airbag off SAAB 9-5 2005 Owners Manual

35 Safety
AIRBAG servicingThe airbag must be inspected as part of the
normal service program but otherwise may
be regarded as maintenance-free.Scrapping or working on airbags
and belt pretensioners Frequently asked questions on
function of airbags
Do you still need to wear a
safety b
elt if air-
bags are fitted?
Yes, always! The airbag merely supple-
ments the car’s normal safety system.
Moreover, the airbag will only be actuated in
a moderate to severe frontal, or near-frontal
crash, which means, of course, that it provi-
des no protection in minor frontal crashes,
major rear-end or side-on crashes or if the
car rolls over.
The safety belts help reduce the chance of
the car occupants from being thrown around
and injured or killed inside the car.
But they also ensure that, if a crash occurs
in which the airbags are inflated, the airbag
will make the optimum contact with the
occupant, i.e. square on from the front. If the
occupant meets the airbag in an offset posi-
tion, the protection afforded will be reduced.
In addition, airbags provide no protection
against a secondary impact occurring in the
same incident. So there is no doubt about
the benefit of wearing safety belts at all
times.
Do not sit too close to the airbag: it needs
room to inflate.
The airbag inflates very quickly and power-
fully in order to protect an adult person,
before they are thrown forward, in a serious
frontal crash.
WARNING
 Under no circumstances should any
modifications be made that affect the
steering wheel or the airbag’s electri-
cal circuitry.
 Before starting any welding work on
the car, always disconnect the nega-
tive (–) battery lead and cover the con-
ductor.
 Airbags and belt pretensioners must
be deployed under controlled condi-
tions before the car is scrapped or any
of the system’s components are remo-
ved. Airbags or belt pretensioners that
have been deployed as a result of a
crash must be replaced by new ones.
 Airbag-system components must
never be transferred for use in another
vehicle.
 All work involving the scrapping or
replacement of airbags or belt preten-
sioners must only be carried out by
knowledgeable personnel.
 The headlining and roof pillar trim
must not be modified in any way. Work
on these areas must only be carried
out at a Saab dealer.
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36 SafetyHow do I position the seat to leave room for
the airbag to inflate?Don’t have your seat too far forward.
Recline the seat back to increase the dis-
tance between you and the airbag. For short
drivers, special accessory pedal extensions
are available through your Saab dealer.
Airbags inflate extremely rapidly and with
great force – to be fast enough to protect an
adult in the seat. When do the front airbags inflate? The airbag will only be inflated under certain
predetermined conditions in a moderate to
severe frontal, or near-frontal crash, depen-
ding on such factors as the force and angle
of the impact, the speed of the car on
impact, and the resistance to deformation of
the impacting object.
The airbag can only be activated once in the
same incident.
Do not attempt to drive the car after an
airbag has been inflated, even if it is
possible.
What won’t trigger the front airbags? The airbag will not be activated in all
front-end crashes. For instance, if the car
has hit something relatively soft and yielding
(e.g. a snow drift or a hedge) or a solid
object at a low impact speed, the airbag will
not necessarily be triggered. How loud is the inflation? The noise of the inflation is certainly loud,
but it is very short-lived and will not damage
your hearing. For a short time afterwards
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
airbag.
 The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for
children.
 NEVER put a child seat in the front.
 Sit as far back as possible from the airbag.
 Always use safety belts and child res-
traints.
Are the smoke 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 minu-
tes complained only of minor irritation of the
throat and eyes. Avoid as far as possible
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.What should I do if the AIRBAG 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 an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
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55 Instruments and controls
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
seconds when the ignition switch is turned
to the Start or Drive position. It should go out
after the engine has started.This light indicates a malfunction in the
fuel-injection or ignition system. The car
may still be driven with care and with
somewhat diminished performance (see
page 136).This light comes on when there is less than
about 2.5 gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the
tank.
This light indicates that there is a message
in the Saab Information Display (SID). A
chime will also sound (see page 64).
