2000 SAAB 9-3 seats

5
Interior Power steering _________ 226
Steering-wheel adjustment 118
Airbag _________________ 22
Internal rearview mirror ________ 124
Door mirrors ________________ 124
Vanity mirror ________________ 122
Safety belts _____________ 12
Safety-belt care ________ 199
Airbag _________________ 22
Child seats _____________ 18
Child safety lock catch ____ 33Glove compartment _____ 123Gear changing _________ 141
Manual transmission ____ 141
Automatic transmission __ 141
IB1353
Seat adjustment ________ 112
Safety belts _____________ 12
Seat heating ___________ 118
Rear seat _____________ 125
Folding down the rear seat 125
Child seats _____________ 18
Upholstery: cleaning _____ 200
Interior lighting switch _________ 121
Interior lighting: changing bulbs __ 185
Center console ______________ 119
Electric windows _____________ 119
Sunroof ____________________ 120
Convertible __________________ 42
Ignition switch _______________ 134
Starting the engine ___________ 135
Engine break-in period ________ 140
Parking ____________________ 151
Driving in hot/cold weather _____ 154
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12 SafetySafety belts Three-point inertia-reel safety belts are pro-
vided for all seats. Research has established that it is danger-
ous for rear-seat passengers not to wear
their safety belts.
Otherwise, in the event of an accident, the
rear-seat passengers can be thrown for-
ward against the front-seat backrests,
imposing much higher stresses on the
front-seat passengers and belts and result-
ing in needless injury to everyone in the car.
Safety-belt reminder When the ignition is switched on, the ”fasten
belts” reminder will light up for 6 seconds or
until the driver and any passengers are
wearing their belts. An audible alarm will
also sound for six seconds or until the driver
has fastened his belt.
WARNING
Safety belts must be worn at all times by
all car occupants. Child safety, see page
18.
Check that the tongue of the belt lock
engages properly.
The A-pillar area (area beside the wind-
shield) and the headlining of your Saab
contain padding designed to reduce head
injuries (3 or 5-door only). No modifica-
tions to these areas should be made
unless done so by your authorized Saab
dealer.
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 colli-
sion or very violent rear-end collision. They
serve to reduce the forward movement of
the body by tensioning the belt.
The belt pretensioners do not activate in
less severe frontal collisions, nor to side col-
lisions, or rollovers.
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 collision occurs.
WARNING
If the car is involved in a collision, the
safety belts, belt pretensioners and other
components must be inspected by an
authorized Saab dealer and replaced as
necessary.
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 collision (subma-
rining) and injury can result from the lap
portion cutting into the abdomen.
WARNING
If two people share a belt, they risk injury
by being crushed together in the event of
an accident.
IB816
Sit correctly before putting the belt on
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18 SafetyChild safetyThe same attention must be given to child
safety in the car as is given to adults.
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.
Lockable belt tongue In fitting a child seat that is intended to be
secured in position by the lap portion of the
safety belt, make use of the locking function
of the buckle.
Locking the lap portion of the belt lessens
the risk that the seat will work loose while
the car is in motion.
The button for the locking function is located
on the back of the buckle.
1 Position the child seat in the back of the
car.
2 To activate the locking function, move
the locking button on the tongue of the
belt to the position marked
”CHILD SEAT” (item 1 in the figure) in
order to activate the locking function.
3 Secure the base of the child seat with
the lap portion of the safety belt in accor-
dance with the installation instructions
accompanying the child seat.
4 Grasp the shoulder part of the safety belt
and pull it upwards to tighten the lap por-
tion against the child seat. 5 Check for correct locking function by
pulling on the lap portion of the belt. The
belt must not unreel.
WARNING
 Children must always be suitably
restrained in the car.
 NEVER put a child seat in the front.
 Children 12 and under can be killed by
the airbag.
 The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place
for children.
 Sit as far back as possible from the air
bag.
IB822
Locking the lap belt 1 Locked
2 Unlocked
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20 SafetyIntegrated booster seat
(accessory)Integrated booster seats are available as
part of the rear seat backrest.
This child restraint is designed for use by
children who weigh between 33 and 80 lbs.
(15 and 36 kg) and are between 38 and 54
inches (970 and 1370 mm) in height.
A child sitting in an integrated booster seat
must use the car’s regular lap and shoulder
belt. Regardless of the child’s weight and
age, proper contact between child and belt
is vital. Always make certain that the seat is
undamaged and is kept clean so that it will
function properly.
