2003 SAAB 9-3 sensor

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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27 Safety
The driver and passenger front airbags are
triggered by violent front-end crashs. They
are not activated by minor front-end
impacts, if the car overturns or by rear- and
side-impacts.There are two impact sensors on the front
bumper, under the lacquered shell. Very
soon after the moment of impact, these
register that the car is involved in a crash.
Using this information and data from the
central sensor in the control module, the
control module determines whether or not to
inflate the airbags. The control module also
controls whether other components of the
airbag system are to be deployed: safety
belt pretensioners, side airbags and inflat-
able curtains.
Which airbag system components are
deployed depends on a number of factors,
such as the force of the crash and the angle
of impact.If the airbag system registers forces equiv-
alent to a high-speed crash (airbags inflated
to Stage II), the inflatable curtains will also
be activated (see page 32).
If the airbags are deployed, the positive
terminal of the battery will be disconnected,
See page 184.
If a fault arises in the airbag system during
a journey, the airbag warning lamp on the
main instrument panel will come on and the
Saab Information Display (SID) will display:
The car is equipped as standard with
a passenger airbag.Airbag malfunction.
Contact Saab dealer.
Both front airbags inflated
Inflated airbag (driver’s side).
Inflation and deflation of airbag takes
approx. 0.1 s
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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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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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31 Safety
Head protectionThe pillar trim and headlining are designed
to absorb energy, softening possible blows
to the head. After a crash, these items must
be changed in the seat positions that were
occupied. Never fit accessories to the pillar
trim or headlining as these could reduce the
effectiveness of the head protection and
inflatable curtain.
Side airbags
The side airbags, which protect the upper
body, are integrated in the outside edges of
the front seat backrests.
The front seats have safety belt pretension-
ers.
There are two sensors on each side of the
car, one at the rear of each door sill. The
side-impact protection is only activated on
the side of impact, while the safety belt pre-
tensioners on both sides are deployed.  Keep feet on the floor – never put feet
up on the dash, on the seat or out of
the window.
 Do not carry anything in your lap.
WARNING
 This car is equipped with side airbags
and no extra seat cover should be
fitted. Failure to observe this warning
could result in the side airbags not
inflating as intended and thus not
providing the intended protection
either.
 Never place any object in the area that
would be occupied by the inflated air-
bag.
 For optimum protection, sit upright in
the seat, with your safety belt correctly
fastened.
 The side-impact protection will only be
activated in the event of a side-on
crash or high-speed frontal crash
(airbags inflated to Stage II), but not in
the event of a rear-end crash or the car
rolling over.
 Damage or wear to the seat cover, or
the seat seam, in the area of the side
airbag must immediately be repaired
by an authorized Saab dealer.
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34 SafetyAirbag warning lamp Crash sensing
Crash sensing and diagnostic modules
have been used in automobiles since air-
bags were first produced. The technical
information gained from these modules can
be useful to understanding the circum-
stances that led to the airbag deployment. In
addition, information from many field events
can be used in the aggregate to help manu-
facturers and others better understand real
world crashes. This, in turn, can lead to
improved automotive safety.
Your vehicle is equipped with two electronic
frontal sensors, which helps the sensing
system distinguish between a moderate
frontal impact and a more severe frontal
impact. Your vehicle is also equipped with a
crash sensing and diagnostic module,
which records information about the frontal
airbag system. The module records infor-
mation about the readiness of the system,
when the system commands airbag inflation
and driver’s safety belt usage at deployment
or in a near-deployment crash. The module
also records speed, engine rpm, brake and
throttle data etc.
Servicing the airbag systemThe airbag system must be inspected as
part of the normal service program but oth-
erwise may be regarded as maintenance-
free.
WARNING
 If the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle, it means
the airbag system may not be working
properly. See page 57.
 The airbags in your vehicle may not
inflate in a crash, or they could even
inflate without a crash.
 To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have your vehicle serviced
right away if the airbag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
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41 Security
Locking a car with dead batteryThe steering wheel lock requires sufficient
battery voltage to lock and unlock. If the bat-
tery voltage drops below a certain level
while the remote control is in the ignition
switch, you will not be able to remove the
remote control.
If you must leave the car, proceed as
follows:
1 Lock the car by pressing down the lock
buttons on the doors.
2 Lock the front left door from outside with
the traditional key (see page 40). The
car is now locked but the car alarm will
remain inactive.
Trunk lidOpening
The trunk lid is unlock and slightly opened
when the button on the remote control
or driver’s door is pressed once.
The hazard warning lights will flash three
times to confirm.
The movement sensor in the cabin will be
disarmed.
Closing
The trunk lid is locked when closed.
If the doors are locked when the trunk lid is
closed it is armed and the movement sensor
in the cabin will be armed.
Opening button on driver’s door
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46 SecurityIf, when inserted into the ignition switch,
there is a problem checking the electronic
code of the remote control, the following
message will appear on the SID:
Visit a Saab dealer to have the problem
checked and rectified.
Car alarmThe car alarm is armed when the car is
locked with the remote control.
The car alarm will not be armed if you
lock the car with the traditional key (see
page 40).
All the doors, the hood and the trunk lid are
monitored by the alarm. A movement
sensor triggers the alarm if movement is
detected in the cabin, such as if someone
sticks in their arm through a smashed
window.
All the windows should be shut when the
alarm is armed. Otherwise, the movement
sensor may interpret a passer-by as an
attempted break-in.The alarm is armed 11 seconds after the car
has been locked by remote control.
During the delay period, the LED shines
constantly. It will then start to flash once
every 3 seconds. The LED is located on the
fascia.
If a door or the trunk lid is open when the car
is locked with the remote control, the LED
will flash 3 times per second for
11 seconds. Check that the doors, hood
and trunk lid are closed.
If the signal persists, contact a Saab dealer
to have the problem checked and rectified.
If you unlock the trunk lid from outside the
car with the button on the remote con-
trol, you must lock the car with the
button to arm the car alarm. Key not accepted.
Contact Saab dealer.
WARNING
Leaving children or pets unattended in a
locked car is dangerous. It is also danger-
ous to leave children in a vehicle with the
ignition key. A child or others could be
badly injured or even killed.
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