2006 SAAB 9-3 weight

23 Safety
Head restraintsSport Sedan and sportCombi
Head restraint, Convertible, see page 76.
The front seats are equipped with Saab
Active Head Restraints (SAHRs). These are
designed to reduce the risk of neck injury if
the car is hit from behind.
The SAHR is a mechanical system, actu-
ated by body weight. The mechanism is built
into the top of the backrest, where it is con-
nected to the head restraint.
In the event of a rear-end crash, the body is
forced back against the backrest. This, in
turn, causes the mechanism to press the
head restraint forward and upward, thus lim-
iting the backward movement of the head.Therefore, the SAHR does not normally
need to be replaced or repaired after a rear-
end crash.
The front and rear head restraints can be
raised and lowered to a number of positions.
 Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
 Lowering: Press the head restraint
forward and downward.
The rear head restraints can be fully low-
ered to improve rearward vision when the
rear seats are unoccupied.
WARNING
 Adjust the head restraint so that the
head is optimally supported and the
center of the head restraint is at ear
height, thus reducing the likelihood of
neck injury in a crash.
 Raise the head restraints in the seats
that are occupied.93U S M 06.book Page 23 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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25 Safety
General information on child
safetyThe same attention must be given to child
safety in the car as is given to adults.
Children travel most safely when properly
restrained. However, the type of restraint
must be appropriate for the size of the child.
We recommend that you always consult
your Saab dealer before fitting a child seat,
child restraint or booster cushion.
Make sure you are acquainted with the
legal requirements for seating children
in the car.
Make sure that it is possible to fit a child
restraint in accordance with the manufac-
turer’s child restraint instructions.
When fitting child restraints in cars you
must always read the instructions sup-
plied by the child restraint manufacturer.
Saab recommends the use of a rear-
facing child seat for as long as this is
possible - at a minimum for all children
under the age of 3 (approx. 15 kg). Use a
child seat approved for the weight of the
child.
Saab recommends the use of a booster seat
for children up to the age of 10.
LATCHLATCH (Lower Anchorages & Top tethers
for CHildren) is a US/Canadian safety stan-
dard for a uniform method of fitting child
restraints without using the standard safety
belts. Only certain child restraints are
equipped to utilize the LATCH system.
The LATCH system is installed in the car to
facilitate proper fitting of child restraints
designed for and equipped with LATCH
attachments. The LATCH system consists of top tether
and lower anchorages . In this vehicle,
LATCH is installed at the two outboard seat-
ing positions in the rear seat, and there is a
top tether on the rear center position (not
Convertible). The top tethers are located on
top of the parcel shelf (Convertible: behind
the head restraints), see page 28. They are
covered by a lid with a child seat anchor
symbol. The lower anchorages are located
where the seat cushion and seat back come
together. There is a label above the inner
lower anchorage, see picture on next page.
Label consists of a symbol of a child
restrained in a seat inside a circle.
When fitting child restraints in cars you must
always read the instructions supplied by the
child restraint manufacturer.
If you have any questions regarding LATCH
please contact your Saab dealer.
93U S M 06.book Page 25 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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38 Safety
The passenger sensing system is designed
to turn off the right front passenger’s frontal
airbag if:
 the right front passenger seat is unoccu-
pied
 the system determines that an infant is
present in a rear-facing infant seat
 the system determines that a small child
is present in a forward-facing child
restraint
 the system determines that a small child
is present in a booster seat
 a right front passenger takes his/her
weight off of the seat for a period of time
 the right front passenger seat is occupied
by a smaller person, such as a child who
has outgrown child restraints
 or if there is a critical problem with the
airbag system or the passenger sensing
system.When the passenger sensing system has
turned off the passenger’s frontal air bag,
the off indicator will light and stay lit to
remind you that the airbag is off.
If a child restraint has been installed and the
on indicator is lit, turn the vehicle off.
Remove the child restraint from the vehicle
and reinstall the child restraint following the
child restraint manufacturer’s directions and
refer to Installation of child restraint using
the standard safety belt on page 31.
If after reinstalling the child restraint and
restarting the vehicle, the on indicator is still
lit, check to make sure that the vehicle’s
seatback is not pressing the child restraint
into the seat cushion. If this happens,
slightly recline the vehicle’s seatback and
adjust the seat cushion if possible. Also
make sure the child restraint is not trapped
under the vehicle head restraint. If this hap-
pens, adjust the head restraint.
If the on indicator is still lit, secure the child
in the child restraint in a rear seat position in
the vehicle and check with your dealer.
WARNING
A child in a rear-facing child restraint can
be seriously injured or killed if the right
front passenger’s airbag inflates. This is
because the back of the rear-facing child
restraint would be very close to the inflat-
ing airbag.
Even though the passenger sensing
system is designed to turn off the passen-
ger’s frontal airbag if the system detects a
rear-facing child restraint, no system is
fail-safe, and no one can guarantee that
an airbag will not deploy under some
unusual circumstance, even though it is
turned off. Saab recommends that rear-
facing child restraints be secured in the
rear seat, even if the airbag is off.93U S M 06.book Page 38 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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76 9-3 ConvertibleHead restraintsThe front seats are equipped with Saab
Active Head Restraints (SAHRs). These are
designed to reduce the risk of neck injury if
the car is hit from behind.
The SAHR is a mechanical system, actu-
ated by body weight. The mechanism is built
into the top of the backrest, where it is con-
nected to the head restraint.
