4
Safety precautions when drivingSeatbelt and SRS airbag
Carefully read the sections “Seatbelts”
and “*SRS airbag (Supplemental Re-
straint System airbag)” in chapter 1 of this
owner’s manual for instructions and pre-
cautions concerning the seatbelt system
and SRS airbag system.
Door unlock (Transmitter) Symbol Name
All persons in the vehicle should
fasten their seatbelts BEFORE the
vehicle starts to move. Otherwise,
the possibility of serious injury
becomes greater in the event of a
sudden stop or accident.
To obtain maximum protection in
the event of an accident, the driv-
er and all passengers in the vehi-
cle should always wear seatbelts
when the vehicle is moving. The
SRS (Supplemental Restraint Sys-
tem) airbag does not do away with
the need to fasten seatbelts. In
combination with the seatbelts, it
offers the best combined protec-
tion in case of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases
the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the ve-
hicle has the SRS airbag.
The SRS airbags deploy with con-
siderable speed and force. Occu-
pants who are out of proper posi-
tion when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries.
Because the SRS airbag needs
enough space for deployment, the
driver should always sit upright
and well back in the seat as far
from the steering wheel as practi-
cal while still maintaining full ve-
hicle control and the front passen-
ger should move the seat as far
back as possible and sit upright
and well back in the seat.
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14
Instrument panel
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
15 16 14 12 1011 13 9 8
000188
1) Door locks (page 2-4)
2) Outside mirror switch (page 3-25)
3) Light control lever (page 3-15)
4) Instrument cluster (page 3-6)
5) Wiper control lever (page 3-20)
6) Hazard warning flasher switch
(page 3-6)
7) Audio (page 5-1)
8) Gear shift lever (MT) (page 7-8)/
Selector lever (AT) (page 7-10)
9) Climate control (page 4-1)
10) Cruise control (page 7-21)
11) Horn (page 3-26)
12) SRS airbag (page 1-33)
13) Tilt steering (page 3-26)
14) Fuse box (page 11-41)
15) Hood lock release knob (page 11-4)
16) Power window (page 2-17)
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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.
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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
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
and precautions concerning the seatbelt
pretensioner, see the “Front seatbelt pre-
tensioners” section in this chapter.To obtain maximum protection in
the event of an accident, the driv-
er and all passengers in the vehi-
cle should always wear seatbelts
when the vehicle is moving. The
SRS airbag is designed only as a
supplement to the primary protec-
tion provided by the seatbelt. It
does not do away with the need to
fasten seatbelts. In combination
with the seatbelts, it offers the
best combined protection in case
of a serious accident.
Not wearing a seatbelt increases
the chance of severe injury or
death in a crash even when the ve-
hicle has the SRS airbag.
For instructions and precautions
concerning the seatbelt system,
see the “Seatbelts” section in this
chapter.
Do not sit or lean unnecessarily
close to the SRS airbag. Because
the SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed – faster than the
blink of an eye – and force to pro-
tect in high speed collisions, the
force of an airbag can injure an
occupant whose body is too close
to SRS airbag.
It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuries that
can result when the SRS airbag
contacts an occupant not in prop-
er position such as one thrown
forward during pre-accident brak-
ing.
Even when properly positioned,
there remains a possibility that an
occupant may suffer minor injury
such as abrasions and bruises to
the face or arms because of the
SRS airbag deployment force.
The SRS airbags deploy with con-
siderable speed and force. Occu-
pants who are out of proper posi-
tion when the SRS airbag deploys
could suffer very serious injuries.
Because the SRS airbag needs
enough space for deployment, the
driver should always sit upright
and well back in the seat as far
from the steering wheel as practi-
cal while still maintaining full ve-
hicle control and the front passen-
ger should move the seat as far
back as possible and sit upright
and well back in the seat.
Do not place any objects over or
near the SRS airbag cover or be-
tween you and the SRS airbag. If
the SRS airbag deploys, those ob-
jects could interfere with its prop-
er operation and could be pro-
pelled inside the vehicle and
cause injury.
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-37
1
– CONTINUED –
Saab advanced frontal airbag
systemYour vehicle is equipped with a Saab ad-
vanced frontal airbag system that com-
plies with the new advanced frontal airbag
requirements in the amended Federal Mo-
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No.
208.
The Saab advanced frontal airbag system
automatically determines the deployment
force of the driver’s SRS frontal airbag at
the time of deployment as well as whether
or not to activate the front passenger’s
SRS frontal airbag and, if activated, the
deployment force of the SRS frontal air-
bag at the time of deployment.
