2006 SAAB 9-3 belt

147 Interior equipment
For greater flexibility, the rear seat is split so that the narrow and
the wide part can be folded down separately.
Next to the hinges in the trunk are handles for unlocking the rear seat
backrests.
The operation is easier if the front seats are not too far back and
the rear seat head restraints are fully lowered.
1 Unlock the backrest by pulling the appropriate handle in the
trunk.
2 Fold the backrest forward.
Note: When returning the backrest to its upright position, make
sure that it locks properly in place and that the safety belt does
not get caught.
If the left-hand backrest is not properly locked in position, the follow-
ing message is displayed on the SID (equivalent message displayed
for right-hand backrest):
Trunk Release Handle, see page 149.
Emergency opening of the narrow backrest, Sport Sedan, see
page 150.Rear left seat backrest
unlocked.93U S M 06.book Page 147 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

148 Interior equipmentLoad-through hatch, Sport SedanConvertible: There is no load-through hatch.
A load-through hatch is incorporated in the rear seat backrest to
enable long, narrow items to be carried inside the car.
Before loading or unloading long items, switch off the engine and
apply the parking brake. This avoids the danger of the car moving
off if a long item were to knock the gear or selector lever into gear.
 Fold down the armrest and open the hatch by lifting the handle.
There is a lock on the rear side of the hatch. Use this to lock or unlock
the hatch.
To lock: Open the hatch and lock the lock. Close the hatch. The
hatch is now locked.
To unlock: Fold down the wide section of the backrest and unlock
the lock. Alternatively, you can unlock the hatch from the trunk.
WARNING
 Always secure the load firmly, for example using the middle
safety belt. This reduces the danger of personal injury result-
ing from the displacement of the load on hard braking or in the
event of a crash.
 Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 294).93U S M 06.book Page 148 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

151 Interior equipment
Folding down the rear seat backrest, SportCombi
For greater flexibility, the rear seat is split so that the narrow and the
wide part can be folded down separately.
It is easiest to fold down the rear seat backrests if the front seats are
slid forward.
1 Unlock the backrest by pulling the appropriate handle forward.
An unlocked backrest has a red indicator by the handle.
2 Fold the backrest forward.
When returning the backrest to its upright position, make sure that
it locks properly in place. The red indicator by the handle must not
be visible. Also make sure that the seatbelt does not get caught.
WARNING
 Never drive the car if the backrest is not correctly locked into
position as this increases the risk of personal injury in the
event of heavy braking or a crash.
 Never leave a child or animal unattended in the car. During
sunny weather the temperature in the passenger and trunk
can climb to 160–180°F (70–80°C). Small children are very
susceptible to heat stroke.
 Keep hands well clear of all moving parts.
 When folding the backrest back upright, make sure that it is
locked correctly on both sides. This is imperative since the
center safety belt is mounted in the backrest.
 Adjust the head restraints for the rear seats to be occupied to
a suitable height before riding in the car.93U S M 06.book Page 151 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

153 Interior equipment
Load-through hatch, SportCombiA load-through hatch is incorporated in the rear seat backrest to
enable long, narrow items to be carried inside the car.
Before loading or unloading long items, switch off the engine and
apply the parking brake. This avoids the danger of the car moving
off if a long item were to knock the gear or selector lever into gear.
 Fold down the armrest and open the hatch by lifting the handle.
WARNING
 Always secure the load firmly, for example using the middle
safety belt. This reduces the danger of personal injury result-
ing from the displacement of the load on hard braking or in the
event of a crash.
 Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 294).
TEMPORARY
FILE
TEMPORARY
FILE
93U S M 06.book Page 153 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

