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
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-3
1
– CONTINUED –
Fore and aft adjustmentPull the lever upward and slide the seat to
the desired position. Then release the le-
ver and move the seat back and forth to
make sure that it is securely locked into
place.
Reclining the seatbackPull the reclining lever up and adjust the
seatback to the desired position. Then re-
lease the lever and make sure the seat-
back is securely locked into place.
The seatback placed in a reclined position
can spring back upward with force when
released. When operating the reclining le-
ver to return the seatback, hold it lightly so
that it may be raised back gradually.
According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly re-
strained in the rear seating posi-
tions than in the front seating posi-
tions. For instructions and precau-
tions concerning child restraint sys-
tems, see the “Child restraint sys-
tems” section in this chapter.
100705
100706
To prevent the passenger from slid-
ing under the seatbelt in the event of
a collision, always put the seatback
in the upright position while the ve-
hicle is in motion. Also, do not place
objects such as cushions between
the passenger and the seatback. If
you do so, 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 inter-
nal injury or death.
100085
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 3 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
1-6
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
NOTEUse of the seat heater for a long period
of time while the engine is not running
can cause the battery to discharge.
Rear seats
Head restraint adjustment
There is a possibility that people
with delicate skin may suffer
slight burns even at low tempera-
tures if he/she uses the seat heat-
er for a long period of time. When
using the heater, always be sure
to warn the persons concerned.
Do not put anything on the seat
which insulates against heat,
such as a blanket, cushion, or
similar items. This may cause the
seat heater to overheat.
Seatbelts provide maximum re-
straint when the occupant sits well
back and upright in the seat. 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 ab-
domen will increase, and both can
result in serious internal injury or
death.
100093
Never stack luggage or other cargo
higher than the top of the seatback
because it could tumble forward and
injure passengers in the event of a
sudden stop or accident.
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.
100094
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 6 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-39
1
– CONTINUED –
Driver’s SRS frontal airbag
The driver’s SRS frontal airbag uses a
dual stage inflator. The inflator operates in
different ways depending on the severity
of impact, backward-forward adjustment
of the driver’s seat position and whether or
not he/she is wearing the seatbelt.
The backward-forward adjustment of the
driver’s seat position is monitored by thedriver’s seat position sensor under the
driver’s seat.
Whether or not the driver is wearing the
seatbelt is monitored by the seatbelt buck-
le switch.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may cause the seatbelt buckle
switch and/or the seat position sensor to
malfunction, preventing the Saab ad-
vanced frontal airbag system from func-
tioning correctly or causing the system to
fail.
Do not place articles/metal objects or in-
stall any accessory other than a genuine
Saab accessory under the driver’s seat.
Do not allow the rear seat occupant to kick
the driver’s seat or push up its bottom sur-
face with his/her feet.
Do not place a magnet near the seatbelt
buckle or under the driver’s seat.
If the seatbelt buckle switch and/or the
driver’s seat position sensor have failed,
the SRS airbag system warning light will il-
luminate. Although the driver’s SRS fron-
tal airbag can deploy regardless of the
backward-forward adjustment of the driv-
er’s seat position even when the warning
light is on, have the system inspected by
your Saab dealer immediately if the SRS
airbag system warning light comes on.
NOTEThe driver’s SRS side airbag and seat-
belt pretensioner are not controlled by
the Saab advanced frontal airbag sys-
tem.
Front passenger’s SRS frontal air-
bag
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
uses a dual stage inflator. The inflator op-
erates in different ways depending on the
severity of impact.
The total load on the seat is monitored by
the occupant detection system’s weight
sensor located under the seat.
The system has another sensor that mon-
itors the tension of the front passenger
seatbelt. Using the total seat load and
seatbelt tension data from the sensors,
the occupant detection system deter-
mines whether the front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbag should or should not be in-
flated.
The occupant detection system may not
inflate the front passenger’s SRS frontal
airbag even when the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag deploys. This is normal.
Observe the following precautions. Failure
to do so may prevent the Saab advanced
frontal airbag system from functioning cor-
rectly or cause the system to fail.
Do not apply any strong impact to the Do not attach accessories to the
windshield, or fit an extra-wide mir-
ror over the rear view mirror. If the
SRS airbag deploys, those objects
could become projectiles that could
seriously injure vehicle occupants.
100157
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 39 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
1-44
Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
OperationA) Driver’s side
B) Passenger’s side
1) SRS AIRBAGs deploy as soon as a collision occurs.
2) After deployment, SRS AIRBAGs start to deflate immediately so that the driver’s vision is not
obstructed.
A
B
1
2
100619
The SRS airbag can function only when
the ignition switch is in the “ON” position.
The Saab advanced frontal airbag system
is designed to determine the activation or
deactivation condition of the front passen-
ger’s SRS frontal airbag depending on the
total load on the front passenger’s seat
monitored by the front passenger’s occu-
pant detection system weight sensor. For
this reason, only the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag may deploy in the event of a colli-
sion, but this does not mean failure of the
system.
