2003 SAAB 9-3 steering wheel

5
InteriorAirbag _________________ 26
Steering wheel adjustment _ 98
Steering _______________ 242
Interior rearview mirror _________ 111
Vanity mirror _________________ 106
Door mirrors__________________ 110
Airbag_________________ 26
Child seats _____________ 21
Safety belts ____________ 11
Safety belt care _________ 217
Child safety locks ________ 42Glove compartment ______ 109
Storage compartments____ 109Automatic transmission ___ 134
Manual transmission _____ 133
Changing gears _________ 133
Rear seat _________________ 116
Child seats ________________ 21
Safety belts ________________ 11
Folding down the rear seat ____ 116
Upholstery care ____________ 217
Seat adjustment ____________ 16
Seat heating _______________ 83, 92
Interior lighting: changing bulbs ___ 197
Interior light switches ___________ 105
Sunroof _____________________ 102
Break-In Period _______________ 132
Driving in hot/cold climates ______ 155
Parking _____________________ 148
Starting the engine ____________ 123
Ignition switch ________________ 122
Parking brake_________________ 148
Ashtray and cigarette lighter _____ 108
Fuses _________________ 199Electric windows _________ 99
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16 SafetySeatsManually adjusted front seatsThe following seat adjustments can be
made to achieve a comfortable driving
position:
 Height (driver’s seat)
Legroom
 Backrest rake angle
 Lumbar support (driver’s seat)
 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
4 Head restraint height
Lastly, adjust the position of the steering
wheel (see page 98).Electrically adjustable front seatsSee page 18.Electric heating, front seats (option)See pages 83 and 92.
Height adjustment, driver’s seatLift 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 adjustmentLift 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 and it could result in injury
to the occupant in the event of a crash.
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26 SafetyAirbag
Airbag system components Airbag in steering wheel
 Airbag in instrument panel in front of
passenger seat
 Side airbags in front seat backrests
 Inflatable curtains along length of headlin-
ing (from front to rear roof pillars)
 Safety belt pretensioners for front seats.
The airbag system supplements the protec-
tion provided by the safety belts to further
enhance the safety of occupants taller than
55 in. (140 cm).
When the system is activated at the moment
of impact, the airbag inflates and then
deflates through holes in the back. The
whole operation takes roughly 0.1 second,
quicker than the blink of an eye.
The steering wheel and passenger airbags
are so-called smart airbags. The driver and
passenger airbag system compensates for
safety belt usage, the force of the crash and
the position of the seats at the moment of
impact.
 Stage I is activated if the force of the
impact is low or if the seat is close to the
steering wheel or fascia.
 Stage II is activated in all other cases.
Note:
The sensor reacts differently depending on
whether or not the front safety belts on the
driver’s and passenger sides are used. Sit-
uations can therefore arise where only one
of the airbags inflates.If the force of the impact is small, the airbag
needs only to inflate to Stage I to provide
optimum protection. If the seat is positioned
far forward (the person occupying the seat
is fairly short), only Stage I is activated to
prevent injury caused by the airbag being
inflated with full force.
If only Stage I is activated at the moment of
impact, Stage II will be activated later. This
occurs when the airbag is already fully
inflated and thus does not affect the person
occupying the seat. Stage II is activated
here to render the gas generator harmless
(its activation is not noticeable to the occu-
pant).
WARNING
To reduce risk of death or serious injury:
Always wear your safety belt.
Always adjust your seat so that you
are as far back as possible but still
able to operate the pedals and reach
the steering wheel and controls
comfortably.
 Passengers 12 and under or shorter
than 55 inches (140 cm) must always
travel in the rear seat as the car is fitted
with a passenger airbag.
Never fit a child seat in front of the
passenger airbag.
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28 SafetyAirbag system1 Steering wheel with integral airbag
2 Side airbag
3 Sensor, side airbags and inflatable curtains
4 Sensor, side airbags and inflatable curtains
5 Electronic control module and central sensor
6 Sensor, side airbags and inflatable curtains
7 Side airbag
8 Sensor, side airbags and inflatable curtains
9 Inflatable curtain
10 Passenger airbag
11 Inflatable curtain
12 Sensors in front bumper
Accessories and other equipment must
not be fitted to the surfaces marked as
these are where the airbags inflate in the
event of a crash.
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29 Safety
WARNING
 Even if the car is equipped with
AIRBAGS, safety belts must still
always be worn by all occupants.
 Note that because an airbag inflates
and deflates extremely rapidly, it will
not provide protection against a
second impact occurring in the same
incident. Always use your safety belt.
 Always sit with the whole of your back
in contact with the backrest of the seat,
and with your seat as far back as is
practical.Otherwise you will be thrown
back against the backrest when the
airbag inflates which could cause you
injury or death. The airbag needs
room in which to inflate.
 Never attach anything to the steering
wheel or passenger side of the instru-
ment panel, as this could result in
injury if the airbag should inflate. The
same applies to anything you might
have in your mouth, such as a pipe, for
instance.
 Some components of the airbag will
be warm for a short time. In some
circumstances the airbag can cause
minor burns or abrasions to the body
when the airbag inflates/deflates.
 Never rest your hands or forearms on
the steering-wheel center padding.
 If the airbag warning light remains
on after the car has been started or
comes on while you are driving, have
the car checked immediately by an
authorized Saab dealer. The warning
light could signify that the airbags may
not inflate in a crash, or they could
even inflate without a crash. See page
57.
 Fumes are generated by the chemical
reaction that inflates the airbag.
