5
– CONTINUED –
Child safetyNever hold a child on your lap or
in your arms while the vehicle is
moving. The passenger cannot
protect the child from injury in a
collision, because the child will be
caught between the passenger
and objects inside the vehicle.
While riding in the vehicle, infants
and small children should always
be placed in the REAR seat in an
infant or child restraint system
which is appropriate for the
child’s age, height and weight. If a
child is too big for a child restraint
system, the child should sit in the
REAR seat and be restrained us-
ing the seatbelts. According to ac-
cident statistics, children are saf-
er when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the
front seating positions. Never al-
low a child to stand up or kneel on
the seat.
Put children aged 12 and under in
the REAR seat properly restrained
at all times in a child restraint de-
vice or in a seatbelt. The SRS air-
bag 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 improp-
erly restrained. Because children
are lighter and weaker than
adults, their risk of being injured
from deployment is greater.
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.
Always use the child safety locks
whenever a child rides in the rear
seat. Serious injury could result if
a child accidentally opened the
door and fell out. Refer to the
“Child safety locks” section in
chapter 2.
Always lock the passenger’s win-
dows using the lock switch when
children are riding in the vehicle.
Failure to follow this procedure
could result in injury to a child op-
erating the power window. Refer
to the “Windows” section in chap-
ter 2.
Never leave unattended children
in the vehicle. They could acci-
dentally injure themselves or oth-
ers through inadvertent operation
of the vehicle. Also, on hot or sun-
ny days, temperature in a closed
vehicle could quickly become
high enough to cause severe or
possibly fatal injuries to them.
Help prevent young children from
locking themselves in the trunk.
When leaving the vehicle, either
close all windows and lock all
doors or cancel the inside trunk
lid release. Also make certain that
the trunk is closed. On hot or sun-
ny days, the temperature in a
trunk could quickly become high
enough to cause death or serious
heat-related injuries including
brain damage to anyone locked
inside, particularly for small chil-
dren.
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 5 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
1
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seats .......................................................... 1-2
Fore and aft adjustment ......................................... 1-3
Reclining the seatback ........................................... 1-3
Seat cushion height adjustment
(driver’s seat) ........................................................ 1-4
Head restraint adjustment ..................................... 1-4
Active head restraint .............................................. 1-4
Seat heater
3 ...................................................... 1-5
Rear seats ........................................................... 1-6
Head restraint adjustment ..................................... 1-6
Folding down the rear seat .................................... 1-7
Seatbelts ............................................................. 1-8
Seatbelt safety tips ................................................. 1-8
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) .................... 1-10
Automatic/Emergency Locking Retractor
(A/ELR) .................................................................. 1-10
Seatbelt warning light and chime .......................... 1-10
Fastening the seatbelt ............................................ 1-11
Seatbelt maintenance ............................................. 1-17
Seatbelt extender ............................................... 1-18
Front seatbelt pretensioners ............................. 1-19
System monitors .................................................... 1-20
System servicing .................................................... 1-21
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-21
Child restraint systems ..................................... 1-22
Where to place a child restraint system ............... 1-23
Choosing a child restraint system ........................ 1-24
Installing child restraint systems with A/ELR
seatbelt .................................................................. 1-25Installing a booster seat ......................................... 1-28
Installation of child restraint systems by use of
lower and tether anchorages (LATCH) ............... 1-29
Top tether anchorages ........................................... 1-31
*SRS airbag (Supplemental Restraint System
airbag) .............................................................. 1-33
Vehicle with driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
airbags and lap/shoulder restraints ................... 1-33
Saab advanced frontal airbag system .................. 1-37
SRS side airbag ...................................................... 1-48
SRS airbag system monitors ................................. 1-53
SRS airbag system servicing ................................ 1-54
Precautions against vehicle modification ............ 1-55
3 Asterisk means: equipment not fitted in all cars (can depend
on model variant, engine variant, market specification, options
or accessories)
.
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 1 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
1-2
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Front seatsNever adjust the seat while driv-
ing to avoid the possibility of loss
of vehicle control and of personal
injury.
Before adjusting the seat, make
sure the hands and feet of rear
seat passengers are clear of the
adjusting mechanism.
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.
The SRS airbags deploy with consid-
erable speed and force. Occupants
who are out of proper position when
the SRS airbag deploys could suffer
very serious injuries. Because the
SRS airbag needs enough space for
deployment, the driver should al-
ways sit upright and well back in the
seat as far from the steering wheel
as practical while still maintaining full
vehicle control and the front passen-
ger should move the seat as far back
as possible and sit upright and well
back in the seat.
