27 Safety
Folding booster seata Pull the upper part of the release strap
out and fold up the seat itself. Make sure
that it is locked firmly in its folded-up
position.
b Press the booster seat’s headrest all the
way down.
c Press in the latches on the car’s regular
head restraint. Remove it, rotate it 180°
and remount it. Make certain it is locked
correctly.
ISOFIX child restraints cannot be fitted in a
car with integrated booster seats.
WARNING
Use only the vehicle’s lap and shoul-
der belt system when restraining the
child in the booster seat.
The seat must not be modified or
changed in any way.
Do not leave a child alone in a car with-
out supervision.
The car’s regular head restraint must
always be turned 180° back to its orig-
inal position after the integrated
booster seat is folded away.
Check that the belt is not twisted or
rubbing against any sharp edges.
WARNING
Failure to follow all the manufacturer’s
instructions on the use of this child
restraint system can cause your child to
strike the vehicle´s interior during a
sudden stop or crash.Label in integrated booster cushion
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28 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 62 and
32). 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 30.
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)
IB1597
5
1
4
2
6
3
2
6
5
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
5 Sensor, side airbag
6 Side airbag
ProCarManuals.com
31 Safety
Side 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. 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
front 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.
Wear and 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.
IB1707
Side airbag, components 1 Side airbags (SRS)
2 Sensor
3 Moisture barrier
4 Text on
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48 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).
ProCarManuals.com
56 ConvertibleTrunk, 9-3 ConvertibleHooking up top storage bagMore space in the trunk can be obtained by
lifting the top storage bag up by the straps
under it and hooking them in the eyelets at
the top of the bag.
The top storage bag can only be hooked up
in this way when the top is raised. If you
attempt to lower the top while the bag is
hooked up, the SID will display the message
"CHECK SOFT TOP STORAGE"; see page
54.
Trunk lid lockUnlocking the trunk lid by using the remote
trunk release button on the driver’s door is
possible only when the top is fully lowered
or raised (note that the ignition must be in
position ON when the top is lowered).
The trunk button on the driver’s door is inop-
erative when the car is locked.Rear seatThe rear seat is intended for two passen-
gers.
The two rear seat positions have three-point
safety belts with inertia reels.
Lowering the rear seatbackTo increase the load-carrying capacity of
the car, the rear seatback can be folded for-
ward. This will be easier if the front seats are
not too far back.
1 Pass the rear safety belts under the
black handles at both ends of the back-
rest. This prevents the safety belts from
becoming caught when the seatback is
raised again.
2 The seatback is fitted with a lock at the
top near the left rear head restraint. Use
the ignition key to unlock the entire back-
rest. Remove the key.
3 Lower the seatback. (In Canada, if using
child seat top tether strap, detach from
anchorage in trunk prior to lowering the
seatback.).
NOTEIf the trunk lid is opened by unlocking it
with the key when the top is not fully raised
or lowered, damage to the trunk lid and/or
top system could result.
IB855
Suspending top bag
IB856
Lock for rear backrest cushion
ProCarManuals.com
58 ConvertibleUse mild soap, lukewarm water and a
sponge for washing.
Rinse the top thoroughly with plain water to
get rid of all the soap. Flush the cleaning
agent off the bodywork as well, since it can
cause discoloration if it is left to dry on the
paintwork.
If further cleaning is needed after soap and
water have been used, a mild shampoo may
be employed. First rinse the soft top, then
use shampoo on the complete top and
scrub with a small soft hand brush.
Add water as needed until the cleaning
agent lathers. Use a rag or sponge to
remove dirt, so as to avoid working it into the
cloth. Thoroughly rinse the whole car with
plain water and make sure that cleaning
agents are not allowed to dry on the paint-
work.
Cleaning the rear windowThe rear window can be cleaned with a
window cleaner or a mild soap solution and
a soft, anti-static cloth.
Since the rear window is made of glass,
when necessary, you can use an ice
scraper on the outside. Never use a scraper
on the inside!Interior lightingThe front light is located on the front roof rail.
The rear lighting consists of two lights built
in to the side panels adjacent to the rear
seat. The switch is on the center console
between the front seats, see also page 139.
Certain variants have a mirror and lighting
built into the sun visors.
Manually opening the
fuel filler doorConvertible If the fuel filler door, controlled by the central
lock, does not unlock take the following
action:
Check fuse 25. If it is defective or blows
again after changing, the locking motor can
be detached from the flap by pulling a wire.
The wire, marked with a yellow arrow at the
end, is located in the trunk inside the open-
ing in the upholstery in front of the
right-hand rear light.
NOTEAfter washing, the soft top must be given
time to dry completely before being folded
down. A wet or damp top that is folded
down can be damaged by mold.
IB861
Wire for manual opening of fuel filler door
(Convertible)
ProCarManuals.com
129 Interior equipment, trunk
Interior equipment,
trunkSeats ................................. 130
Steering-wheel adjust-
ment ................................ 137
Electrical windows ........... 136
Sunroof (option) ............... 138
Interior lighting................. 139
Cup holder ........................ 140
Ashtrays............................ 141
Glove compartment ......... 141
Rear-view mirrors ............ 143
Trunk, Coupé and 5-door 144
Tools and spare wheel .... 149
Manually opening the fuel
filler door ........................ 150
IB941
ProCarManuals.com
130 Interior equipment, trunkSeatsThe following seat adjustments can be
made to achieve a comfortable driving
position:
• Height (driver´s seat)
Legroom
Backrest rake angle
Lumbar support
Head-restraint height
We recommend that adjustments to the
driver’s seat be performed in the following
order:
1 Height
2 Legroom
3 Backrest rake angle
Lastly, adjust the steering wheel (see
page 137). Side airbags (SRS)See page 30.Head restraintSee page 18.
Height adjustment, driver’s seat Lift 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.
Legroom adjustment Lift the lever under the front of the seat and
slide the seat to the desired position.
WARNING
Never adjust the driver’s seat except
when the car is stationary.
WARNING
Check that the seat is locked in the new
position - if not, it may move while the car
is being driven. If the fore-and-aft setting
of the seat has not been locked, it could
result in injury to the occupant in the event
of an accident.
IB803
IB801
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