2003 SAAB 9-5 Owners Manual

17 Safety
Safety belts Three-point inertia-reel safety belts are
provided for all seats.
Research has established that it is just as
dangerous for rear seat passengers not to
wear their safety belts as it is for front seat
passengers.
Bear in mind that in certain states it is a legal
requirement for all occupants of the car to
wear a safety belt.
Safety-belt reminderWhen the ignition is switched on, the ”fasten
belts” reminder will light up until the driver
fastens the safety belt. In addition an audi-
ble signal sounds for 6 seconds, or until the
driver fastens his belt.
WARNING
Safety belts must be worn at all times by
all car occupants.
Child safety, see page 23.
Check that the locking tongue is properly
locked in the belt lock.
WARNING
In the event of a crash, the rear-seat
passengers not wearing a seatbelt will
thrown forward against the front-seat
backrests. The stresses imposed on the
front seat passengers and belts are multi-
plied and can result in needless injury or
even death for all car occupants.
WARNING
Adjustments of the safety belt should be
done when the car is stationary so that
attention to traffic is not reduced.
IB409
FASTEN BELTS
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18 SafetySafety belt pretensionersThe belts of the front seats are fitted with
automatic pretensioners and force limiters.
These are activated in the event of a severe
frontal or rear-end crash and a side-on colli-
sion, provided that the safety belts are being
worn.
The pretensioners serve to reduce the
forward movement of the body by tension-
ing the belt. The force limiters reduce belt
loads on the body by "slackening" the safety
belt to absorb the body’s kinetic energy as
gradually as possible.
The safety belt pretensioners are not acti-
vated by vehicle rollover.
Correct position for safety belt  The lap portion of the belt should be
pulled as tightly as comfortable and as
low as possible across the hips, so that it
is just touching the top of the thighs. The
shoulder belt should be well in on the
shoulder but not touching the neck.
 Check to ensure that the belt is not twisted
or rubbing against any sharp edges.
 There should not be any slack in the belt.
Pull the belt tight – particularly important
when thick outer clothing is worn.
 Refrain from tilting the backrest more than
necessary, as the safety belt provides
better protection when the seat is in the
more upright position.
 Only one person per safety belt!
 For most of the time a safety belt is worn,
the retractor will allow the wearer freedom
of movement. The retractor locks up auto-
matically if the belt is jerked or withdrawn
sharply, the car tilts, the brakes are
applied hard or a crash occurs.
WARNING
If the car is involved in a crash, the safety
belts, belt pretensioners and other
components must be inspected by an
authorized Saab dealer and replaced as
necessary.
Never make any alterations or repairs to
the safety belt yourself. Visit an autho-
rized Saab dealer for any necessary
repairs.
WARNING
Proper positioning of the safety belt is
extremely important. An out of position
safety belt can result in the wearer sliding
underneath the belt in a crash (submarin-
ing) and injury can result from the lap
portion cutting into the abdomen.
WARNING
If two people share a belt, they risk injury
by being crushed together in the event of
a crash.
IB410
Correctly positioned safety belt
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19 Safety
 Children who have grown out of a child
seat should be restrained by the car’s
standard three-point belts. Make sure that
the shoulder belt is not in contact with the
neck or throat. If it is, a booster seat/cush-
ion may be necessary.
Front safety belts Fasten the belt by pulling the belt and insert-
ing the tongue in 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.
Then grip the belt at the shoulder, pull it out
and, without letting go, allow the slack to be
taken up by the reel. Make sure that the belt
is well in on the shoulder.
Because the lower belt-anchorage points
are on the seat, the belt buckle follows the
movement of the seat during seat adjust-
ment.To release the belt, press the red button on
the belt buckle, as illustrated.
See page 243 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning, etc.
WARNING
Never fasten the safety belt with the
shoulder belt behind the body or pull the
belt off the shoulder and under the arm.
IB411
To fasten the belt
IB412
Press the red button to release the belt
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20 SafetyBelt height adjustmentThe front safety belts and the outside belts
in the rear (9-5 Sedan) are equipped with
automatic height adjustment.
After fastening the belt, grasp it at chest
height, pull it out and, without letting go,
allow the slack to be taken up by the reel.
Make sure that the belt is well in on the
shoulder.
Safety belt use during pregnancyPregnant women must always wear a
safety belt to protect both themselves and
the unborn child.
The lap belt should be placed low, across
the hips and over the upper thighs.
IB414
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21 Safety
Safety belt, rear seat Three-point safety belts are provided for all
three rear seat passengers.
Fasten the belt by pulling out the strap care-
fully and inserting the tongue in the lock.
Check that it is securely fastened.
Then grip the diagonal part of the strap near
the lock and pull the belt upwards towards
the shoulder to tighten the lap strap. The lap
strap should lie low over the hips.
The diagonal part should lie as far in on the
shoulder as possible.
To release the belt, press the red button on
the belt lock.
See page 243 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 139).
 If a cargo has to be placed on a seat,
it must be properly secured with the
safety belt. This reduces the risk of the
cargo being thrown about during hard
braking or a crash, which could cause
personal injury.
IB???IB415
Safety belt, rear seat
IB416
Securing an item on the rear seat
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22 Safety Check that the belt is not twisted or
lying against sharp edges.
 Make sure you use the correct safety
belt buckle. The buckles for the center
and left-hand rear seats are close
together.
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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23 Safety
Child safety

Car safety tips Protect your children from getting
trapped in the trunk of a car
For Trunk Release Handle information see
page 46 and 148.
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 or killed in a crash.
 Children 12 and under can be killed by
the airbag.
 According to crash statistics, the
BACK SEAT is SAFER for properly
restrained 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 back-
ing 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
buckets of water while washing your
car. Small children can drown in
seconds in less than an inch of water.
WARNING
 Teach your children 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 chil-
dren´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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24 SafetyThe same attention must be given to child
safety in the car as is given to adults.
Saab recommends rearward facing child
restraints.
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.
LATCHLATCH (Lower Anchorages & Top tethers
for CHildren) consists of top tether and
lower anchorage (“ISOFIX”) for child
restraints in two outboard the rear seats.
ISOFIX are lower attachments located
where the seat and back cushions come
together. Top tethers are upper attach-
ments located on parcel shelf or torsion
beam, see page 27 and 28.
Saab recommends rearward facing child
restraints for children 3 and under.
IB1832
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