2003 SAAB 9-5 belt

38 Safety
Crash sensingCrash sensing and diagnostic modules
have been used in many 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 air bag deployment.
In addition, information from many field
events can be used in the aggregate to help
manufactures 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
air bag system. The module records infor-
mation about the readiness of the system,
when the system commands air bag infla-
tion and driver´s safety belt usage at deploy-
ment or in a near-deployment crash. The
module also records speed, engine rpm,
brake and throttle data etc.
AIR BAG warning light
AIRBAG servicingThe AIRBAG must be inspected as part of
the normal service program but otherwise
may be regarded as maintenance-free.  The side airbags will inflate only in the
event of a side impact; not in the event
of a front or rear-end crash or of the
car’s 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.
 Do not modify the speaker installation
in the front doors or install speakers
other than those specifically approved
by Saab.
WARNING
 If the airbag readiness light stays on
after you start your vehicle, it means
the air bag system may not be working
properly. See page. 58. The airbags
in your vehicle may not inflate in a
crash, or they could even inflate with-
out a crash.
 To help avoid injury to yourself or
others, have your vehicle serviced
right away if the air bag readiness light
stays on after you start your vehicle.
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39 Safety
Scrapping or working on airbags
and belt pretensioners Frequently asked questions on func-
tion of airbags
Do you still need to wear a
safety b
elt if
airbags are fitted?
Yes, always! The airbag merely supple-
ments the car’s normal safety system.
Moreover, the airbag will only be actuated in
a moderate to severe frontal, or near-frontal
crash, which means, of course, that it
provides no protection in minor frontal
crashes, major rear-end or side-on crashes
or if the car rolls over.
The safety belts help reduce the chance of
the car occupants from being thrown around
and injured or killed inside the car.
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 person,
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
distance 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. When do the front airbags inflate? The airbag will only be inflated under certain
predetermined conditions in a moderate to
severe frontal, or near-frontal crash,
depending on such factors as the force and
angle of the impact, the speed of the car on
impact, and the resistance to deformation of
the impacting object.
The airbag can only be activated once in the
same incident.
Do not attempt to drive the car after an
airbag has been inflated, even if it is possi-
ble.
WARNING
 Under no circumstances should any
modifications be made that affect the
steering wheel or the airbag’s electri-
cal circuitry.
 Before starting any welding work on
the car, always disconnect the nega-
tive (–) battery lead and cover the
conductor.
 Airbags and belt pretensioners must
be deployed under controlled condi-
tions 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 only be carried out by
knowledgeable personnel.
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57 Instruments and controls
Warning, charging
This light will come on together with if
the battery is discharging. If it comes on
while you are driving, stop the car as soon
as possible and switch off the engine.
Check the alternator drive belt (see page
211). If the belt has broken, the engine may
overheat (cooling system will not function
properly), the battery will not be charged,
the A/C compressor will not run and power
assistance for the steering will be lost.
Brake warning light
This light will come on together with if
there is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir (see pages 207).
If the ABS warning light is on at the same
time, the ABS system may be inoperative
because of a fault (see ”Anti-lock brake
warning”, page 58).
Parking brake warning
light
This light will show when the parking brake
is on (see page 195).
If the car is driven with the parking brake still
on, will also come on and a chime will
sound.
The parking brake is mechanical and oper-
ates on the rear wheels.
WARNING
Never drive the car when these warning
lights are on. Danger of brake failure!
Have the brake system checked at once
by an authorized Saab dealer.
WARNING
Always apply the parking brake when
parking, see page 195.
Always apply the parking brake
before removing the ignition key.
Do not apply the parking brake while
the car is moving.
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139 Interior equipment and trunk
TrunkFolding the rear seat, 9-5 SedanThe rear seat is split and the two sections can be folded indepen-
dently. Folding down of the rear seat is easier if the front seats are
not all the way back, and the rear head restraints are folded down.
1 Raise the rear seat cushions by pulling the loop located between
the cushion and the backrest. A small pad will open up first. Con-
tinue pulling the loop until the entire rear seat cushion is raised.
2 Tip the seat cushion forward.
3 Press the button adjacent to the respective backrest to release it.
4 Fold down the backrest.
WARNING
 Rear-seat passengers should always ensure that the head
restraint is raised and in proper position for the seats to be
occupied.
 Keep hands well clear of all moving parts.
 Never place heavy objects on the rear window shelf. There is
always a danger of loose objects flying about and causing
injury if the car should brake suddenly or be involved in a
crash.
 Before folding up the backrest, hang the outer safety belts
onto the hook on the respective courtesy handle to prevent
them from becoming trapped.
 Check that the back rest release button (3) is flush with the
surround before entering the rear seat.
31
2
4
IB1849
IB461
Outer safety belt hooked onto courtesy handle
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141 Interior equipment and trunk
Trunk pass-through hatch A trunk pass-through hatch is incorporated in the rear seat backrest
to enable long, narrow items to be carried inside the car.
Items should not weigh more than 33 lbs. (15 kg) nor be more than
2 yards (2 metres) in length. See the label on the hatch.