In the event of a rear-end crash, the body is
forced back against the backrest. This, in
turn, causes the mechanism to press the
head restraint forward and upward, thus lim-
iting the backward movement of the head.The front and rear head restraints can be
raised and lowered to a number of positions.
 Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
 Lowering: Press the head restraint
forward and downward.
The rear head restraints can be fully low-
ered to improve rearward vision when the
rear seats are unoccupied.
WARNING
 Adjust the head restraint so that the
head is optimally supported and the
center of the head restraint is at ear
height, thus reducing the likelihood of
neck injury in a crash.
 Raise the head restraints in the seats
that are occupied.
Rear head restraint Front head restraint
93U S M 06.book Page 76 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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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
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198 Starting and drivingTowing a trailer3Make sure you are familiar with the legal
requirements regarding speed limits for
towing, maximum trailer weights, trailer
braking requirements, and also any spe-
cial driving licence provisions.
Trailer hitch attachment3Trailer hitch attachments are available as
accessories. These are designed for a max-
imum trailer weight of 3500 lbs (1588 kg),
with trailer brakes.
An electrical connection3 for the towbar
and an electrical unit are provided in the
electrical centre on the left-hand side of the
luggage compartment.
The Saab genuine electrical socket enables
a battery in the trailer on tow to be charged
while driving. Also, if the car has SPA, this
is deactivated automatically if a trailer is
hitched up and correctly connected to the
Saab genuine trailer socket.
Saab recommendations:
 Use a genuine Saab trailer hitch that is
designed and tested for your Saab.
 Contact your Saab dealer for advice on
which trailer hitch is designed for your car.
WARNING
 Do not drive with a trailer on inclines
steeper than 15 %. The load on the
drive (front) wheels will be so low that
the wheels can start to spin and
prevent further progress.
 In addition, the car’s parking brake
may not always be sufficient to hold
the car and trailer securely, as the
wheels may start to slide.
 Always apply the trailer’s parking
brake when unhitching it. There is
otherwise a risk of personal injury or
damage to the bumper should the
trailer start to roll.
 When you hitch up the trailer be sure
to attach its safety chains to the holes
by the hitch.93U S M 06.book Page 198 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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199 Starting and driving
Recommendations for cars with
automatic transmissionThe following driving time limits are based
on the capacity of the cooling system in hot
weather, i.e. approximately 86°F (+30°C).The following driving time limits are based
on the capacity of the cooling system in hot
weather, i.e. approximately 104°F (+40°C).
When negotiating long hills, bear the follow-
ing important considerations in mind.
Rises in coolant temperature are indicated
by the temperature gauge in the main instru-
ment panel.
The following steps are taken in order as the
temperature of the transmission increases:
 Gear change pattern is altered
 A/C compressor is switched off
 Max. engine torque is reducedThe following message will be displayed on
the SID if the transmission fluid becomes
too hot:
If this message appears, stop the car as
soon as it is safe to do so and allow the
engine to idle until the message has gone
out. The selector lever should be in
position P.
When continuing your journey, manually
select a low gear in which the engine speed
is about 3,500 rpm until the incline eases
(see page 178).NOTICE We recommend you to use a genuine
Saab trailer hitch, since other models
can damage the car’s bodywork and
electrical system.
 We recommend that you contact a
Saab dealer for guidance on how to
connect a trailer hitch.
 Exercise care when driving on uneven
roads or against the curb if the car is
heavily laden. This particularly applies
to cars with 17" wheels.
Gradient of
hill, %Max. trailer
weight, lbs.
(kg)Time limit,
minutes
6-8 3330 (1500) unlimited
9-11 3080 (1400) max. 15
12-14 2645 (1200) max. 15
max. 15 2200 (1000) max. 15
Gradient of
hill, %Max. trailer
weight, lbs.
(kg)Time limit,
minutes
6-8 2200 (1000) unlimited
9-11 1760 (800) max. 15
12-14 1100 (500) max. 15
max. 15 880 (400) max. 15
Gearbox too hot.
Make a safe stop.
Open hood to cool down.
WARNING
Remember to use engine-braking (selec-
tor position M1, M2, or M3) to spare the
brakes when you are driving on a long or
steep downhill slope.
Overheating can cause the brakes to
fade!
93U S M 06.book Page 199 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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200 Starting and drivingRecommendations for cars with
manual transmissionRises in coolant temperature are indicated
by the temperature gauge in the main instru-
ment panel.
When the needle is just outside the red
zone, the A/C compressor will be switched
off and, on certain engine variants, the max-
imum engine torque will be limited.
When continuing your journey, select a low
gear in which the engine speed is about
3,500 rpm until the incline eases.
Trailer hitch loadThe weight distribution on the trailer makes
a lot of difference to the handling properties
of the car and trailer combination. With a
two-wheel trailer, concentrate the load over
the wheels and keep it as low as possible.
The trailer should be loaded so that the load
on the towball is 110–165 lbs. (50–75 kg).
Note that this load must be included in the
total load for the car. If this now exceeds the
specified load capacity, the load in the trunk
may have to be reduced by the correspond-
ing amount.
WARNING
Remember to use engine-braking (selec-
tor position 1, 2, or 3) to spare the brakes
when you are driving on a long or steep
downhill slope.
Overheating can cause the brakes to
fade!
Distribution of load in trailera Light
b Moderate
cHeavy
93U S M 06.book Page 200 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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