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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Expectant mothers
Expectant mothers also need to use the
seatbelts. They should consult their doctor
for specific recommendations. The lap
belt should be worn securely and as low
as possible over the hips, not over the
waist.Emergency Locking Retrac-
tor (ELR)The driver’s seatbelt has an Emergency
Locking Retractor (ELR).
The emergency locking retractor allows
normal body movement but the retractor
locks automatically during a sudden stop,
impact or if you pull the belt very quickly
out of the retractor.
Automatic/Emergency Lock-
ing Retractor (A/ELR)Each passenger’s seatbelt has an Auto-
matic/Emergency Locking Retractor (A/
ELR). The Automatic/Emergency Locking
Retractor normally functions as an Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (ELR). The A/
ELR has an additional locking mode “Au-
tomatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode” in-
tended to secure a child restraint system.
When the seatbelt is once drawn out com-
pletely and is then retracted even slightly,
the retractor locks the seatbelt in that po-
sition and the seatbelt cannot be extend-
ed. As the belt is rewinding, clicks will be
heard which indicate the retractor func-
tions as an ALR. When the seatbelt is re-
tracted fully, the ALR mode is released.
When securing a child restraint system on
the rear seats by the use of the seatbelt,
the seatbelt must be changed over to the
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode.
When the child restraint system is re-
moved, make sure that the seatbelt re-
tracts fully and the retractor returned to
the Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
mode.
For instructions on how to convert the re-
tractor to the ALR mode and restore it to
the ELR mode, see the “Child restraint
systems” section in this chapter.
Seatbelt warning light
and chimeYour vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt
warning device at the driver’s seat, as re-
quired by current safety standards.
There is a seatbelt warning light in the
combination meter.
If the driver has not yet fastened the seat-
belt when the ignition switch is turned to
the “ON” position, the seatbelt warning
light will flash for 6 seconds, to warn that
the seatbelt is unfastened. If the driver’s
seatbelt is not fastened, a chime will also
sound simultaneously.
If the driver’s seatbelt is still not fastened
6 seconds later, the warning light will re-
main lit for 15 seconds. If the driver’s seat-
belt is still not fastened even 15 seconds
later (21 seconds after turning ON the ig-
nition switch), the warning lights will alter-
nate between flashing and steady illumi-
nation at 15-second intervals, and the
chime will sound while the warning light is
flashing.
Alternate flashing and steady illumination
of the warning lights and sounding of the
chime will continue until the driver fastens
the seatbelt.
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1
– CONTINUED –
NOTEIf the driver unfastens the seatbelt af-
ter fastening, the seatbelt warning de-
vice operates as follows according to
the
vehicle speed.
At speeds lower than approximate-
ly 9 mph (15 km/h)
The warning light will alternate be-
tween flashing and steady illumina-
tion at 15-second intervals. The
chime will not sound.
At speeds higher than approxi-
mately 9 mph (15 km/h)
The warning light will alternate be-
tween flashing and steady illumina-
tion at 15-second intervals and the
chime will sound while the warning
light is flashing.
It is possible to cancel the warning
operation that follows the 6-second
warning after turning ON the ignition
switch by unfastening and refastening
the driver’s seatbelt. When the ignition
switch is turned ON next time, howev-
er, the complete sequence of the warn-
ing operation resumes. For further de-
tails about canceling the warning oper-
ation, please contact your Saab dealer.
Fastening the seatbeltNever use a belt that is twisted or
reversed. In an accident, this can
increase the risk or severity of in-
jury.
Keep the lap belt as low as possi-
ble on your hips. In a collision,
this spreads the force of the lap
belt over stronger hip bones in-
stead of across the weaker abdo-
men.
Seatbelts provide maximum re-
straint when the occupant sits
well back and upright in the seat.
To reduce the risk of sliding under
the seatbelt in a collision, the
front seatbacks should be always
used in the upright position while
the vehicle is running. If the front
seatbacks are not used in the up-
right position in a collision, the
risk of sliding under the lap belt
and of the lap belt sliding up over
the abdomen will increase, and
both can result in serious internal
injury or death.
Do not put cushions or any other
materials between occupants and
seatbacks or seat cushions. If you
do so, the risk of sliding under the
lap belt and of the lap belt sliding
up over the abdomen will in-
crease, and both can result in se-
rious internal injury or death.
