2001 SAAB 9-3 Owners Manual

17 Safety
WARNING
Safety belts are designed to bear upon
the bony structure of the body, and should
be worn low across the front of the pelvis
or the pelvis, chest and shoulders, as
applicable; wearing the lap section of the
belt across the abdominal area must be
avoided.
Safety belts should be adjusted as firmly
as possible, consistent with comfort, to
provide the protection for which they have
been designed. A loose belt will greatly
reduce the protection afforded to the
wearer.
Care should be taken to avoid contamina-
tion of the webbing with polishes, oils and
chemicals, and particularly battery acid.
Cleaning may safely be carried out using
mild soap and water. The belt should be
replaced if webbing becomes frayed,
contaminated or damaged.
It is essential to replace the entire assem-
bly after it has been worn in a severe
impact even if damage to the assembly is
not obvious.
Belts should not be worn with straps
twisted.
Each belt assembly must only be used by
one occupant; it is dangerous to put a belt
around a child being carried on the occu-
pant´s lap.
WARNING
No modifications or additions should be
made by the user which will either prevent
the safety belt adjusting device from oper-
ating to remove slack, or prevent the
safety belt assembly from being adjusted
to remove slack.
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18 SafetyHead restraintThe front seats in the Saab 9-3 are
equipped with Saab Active Head Restraints
(SAHRs). These reduce the risk of whiplash
injury if the car is hit from behind.
In the event of a rear-end collision, the body
is forced back against the backrest. This, in
turn, causes the mechanism to press the
head restraint forward and upward, thus lim-
iting the backward movement of the head.
The SAHR is a mechanical system, actu-
ated by body weight. The mechanism is built
into the top of the backrest, where it is con-
nected to the head restraint.
The SAHR does not normally need to be
replaced after a rear-end collision.
The head restraint can be raised or lowered
and is adjustable in various positions.
 Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
 Lowering: depress the catch on the
left-hand side of the attaching point and
press the head restraint down.
WARNING
Adjust the head restraint so that the head
is well supported and the center of the
head restraint is at ear height, thus reduc-
ing the likelihood of neck injury in an acci-
dent.
IB629
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19 Safety
Child safety
Car safety tips Protect your children from getting
trapped in the trunk of a car
WARNING
 Children must always be suitably
restrained in the car. All child
restraints and booster seats are
designed to be secured in vehicle
seats by the lap belt or the lap belt of a
lap-shoulder belt. If the child restraint
is not properly secured, a child can be
endangered in a crash.
 NEVER put a child seat in the front.
 Children 12 and under can be killed by
the airbag.
 According to accident statistics, the
BACK SEAT is SAFER for properly
restrainen children than the front seat.
 Sit as far back as possible from the air
bag.
WARNING
 Never leave your children unattended
in a car, even for a short time.
– Children can suffer heat stroke - per-
haps die - in a matter of minutes.
– Children can put the car into gear and
hurt themselves or others.
 At gas stations, take the keys from the
car while filling the tank.
 Never allow children to climb on top of -
or under motor vehicles.
 Always look for children before backing
your motor vehicle out of a garage or
driveway.
 To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning,
never let a car idle in the garage.
 Supervise young children around buck-
ets of water while washing your car.
Small children can drown in seconds in
less than an inch of water.
WARNING
 Teach your kids not to play in or around
cars.
 Watch your children when loading or
unloading the car so they don´t get
locked in by mistake.
 Always lock the doors and trunk of your
car, and keep the keys out of children´s
sight and reach.
 Keep the rear fold-down seats closed
to help prevent kids from getting into
the trunk from inside the car.
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20 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 If 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.
IB822
Locking the lap belt 1 Locked
2 Unlocked
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21 Safety
LATCHLATCH (Lower Anchorages & Top tethers
for CHildren) consists of two types of attach-
ments for child restraints in the rear set,
ISOFIX and top tether.
ISOFIX are lower attachments located
where the seat and back cushions come
together. Top tether are upper attachments
located between beltbeam and parcel shelf,
see page 23 and 24.
Saab recommends rearward facing child
restraints.
IB1683
Illustration showing lower attachments (ISOFIX) in the rear seat.
Top tethers are located behind the head restraints, one for each seat position, see page
23 and 24.
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22 SafetyLATCH installationTo facilitate the proper fitting of new spe-
cially-design child restraints, 9-3's except
Convertibles have rigid lower anchorages
(ISOFIX) and top tether anchorages in the
two outboard rear seating positions. There
is an additional top tether anchorage for the
center rear seating position.