155 Interior equipment
Cargo net3
 If possible, avoid having the rear seat
folded down when driving with a heavy
load, because the anchoring possibili-
ties are restricted when the rear seat
is in this position. That the rear seat
is in the upright is a basic require-
ment for protection against cargo
displacement in the event of a
crash.
 Improve safety by fastening the outer
seatbelts. Check that the red "indica-
tor-flag" next to the opening handles is
not visible. If the red "indicator-flag" is
visible the backrest is not locked.
 Match your speed and driving style to
how the car is loaded. The handling
characteristics of the car can be
affected since a load in the trunk will
alter the car’s center of gravity.
 An object weighing 55 lbs. (25 kg)
corresponds to a weight of 2200 lbs.
(1,000 kg) in a front-end collision at
32 mph (50 km/h).
 Adjust the car’s load (passengers and
luggage) so that the gross vehicle
weight and the axle weight are not
exceeded, see page 294.
WARNING
Never overload the cargo net3. If the
elastic breaks this may cause
personal injury. Do not use a cargo net
that shows signs of wear.
 Never use the elastic floor net3 and
elastic side net3 when the rear seat is
folded down. These nets are only
intended to keep light objects tidy, not
for the anchoring of loads.
 Secure the load in the luggage
compartment firmly. Using a cargo net
is not considered as load securing.
 The only purpose of a cargo net is to
prevent light objects from being
thrown forward into the cabin during
heavy breaking.
Example of cargo anchoring
93U S M 06.book Page 155 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

190 Starting and drivingSaab Parking
Assistance3Saab Parking Assistance
Saab Parking Assistance facilitates parking
and reversing. There are four sensors in the
rear bumper that detect objects up to 6 ft
(1.8 meters) behind the car.
If the car is heavily laden, the system may
falsely indicate that there is an object within
the detection range. This is since the sen-
sors are angled towards the ground when
the car is tail-heavy.The system uses four sensors in the rear
bumper. These emit ultrasound signals that
bounce back to the sensors off any objects
behind the car. The system, however,
cannot always detect small or narrow
objects, such as a post, since the surface
area presented to the car is too small.The system is activated automatically when
reverse is engaged or selected. Audible
confirmation is given and the following text
is shown on the SID:
If a warning message, such as the seatbelt
reminder, is shown on the SID when reverse
is engaged, the audible signals from the
parking assistance system will not be heard
since the warning message has priority.
When the sensors detect an object within
the monitored area, pulses of sound (- - - -)
will be heard. The frequency of these pulses
increases as the car comes closer to the
object.
WARNING
Responsibility always lies with the driver
when reversing.
 The parking assistance system can
facilitate parking and reversing.
 Bear in mind that small objects, such
as a child lying on the ground, and
narrow objects cannot always be
detected by the system.
Parking assistance active
Area monitored by the sensors seen from
the side
Area monitored by the sensors seen from
above
93U S M 06.book Page 190 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

211 Starting and driving
For long tripsBefore starting off on a long journey, it is
advisable to have your car inspected by
your Saab dealer.
Obtain a few important items to take along
on your journey, such as spare bulbs, wiper
blades, fuses, a drive belt (poly-V-belt) and
the like.
You can check some points yourself before-
hand:
 Check that no oil or fuel leaks out of the
engine or gearbox/transmission.
 Check the coolant and power steering
fluid levels. Check also for leaks.
 Inspect the drive belt (poly-V-belt) and
replace if it shows any signs of wear.
 Check the battery charge.
 Check the tires for tread pattern and air
pressure, including the compact spare
tire.
 Take an extra remote control and keep it
separate.
 Check the brakes.
 Check all bulbs.
 Check for the presence of the tool kit and
jack in the car.93U S M 06.book Page 211 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

213 Car care
Hood ________________ 214
Engine ______________ 215
Engine bay, 4-cyl engine 217
Engine oil ____________ 219
Air filter______________ 222
Transmission fluid ____ 222
Coolant ______________ 222
Brake/clutch fluid and
brake pads__________ 224
Power steering________ 225
Battery ______________ 226
Drive belt ____________ 229
Wipers and washers ___ 230
Wiper blades _________ 230
Changing bulbs _______ 232 Fuses ________________ 247
Automatic tire pressure
monitoring3_________ 254
Tires _________________ 256
Compact spare ________ 270
Changing a tire ________ 273
Safety belts ___________ 276
Upholstery and trim ____ 276
Textile carpeting _______ 277
Engine bay ____________ 277
Washing ______________ 277
Waxing and polishing ___ 279
Touching up the paint___ 279
Anti-corrosion treatment 280
Recovery and/or
recycling of automotive
materials ____________ 282
Air conditioning (A/C) ___ 282
Car care
3Asterisk means: equipment not fitted in all cars
(can depend on model variant, engine variant,
market specification, options or accessories).93U S M 06.book Page 213 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com