This child restraint system conforms to all
applicable motor vehicle safety standards. Folding out 1 Press in the latches and lift and remove
the car’s regular head restraint. Turn it
180° and remount it. Make certain that it
is locked securely in place.
2 Lift up the booster seat’s headrest.
3 Pull out the upper part of the opener
strap and lower the seat itself. Make cer-
tain that it is locked in the lowered posi-
tion.
Fasten the belt  See that the child is seated as far back as
possible against the back support.
 Adjust the booster seat’s head support so
that its center is at ear height.
 To attach the belt, pull it out slowly and
insert the latch plate into the buckle. Make
certain the latch plate is properly engaged
in the buckle.
 The lap portion of the belt must be posi-
tioned low on the pelvis, and the shoulder
strap must be as far in on the shoulder as
possible without chafing against the
child’s neck or causing discomfort.
 The belt must contact the body firmly to
provide the best protection. Pull up on the shoulder strap to tension the belt prop-
erly.
 Make certain the belt moves freely
between the retractor and the buckle.
IB825
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22 SafetyAirbag (Supplemental
Restraint System
"SRS") The supplementary restraint system (SRS)
comprises an airbag in the steering wheel,
a front passenger airbag and side airbags in
the front seats.
The system supplements the protection
provided by the safety belts to further
enhance the safety of occupants.
If a fault is detected in the SRS, the
AIR BAG warning light on the main instru-
ment panel will come on (see pages 56 and
24). When the system is triggered by impact of a
frontal collision, the airbags in the steering
wheel and passenger side of the dash board
are inflated, after which they deflate through
vents in the back of the bags.
The entire process takes less than
0.1 second – literally, faster than the blink-
ing of an eye.
These airbags are triggered only by moder-
ate to severe frontal or near-frontal colli-
sions. They will not be activated by minor
front-end impacts, rear-end or side impacts,
or by the car rolling over.
Side airbags, see page 27.
WARNING
To reduce risk of injury:
Always wear your safety belt.
Always adjust your seat so that you
are as far back as possible but still
able to reach the steering wheel and
controls comfortably.
 Children 12 and under or shorter than
55 inches (140 cm) should always
travel in the rear as the vehicle is
equipped with an airbag on the pas-
senger side.
IB827
Airbag in course of inflation (driver’s side)
IB826
SRS (airbag) system with belt
pretensioners 1 Electronic control module and sensor
2 Belt pretensioners (for both front safety belts)
3 Steering wheel with integral airbag
4 Recess for airbag on passenger’s side
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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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42 ConvertibleConvertibleGeneral safety instructions• Never touch the hinges and struts of the
soft top nor the upper beam of the wind-
shield while operating the soft top.
 After raising the soft top, always check
that it is properly secured to the top beam
of the windshield with the soft top locking
device before driving the car away.
After folding it down you should check that
the tonneau cover latches have engaged
properly. Otherwise it may come loose
while you are driving and cause injury.
 Do not operate the soft top with passen-
gers in the rear seat or bystanders right
next to the car. There is a risk of head inju-
ries while the soft top is in motion.
 Remove child car seats and children
before operating the soft top.
 Don’t operate the soft top in temperatures
below 23°F (-5°C).  Note that certain automatic carwashes
can do damage to fabric soft tops. This
applies to carwashes that use mechanical
feelers bearing against the body. We
advise against washing a Saab 9-3 Con-
vertible in automatic carwashes.
 Note that certain automatic car washes
can cause water to leak in places that nor-
mally would not leak. Do not direct high
pressure streams of water at the seals for
the conver tible top.
 Roof racks and ski holders must not be
mounted on the soft top.
 Under no circumstances should anything
be put into the storage space for the soft
top (under the tonneau cover) since this
could cause obstruction when the soft top
is being folded away.
 See that no luggage is resting against the
soft top stowage space since this could
interfere with the rasing and folding of the
soft top.  When the soft top is being operated, low-
ering or raising should be completed. Do
not leave the soft top partially raised or
lowered: after 20 seconds it will quickly
"settle down" when the hydraulic pres-
sure is automatically released.
 It is important that the telescopic locking
handle is completely pushed in when the
soft top is closed.
 Fold down any auxilliary mounted
antenna before raising the top to avoid
possible antenna or top damage (e.g.,
OnStar cellular antenna on windshield of
Conver tible)
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