Skin surfaces that show signs of irrita-
tion should be washed with clean
water and a mild soap as soon as
possible.
In the event of eye irritation, flush the
eyes thoroughly with clean water for at
least 20 minutes.
In case of persistent irritation, consult
a doctor.
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30 Safety
Front passenger seatThe system is the same as that used on the
driver’s side.
The airbag systems are interconnected and
have a common warning light . The pas-
senger airbag module is housed in the
fascia above the glove compartment and is
marked "AIRBAG".
Both airbags will be inflated in the event of a
moderate to severe frontal, or near-frontal
crash, even if the passenger seat is unoccu-
pied.
The car is equipped as standard with
a passenger airbag.
WARNING
Never secure a rear-facing child seat in
the right front seat of a car equipped with
a passenger airbag. Inflation of the airbag
in the event of a crash could seriously
injure or kill a child.
WARNING
 DEATH or SERIOUS
INJURY can occur
Children 12 and under or
shorter than 55 inches
(140 cm) can be killed by the airbag
 The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place
for children
 NEVER put a rear-facing child seat in
the front
 Sit as far back as possible from the
airbag
 ALWAYS use SAFETY BELTS and
CHILD RESTRAINTS
Never allow a child to stand in front of
the seat or to sit on the lap of a front
seat passenger. Serious injury or
death could result if the airbag is
inflated in a crash.
 The glove compartment must be
closed while travelling. An open glove
compartment door could cause leg
injuries in the event of a crash.
 Never place anything on the dash or in
front of the seat as, in addition to being
a hazard to passengers, this could
interfere with the function of the airbag
in the event of a crash. The same
applies to the mounting of accessories
on the dash.
Operation of the steering wheel airbag in
a front-end crash
Moment of impact.
Sensors detect a
decelleration and send
a signal via the control
module to a gas gen-
erator that inflates the
airbag.
The inflating airbag
cushions the driver.
Airbag now fully
inflated.
The airbag starts to
deflate.
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32 Safety
Inflatable curtains
The inflatable curtains, which protect the
head, are concealed along the lengths of
the headlining (all the way from front to rear
roof pillars).
The inflatable curtains inflate at the same
time as the side airbags in the front seats in
case of a side-on impact.
The inflatable curtains reduce the risk of
head injuries to the occupants of the car’s
outer seats. The inflatable curtains deploys
into the window area between the front and
rear roof pillars.
If the airbag system registers forces equiv-
alent to a high-speed frontal crash (Stage II
for the steering wheel and passenger
airbags), the inflatable curtains will also be
deployed.
WARNING
 Do not sit with your head rested
against the side window. The inflat-
able curtain is designed to inflate
between the window and the head.
Resting the head against the window
could prevent the inflatable curtain
from providing the intended
protection.
 Hang only light clothes from the hooks
on the rear seat courtesy handles. The
items of clothing must not contain
heavy or sharp objects. Do not use
wire coat hangers.
 Do not position a sun visor or similar in
the area that would be filled by the
inflatable curtain.
 To reduce the risk of head injuries in
the event of a crash, the roof pillars
and headlining incorporate cushioning
material. Do not attach anything to the
car’s headlining, roof pillars or side
panels as this could prevent the side-
impact protection from providing the
intended protection.
 Do not stack loads so high that they
could encumber the inflatable curtain
in the event of a crash.
Inflated side airbag
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35 Safety
Scrapping or working on airbag and
belt pretensionersFrequently asked questions on
function of the airbag
Do you still need to wear a safety belt if air-
bags are fitted?Yes, always! The airbag system compo-
nents merely supplement the car’s normal
safety system. Moreover, the front airbags
will only be actuated in a moderate to severe
frontal, or near-frontal crash, which means,
of course, that they provide no protection in
minor frontal crashes, major rear- or side-
crashes or if the car rolls over.
The safety belts help to reduce the sideway
movement of the body in a crash.
But they also ensure that, if a crash occurs
in which the airbags are inflated, the airbag
will make the optimum contact with the
occupant, i.e. square on from the front. If the
occupant meets the airbag in an offset posi-
tion, the protection afforded will be reduced.In addition, airbags provide no protection
against a secondary impact occurring in the
same incident. So there is no doubt about
the benefit of wearing safety belts at all
times.
Do not sit too close to the airbag: it needs
room to inflate.
The airbag inflates very quickly and power-
fully in order to protect an adult , before they
are thrown forward, in a serious frontal
crash.
How do I position the seat to leave room for
the airbag to inflate?Don’t have your seat too far forward.
Recline the seat back to increase the dis-
tance between you and the airbag. For short
drivers, special accessory pedal extensions
are available through your Saab dealer.
Airbags inflate extremely rapidly and with
great force – to be fast enough to protect an
adult in the seat.
WARNING
 Under no circumstances should any
modifications be made that affect the
steering wheel or the airbag’s electri-
cal circuitry.
 During any welding, both battery
cables must be disconnected and
covered.
 Before quick drying paint in the vicinity
of the electronic control module, the
module’s grounding points and wiring
must be covered.
 Airbags and safety belt pretensioners
must be deployed under controlled
conditions before the car is scrapped
or any of the system’s components are
removed. Airbags or belt pretension-
ers that have been deployed as a
result of a crash must be replaced by
new ones.
 Airbag-system components must
never be transferred for use in another
vehicle.
 All work involving the scrapping or
replacement of airbags or belt preten-
sioners must be carried out by autho-
rized personnel only.
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