belt SAAB 9-3 2009 Owner's Guide

46 Safetysnow drift or a hedge) or a solid object at a
low impact speed, the airbag will not neces-
sarily be triggered.
How loud is the inflation?
The noise of the inflation is certainly loud,
but it is of an very short duration and will not
damage your hearing. For a short time after-
wards you could experience a buzzing
noise in your ears.
Most people who have experienced it
cannot remember the noise of the inflation
at all – all they remember is the noise of the
crash.
Can you still use a child seat in the front if a
passenger airbag is installed?
Definitely not!
Children 12 and under or shorter than
55 inches (140 cm) can be killed by the air-
bag.
The back seat is the safest place for chil-
dren.
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the
front.
Sit as far back as possible from the airbag.
Always use seat belts and child restraints.What should I do if the AIR-BAG warning
light comes on?
If the warning light is on, it means that a fault
has been detected in the system. The
airbag cannot be relied on to operate as
intended and it might even be activated
erroneously. You should therefore take the
car to a workshop. We recommend that you
contact a Saab dealer as soon as possible.
Are the dust and fumes given off when the
airbag operates at all harmful?
Most people who have remained in a car
with little or no ventilation for several min-
utes complained only of minor irritation of
the throat and eyes. Avoid as much as pos-
sible getting dust on your skin as there is a
risk of skin irritation.
If you suffer from asthma, the incident may
bring on an attack, in which case you should
follow the normal procedure advised by
your doctor. It is advisable to consult a
doctor afterwards.
Adding Equipment to Your
Airbag-Equipped VehicleIs there anything I might add to the front or
sides of the vehicle that could keep the air-
bags from working properly?
Yes. If you add things that change your vehi-
cle’s frame, bumper system, front end or
side sheet metal or height, they may keep
the airbag system from working properly.
Also, the airbag system may not work prop-
erly if you relocate any of the airbag sen-
sors. If you have any questions about this,
you should contact Saab Customer Assis-
tance before you modify your vehicle. The
phone numbers and addresses for Cus-
tomer Assistance can be found on page
280.
Because I have a disability, I have to get my
vehicle modified. How can I find out whether
this will affect my advanced airbag system?
Changing or moving any parts of the front
seats, safety belts, the airbag sensing and
diagnostic module or the inside rearview
mirror can affect the operation of the
advanced airbag system. If you have ques-
tions, call Customer Assistance. The phone
numbers and addresses for Customer
Assistance can be found on page 280.
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61 9-3 Convertible
Advice on soft top
operation ___________ 62
Operating the soft top __ 63
Raising the soft top
manually ___________ 68
SID warnings and
messages __________ 71
"Easy entry" __________ 73 Head restraints ________ 74
Safety belts, rear seat,
Convertible __________ 75
Rollover Pop-up Bars ___ 76
Electric windows _______ 77
Interior lighting ________ 79
Unlocking the trunk lid
manually ____________ 80
9-3 Convertible
3Asterisk means: equipment not fitted in all cars
(can depend on model variant, engine variant,
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73 9-3 Convertible
"Easy entry"To facilitate getting in and out of the rear
seat, the front seats can be slid forward.
Manually adjusted passenger seats3
1 Raise the handle by the head restraint
on the seat.
2 Tip the backrest and slide the seat
forward.
Repositioning
1 Tip back the backrest.
2 Slide the seat back to the desired
position.
Make sure the backrest and seat are prop-
erly locked in position. Correct locking is
indicated by a clear clicking noise.Electrically adjustable front seats3
1 Raise the handle by the head restraint
on the seat.
2 Tip the backrest forward.
3 The seat now moves to its foremost
position.
Repositioning
1 Tip the backrest back to its normal
position.
2 Raise and hold the handle while the seat
is moved back. Release the handle
when the seat has been moved to the
WARNING
Always check that the backrest locks
properly when returned to normal
position.
