2002 SAAB 9-3 seats

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 crash, 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 crashes.
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.  The sensors for the side airbags are
fitted in the front 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
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 crash 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 seat
IB1892
Accessories and other equipment must
not be fitted to the surfaces marked as
these are where the airbags may inflate in
the event of a crash.
ProCarManuals.com

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 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

52 Convertible4 Raise the side windows by sliding the
ROOF button forward a second time.
Alternatively, use the central operating
switch for the side windows.
5 Check that there are no fault messages
on the SID; see page 54.Manual raising of the
soft topPoints 6 to 8 are only valid if the soft top is
operated manually when the soft top ton-
neau is locked.1 Tip the backrests of the front seats for-
ward.
2 Unlock the rear-seat backrest with the
ignition key just outboard of the left rear
headrest and tip it forward.
3 Remove the round rubber cover over the
hydraulic valve.
4 Open the valve about half a turn anti-
clockwise.
5 Open the trunk lid.
6 Take out the wheel lug wrench.
7 In the soft top tonneau mechanism and
inside the trunk lining on the right-hand
side, is a hole into which the straight part
of the tool is to be inserted; see the fig-
ure. 8 Unlock the tonneau cover by pulling the
tool backwards. The cover should lift
half an inch or so (a centimeter or so).
Remove the tool. Close the trunk lid.
WARNING
Manual operation of the soft top must be
resorted to only to raise it in an emer-
gency (e.g. in case of an electrical or
hydraulic fault).
After manual raising the soft top must on
no account be folded down manually,
since this could cause damage to the soft
top mechanism.
Valve for manual raising of the soft top
IB842
IB938
Tool fitted for manual unlocking (1) or
locking (2) of the tonneau cover
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. (If using child seat
top tether strap, detach from anchorage
in trunk prior to lowering the seatback.).Trunk Pass-Through in the rear NOTE
If 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 133.
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

123 Interior equipment, trunk
Interior equipment,
trunkSeats ................................. 124
Steering-wheel adjust-
ment ................................ 131
Electrical windows ........... 130
Sunroof ............................. 132
Interior lighting................. 133
Cup holder ........................ 134
Ashtrays (accessory)....... 135
Glove compartment ......... 135
Rearview mirrors.............. 137
Trunk, Coupé and 5-door 138
Tools and spare wheel .... 143
Manually opening the fuel
filler door ........................ 144
IB941
ProCarManuals.com

124 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 131). 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 a crash.
IB803
IB801
ProCarManuals.com