If the front sub sensors inside both front
fenders and the impact sensors in the air-
bag control module detect a predeter-
mined amount of force during a frontal col-
lision, the control module sends signals to
the airbag module(s) (only driver’s module
or both driver’s and front passenger’s
modules) instructing the module(s) to in-
flate the SRS frontal airbag(s). The driv-
er’s and front passenger’s SRS frontal air-
bags use dual stage inflators. The two in-
flators of each airbag are triggered either
sequentially or simultaneously, depending
on the severity of impact, backward-for-
ward adjustment of the driver’s seat posi-
tion and fastening/unfastening of the seat-
belt in the case of the driver’s SRS frontal
airbag and depending on the severity of
impact and the total load on the seat in the
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 44 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
7-6
Starting and operating
A vehicle fails
the OBD inspection if the
“CHECK ENGINE” warning light/MIL is
not properly operating or there is one or
more diagnostic trouble codes stored in
vehicle’s computer with the “CHECK EN-
GINE” warning light/MIL illuminated.
A state emission inspection may reject
(not pass or fail) a vehicle if the number of
OBD system readiness monitors “Not
Ready” is greater than one. Under this
condition, the vehicle operator should be
instructed to drive his/her vehicle for a few
days to set the monitors and return for an
emission re-inspection.
Owners of rejected or failing vehicles
should contact their Saab Dealer for ser-
vice.
Preparing to driveYou should perform the following checks
and adjustments every day before you
start driving.
1. Check that all windows, mirrors, and
lights are clean and unobstructed.
2. Check the appearance and condition of
the tires. Also check tires for proper infla-
tion.
3. Look under the vehicle for any sign of
leaks.
4. Check that the hood, trunk and rear lift-
gate are fully closed.
5. Check the adjustment of the seat.
6. Check the adjustment of the inside and
outside mirrors.
7. Fasten your seatbelt. Check that your
passengers have fastened their seatbelts.
8. Check the operation of the warning and
indicator lights when the ignition switch is
turned to the “ON” position.
9. Check the gauges, indicator and warn-
ing lights after starting the engine.NOTEEngine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid,
washer fluid and other fluid levels
should be checked daily, weekly or at
fuel stops.
Starting the engineManual transmission vehicle1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Turn off unnecessary lights and acces-
sories.
3. Press the clutch pedal to the floor and
shift the shift lever into neutral. Hold the
clutch pedal to the floor while starting the
engine.
The starter motor will only operate when
the clutch pedal is pressed fully to the
floor.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the “ON” po-
sition and check the operation of the warn-
ing and indicator lights. Refer to the
“Warning and indicator lights” section
(chapter 3).
5. Turn the ignition switch to the “START”
position without depressing the accelera-
tor pedal. Release the key immediately af-
ter the engine has started.Do not operate the starter motor
continuously for more than ten sec-
onds. If the engine fails to start after
operating the starter for five to ten
seconds, wait for ten seconds or
more before trying again.
A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 6 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com
14-4
Index
Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) system ........... 7-18
Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) ................................ 1-10
Engine
Compartment overview ................................................. 11-6
Coolant ....................................................................... 11-13
Exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) ............................... 6, 8-2
Hood ............................................................................. 11-4
Oil ................................................................................. 11-8
Overheating ................................................................. 9-10
Starting .......................................................................... 7-6
Stopping ........................................................................ 7-8
Exterior care ..................................................................... 10-2
F
Flat tires ............................................................................. 9-4
Floor mat ............................................................................ 6-8
Fluid level
Automatic transmission .............................................. 11-20
Brake .......................................................................... 11-25
Clutch ......................................................................... 11-26
Power steering ............................................................ 11-24
Folding down the rear seat ................................................. 1-7
Front
Differential gear oil ...................................................... 11-22
Fog light button ............................................................ 3-19
Seatbelt pretensioners ................................................. 1-19
Seats ............................................................................. 1-2
Turn signal light .......................................................... 11-49
Fuel .................................................................................... 7-2
Economy hints ............................................................... 8-2
Filler lid and cap ............................................................ 7-3
Gauge ............................................................................ 3-7
Requirements ................................................................ 7-2Fuses .............................................................................. 11-41
Fuses and circuits ............................................................. 12-6
G
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) .................................. 8-11
Glove box ........................................................................... 6-4
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) ............................. 8-11
H
Hazard warning flasher ....................................................... 3-6
Head restraint adjustment ........................................... 1-4, 1-6
Headlight beam leveler ..................................................... 3-18
Headlight flasher ............................................................... 3-16
Headlights .............................................................. 3-16, 11-46
Heater operation ................................................................. 4-5
High beam indicator light .................................................. 3-14
Horn .................................................................................. 3-26
Hose and connections .................................................... 11-12
I
Ignition switch ..................................................................... 3-3
Illuminated entry ................................................................. 2-8
Illumination brightness control .......................................... 3-18
Immobilizer ......................................................................... 2-3
Indicator light
High beam ................................................................... 3-14
Selector lever position ................................................. 3-14
Turn signal ................................................................... 3-14
Inside mirror ...................................................................... 3-24
Interior light ......................................................................... 6-2A1910BE-A-GSAAB.book Page 4 Tuesday, September 6, 2005 8:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com