2003 SAAB 9-5 child seat

30 SafetyInstallation of child restraint using the
standard safety belt
Child restraints that are approved for rear-
ward facing installation in the rear seat can
be positioned in any of the three rear places.
If you intend to install another make of child
restraint make sure that it is possible to fit it
in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions.
Saab recommends rearward facing child
restraints up to 3 years.

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.
WARNING
A special accessory is available for lock-
ing the center armrest so that a child seat
can be installed in the middle seat. See
your Saab dealer for details.
When a rear-facing child seat is fitted in
the center position of the rear seat in the
Saab 9-5 Sedan the center armrest must
be secured in place with this strap. If this
is not done, the center armrest could
swing down in the event of a frontal crash
and cause injury to the child.
IB1204
Fitting the locking strap on the center
armrest, Saab 9-5 Sedan (not needed on
Wagon).
The locking strap is standard equipment
in certain markets.
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31 Safety
Integrated booster seat
(accessory)The integrated booster seat in the back is
intended for children weighing 33–80 lbs.
(15–36 kg) and between 38 and 54 inches
(97 and 137 cm) tall.
When seated in the integrated booster seat,
the child must wear the standard three-point
safety belt.
Whatever the age or weight of the child, it is
vital that the safety belt be worn correctly.
The seat should always be kept clean and
intact to ensure that it continues to function
as intended. Folding down 1 Pull the opening strap on the side of the
booster seat outwards to release the
catch securing the seat.
2 Fold down the booster seat cushion by
grasping the upper edge and pulling
outwards.Fastening the safety belt
 Seat the child well back in the seat, snug
against the backrest.
 Pull out the safety belt smoothly and
insert the tongue in the lock. Check that it
is securely fastened.
 Ensure that the lap strap is positioned low
across the hips and that the diagonal
strap is well in on the shoulder, although
not touching the neck or in a position that
creates discomfort.  For optimum protection, the safety belt
should be snug against the body. Pull the
diagonal strap towards the shoulder to
take up any slack.
 After fastening the belt, grasp the strap at
the shoulder, pull it out and, without letting
go, allow the slack to be taken up by the
reel. Make sure that the strap is well in on
the shoulder.
 Check that the belt runs freely between
the reel and the lock.
To fold the seat away Fold back the seat and ensure that it is
locked in position.
WARNING
Never wear a safety belt with the diagonal
strap positioned behind your back or
slipped off the shoulder and under your
arm.
IB1915
1
2
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32 Safety
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 in the
car.
 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.
Label in integrated booster seat
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33 Safety
Airbag The AIRBAG system 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 the occupants.
If a fault is detected in the AIRBAG, the
AIR BAG warning light on the main instru-
ment panel will come on (see pages 58 and
38).
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 front airbags are inflated in two stages.
Stage 1: process is a less severe, softer
inflation of the airbag. This stage is used in
lower force crashes, or if the seat is posi-
tioned close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.
Stage 2: process is a more forceful and
quicker inflation of the airbag. This stage is
used in more severe crashes and/or when
the seat adjustment is back a significant
distance from the steering wheel or dash-
board.
Note:
The sensor reacts differently depending on
whether or not the front seatbelts on the
driver’s and passenger sides are used. Situ-
ations can therefore arise where only one of
the airbags inflates.
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.
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
passenger side.
WARNING
 Even if the car is equipped with
AIRBAG, 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.
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36 SafetyFront passenger seat The airbags are interconnected and have a
common warning light. The passenger
airbag module is housed in the fascia above
the glove compartment and is marked ”SRS
AIRBAG”. (SRS = Supplementary Restraint
System)
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.
Side airbags 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
predetermined 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
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 Children 12 and
under can be killed by
the airbag
 The back seat is the
safest place for children
 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.
 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.
 Keep feet on the floor – never put feet
up on the fascia, on the seat or out of
the window.
 Do not carry anything in your lap.
