2005 SAAB 9-5 airbag

29 Safety
WARNING
 Even if the car is equipped with AIR-
BAG, 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 cir-
cumstances the airbag can cause
minor burns or abrasions to the body
when the airbag inflates/deflates.
 To reduce the risk of head injuries in
the event of a crash, the headliner and
pillar trims incorporate energy absor-
bing material. These areas must not
be modified in any way. Work on these
areas must only be carried out by an
authorized Saab dealer.
 Fumes are generated by the chemical
reaction that inflates the airbag.
Because the dust/fumes can, in cer-
tain cases, cause irritation to the skin,
the following measures should be
taken:
Skin surfaces that show signs of irrita-
tion should be washed with clean
water and a mild soap as soon as pos-
sible.
In the event of eye irritation, flush the
eyes thoroughly with clean water for at
least 20 minutes.
In case of persistent irritation, consult
a doctor.
Never rest your hands or forearms on
the steering-wheel center padding.
 If the AIR BAG warning light does not
extinguish after the car has been
started, or comes on or flashes while
driving, have the car checked immedi-
ately by an authorized Saab dealer.
The warning light could signify that the
airbags may not inflate in a crash, or
they could even inflate without a
crash. See page 55.
IB420
Passenger airbag and driver’s airbag both
inflated
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30 Safety
IB1742
5
1
4
2
6
3
2
6
7
7
5
AIRBAG system with belt pretensioners1 Central sensor
2 Belt pretensioners (for both front safety belts)
3 Steering wheel with integral airbag
4 Passenger airbag
5 Side-airbag sensor
6 Side airbag
7 Front sensors
IB1743
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.
IB417Moment of impact.
The sensors detect
deceleration and send
a signal via the cen-
tral sensor to the gas
generator that infla-
tes the airbag.
The inflating airbag
cushions the driver.
Airbag now fully infla-
ted.
The airbag starts to
deflate.
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31 Safety
Front 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.
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 air-
bag.
 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 infla-
ted 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 app-
lies 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.
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32 SafetySide airbags
The side airbags, which help protect the
upper body are integrated in the outside
edges of the front seat backrests.
In a side impact, only the airbag on that side
will be activated, and only then if certain pre-
determined 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
impact condition. The side airbag trigger will
be commanded based on the characteris-
tics of this pressure rise.
WARNING
 This car is equipped with side airbags
and no extra interior trim should be fit-
ted. Failure to observe this warning
could result in the side airbags not
inflating as intended and thus not pro-
viding 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 sensors for the side airbags are
fitted in the front doors. We advise
against doing any work on the doors
that could affect the moisture barrier in
the door or the airbag sensors. It is
essential that the moisture barrier
(thick plastic film) in the front door is
not damaged in any way.
 Improvement of the anticorrosion tre-
atment of the doors should only be
carried out by an authorized Saab
dealer. Otherwise there is a risk that
the side impact sensor and the mois-
ture barrier in the front door could be
damaged.
 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.
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33 Safety
AIRBAG warning light
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 55. 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 oth-
ers, have your vehicle serviced right
away if the airbag readiness light stays
on after you start your vehicle.
IB1182
Side airbag inflated
IB1707
Side airbag components 1 Side airbag
2 Sensor
3 Moisture barrier
4 Text on seat
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34 SafetyWhat Will You See After an
Airbag Inflates?After an airbag inflates, it quickly deflates,
so quickly that some people may not even
realize the airbag inflated. Some compo-
nents of the airbag module - the steering
wheel hub for the driver's frontal airbag, the
instrument panel for the right front passen-
ger's frontal airbag or the ceiling of your
vehicle near the side windows - will be hot
for a short time. The parts of the bag that
come into contact with you may be warm,
but not too hot to touch. There will be some
smoke and dust coming from the vents in
the deflated airbags. airbag inflation does
not prevent the driver from seeing or being
able to steer the vehicle, nor does it stop
people from leaving the vehicle.In many crashes severe enough to inflate an
airbag, windshields are broken by vehicle
deformation. Additional windshield break-
age may also occur from the right front pas-
senger airbag.
 Airbags are designed to inflate only once.
After an airbag inflates, you will need
some new parts for your airbag system. If
you do not get them, the airbag system
will not be there to help protect you in
another crash. A new system will include
airbag modules and possibly other parts.
The service manual for your vehicle
covers the need to replace other par ts.
 Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sen-
sing and diagnostic module which
records information after a crash. See
Vehicle Data Collection and Event Data
Recorders on page 249. Let only qualified technicians work on
your airbag system. Improper service can
mean that your airbag system will not
work properly. See your dealer for ser-
vice.
WARNING
When an airbag inflates, there is dust in
the air. This dust could cause breathing
problems for people with a history of
asthma or other breathing trouble. To
avoid this, everyone in the vehicle should
get out as soon as it is safe to do so. If you
have breathing problems but cannot get
out of the vehicle after an airbag inflates,
then get fresh air by opening a window or
a door. If you experience breathing prob-
lems following an airbag deployment, you
should seek medical attention.
WARNING
If you damage the covering for the driver's
or the right front passenger's airbag, or
the side impact airbag covering on the
ceiling near the side windows, the bag
may not work properly. You may have to
replace the airbag module in the steering
wheel, both the airbag module and the
instrument panel for the right front pas-
senger's airbag, or side impact airbag
module and ceiling covering for the
roof-mounted side impact airbag. Do not
open or break the airbag coverings.
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35 Safety
AIRBAG servicingThe airbag must be inspected as part of the
normal service program but otherwise may
be regarded as maintenance-free.Scrapping or working on airbags
and belt pretensioners Frequently asked questions on
function of airbags
Do you still need to wear a
safety b
elt if air-
bags 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 provi-
des 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.
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 con-
ductor.
 Airbags and belt pretensioners must
be deployed under controlled condi-
tions before the car is scrapped or any
of the system’s components are remo-
ved. Airbags or belt pretensioners 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.
 The headlining and roof pillar trim
must not be modified in any way. Work
on these areas must only be carried
out at a Saab dealer.
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36 SafetyHow 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 dis-
tance 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, depen-
ding 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
possible.
What 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 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 child seat in the front.
 Sit as far back as possible from the airbag.
 Always use safety belts and child res-
traints.
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 minu-
tes complained only of minor irritation of the
throat and eyes. Avoid as far as possible
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 AIRBAG 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.
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