100082
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. Conse-
quently,
we strongly recommend
that ALL children (including those in
child seats and those that have out-
grown child restraint 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
restraint devices (including forward
facing child seat) in the REAR seats
at all times.
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.
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 2 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
1-4
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Seat cushion height adjust-
ment (driver’s seat)1) When the lever is pushed down, the seat
is lowered.
2) When the lever is pulled up, the seat ris-
es.The height of the seat can be adjusted by
moving the seat cushion adjustment lever
up and down.
Head restraint adjustmentTo raise the head restraint, pull it up.
To lower it, push the head restraint down
while pressing the release button on the
top of the seatback.
The head restraint should be adjusted so
that the center of the head restraint is clos-
est to the top of the occupant’s ears.
Active head restraintThe front seats of your vehicle are
equipped with active head restraints. They
automatically tilt forward slightly in the
event the vehicle is struck from the rear,
decreasing the amount of rearward head
movement and thus reducing the risk of
whiplash. For maximum effectiveness the
head restraint should be adjusted so that
the center of the head restraint is closest
to the top of the occupant’s ears.
100707
2
1
Never drive the vehicle with the
head restraints removed because
they are designed to reduce the risk
of serious neck injury in the event
that the vehicle is struck from the
rear.
100087
100089
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 4 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-5
1
– CONTINUED –
Seat heater 3Driver’s side
1)HI – Rapid heating
2)LO – Normal heatingFront passenger’s side
1)HI – Rapid heating
2)LO – Normal heating
The seat heater operates when the igni-
tion switch is either in the “ACC” or “ON”
position.
To turn on the seat heater, push the “LO”
or “HI” position on the switch, as desired,
depending on the temperature. Selecting
the “HI” position will cause the seat to heat
up quicker.
The indicator located on the switch comes
on when the seat heater is in operation.
When the vehicle’s interior is warmed
enough or before you leave the vehicle,
be sure to turn the switch off. Each active head restraint is ef-
fective only when its height is
properly adjusted and the driver/
passenger
sits in the correct posi-
tion on the seat.
If your vehicle is involved in a
rear-end collision, have an autho-
rized Saab dealer inspect the ac-
tive head restraints.
The active head restraints may
not operate in the event the vehi-
cle experiences only a slight im-
pact in the rear.
The active head restraints may be
damaged if they are pushed hard
from behind or subjected to
shock. As a result, they may not
function if the vehicle suffers a
rear impact.
1
2
100708
1
2
100709
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 5 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-9
1
– CONTINUED –
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash
sensing and diagnostic module, which will
record the use of the seatbelt(s) by the
driver and front passenger when any of
the SRS frontal and side airbags deploys.
Infants or small children
Use a child restraint system that is suit-
able for your vehicle. See information on
“Child restraint systems” in this chapter.
Children
If a child is too big for a child restraint sys-
tem, the child should sit in the rear seat
and be restrained using the seatbelts. Ac-cording to accident statistics, children are
safer when properly restrained in the rear
seating positions than in the front seating
positions. Never allow a child to stand up
or kneel on the seat.
If the shoulder portion of the belt crosses
the face or neck, adjust the shoulder belt
anchor height (window-side seating posi-
tions only) and then if necessary move the
child closer to the belt buckle to help pro-
vide a good shoulder belt fit. Care must be
taken to securely place the lap belt as low
as possible on the hips and not on the
child’s waist. If the shoulder portion of the
belt cannot be properly positioned, a child
restraint system should be used. Never
place the shoulder belt under the child’s
arm or behind the child’s back. 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. Consequent-
ly, we strongly recommend that
ALL children (including those in
child seats and those that have
outgrown child restraint devices)
sit in the REAR seat properly re-
strained at all times in a child re-
straint device or in a seatbelt,
whichever is appropriate for the
child’s height and weight.
Secure ALL types of child re-
straint devices (including forward
facing child seats) in the REAR
seats at all times.
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.
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 pre-
cautions concerning the child re-
straint system, see the “Child re-
straint systems” section in this
chapter.
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 9 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
1-12
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.
100102100103
200371
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 12 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
1-14
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Adjusting the rear seat shoulder belt
anchor height (window-side seating
positions only)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best suited for
you. To adjust the anchor height, push the
release button and slide the anchor up or
down. 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.
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 center seatbelt
1) Center seatbelt tongue plate
2) Connector (tongue)
3) Connector (buckle)
4) Center seatbelt buckle
100686
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.
100105
34 1
2
100687100108
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 14 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com