush-
ion may be necessary.
Front seat belts Fasten the belt by pulling the belt and insert-
ing the tongue in the buckle. Check that it is
securely fastened.
Because the lower belt-anchorage points
are on the seat (9-3 5-door), the belt buckle
follows the movement of the seat during
seat adjustment. In the 9-3 Coupé and
9-3 Convertible, the lower outer anchorage
point is in the rear of the sill, which makes it
all the more important that the lap strap is
not slack during use.
Grasp the shoulder belt close to the buckle
and pull the belt towards the shoulder to
tighten the lap belt part.
The belt must be as far in on the shoulder as
possible.To release the belt, press the red button on
the belt buckle, as illustrated.
See page 218 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning etc.
WARNING
Never fasten the safety belt with the
shoulder belt behind the body or pull the
belt off the shoulder and under the arm.
IB1304
To fasten the belt
IB1305
Press the red button to release the belt.
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15 Safety
Belt height adjustmentThe belt guide on the door pillar can be set
to five different heights.
Set the guide as high as possible without
causing the belt to chafe against the throat.
In the case of a short person the guide can
be lowered until the belt comes about an
inch (a few centimetres) from the throat but
still provides safe restraint.
Raise the belt guide by pushing it upwards
to the desired position. To lower it, the
release button must first be depressed.
Check that it has engaged in its new position
by pulling up and down.
Safety belt use during pregnancyPregnant women must always wear a
safety belt to protect both themselves and
the unborn child.
The lap belt should be placed low, across
the hips and over the upper thighs.
IB818
The belt guide on the door pillar
IB819
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16 SafetySafety belts, rear seat Three-point safety belts are provided for all
three rear-seat passengers (2 for Convert-
ible models).
Fasten the belts by pulling the belt across
you and inserting the tongue into 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.
The belt must be as far in on the shoulder as
possible.
Press the red button on the belt buckle to
release the belt.
See page 142 for securing of load.
See page 218 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning etc.
WARNING
 Make sure that the belt does not
become trapped when the backrest is
folded down or raised (see page 138).
 If you must carry an item of luggage on
a seat, ensure that it is held securely
by the safety belt. This will reduce the
risk of injury by flying objects in the
event of a crash.
 Check that the belt is not twisted or
lying against sharp edges.
IB960
Safety belts, rear seat (the central head restraint is an accessory)
IB821
Securing a load on the rear seat
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17 Safety
WARNING
Safety belts are designed to bear upon
the bony structure of the body, and should
be worn low across the front of the pelvis
or the pelvis, chest and shoulders, as
applicable; wearing the lap section of the
belt across the abdominal area must be
avoided.
Safety belts should be adjusted as firmly
as possible, consistent with comfort, to
provide the protection for which they have
been designed. A loose belt will greatly
reduce the protection afforded to the
wearer.
Care should be taken to avoid contamina-
tion of the webbing with polishes, oils and
chemicals, and particularly battery acid.
Cleaning may safely be carried out using
mild soap and water. The belt should be
replaced if webbing becomes frayed,
contaminated or damaged.
It is essential to replace the entire assem-
bly after it has been worn in a severe
impact even if damage to the assembly is
not obvious.
Belts should not be worn with straps
twisted.
Each belt assembly must only be used by
one occupant; it is dangerous to put a belt
around a child being carried on the occu-
pant´s lap.
No modifications or additions should be
made by the user which will either prevent
the safety belt adjusting device from oper-
ating to remove slack, or prevent the
safety belt assembly from being adjusted
to remove slack.
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18 SafetyHead restraintThe front seats in the Saab 9-3 are
equipped with Saab Active Head Restraints
(SAHRs). These reduce the risk of whiplash
injury if the car is hit from behind.
In the event of a rear-end crash, the body is
forced back against the backrest. This, in
turn, causes the mechanism to press the
head restraint forward and upward, thus lim-
iting the backward movement of the head.
The SAHR is a mechanical system, actu-
ated by body weight. The mechanism is built
into the top of the backrest, where it is con-
nected to the head restraint.
Because the SAHR is mechanically oper-
ated, it does not need to be replaced after a
minor rear-end crash.The head restraint can be raised or lowered
and is adjustable in various positions.
 Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
 Lowering: depress the catch on the
left-hand side of the attaching point and
press the head restraint down.
WARNING
Adjust the head restraint so that the head
is well supported and the center of the
head restraint is at ear height, thus reduc-
ing the likelihood of neck injury in a crash.
IB400
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19 Safety
Child safety
Car safety tips Protect your children from getting
trapped in the trunk of a car
For Trunk Release Handle see page 39 and
143.
WARNING
 NEVER put a rear-facing child seat in
the front.
 Children must
always be suitably
restrained in the car.
All child restraints and
booster seats are
designed to be
secured in vehicle
seats by the lap belt of a lap-shoulder
belt or LATCH. If the child restraint is
not properly secured, a child can be
injured in a crash.
 Children 12 and under can be killed by
the airbag.
 According to crash statistics, the
BACK SEAT is SAFER for properly
restrainen children than the front seat.
 Sit as far back as possible from the air
bag.
WARNING
 Never leave your children unattended
in a car, even for a short time.
– Children can suffer heat stroke - per-
haps die - in a matter of minutes.
– Children can put the car into gear and
hurt themselves or others.
 At gas stations, take the keys from the
car while filling the tank.
 Never allow children to climb on top of -
or under motor vehicles.
 Always look for children before backing
your motor vehicle out of a garage or
driveway.
 To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning,
never let a car idle in the garage.
 Supervise young children around buck-
ets of water while washing your car.
Small children can drown in seconds in
less than an inch of water.
WARNING
 Teach your kids not to play in or around
cars.
 Watch your children when loading or
unloading the car so they don´t get
locked in by mistake.
 Always lock the doors and trunk of your
car, and keep the keys out of children´s
sight and reach.
 Keep the rear fold-down seats closed
to help prevent kids from getting into
the trunk from inside the car.
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20 SafetyThe same attention must be given to child
safety in the car as is given to adults.
Saab recommends rearward facing child
restraints for children up to 3 years old.
Children travel most safely when properly
restrained, but restraints must be suitable
for the size of the child. Always follow the
child seat/booster cushion manufacturer´s
instructions when installing these devices in
your vehicle.
Make sure you are acquainted with the
legal requirements for seating children
in the car.
Make sure that it is possible to fit a child
restraint in accordance with the manufac-
turer’s child seat instructions.
When fitting child seats in cars you must
always read the instructions supplied by
the manufacturer.
IB1683
Illustration showing lower attachments (ISOFIX) in the rear seat.
Top tethers are located behind the head restraints, one for each seat position, see page
23 and 24.
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