height SAAB 9-3 2009 Owners Manual

14 SafetyFront safety beltsFasten 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.
The front safety belts have their lower
anchorage points on the seats. The safety
belts follow the seats when the legroom is
adjusted.
Refer to page 266 for how to check the func-
tion of the safety belts, cleaning, etc.
Belt height adjustment,
SportSedan and SportCombiThe belt guide on the door pillar for the front
safety belts can be set at different heights.
The front belt guide in the Convertible is not
adjustable due to the belt being incorpo-
rated into the seat.
To fasten the belt Press the red button to release the belt
The belt guide on door pillar, SportSedan
and SportCombi
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18 SafetySeatsManually adjusted front seats3The following front seat adjustments can be
made to achieve a comfortable driving
position:
Height3
Legroom
 Backrest rake angle
Lumbar support firmness3
 Head restraint heightWe recommend that adjustments to the
driver’s seat be performed in the following
order:
1 Height
2 Legroom
3 Backrest rake angle
4 Head restraint height
Lastly, adjust the position of the steering
wheel (see page 118).
Electrically adjustable front seats3
See page 20.
Electric heating, front seats3
See pages 114.
Height adjustment3Lift the lever to raise the seat. The lever is
spring-loaded to return to its neutral posi-
tion. Repeated lifting of the lever will
increase the height in steps.
Press down the lever to lower the seat.
Repeated downward presses of the lever
will lower the seat in steps.
WARNING
Never adjust the driver’s seat except
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20 SafetyElectrically adjustable front
seats3With the doors closed the seats can only be
adjusted when the ignition is ON.
However, there are two exceptions:
 To facilitate getting into the car, both seats
can be adjusted when either of the front
doors is open.
 The seats can be adjusted up to
2 minutes after both doors have been
closed (applicable only to cars without
window and sunroof pinch protection).
Height adjustment and seat
angleAdjust the height of the seat with the rear
section of the front lever.
Adjust the angle of the seat with the front
section of the front lever.
Legroom adjustmentAdjust the legroom with the front lever.
WARNING
 The seats are actuated by powerful
motors. Bear this in mind when adjust-
ing the seat, and make sure that noth-
ing gets caught and damaged. Ensure
that nothing can be trapped behind the
seat when adjusting it.
 Bear in mind that children can be
injured if they play with the electri-
cally-operated seats.
Always remove the remote control
when you leave the car to prevent per-
sonal injury caused by the electrically
adjustable seats, for example, due to
children playing. Electrically adjust-
able front seats with memory function,
see page 21.
Adjusting the height and angle Adjusting the legroom
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23 Safety
Head restraintsSportSedan and SportCombi
Head restraint, Convertible, see page 74.
The front seats are equipped with Saab
Active Head Restraints (SAHRs). These are
designed to reduce the risk of neck injury if
the car is hit from behind.
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.
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.
Therefore, the SAHR does not normally
need to be replaced or repaired after a
rear-end crash.The front and rear head restraints can be
raised and lowered to a number of positions.
 Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
 Lowering the front head restraints: press
in the left catch and press the head
restraint down. Lowering the rear head restraints: press
the head restraint forward and downward.
The rear head restraints can be fully low-
ered to improve rearward vision when the
rear seats are unoccupied.
WARNING
 Adjust the head restraint so that the
head is optimally supported and the
center of the head restraint is at ear
height, thus reducing the likelihood of
neck injury in a crash.
 Raise the head restraints in the seats
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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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64 9-3 ConvertibleOpeningThe following conditions must be fulfilled for
the soft top to be folded:
 Vehicle speed must not exceed 20 mph
(30 km/h).
 Battery voltage must exceed 10 V.
 Outside temperature must exceed 23 °F
(–5 °C).
 The trunk lid must be locked.
 There must be sufficient space in the
trunk for the soft top.
1 Start the engine and let it idle. Clearance
for soft top operation: height, min. 7.2 ft
(2.2 m); behind car, min. 2" (5 cm).2 Press and hold the soft top button until
the soft top is fully folded and the soft top
cover raised. Completed folding is indi-
cated by a chime. If there is a malfunc-
tion a text message will be shown on the
SID. Refer to page 71.
Do not press any of the buttons on the
same section of the instrument panel as
the soft top switch while folding the soft
top. This will cause the soft top to stop
and then sink after about 20 seconds.
Remote opening3
You can fold the soft top when outside the
car by pressing and holding the
(unlock) button on the remote control. See
also page 119.
Folding
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66 9-3 ConvertibleRaisingThe following conditions must be fulfilled for
raising the soft top:
 Vehicle speed must not exceed
20 mph (30 km/h).
 Battery voltage must exceed 10 V.
 The trunk lid must be locked.
1 Start the engine and let it idle. Clearance
for soft top operation: height, min. 7.2 ft
(2.2 m); behind car, min. 2" (5 cm).2 Press and hold the soft top button until
the soft top is fully raised and the soft top
cover closed. Completed raising is indi-
cated by a chime. If there is a malfunc-
tion a text message will be shown on the
SID. Refer to page 71.
Do not press any of the buttons on the
same section of the instrument panel as
the soft top switch while raising the soft
top. This will cause the soft top to stop
and then sink after about 20 seconds.
Check that the hooks in the soft top hold it
securely to the upper edge of the wind-
shield.
Raising
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74 9-3 Convertible
required position. Correct locking is indi-
cated by a clear clicking noise.
Repositioning (seats without memory)
1 Tip the backrest back but not to its
normal position.
2 Raise and hold the handle until the seat
has returned to its previous position.
3 Release the handle and move the back-
rest to locked position. Correct locking is
indicated by a clear clicking noise.
Head restraintsThe front seats are equipped with Saab
Active Head Restraints (SAHRs). These are
designed to reduce the risk of neck injury if
the car is hit from behind.
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.
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 front head restraints can be raised and
lowered to a number of positions, the rear
has two positions.
 Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
 Lowering the front head restraints: press
in the left catch and press the head
restraint down.
WARNING
 Adjust the head restraint so that the
head is optimally supported and the
center of the head restraint is at ear
height, thus reducing the likelihood of
neck injury in a crash.
 Raise the head restraints in the seats
that are occupied.
Front head restraint
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118 Interior equipmentSteering wheel
adjustmentThe height and reach of the steering wheel
can be adjusted.
There is a release lever under the steering
column.
1 Pull down the lever to release the steer-
ing wheel.
2 Adjust the position of the steering wheel.
3 Raise the lever to the locked position to
lock the steering wheel in position.
When returning the release lever to its
locked position, you may need to adjust the
position of the steering wheel slightly to
allow the lock mechanism to engage cor-
rectly.
Steering wheel lock, see page 151.
Horn signalActivate the horn by pressing one of the
three areas shown above on the steering
wheel pad.
WARNING
Only adjust the steering wheel while the
car is stationary so that you are not dis-
tracted from the traffic.
Lever for steering wheel adjustment
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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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