2000 SAAB 9-3 warning

25 Safety
Scrapping or working on airbag and
belt pretensioners Frequently asked questions on func-
tion of the airbag
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
collision, which means, of course, that it pro-
vides no protection in minor frontal colli-
sions, major rear-end or side-on collisions
or if the car rolls over.
The safety belts help reduce the chance of
the car occupants from being thrown around
and injured inside the car.
But they also ensure that, if a collision
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
position, 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 in a
serious frontal collision.
How 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 does the airbag inflate? The airbag will only be inflated under certain
predetermined conditions in a moderate to
severe frontal, or near-frontal collision,
depending 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 possi-
ble. What won’t trigger the airbag? The airbag will not be activated in all
front-end collisions. 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.
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
removed. Airbags or belt pretension-
ers that have been deployed as a
result of an accident 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.
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26 SafetyHow 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 can be injured or
killed by the airbag.
The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for
children.
NEVER put a child seat in the front.
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 min-
utes 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 this trouble persists, you should consult a
doctor.
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 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 an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNING
When an airbag is inflated there is dust in
the air.
Because the dust/smoke can, in certain
cases, cause irritation to the skin, the fol-
lowing precautions should be taken:
 As soon as possible, wash any
exposed skin using a mild soap and
water.
 If there is irritation of the eyes, flush
them liberally with clean water for at
least 20 minutes.
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27 Safety
Side airbagSide airbags are housed inside the back-
rests of the front seats and are designed to
protect the driver and front passenger in the
event of a side impact.
In a side impact, only the airbag on that side
will be activated, and only then if certain pre-
determined conditions are met such as the
force and angle of the impact, the speed of
the car on impact, and at which point on the
car’s side the impact occurs.
The sensors, which are fitted in the front
doors, sense the rise in pressure caused by
the door panel being pressed in during an
impact condition. The side airbag trigger will
be commanded based on the characteris-
tics of this pressure rise.
WARNING
 This car is equipped with side airbags
and no extra interior trim should be fit-
ted. Failure to observe this warning
could result in the side airbags not
inflating as intended and thus not pro-
viding the intended protection either.
 Never place any object in the area that
would be occupied by the inflated air-
bag.
 For optimum protection, sit upright in
the seat, with your safety belt correctly
fastened.
 The sensors for the side airbags are
fitted in the doors.
 We advise against doing any work on
the doors that could affect the mois-
ture barrier in the door or the airbag
sensors. It is essential that the mois-
ture barrier (thick plastic film) in the
door is not damaged in any way.
 Improvement of the anticorrosion
treatment of the doors should only be
carried out by an authorized Saab
dealer. Otherwise there is a risk that
the side impact sensor and the mois-
ture barrier in the door could be dam-
aged.
 The side airbags will inflate only in the
event of a side impact; not in the event
of a front or rear-end collision or of the
car’s rolling over.
 Damage to the seat cover, or the seat
seam, in the area of the side airbag
must immediately be repaired by an
authorized Saab dealer.
 Do not modify the speaker installation
in the front doors or install speakers
other than those specifically approved
by Saab.
IB986
IB987
Side airbag, components 1 Side airbags (SRS)
2 Sensor
3 Moisture barrier
4 Label on seat
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30 SecurityDoorsOpening handleOpen the door by lifting the opening handle
from below.
If the door is stuck (e.g. if frozen), hold the
handle from above to secure a better grip.
Central locking Key / Remote control The key fits all the locks on the car. The
spare key without the black key grip only fits
the door locks.
The key supplied with the car has a code
number on a black plastic tag that needs to
be quoted for ordering additional keys. You
should therefore make a careful note of the
number.
The key contains a unique electronic code
for your car. When the key is inserted in the
ignition, the code is checked. If it matches,
the car can be started.
Two keys/remote controls are supplied with
the car. It is possible to have up to four at
one time that are coded for your car. If one
is lost, contact your authorized Saab dealer
to obtain a replacement. If an additional
remote or key is to be added, all of the orig-
inal keys and remotes must be brought to
the dealer so that the control module can
‘’learn” to recognize the new components.
For this reason, we strongly advise you to
take two keys with you on long journeys and
to keep them separate.The remote control contains delicate elec-
tronics and should therefore not be exposed
to water or handled roughly.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also danger-
ous to leave children in a vehicle with the
ignition key. A child or others could be
badly injured or even killed.
IB844
Door handle
I B 111 6
123
Remote control 1To lock
2 To unlock
3 To unlock trunk lid
To open trunk lid (Convertible)
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31 Security
Electronic starting interlock
(immobilizer)Each time the key is removed from the igni-
tion, the electronic starting interlock is acti-
vated and the car is thus immobilized, see
also page 36.
Locking/unlocking the carWhen the car is locked and unlocked with
the remote control or the key (see page 35),
the theft alarm is also affected.
To lock by remote control (1)
Press once on the control: all doors
locked.
The hazard warning lights will flash once to
confirm.
The trunk lid cannot be opened now from
inside using the switch on the driver’s door.
