2004 SAAB 9-3 Convertible

25 Safety
Child tether anchorages for forward
facing child seatsSport Sedan
Convertible, see page 26
Child restraints with a tether strap must be
attached according to Canadian and U.S.
safety standards.
If you have any questions regarding child
anchorages please contact your Saab
dealer.The car is provided with three top tether
anchorages. Use the one that is right behind
the child restraint and attach the restraint as
follows:
1 Open the cover that is right behind the
child restraint, 1 in illustration.
2 Place the child restraint in the rear seat.
3 Secure the lower part of the child
restraint by means of the lower anchor-
ages (ISOFIX) or the safety belts as
described in the child restraint installa-
tion instruction.
4 Lower the headrest and route the tether
over it.
5 Attach the tether to the anchorage, 2 in
illustration.
6 Close the cover to the middle position, 3
in illustration.7 Tighten the tether so that the back of the
child restraint is pressed hard against
the backrest.
8 Pull the child restraint to make a second
check that the restraint is securely
attached at both the lower anchorages
bars on the safety belts and the top
tether strap.
WARNING
Child top tether anchorages are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed by
correctly fitted child restraints.
Under no circumstances are they to be
used for adult safety belts.
Child tether anchorages in parcel shelf, Sport Sedan
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26 SafetyChild tether anchorages for forward
facing child seatsConvertible
Child restraints with a tether strap must be
attached according to Canadian and U.S.
safety standards.
If you have any questions regarding child
anchorages please contact your Saab
dealer.
The car is provided with two top tether
anchorages. Use the one that is right behind
the child restraint and attach the restraint as
follows:
1 Remove the head restraint on the seat-
ing position where the child restraint
shall be fitted.
2 Place the child restraint in the rear seat.
3 Secure the lower part of the child
restraint by means of the lower anchor-
ages (ISOFIX) or the safety belts as described in the child restraint installa-
tion instruction.
4 Attach the tether to the anchorage.
5 Tighten the tether so that the back of the
child restraint is pressed hard against
the backrest.
6 Pull the child restraint to make a second
check that the restraint is securely
attached at both the lower anchorages
bars on the safety belts and the top
tether strap.
7 Put the head restraint back on and make
sure it is sucure mounted. Adjust it in its
highest position.
WARNING
Child top tether anchorages are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed by
correctly fitted child restraints.
Under no circumstances are they to be
used for adult safety belts.
WARNING
If the size of the child restraint makes it
impossible to put the head reatraint back
on, place it in the trunk.
How to take away the head restraint1 Raise the head restraint
2 Push the catch forward and pull the head
restraint straight upward
Top tether anchorages in the rear seat
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28 SafetyAirbag
Airbag system components Airbag in steering wheel
 Airbag in instrument panel in front of
passenger seat
 Side airbags in front seat backrests
Convertible: The side airbags help
protect the head also.
 Inflatable curtains along length of headlin-
ing (from front to rear roof pillars)
(Sport Sedan only)
 Safety belt pretensioners for front seats
and outer rear 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 and the force of the crash
at the moment of impact.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. It is also possible for
only the safety belt pretensioners to be acti-
vated and for the airbags to remain unin-
flated.
If only Stage I is activated at the moment of
impact, Stage II will automatically be acti-
vated later to neutralize the gas generator in
the airbag.
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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29 Safety
The driver and passenger front airbags are
triggered by violent front-end crashes. 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, inflatable curtains (Sport
Sedan) and roll over bars (Convertible).
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 (Sport Sedan) see page 34.
If the airbags are deployed, the positive
terminal of the battery will be disconnected,
See page 204.
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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33 Safety
Head protectionThe pillar trim and headlining (not Converti-
ble soft top) 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
(Sport Sedan).
Side-impact protection
The side airbags, which help protect the
upper body (head also in Convertible), are
integrated in the outside edges of the front
seat backrests. The side impact protection
of the Sport Sedan also includes inflatable
curtains (see page 34.
The front seats and outer rear seats have
safety belt pretensioners.
There are two sensors on each side of the
car, one at the rear of each door sill and one
in the lower part of each C-pillar. The side-
impact protection is only activated on the
side of impact, while the safety belt preten-
sioners on both sides are deployed.
Convertible: The Convertible has two side
impact protection sensors, one on each side
of the car. These are located at rear of the
sills.  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 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 and not in the event of a rear-
end crash or the car rolling over. For
the Convertible’s Roll-over protection
see page 68.
 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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53 9-3 Convertible
Advice on soft top
operation ___________ 54
Operating the soft top __ 55
Raising the soft top
manually ___________ 60
SID warnings and
messages __________ 63
"Easy entry" __________ 65
Head restraints _______ 66
Safety belts, rear seat,
Convertible _________ 67 Roll-over protection ____ 68
Electric windows _______ 69
Interior lighting ________ 70
Unlocking the trunk lid
manually ____________ 71
Placing two golf bags
in the trunk __________ 72
9-3 Convertible
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54 9-3 ConvertibleAdvice on soft top
operation• Once you have raised the soft top and
before driving off, always check that the
soft top is properly engaged with the wind-
shield rail.
 Once you have folded the soft top and
before driving off, check that the soft top
cover is locked.
 Do not operate the soft top in tempera-
tures below 23°F (–5°C).
 Note that certain automatic car washes
can damage the soft top. This applies to
car washes that use mechanical feelers
bearing against the body. Saab advises
against washing the Convertible in an
automatic car wash.
 After rain or washing the car, allow the soft
top to dry completely before folding it.
Folding a wet or damp soft top can cause
water damage in the car and mildew to
form on the soft top. Roof racks and ski holders must not be
mounted on the soft top.
 On no account should anything be put into
the stowage space of the soft top (under
the soft top cover) since this could cause
an obstruction when the soft top is being
folded away.
 Do not place any objects on the covers
over the roll bars as this can hamper their
function.
 When operating the soft top, raise or fold
it fully until notified that operation is com-
plete by the SID. Do not leave the soft top
partially open/closed. If the soft top is left
in an intermediate position it will collapse
progressively after 20 seconds to prevent
overloading the drive system.
 Washing the soft top, see page 250.
WARNING
 Never touch the hinges and struts of
the soft top nor the upper rail of the
windshield while operating the soft
top.
 Do not operate the soft top while there
are bystanders close to the car.
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55 9-3 Convertible
Operating the soft top
Read the "Advice on soft top operation"
section on page 54 before operating the soft
top.
The soft top is operated with the switch on
the instrument panel. Hold the switch in the
desired position until the soft top is fully
folded or raised.
The completion of folding or raising the soft
top is indicated by a chime.
Error messages that can appear on the SID
are shown on page 63.
WARNING
 Do not touch the hinges or struts of the
soft top during opening due to the
pinch hazard.
 Keep children out of reach.
 Do not operate the soft top while there
are bystanders close to the car.
 Make sure that the soft top cover has
locked properly after folding the soft
top.
 Check that the soft top engages prop-
erly with the upper edge of the wind-
shield after raising.NOTICEIf you drive off while raising or folding the
soft top, operation is halted when
the speed of the car exceeds 20 mph
(30 km/h). This speed can be pro-
grammed (0–25 mph/0–40 km/h) at a
Saab dealer. The movement of the car
and force of the wind can seriously
damage the components of the soft top
system.
Switch for operating the soft topaRaising
b Folding
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