Your vehicle has warning labels on the
driver’s and front passenger’s sun visors
beginning with the phrase “EVEN WITH
ADVANCED AIR BAGS” and a tag at-
tached to the glove box lid beginning with
the phrase “Even with Advanced Air
Bags”. Make sure that you carefully read
the instructions on the warning labels and
tag.
Always wear your seatbelt. The Saab ad-
vanced frontal airbag system is a supple-
mental restraint system and must be used
in combination with a seatbelt. All occu-
pants should wear a seatbelt or be seated
in an appropriate child restraint system.
The driver’s SRS frontal airbag is stowedin the center portion of the steering wheel.
The front passenger’s SRS frontal airbag
is stowed near the top of the dashboard
under an “SRS AIRBAG” mark.
In a moderate to severe frontal collision,
the driver’s and front passenger’s SRS
frontal airbags deploy and supplement the
seatbelts by reducing the impact on the
driver’s and front passenger’s head and
chest.
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.
100129
Never allow a child to stand up, or to
kneel on the front passenger’s seat.
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable force and can injure or
even kill the child.
100126
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
Never hold a child on your lap or in
your arms. The SRS airbag deploys
with considerable force and can in-
jure or even kill the child.
100125
The SRS airbag deploys with con-
siderable speed and force. Occu-
pants who are out of proper position
when the SRS airbag deploys could
suffer very serious injuries. Be-
cause the SRS airbag needs enough
space for deployment, the driver
should always 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 passenger should
move the seat as far back as possi-
ble and sit upright and well back in
the seat.
100155
It is also important to wear your
seatbelt to help avoid injuries that
can result when the SRS airbag con-
tacts an occupant not in proper po-
sition such as one thrown toward
the front of the vehicle during pre-
accident braking.
Do not put any objects over the
steering wheel pad and dashboard.
If the SRS frontal airbag deploys,
those objects could interfere with its
proper operation and could be pro-
pelled inside the vehicle and cause
injury.
100156
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Seat, seatbelt and SRS airbags
1-43
1
– CONTINUED –
correctly fasten the seatbelt, position his/
her legs out forward, and adjust the seat
to the rearmost position. Turn the ignition
switch to the “ON” position. If the OFF in-
dicator remains illuminated while the ON
indicator remains extinguished, take the
following actions.
Turn the ignition switch to the “OFF” po-
sition.
Ensure that there is no article, book,
shoe, or other object trapped under the
seat, at the rear of the seat, or on the side
of the seat.
Ensure that the backward-forward posi-
tion and seatback of front passenger’s
seat are locked into place securely by
moving the seat back and forth.
Turn the ignition switch to the “ON” po-
sition and wait 6 seconds to allow the sys-
tem to complete self-checking. Following
the system check, both indicators extin-
guish for 2 seconds. Now, the ON indica-
tor should illuminate while the OFF indica-
tor remains extinguished.
If the OFF indicator still illuminates while
the ON indicator remains extinguished,
ask the occupant to move to the rear seat
and immediately contact your Saab dealer
for an inspection.Effect vehicle modifications made
for persons with disabilities may
have on Saab advanced frontal air-
bag system operation (U.S. only)
Changing or moving any parts of the front
seats, seatbelts, front bumper, front side
frame, instrument panel, combination
meter, steering wheel, steering column,
tire, suspension or floor panel can affect
the operation of the Saab advanced air-
bag system. If you have any questions,
you may contact the following Saab dis-
tributors:
Reporting Safety Defects (USA)
If you believe that your vehicle has a de-
fect which could cause a crash or could
cause injury or death, you should immedi-
ately inform the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition
to notifying Saab Cars USA, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it
may open an investigation, and if it finds
that a safety defect exists in a group of ve-
hicles, it may order a recall and remedy
campaign. However, NHTSA cannot be-
come involved in individual problems be-
tween you, your dealer, or Saab Cars
USA, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the toll-
free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-
4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153; go to http://www.safercar.gov; or write to: Administra-
tor, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington D.C. 20590. You can also ob-
tain other information about motor vehicle
safety from http:// www safercar.gov.
Reporting Safety Defects to the Ca-
nadian government
If you live in Canada, and believe that your
vehicle has a safety defect, you should im-
mediately notify Transport Canada, in ad-
dition to notifying General Motors of Can-
ada Limited.
You may write to Transport Canada at
Box 8880, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 3J2.
In addition to notifying Transport Canada
in a situation like this, we certainly hope
you will notify us. In Canada, please call
our Saab Customer Assistance Centre at
1-800-263-1999.
Or write:
General Motors of Canada Limited
Customer Assistance Centre,
1908 Colonel Sam Drive,
Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 8P7.
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