LATCH is a U.S./Canadian government
standard for an uniform method of fitting
child restraints without using the standard
safety belts. Only certain child restraints are
equipped to utilize these rigid lower anchor-
ages behind where the seat cushion and
seat back come together. LATCH child
seats also utilize a top tether strap that is
found on some newer child seats that still
require installation with the standard safety
belts.
There are two bars attached to the car body
for each specially designed LATCH child
restraint. A small circular label is located on
the seat back just above each attachment
bar to facilitate installing the child restraint.1 Place the child restraint on one of the
designated outboard rear seat cushions.
2 Press the child restraint rearward, lining
up the restraint attachment arms with
the labels.
3 Follow the child restraint instructions to
confirm that both restraint arms are
properly attached to the bars.
4 Attach the top tether strap to the in-car
anchorage and tighten according to the
restraint instructions, see page 23 and
24.
5 Pull the child restraint to make a second
check that restraint is securely attached
at both the lower anchorage bars and
the top tether strap.
For the top tether, only use the strap sup-
plied with the child restraint.
Always follow the installation instructions
supplied with the child restraint.
The availability of LATCH child restraints
may be limited.
Child restraints using rigid lower anchor-
ages (ISOFIX) cannot be fitted where a inte-
grated booster seat is installed.
IB1684IB1685
Rigid 2-point lower attachment with top
tether
Semi-rigid 2-point lower attachment with
top tether
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23 Safety
Child tether anchorages, Coupé and
5-door modelsChild restraints with a tether strap must be
anchored according to law.The belt anchorage beam is provided with
three top tether anchorages. Use the one
that is located just behind the child restraint
and attach the restraint as follows:
1 Open the luggage compartment.
2 Unhook the rubber straps.
3 Lift the parcel shelf slightly and pull it
clear of the guide pins in the front edge
of the shelf support.
4 Fold the anchorages up as illustrated.
5 Raise the headrest to provide access to
the anchor. The child restraint tether
must be routed under the headrest. To
make it more comfortable for the child,
the headrest may be removed.
6 Attach the tether to the anchorage that
is located just behind the child restraint.
7 Secure the lower part of the child
restraint by means of the seat belt as
described in the child restraint mounting
instruction.
8 Tighten the tether so that the back of the
child restraint is pressed hard against
the backrest.
Fold the anchorages down when not in use.
Forward facing child restraint in
center rear positionWhen installing a forward facing child
restraint in the center rear position the child
restraint must be fitted using the standard
safety belt together with the top tether
anchorage.
WARNING
Child tether anchorages are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by
correctly fitted child restraints.
Under no circumstances are they to be
used for:
 Adult safety belts.
 Harnesses.
 Attaching other items or equipment to
the vehicle.
 Load securing device.
IB1362
Child tether anchorage, Coupé and 5-
door models.
The tether strap is not a part of the child
tether anchorage.
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24 SafetyChild tether anchorages, Convert-
ible modelsChild restraints with a tether strap must be
anchored according to law.The car is provided with two top tether
anchorages. Use the one that is right behind
the child restraint and attach the restraint as
follows:
1 Lower the convertible top fully.
2 Switch off the ignition when the top stor-
age covers are in their straight up posi-
tion.
3 Place the child restraint in the rear seat.
4 Unlock the backrest and lower it about
8in. (20cm).
5 Insert the child restraint´s upper tether
between the bottom of the headrest and
the top of the backrest.
6 Run the hook and the tether over the
cross-member behind the headrest.
7 There are slits in the fabric where the top
bag is joined to the cross-member.
Insert hook and strap through the slit
opening.
8 Attach the tether to the anchorage. This
might be easier if you insert your other
hand between the backrest and the
crossmember to help attach the tether.
9 Raise the backrest and lock in place.
10 Tighten the tether so that the back of the
child restraint is pressed hard against
the backrest. Also check that no buckle
is positioned above the cross-member,
as this could obstruct locking of the ton-
neau cover.
11 Secure the lower part of the child
restraint by means of the seat belt as described in the child restraint mounting
instructions.
WARNING
Child tether anchorages are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by
correctly fitted child restraints.
Under no circumstances are they to be
used for:
 Adult safety belts.
 Harnesses.
 Attaching other items or equipment to
the vehicle.
 Load securing device.
IB1314
Attaching tether strap hook to anchorage,
Conver tible.
The tether strap is not a part of the tether
child anchorage.
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