2002 SAAB 9-3 warning

16 SafetySafety belts, rear seat Three-point safety belts are provided for all
three rear-seat passengers (2 for Convert-
ible models).
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 142 for securing of load.
See page 218 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 138).
 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 a crash.
 Check that the belt is not twisted or
lying against 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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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.
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 crash, 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.
Because the SAHR is mechanically oper-
ated, it does not need to be replaced after a
minor rear-end crash.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 a crash.
IB400
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19 Safety
Child safety
Car safety tips Protect your children from getting
trapped in the trunk of a car
For Trunk Release Handle see page 39 and
143.
WARNING
 NEVER put a rear-facing child seat in
the front.
 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 of a lap-shoulder
belt or LATCH. If the child restraint is
not properly secured, a child can be
injured in a crash.
 Children 12 and under can be killed by
the airbag.
 According to crash 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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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 from the
parcel shelf.
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 safety 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.
IB1362
Child tether anchorage, Coupé and 5-
door models.
The tether strap is not a part of the child
tether anchorage.
IB1896
Child tether anchorages, Coupé and 5-
door models.
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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 conver tible 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 safety 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.
IB1314
Attaching tether strap hook to anchorage,
Conver tible.
The tether strap is not a part of the tether
child anchorage.
IB1926
Child tether anchorages, Convertible.
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25 Safety
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.
Installation of child restraint using
the standard safety beltChild restraint that are approved for rear-
ward facing installation in the rear seat can
be positioned in any of the three rear places.
Make sure that it is possible to fit it in accor-
dance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
When fitting child restraints in cars you
must always read the instructions sup-
plied by the child seat manufacturer.
Saab recommends rearward facing child
restraints be used for children up to 3
years of age.
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.
IB822
Locking the lap belt 1 Locked
2 Unlocked
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27 Safety
Folding booster seat 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.
 Press the booster seat’s headrest all the
way down.
 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 can not be fitted in a
position with integrated booster seat.
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.
 Never leave a child unattended.
 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 to ensure 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 on integrated booster cushion
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