 Check that the fore-and-aft position of
the seat is properly locked. The back-
rest and the entire belt-in seat must be
locked in position; otherwise the occu-
pant of the seat is at risk of injury
during braking or in the event of a
crash, especially if a rear-facing child
seat is fitted behind the backrest.
"Easy entry" function. Illustration shows an electrically adjustable seat3
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75 9-3 Convertible
The rear head restraints can be fully
lowered to improve rearward vision when
the rear seats are unoccupied.
Safety belts, rear seat,
ConvertibleThe two rear seats have three-point safety
belts with inertia reels.
Fasten the belt by pulling the belt and insert-
ing the tongue in the buckle. Check that it is
securely fastened.
Position the lap part low across the hips.
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.
Refer to page 266 for how to check the func-
tion of the safety belts, cleaning, etc.For how to secure loads on the rear seat,
refer to page 17.
WARNING
 If cargo has to be placed on a seat, it
must be properly secured with the
safety belt. This reduces the risk of the
cargo being thrown about during hard
braking or a crash, which could cause
personal injury.
 Check that the belt is not twisted or
lying against sharp edges.
 Make sure you use the correct safety
belt buckle.
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76 9-3 Convertible
Rollover Pop-up BarsThe Rollover Pop Up Bars, which are
located behind each rear seat head
restraint, are designed to deploy in the
event of a crash or rollover.
WARNING
You can be severely injured or killed in a
crash if you are not wearing your safety
belt - even if you have airbags and Roll-
over Pop Up Bars. Wearing your safety
belt during a crash helps reduce your
chance of hitting things inside the vehicle
or being ejected from it.
 The Rollover Pop Up Bars have pow-
erful springs that rapidly extend the
bars in rollover crashes, as well as in
moderate to severe crashes in which
the airbags deploy. Rollover Pop Up
Bars are supplemental to the safety
belts. They are designed to work with
safety belts but do not replace them.
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83 Instruments and controls
This light comes on when the battery is not
being charged by the alternator. If the light
comes on during driving, stop as soon as
possible and switch off the engine.
The following message is shown on the
Saab Information Display (SID):
Check the drive belt, see page 215.
The light illuminates if the tire pressure in
one or more tires is too low or if a fault has
arisen in the system, see page 253.
Below is an example of the message simul-
taneously shown on the SID:This light will come on if the engine oil pres-
sure is too low. If the warning light flashes or
comes on while you are driving, stop imme-
diately in a safe place, switch off the engine
and check the oil level (see page 208).
The following message is shown on the
Saab Information Display (SID):
This light indicates a malfunction in the fuel
or ignition system.
Did you recently put fuel into your vehicle?
If so, reinstall the fuel cap, making sure to
fully install the cap. See Fuel cap on
page 157. The diagnostic system can deter-
mine if the fuel cap has been left off or
improperly installed. A loose or missing fuel
Charge warning lightBattery not charging.
Make a safe stop.Warning, tire pressureTire pressure low,
rear left. Check tires.
Warning, oil pressure
(engine oil)
NOTICE
Never drive the car when the oil pressure
warning lamp is on. Low oil pressure can
cause serious engine damage.
Oil pressure low.
Make a safe stop.
Service Engine Light also
known as CHECK ENGINE
WARNING
An illuminated Service Engine Light also
known as CHECK ENGINE indicator light
indicates an engine-related problem.
While your car may be able to be driven
with the “Service Engine Light also known
as CHECK ENGINE” indicator light illumi-
nated (limp-home mode), you are
advised to have your car serviced at an
authorized Saab dealer as soon as possi-
ble.
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. brake
smoothly, engage neutral, stop in a suita-
ble place, switch off the engine, etc.)
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85 Instruments and controls
The brake system provides Electronic
Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). This distrib-
utes the brake pressure between the front
and rear wheels, in such a way as to achieve
optimum braking performance irrespective
of the car’s load.