IB420
Passenger airbag and driver’s airbag both
inflated
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40 SafetyWhat won’t trigger the front airbags? The airbag will not be activated in all
front-end crashes. For instance, if the car
has hit something relatively soft and yielding
(e.g. a snow drift or a hedge) or a solid
object at a low impact speed, the airbag will
not necessarily be triggered. How loud is the inflation? The noise of the inflation is certainly loud,
but it is very short-lived and will not damage
your hearing. For a short time afterwards
you could experience a buzzing noise in
your ears.
Most people who have experienced it
cannot remember the noise of the inflation
at all – all they remember is the noise of the
crash. Can you still use a child seat in the front if a
passenger airbag is installed? Definitely not!
Children 12 and under can be injured or
killed by the airbag.
The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for
children.
NEVER put a child seat in the front.
Are the smoke and fumes given off when the
airbag operates at all harmful? Most people who have remained in a car
with little or no ventilation for several
minutes complained only of minor irritation
of the throat and eyes. Avoid as far as possi-
ble getting dust on your skin as there is a risk
of skin irritation.
If you suffer from asthma, the incident may
bring on an attack, in which case you should
follow the normal procedure advised by
your doctor. It is advisable to consult a
doctor afterwards.
What should I do if the AIR-BAG warning
light comes on? If the warning light is on, it means that a fault
has been detected in the system. The
airbag cannot be relied on to operate as
intended and it might even be activated
erroneously. You should therefore take the
car to an authorized Saab dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNING
When an airbag is inflated there is dust in
the air.
Because the dust/smoke can, in certain
cases, cause irritation to the skin, the
following precautions should be taken:
 As soon as possible, wash any
exposed skin using a mild soap and
water.
 If there is irritation of the eyes, flush
them liberally with clean water for at
least 20 minutes.
 If this trouble persists, you should
consult a doctor.
WARNING
To reduce the risk of head injuries in the
event of a crash, the headliner and pillar
trims incorporate energy absorbing mate-
rial. These areas must not be modified in
any way. Work on these areas must only
be carried out at an authorized Saab
dealer.
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45 Security
If the car is left with the doors open, the inte-
rior lighting and the courtesy lights in the
doors will be switched off automatically after
20 minutes, to prevent a flat battery. In such
cases the electrically operated seats will not
function.
Child safety locksThe rear doors are equipped with child
safety locks that are operated by means of
a catch adjacent to the door lock.
Insert a key and turn the catch 45° clockwise
or counterclockwise as indicated by the
label on the door.
When the child safety catch is in the locked
position, the door cannot be opened from
the inside.
Changing the key batteryWhen the battery voltage in the key falls
below a predetermined level the Saab Infor-
mation Display (SID) will issue the following
message: ”REPLACE KEY BATTERY”.
Press the CLEAR button on the SID to
acknowledge this message. You must then
replace the battery without delay to avoid
malfunctions. The life of the battery is nor-
mally 4 years.Contact a Saab dealer to
have the battery replaced.
WARNING
Having the doors locked when you are
driving will reduce the likelihood of:
 Passengers, especially children,
opening doors and falling out of the
car.
 Intruders entering the car when it is
moving slowly or at a standstill.
 Injury resulting from a door bursting
open in the event of a crash.
However, you must also remember that
locked doors can hamper rescuers in the
event of a crash.
WARNING
If small children are carried in the rear
seat, the safety locks on rear doors
should be activated to prevent uninten-
tional opening from the inside.
IB1871
Child safety lock on rear doors
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140 Interior equipment and trunk
WARNING
 Place heavy items closest to the backrest and stow smaller
and lighter items on top.
 Secure heavy and bulky items using the four tie down points
provided in the trunk. This will avert the danger of luggage
flying around if the car should brake suddenly or be involved
in a crash (see page 141).
 Secure small items if the backrest is folded down or the
load-through hatch is open. Small items can also be thrown
around inside the car and cause personal injury.
 Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 258).
 Make sure that the seat cushions and backrests are properly
secured when folding them back to their normal position.
Check that the button (item 3 on page 139) is flush with the
surround before entering the back seat.
The tail pipe of the exhaust system can become very hot during
driving. Bear this in mind when loading and unloading the car so
that children, for example, do not burn themselves.
IB462
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