1 Fold down the armrest.
2 Raise the hatch by lifting the handle.
Before loading or unloading long items, switch off the engine and
apply the handbrake. This averts the danger of the car moving off
suddenly if a long item were to knock the gear or selector lever into
gear. Tie DownsFour tie downs for securing the load are fitted inside the trunk. Place
the load as far in as possible.
WARNING
 Anchor the load securely (e.g. using middle safety belt) to
avoid danger of injury resulting from displacement of load on
hard braking.
 Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 258).
IB463IB464
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142 Interior equipment and trunkFolding the rear seat, 9-5 WagonBoth the narrow and wide sections of the rear seat can be folded
separately. Folding is facilitated if the front seats are not located too
far back. The wide section cannot be folded separately if a cargo net
is mounted on the rear of the backrest.
1 Make sure that the head restraint is in the down position. For
height adjustment refer to page 16.
2 Put the safety belts for the outer seat places in their respective
belt clips, which are located near the backrest (see illustration).
3 Raise the rear seat cushions by pulling the loop located between
the cushion and the backrest. A small pad will open up first. Con-
tinue pulling the loop until the entire rear seat cushion is raised.
4 Fold the narrow section (right) of the backrest forward by raising
the opening handle on the right-hand side.
5 Fold the wide section of the backrest forward in the
corresponding manner.
6 Adjust the front seats for optimal driving/passenger comfort.
Alternative location of the parcel shelf if this is removed:
 Folded up on the floor at the rear of the luggage compartment.
 On edge behind the backrests of the front seats.NOTICEThe safety belts for the outer seating positions should be put in
their respective belt clips near the backrest to prevent them from
being pinched when the rear seat is raised to the upright position.
IB1868
IB1212
Safety belt located
in its belt clip
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143 Interior equipment and trunk

Folding the narrow section of the backrestThe folding is facilitated if the front seat is not too far back.
1 Make sure that the head restraint is in the down position. For
height adjustment refer to page 16.
2 Put the safety belt in the belt clip near the backrest.
3 Raise the rear seat cushion by pulling the loop located at the rear
of the cushion. A small pad will open up first. Continue pulling
the loop until the entire rear seat cushion is raised.
4 Fold the narrow section (right) of the backrest forward by raising
the opening handle.
5 Adjust the front seat for optimal passenger comfort.
WARNING
 Do not travel in the back seat without ensuring that the head
restraint is set at a suitable height for the seats to be occupied.
 Never allow anyone to sit on a folded backrest.
 Always be aware of the risk of pinching when handling moving
parts of the seating.
 Never place heavy objects on the parcel shelf. There is always
a danger of loose objects flying about and causing injury if the
car should brake suddenly or be involved in a crash.
 Make sure that the backrests are locked when they are folded
back upright. Check that the two red warning-indication flags
are fully down. This indicates that the backrests are locked.
 Check that the safety belt lock is not trapped under the seat
cushions when these are raised back up.
 If the car is equipped with a pull-out cargo net on the rear of the
backrest, take extra care when folding the rear seat so that no
one is injured by the net’s storage cassette on the right-hand
side.
NOTICEThe safety belts for the outer seating positions should be put in
their respective belt clips near the back rest to prevent them being
pinched when the rear seat is raised to the upright position, see
illustration page 142.
IB1213
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144 Interior equipment and trunkLoad anchoring
Driving with the trunk lid/tailgate open, see
page 188.
WARNING
 Put heavy loads as low down and as
far forward as possible in the luggage
compartment, i.e. against the back of
the rear seat.
 Never stack cargo so high that any part
of the cargo lies above the edge of the
backrest, if a cargo guard (accessory)
is not being used.
 Always tie down the cargo so that it
cannot be thrown forward during
heavy braking or in the event of a
crash.
 Unsecured and heavy cargo can
increase the risk of injury during hard
braking, sudden avoidance maneu-
vers and in the event of a crash.
 For the best load anchoring, use the
special cargo bolts and load straps
(accessory).
 Load the cargo bolts evenly. Never
attach more than one strap to each tie
down eye.
 Provide protection on sharp edges to
prevent damage to the load straps.
 Never use the elastic floor net and
elastic side net when the rear seat is
folded down. These nets are only
intended to keep light objects tidy, not
for the anchoring of loads.
 If possible, avoid having the rear seat
folded down when driving with a heavy
load because the anchoring possibili-
ties are restricted when the rear seat is
in this position. That the rear seat is
in the upright position is a basic
requirement for protection against
cargo displacement in the event of
a crash.
 Cargo can intrude into the passenger
compartment during a sudden stop or
front crash if the outer safety belts are
not fastened. Check that the two red
warning-indication flags are fully
down. This shows that the backrests
are locked.
WARNING
 Match the speed and driving style
according to how the car is loaded.
The driving characteristics of the car
can be affected because the center of
gravity is altered when there is a cargo
in the luggage compartment.
 An object weighing 55 lbs. (25 kg) cor-
responds to a weight of 2200 lbs.
(1000 kg) in a head on crash at
32 mph (50 km/h).
 Adjust the car’s load (passengers and
luggage) so that the gross vehicle
weight or the axle weight is not
exceeded, see page 258.
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