Never place the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind the back. If an ac-
cident occurs, this can increase the
risk or severity of injury.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seatbelts
1. Adjust the seat position:
Driver’s seat: Adjust the seatback to the
upright position. Move the seatback as far
from the steering wheel as practical while
still maintaining full vehicle control.
Front passenger’s seat: Adjust the seat-
back to the upright position. Move the seat
as far back as possible.
2. Sit well back in the seat.
3. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the
belt out slowly. Do not let it get twisted. If
the belt stops before reaching the buckle,
return the belt slightly and pull it out more
slowly. If the belt still cannot be unlocked,
let the belt retract slightly after giving it a
strong pull, then pull it out slowly again.4. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.
5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
6. Place the lap belt as low as possible on
your hips, not on your waist.Adjusting the front seat shoulder
belt anchor height
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best suited for the
driver/front passenger.
To lower the anchor height, push the re-
lease button and slide the anchor down.
To raise the anchor height, slide the an-
chor up. Pull down on the anchor to make
sure that it is locked in place.
Always adjust the anchor height so that
the shoulder belt passes over the middle
of the shoulder without touching the neck. Metallic parts of the seatbelt can be-
come very hot in a vehicle that has
been closed up in sunny weather;
they could burn an occupant. Do not
touch such hot parts until they cool.
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– CONTINUED –
Unfastening the seatbelt
Push the button on the buckle.
Before closing the door, make sure that
the belts are retracted properly to avoid
catching the belt webbing in the door.Rear seatbelts (except rear center
seatbelt)
1. Sit well back in the seat.
2. Pick up the tongue plate and pull the
belt out slowly. Do not let it get twisted. If
the belt stops before reaching the buckle,
return the belt slightly and pull it out more
slowly. If the belt still cannot be unlocked,
let the belt retract slightly after giving a
strong pull on it, then pull it out slowly
again.
3. Insert the tongue plate into the buckle
until you hear a click.4. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
5. Place the lap belt as low as possible on
your hips, not on your waist. When wearing the seatbelts, make
sure the shoulder portion of the
webbing does not pass over your
neck. If it does, adjust the seatbelt
anchor to a lower position. Placing
the shoulder belt over the neck may
result in neck injury during sudden
braking or in a collision.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
3. After confirming that the webbing is not
twisted, insert the connector (tongue) at-
tached at the webbing end into the buckle
on the right-hand side until a click is heard.
If the belt stops before reaching the buck-
le, return the belt slightly and pull it out
more slowly. If the belt still cannot be un-
locked, let the belt retract slightly after giv-
ing it a strong pull, then pull it out slowly
again.
4. Insert the center seatbelt tongue plate
in the center seatbelt buckle marked
“CENTER” on the left-hand side until it
clicks.5. To make the lap part tight, pull up on
the shoulder belt.
6. Place the lap belt as low as possible on
your hips, not on your waist.
Unfastening the seatbeltPush the release button of the center
seatbelt buckle (on the left-hand side) to
unfasten the seatbelt.
NOTEWhen the seatback is folded down for
greater cargo area, it is necessary to
disconnect the connector.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
System monitorsA diagnostic system continually monitors
the readiness of the seatbelt pretensioner
while the vehicle is being driven. The seat-
belt pretensioners share the control mod-
ule with the SRS airbag system. There-
fore, if any malfunction occurs in a seat-
belt pretensioner, the SRS airbag system
warning light will illuminate. The SRS air-
bag system warning light will show normal
system operation by lighting for approxi-
mately
6 seconds when the ignition switch
is turned to the “ON” position.The following components are monitored
by the indicator:
Front sub sensor (Right-hand side)
Front sub sensor (Left-hand side)
Airbag control module (including impact
sensors)
Frontal airbag module (Driver’s side)
Frontal airbag module (Front passen-
ger’s side)
Side airbag sensor (Center pillar right-
hand side)
Side airbag sensor (Center pillar left-
hand side)
Side airbag module (Driver’s side)
Side airbag module (Front passenger’s
side)
Seatbelt pretensioner (Driver’s side)
Seatbelt pretensioner (Front passen-
ger’s side)
Seatbelt buckle switch (Driver’s side)
Seatbelt buckle switch (Front passen-
ger’s side)
Driver’s seat position sensor
Front passenger’s seatbelt tension sen-
sor
Front passenger’s occupant detection
system weight sensor
Front passenger’s occupant detection
control module
Front passenger’s frontal airbag ON
and OFF indicator
All related wiring
When discarding front seatbelt re-
tractor assemblies or scrapping
the entire vehicle due to collision
damage or for other reasons, con-
sult your Saab dealer.