To unlock by remote control (2)
Press once on the control: driver´s
door is unlocked. Press a second time to
unlock the rest of the doors.
The hazard warning lights will flash twice to
confirm. Locking by key (1)
Turn the key clockwise: all doors and trunk
lid locked.
The trunk lid cannot be opened now from
inside using the switch on the driver’s door.
Unlocking by key (2)
Turn the key counterclockwise once: the
driver´s door unlocked.
Turn the key counterclockwise twice: all
doors, but not trunk lid, unlocked.
IB845
Central locking 1To lock
2 To unlock
IB965
Locking / unlocking by remote control 1To lock
2 To unlock
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32 SecurityThe central locking can also be operated
from inside the car by means of the
switch on the center console (except on
Convertibles).
 To lock all doors: press the symbol side of
the switch once.
 To unlock the driver´s door: press the
switch once.
 To unlock all doors: press the switch
twice.
This switch is inoperative when the car is
locked from the outside.The interior locking buttons on each door
affect only the respective door on sedan.
The driver´s door lock button will
lock/unlock both on the Convertible.
If the car is left with the doors open, the inte-
rior lighting will be switched off automati-
cally after 20 minutes, to prevent a dead
battery.

Changing the remote-control
batteryWhen the battery voltage in the remote con-
trol falls below a predetermined level the
SID will issue the following message:
REPLACE KEY BATTERY. Press the
CLEAR button on the SID to acknowledge
this message. You must then replace the
battery without delay to avoid malfunctions.
The life of the battery is 4-5 years. After
changing the battery you must press the
unlocking button of the remote control four
times (or until the door locks cycle) while the
car is within the range of the remote control
in order for the control module to recognize
the remote.
WARNING
Having the doors locked when you are
driving will reduce the likelihood of:
 Children, in particular, opening doors
and falling out of the car.
 Intruders entering the car when it is
moving slowly or at a standstill.
 Injury resulting from a door bursting
open in the event of an accident.
However, you must also be remembered
that locked doors can hamper rescuers in
the event of an accident.
IB995
Switch for operation of central locking
IB843
Changing the battery of the remote control1Battery
2 Control module
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35 Security
Car alarmThe car alarm (anti-theft system) is acti-
vated/deactivated when the car is
locked/unlocked by the remote control or by
the key.
All the doors plus trunk lid and hood are
monitored by microswitches, and win-
dow-glass sensors will trigger the alarm if
any glass is broken.
Electronic starting interlock (immobilizer),
see page 36.
The car alarm is armed 10 seconds after the
car has been locked by the remote control.
During this ten-second delay period, the
doors, trunk lid and hood may still be
opened without the alarm being triggered.
The LED indicator on the dash will be on
continuously during this period, at the end of
which it will start to flash (once every third
second) when the alarm arms. If a door or the trunk lid or hood has been left
open when the car is locked, the LED on the
dash will flash (three times per second) for
ten seconds to indicate that something is
wrong.
Check to ensure that all the doors, plus
trunk lid and hood, are closed properly.
If the fault persists (LED flashing when
renewed attempt made to activate the car
alarm by remote control), lock the car using
the key instead. The car alarm may not have
been activated and you should get in touch
with an authorized Saab dealer.
Be sure everyone using the car is familiar
with how both the car alarm and the locking
system work. This will avoid the alarm being
triggered inadvertently.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also danger-
ous to leave children in a vehicle with the
ignition key. A child or others could be
badly injured or even killed.
IB458
123
Remote control 1 Activate/lock
2 Deactivate/unlock
3 Deactivate trunk, sensors/unlock trunk lid
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37 Security
Alarm signals When the car alarm is armed, it will be trig-
gered if any door, the trunk lid or hood, is
opened, or if a window is broken.
The alarm will also be triggered if an attempt
is made to bypass or short-circuit the igni-
tion switch, or to disconnect the battery.
If the alarm is triggered, the following alarm
signals will be set off:
 Flashing of hazard warning lights for five
minutes.
 Siren wailing for 30 seconds.
The alarm signals will stop if the alarm is
deactivated (car unlocked) during the alarm
period.
Panic-functionIn the car alarm system is a function called
"Panic-function".
To activate panic function:
 Push and hold one of the buttons on the
remote control for 2 seconds, or if you are
sitting inside the car...
 Push the LOCK-switch on the center con-
sole for 2 seconds (not Convertibles).
These actions will trigger the alarm (hazard
warning lights and siren).
To deactivate panic function:
 Push one of the buttons on the remote
control, push the LOCK-switch in the
center console, turn the key in one of the
doors or turn the ignition to ON.
When the panic-function is activated the car
will be locked/unlocked depending upon
which button was pushed.
When the ignition is ON the panic-function
cannot be activated.
NOTE It is possible to inadvertently deacti-
vate the car alarm and at the same
time unlock the car, if the button on the
remote control is pressed by mistake
when the control is still within range of
the car.
 When locking the car by remote con-
trol in extremely cold weather, it is
advisable to check that the lock
system has operated properly. To do
so, check that the interior locking but-
tons are all down.
If not, unlock and relock the car again.
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