2005 SAAB 9-5 warning

15 Safety
Electric heating, front seats(if equipped)
Both front seats have adjustable and ther-
mostat-controlled heating of the seat
cushion and backrest, available as an
option.
Heating is adjustable in three stages. In
position 0 it is turned off.
Head restraintThe front seats in the Saab 9-5 are equip-
ped with Saab Active Head Restraints
(SAHRs). These reduce the risk of whiplash
injury if the car is hit from behind.
In the event of a rear-end crash, the body is
forced back against the backrest. This, in
turn, causes the mechanism to press the
head restraint forward and upward, thus
limiting the backward movement of the
head.
The SAHR is a mechanical system, actua-
ted by body weight. The mechanism is built
into the top of the backrest, where it is con-
nected to the head restraint.
Therefore, the SAHR does not need to be
replaced after a minor rear-end crash.The head restraint can be raised or lowered
and is adjustable in various positions.
 Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
 Lowering: press the catch on the left-hand
side of the attaching point and press down
the head restraint.
WARNING
 Adjust the head restraint so that your
head is optimally supported and the
center of the head restraint is at ear
height, thus reducing the likelihood of
neck injury in a crash.
 Raise the head restraints in the seat
that are occupied.
IB406
IB400
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16 SafetyRear-seat head restraints9-5 Sedan: The rear head restraints have
three adjustment positions for passenger
comfort.
They can also be folded down to increase
the driver’s rearward vision when the seat is
unoccupied.
9-5 SportWagon: The height of the rear
head restraints can be adjusted by depres-
sing the catch on the left-hand collar in the
same way as the front head restraints.
See page 15 for adjustment procedure.
Safety belts Three-point inertia-reel safety belts are pro-
vided for all seats.
The results of studies show that it is equally
important to wear safety belts in the rear
seat as in the front seats.
Bear in mind that in certain states/provinces
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 audible signal sounds for 6 seconds, or
until the driver fastens his belt. Safety 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 col-
lision, provided that the safety belts are
being worn.
The pretensioners serve to reduce the for-
ward movement of the body by tensioning
the belt. The force limiters reduce belt loads
on the body by "loosening" the safety belt to
absorb the body’s kinetic energy as gradu-
ally as possible.
WARNING
 Buckle up and adjust your safety belt
before driving off so that you can pay
full attention to the traffic.
 Safety belts must be worn at all times
by all car occupants.
 Child safety, see page 21.
 Check that the locking tongue is pro-
perly locked in the belt lock.
 In the event of a crash, the rear-seat
passengers not wearing a seatbelt will
be thrown forward against the
front-seat backrests. The stresses
imposed on the front seat passengers
and belts are multiplied and can result
in needless injury or even death for all
car occupants.
IB460
IB409
FASTEN BELTS
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17 Safety
The safety belt pretensioners are not acti-
vated by vehicle rollover. Correct position for safety belt
 Position the lap strap snugly and low
across the hips so that it just touches the
thighs. The shoulder strap must be as far
in on the shoulder as possible.
 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. It
is advisable to remove thick items of
clothing.
 Refrain from tilting the backrest more than
necessary, as the safety belt provides
better protection when the seat is in a
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 app-
lied hard or a crash occurs.
 Children up to 6 years of age must always
be seated in a child seat. Saab recom-
mends the use of a child seat for children
up to the age of 10. 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/cushion may be necessary.
WARNING
If the car is involved in a crash, the safety
belts, belt pretensioners and other com-
ponents must be inspected by an authori-
zed Saab dealer and replaced as neces-
sary.
Never make any alterations or repairs to
the safety belt yourself. Visit an authori-
zed 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 occupant sliding underneath the
belt in a crash (submarining) and
injury can result from the lap portion
cutting into the abdomen.
Never fasten the safety belt with the
shoulder belt behind the body or pull
the belt off the shoulder and under the
arm.
 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
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.
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 235 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 121).
 If 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.
 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.
IB414
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20 Safety
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 abdo-
minal 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 pro-
tection afforded to the wearer.
 Care should be taken to avoid conta-
mination 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
assembly 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 occupant´s lap.
 No modifications or additions should
be made by the user which will either
prevent the safety belt adjusting
device from operating to remove
slack, or prevent the safety belt
assembly from being adjusted to
remove slack.
IB416
Securing an item on the rear seat
IB???IB415
Safety belt, rear seat
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21 Safety
Child safety

Car safety tips
For Trunk Release Handle information see
page 42 and 130.
WARNING
 Children must always be suitably res-
trained in the car.
 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.
WARNING
Never leave 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 cars.
Always look for children before back-
ing your car out of a garage or drive-
way.
 To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning,
never let a car idle in an enclosed
garage.
 Supervise young children around
buckets of water while washing your
car. Small children can drown in a
short time in less than an inch of water.
WARNING
Protect children from getting
trapped in the trunk of a car Teach children not to play in or around
cars.
 Watch children when loading or unlo-
ading 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
children´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 SafetyChild tether anchorages for
forward facing child car seatsChild restraints with a tether strap must be
anchored according to Canadian and USA
laws.
If you have any questions regarding child
tether anchorages please contact your
Saab dealer.9-5 Sedan:
1 Open the cover for the child tether
anchorage that is behind the seating
position in which the child restraint is to
be installed. Make sure it locks.
2 Place the child restraint in the rear seat.
3 Secure the lower part of the child res-
traint by means of the lower anchorages
(ISOFIX) or the safety belts as descri-
bed in the child restraint mounting ins-
truction.
4 Route the tether under the headrest.
5 Attach the tether to the anchorage.
6 Tighten the tether so that the back of the
child restraint is pressed hard against
the backrest.
7 Pull the child restraints to make a
second check that the restraints are
securely attached at both the lower
anchorages bars and the top tether
strap.
WARNING
Child 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.
IB1698
Child tether anchorages in parcel shelf,
Saab 9-5 Sedan
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25 Safety
9-5 SportWagon:
1 Fold the backrest of the rear seat for-
ward, see page 121.
2 Fold the anchor that is right behind the
child restraint to its upright position.
3 Place the child restraint in the rear seat.
4 Raise the head restraint to its upper
position and then route the tether under
the head restraint.
5 Attach the tether to the anchor.
6 Raise the backrest of the rear seat.
Make sure it locks properly.
7 Secure the lower part of the child res-
traint by means of the safety belt or lower
anchorages (ISOFIX) as described in
the child restraint mounting instruction
on the previous page.8 Tighten the tether so that the back of the
child restraint is pressed hard against
the backrest.
9 Pull the child restraints to make a
second check that the restraints are
securely attached at both the lower
anchorages bars and the top tether
strap.
It is not possible to route the tether through
the cargo net (accessory), if one is fitted.
Instead we recommend a cargo guard
(accessory).
WARNING
Make sure the child-restraint anchorages
are folded all the way up or down other-
wise it can obstruct locking the rear seat
backrest.
IB1352
Child tether anchorages, Saab 9-5 Sport-
Wagon
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