100291
If the warning light exhibits any of
the following conditions, there may
be a malfunction in the seatbelt pre-
tensioners and/or SRS airbag sys-
tem. Immediately take your vehicle
to your nearest Saab dealer to have
the system checked. Unless
checked and properly repaired, the
seatbelt pretensioners and/or SRS
airbag will not operate properly in
the event of a collision, which may
increase the risk of injury.
Flashing or flickering of the warn-
ing light
No illumination of the warning
light when the ignition switch is
first turned to the “ON” position
Continuous illumination of the
warning light
Illumination of the warning light
while driving
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Choosing a child restraint
systemChoose a child restraint system that is ap-
propriate for the child’s age and size
(weight and height) in order to provide the
child with proper protection. The child re-
straint system should meet all applicable
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards for the United States or
of Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dards for Canada. It can be identified by
looking for the label on the child restraint
system or the manufacturer’s statement of
compliance in the document attached to
the system.
Also it is important for you to make sure
that the child restraint system is compati-
ble with the vehicle in which it will be used. Put children aged 12 and under in
the rear seat properly restrained at
all times. The SRS airbag deploys
with considerable speed and force
and can injure or even kill children,
especially if they are 12 years of age
and under and are not restrained or
improperly restrained. Because chil-
dren are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured
from deployment is greater.
For that reason, be sure to secure
ALL types of child restraint devices
(including forward facing child
seats) in the REAR seats at all times.
You should choose a restraint de-
vice which is appropriate for the
child’s age, height and weight. Ac-
cording to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly re-
strained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating posi-
tions.
SINCE YOUR VEHICLE IS
EQUIPPED WITH A PASSENGER’S
SRS AIRBAG, NEVER INSTALL A
REARWARD FACING CHILD SAFE-
TY SEAT IN THE FRONT PASSEN-
GER’S SEAT. DOING SO RISKS SE-
RIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO THE
CHILD BY PLACING THE CHILD’S
HEAD TOO CLOSE TO THE SRS
AIRBAG.
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1
– CONTINUED –
NOTEWhen you sell your vehicle, we urge
you to explain to the buyer that it is
equipped with SRS airbags by alerting
him or her to the applicable section in
this owner’s manual. Put children aged 12 and under in
the rear seat properly restrained
at all times. The SRS airbag de-
ploys with considerable speed
and force and can injure or even
kill children, especially if they are
12 years of age and under and are
not restrained or improperly re-
strained. Because children are
lighter and weaker than adults,
their risk of being injured from de-
ployment is greater.
100082
Consequently, we strongly rec-
ommend that ALL children (in-
cluding those in child seats and
those that have outgrown child re-
straint devices) sit in the REAR
seat properly restrained at all
times in a child restraint device or
in a seatbelt, whichever is appro-
priate for the child’s age, height
and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (including forward
facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating po-
sitions.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the child restraint sys-
tem, see the “Child restraint sys-
tems” section in this chapter.
NEVER INSTALL A REARWARD
FACING CHILD SEAT IN THE
FRONT SEAT. DOING SO RISKS
SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO
THE CHILD BY PLACING THE
CHILD’S HEAD TOO CLOSE TO
THE SRS AIRBAG.
Never allow a child to stand up, or
to kneel on the front passenger’s
seat, or never hold a child on your
lap or in your arms. The SRS air-
bag deploys with considerable
force and can injure or even kill
the child.
When the SRS airbag deploys,
some smoke will be released. This
smoke could cause breathing
problems for people with a history
of asthma or other breathing trou-
ble. If you or your passengers
have breathing problems after
SRS airbag deploys, get fresh air
promptly.
A deploying SRS airbag releases
hot gas. Occupants could get
burned if they come into direct
contact with the hot gas.
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