If a fault arises in the EBD function, the ,
and lights will come on. Also, the
following message will appear on the Saab
Information Display (SID):
If this is the case, drive carefully and contact
a workshop as soon as possible. We recom-
mend that you contact a Saab dealer. Refer
to Brake warning light on page 84, Antilock
braking warning on page 82 and ESP
® OFF
indicator on page 86.
This light reminds the driver to buckle up,
see page 12.This light comes on when the parking brake
is applied (see page 177).
The parking brake is mechanical and oper-
ates on the rear wheels.
If the parking brake is applied when the car
starts off, the following message will appear
on the Saab Information Display (SID):
This light comes on if a potentially serious
fault has occurred in the airbag system, see
also page 32.The following message is shown on the
Saab Information Display (SID):
This light will come on for about four sec-
onds when the ignition switch is turned to
the Start or Drive position. Brake malfunction.
Make a safe stop.
Safety belt reminder
Parking brake warning
lightRelease park brake.
WARNING
Always apply the parking brake when
parking, see page 177.
Always apply the parking brake
before removing the remote control.
Do not apply the parking brake while
the car is moving.
Airbag warning light
Airbag malfunction.
Contact service.
WARNING
 If the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle, it means
the airbag system may not be working
properly. One or more of the following
conditions may occur:
– Non-deployment of the airbags in the
event of a crash.
– Deployment of the airbags without a
crash.
– Deployment of the airbags in crashes
less severe than intended.
 To help avoid injury to yourself or oth-
ers, have your vehicle serviced right
away if the airbag readiness light stays
on after you start your vehicle.
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136 Interior equipmentTrunkFolding down the rear seat, SportSedanConvertible: The rear seat cannot be folded.
WARNING
 Never drive the car if the backrest is not correctly locked into
position as this increases the risk of personal injury in the
event of heavy braking or a crash.
 Never leave a child or animal unattended in the car. During
sunny weather the temperature in the passenger and trunk
can climb to 160–180 °F (70–80 °C). Small children are very
susceptible to heat stroke.
 Keep hands well clear of all moving parts.
 Never place heavy objects on the parcel shelf. There is always
a danger of loose objects being thrown forward and causing
injury if the car should brake suddenly or be involved in a
crash. See also page 192.
 When folding the backrest back upright, make sure that it is
locked correctly on both sides. This is imperative since the
center safety belt is mounted in the backrest.
 When folding the backrest back upright, make sure that it is
locked correctly on both sides. This is imperative since other-
wise objects in the trunk could force their way into the cabin
during heavy breaking or a crash.
 Adjust the head restraints for the rear seats to be occupied to
a suitable height before riding in the car.
The tail pipe of the exhaust system can become very hot during
driving. Bear in mind when loading and unloading the cat so that
children, for example, do not burn themselves.
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137 Interior equipment
For greater flexibility, the rear seat is split so that the narrow and
the wide part can be folded down separately.
Next to the hinges in the trunk are handles for unlocking the rear seat
backrests.
The operation is easier if the front seats are not too far back and
the rear seat head restraints are fully lowered.
1 Unlock the backrest by pulling the appropriate handle in the
trunk.
2 Fold the backrest forward.
Note: When returning the backrest to its upright position, make
sure that it locks properly in place and that the safety belt does
not get caught.
If the left-hand backrest is not properly locked in position, the follow-
ing message is displayed on the SID (equivalent message displayed
for right-hand backrest):
Trunk Release Handle, see page 139.
Emergency opening of the narrow backrest, SportSedan, see
page 140.Rear left seat
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138 Interior equipmentLoad-through hatch, SportSedanConvertible: There is no load-through hatch.
A 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.
There is a lock on the rear side of the hatch. Use this to lock or unlock
the hatch.
To lock: Open the hatch and lock the lock. Close the hatch. The
hatch is now locked.
To unlock: Fold down the wide section of the backrest and unlock
the lock. Alternatively, you can unlock the hatch from the trunk.
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
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