Airbag warning light
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
others, have your vehicle serviced
right away if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
Engine malfunction
(CHECK ENGINE)
WARNING
An illuminated ”Engine malfunction
(CHECK ENGINE)” indicator light indica-
tes an engine-related problem. While
your car may be able to be driven with the
”Engine malfunction (CHECK ENGINE)”
indicator light illuminated (Limp-home
mode), you are advised to have your car
serviced at an authorized Saab dealer as
soon as possible.
Continued driving without this problem
being corrected might cause serious
further damage to your car and create
unsafe driving conditions. The driver
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.).
NOTICEThe car should be checked immediately
at an authorized Saab dealer to prevent
more serious faults from arising.
Indicator, fuel
NOTICE
If the car runs out of fuel, air can be drawn
in with the fuel, which, in turn, can cause
the catalytic converter to be damaged by
overheating.
CHECK message indicator
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268 IndexRearview mirrors
________________ 107
Reclamation
___________________ 242
Recommendations for cars with
automatic transmission, towing a
camper or trailer
_______________ 162
Refuelling
_____________________ 138
Relay panel ____________________ 214
Remote control __________________ 38
Remote-control battery, changing
____ 41
Remove the key
________________ 132
Replacement, wheel _____________ 222
Reporting safety defects
__________ 248
Reprogramming of systems _______ 264
Reservoir, power-steering fluid _____ 191
Rev counter
____________________ 58
Reversing lights _________________ 70
Roof load
_____________________ 166
Running-in ____________________ 157
SSDM
_________________________ 249
SID
___________________________ 61
Saab 9-5 Audio System
___________ 83
Saab Information Display (SID)
_____ 61
Saab Parking Assistance
_________ 177
Safety belts
_____________________ 16
Safety belts, care of
_____________ 235
Safety-belt pretensioners
__________ 16
Safety-belt reminder
______________ 16
Seats
__________________________ 12Securing a load
__________________ 42
Selector lever indication, automatic
transmission
___________________ 61
Sentronic, manual mode
__________ 148
Service costs
___________________ 247
Service information
______________ 248
Service intervals
________________ 246
Service record retention
__________ 247
Settings, seats
__________________ 12
Side airbags
____________________ 32
Signalling, horn _________________ 106
Sliding floor, 9-5 SportWagon
______ 129
Snow chains
___________________ 159
Spare wheel ___________________ 230
Spare wheel and tools
___________ 170
Spark plugs
____________________ 257
Speedometer ________________ 58
, 59
Starting in cold weather, ACC
_______ 79
Starting in hot weather, ACC _______ 79
Steering wheel adjustment
________ 106
Steering, technical data
__________ 259
Steps for determining correct load
limit
_________________________ 228
Stone-chip damage, repairing
______ 238
Storage compartments
___________ 118
Sun visors
_____________________ 117
Sunroof
_______________________ 114
Suspension ____________________ 259
Suspension, technical data
________ 259
Switches
_______________________ 67
Symboler ________________________ 9
Systems, adjustment
_____________ 264
TTCS OFF
_______________________ 57
Table of fuses
__________________ 213
Tachometer
_____________________ 58
Tailgate, opening
_________________ 42
Tank gauge
_____________________ 59
Technical data __________________ 251
Temperature control, ACC
_________ 75
Temperature gauge, engine ________ 59
Temperature zones, ACC
__________ 75
Textile carpeting
________________ 236
Through-load hatch ______________ 123
Tie Downs
_____________________ 123
Tightening torque, wheel studs
_____ 231
Tip, driving at night
______________ 168
Tip, to avoid theft
________________ 179
Tire chains
_____________________ 223
Tire date code __________________ 229
Tire inspection and rotation
________ 218
Tire markings
___________________ 225
Tire pressure ___________________ 169
Tire sidewall labeling
_____________ 224
Tire terminology and definitions
____ 226
Tire, compact spare
______________ 230
Tires
_____________________ 217
, 260
Tires, winter
____________________ 260
Tools
_________________________ 170
Touching-in the paintwork
_________ 238
Towbar attachment
______________ 161
Towbar load
____________________ 165
Towing the car __________________ 171
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