Page 9 of 260

9
WL16
Child lock safety catch Locked.
The door can not be opened
from inside.
IB1705
Jack – The jack is designed solely for use in changing a wheel
or fitting snow chains.
– The car must be standing level and the jack must be
positioned on a firm, level surface.
– Never crawl under the car while it is raised on the jack.
USE
1 Apply the parking brake and engage first or reverse
gear; if the car has automatic transmission, select P.
2 Fit the jack at the jacking point nearest to the wheel
that is to be changed.
3 Wind up the jack until the car just begins to lift.
4 If there is a wheel cover, remove it by inserting a
screwdriver behind it and prying it off.
5 Loosen the wheel bolts by half a turn, using the tool
in the toolkit.
6 Wind up the jack so that the wheel clears the ground.
Unscrew all the wheel bolts and take the wheel off.
7 Fit the spare wheel and tighten the wheel bolts
enough for the bolts and wheel to seat correctly.
8 Lower the car. Tighten the wheel bolts in the
sequence shown by the figure.
IB934
Soft top, Saab 9-3
Convertible Push the handle in before
driving away.
There would otherwise be
a risk of injury.
Keep hands away from moving parts of the
convertible top.
Failure to do so may cause personal injury.
Do not raise or lower top with passengers in
the rear seat.
Personal injury may result from head contact
with top.
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10(This page has been left blank).
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11
SafetySafety belts ...................... 12
Head restraint .................. 18
Child safety...................... 19
Airbag (Supplemental
Restraint System "SRS") 28
IB1301
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Page 12 of 260

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.
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
19.
Check that the tongue of the belt lock
engages properly.
To reduce the risk of head injuries in the
event of a collision, the roof pillars and
side edges of the headlining incorporate
cushioning material (Convertible: wind-
screen pillars and upper part of wind-
screen rail). These areas must not be
modified in any way. Work on these areas
must only be carried out at an authorized
Saab dealer.
WARNING
In the event of an accident, the rear-seat
passengers can be thrown forward
against the front-seat backrests, impos-
ing much higher stresses on the
front-seat passengers and belts and
resulting in needless injury to everyone in
the car.
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 violent frontal or rear-end collisions.
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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Page 14 of 260

14 Safety Children who have grown out of a child
seat should be restrained by the car’s
standard three-point belts. Make sure that
the shoulder belt is not in contact with the
neck or throat. If it is, a booster seat/cush-
ion may be necessary.
Front seat belts Fasten the belt by pulling the belt and insert-
ing the tongue in the buckle. Check that it is
securely fastened.
Because the lower belt-anchorage points
are on the seat (9-3 5-door), the belt buckle
follows the movement of the seat during
seat adjustment. In the 9-3 Coupé and
9-3 Convertible, the lower outer anchorage
point is in the rear of the sill, which makes it
all the more important that the lap strap is
not slack during use.
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.To release the belt, press the red button on
the belt buckle, as illustrated.
See page 224 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning etc.
WARNING
Never fasten the safety belt with the
shoulder belt behind the body or pull the
belt off the shoulder and under the arm.
IB1304
To fasten the belt
IB1305
Press the red button to release the belt.
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Page 15 of 260
15 Safety
Belt guide The belt guide on the door pillar can be set
to five different heights.
Set the guide as high as possible without
causing the belt to chafe against the throat.
In the case of a short person the guide can
be lowered until the belt comes about an
inch (a few centimetres) from the throat but
still provides safe restraint.
Raise the belt guide by pushing it upwards
to the desired position. To lower it, the
release button must first be depressed.
Check that it has engaged in its new position
by pulling up and down.
Safety belt use during pregnancyPregnant women must always wear a
safety belt to protect both themselves and
the unborn child.
The lap belt should be placed low, across
the hips and over the upper thighs.
IB818
The belt guide on the door pillar
IB819
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Page 16 of 260

16 SafetySafety belts, rear seat Three-point safety belts are provided for all
three rear-seat passengers (2 for Convert-
ible model).
Fasten the belts by pulling the belt across
you and inserting the tongue into the buckle.
Check that it is securely fastened.
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.
See page 148 for securing of load.
See page 224 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning etc.
WARNING
Make sure that the belt does not
become trapped when the backrest is
folded down or raised (see page 144).
If you must carry an item of luggage on
a seat, ensure that it is held securely
by the safety belt. This will reduce the
risk of injury by flying objects in the
event of an accident.
Protect the belt from sharp edges.
IB960
Safety belts, rear seat (the central head restraint is an accessory)
IB821
Securing a load on the rear seat
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