2006 SAAB 9-5 weight

21 Safety
Head restraintThe front seats in the Saab 9-5 are
equipped with Saab Active Head Restraints
(SAHRs). These reduce the risk of whiplash
injury if the car is hit from behind.
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 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.
Therefore, the SAHR does not need to be
replaced after a minor rear-end crash.The head restraint can be raised or lowered
and is adjustable in various positions.
 Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
 Lowering: press the catch on the left-hand
side of the attaching point and press down
the head restraint.
Rear-seat head restraints9-5 Sedan: The rear head restraints have
three adjustment positions for passenger
comfort.
They can also be folded down to increase
the driver’s rearward vision when the seat is
unoccupied.
9-5 SportCombi: The height of the rear
head restraints can be adjusted by depress-
ing the catch on the left-hand collar in the
same way as the front head restraints.
WARNING
 Adjust the head restraint so that your
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 seat
that are occupied.
IB400
IB460
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34 SafetyThe 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 (Saab
recommends that child restraints be
secured in the rear seat) and the on indica-
tor 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 rear facing child restraints
on page 28.
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.The passenger sensing system is designed
to enable (may inflate) the right front pas-
senger’s frontal airbag anytime the system
senses that a person of adult size is sitting
properly in the right front passenger’s seat.
When the passenger sensing system has
allowed the airbag to be enabled, the on
indicator will light and stay lit to remind you
that the airbag is active.
For some children who have outgrown child
restraints and for very small adults, the pas-
senger sensing system may or may not turn
off the right front passenger’s frontal airbag,
depending upon the person’s seating pos-
ture and body build. Everyone in your vehi-
cle who has outgrown child restraints
should wear a safety belt properly —
whether or not there is an airbag for that per-
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136 Interior equipment and trunkLoad anchoring
Driving with the trunk lid/tailgate open, see
page 185.
WARNING
 Put heavy loads as low down and as
far forward as possible in the luggage
compartment, i.e. against the back of
the rear seat.
Never overload the cargo net
. If the
elastic breaks this may cause personal
injury. Do not use a cargo net that
shows signs of wear.
 Never stack cargo so high that any part
of the cargo lies above the edge of the
backrest, if a cargo guard
is not
being used.
 Always tie down the cargo so that it
cannot be thrown forward during
heavy braking or in the event of a
crash.
 Unsecured and heavy cargo can
increase the risk of injury during hard
braking, sudden avoidance maneu-
vers and in the event of a crash.
 For the best load anchoring, use the
special cargo tie down eye and load
straps
.
 Load the cargo tie down eyes evenly.
Never attach more than one strap to
each tie down eye.
 Provide protection on sharp edges to
prevent damage to the load straps.
 Never use the elastic floor net
and
elastic side net (accessory) when the
rear seat is folded down. These nets
are only intended to keep light objects
tidy, not for the anchoring of loads.
 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 position is a basic
requirement for protection against
cargo displacement in the event of
a crash.
 Cargo can intrude into the passenger
compartment during a sudden stop or
front crash if the outer safety belts are
not fastened. Check that the two red
warning-indication flags are fully
down. This shows that the backrests
are locked.
WARNING
 Match the speed and driving style
according to how the car is loaded.
The driving characteristics of the car
can be affected because the center of
gravity is altered when there is a cargo
in the luggage compartment.
 An object weighing 55 lbs. (25 kg) cor-
responds to a weight of 2200 lbs.
(1000 kg) in a head on crash at
32 mph (50 km/h).
 Adjust the car’s load (passengers and
luggage) so that the gross vehicle
weight or the axle weight is not
exceeded, see page 260.
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139 Interior equipment and trunk
Storage tray




under luggage
compartment floor,
9-5 SportCombiSecure the luggage compartment floor in
the open position using the hook on the
underside of the floor. The storage tray must
be located under the luggage compartment
floor. The cargo net can be stored here
when not in use for example.
Maximum recommended weight on the
storage tray is 22 lbs. (10 kg).
Trunk Release HandleThere is a glow-in-the-dark trunk release
handle located inside the trunk on the latch.
This handle will glow following exposure to
light. Pull the release handle down to open
the trunk from the inside.NOTICEThe trunk release handle was not
designed to be used to tie down the trunk
lid or as a an anchor point when securing
items in the trunk. Improper use of the
trunk release could damage it.
IB1833
Trunk Release Handle
IB4093
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176 Starting and driving2 Wait until the needle has dropped back
to indicate normal temperature (roughly
midway, in the white zone) before stop-
ping the engine. If the coolant needs top-
ping up, unscrew the cap on expansion
tank carefully.
Top up, as necessary, ideally with a
50/50 mixture of Saab-approved coolant
and water. If only water is available, use
that, but remember to have the coolant
mixture checked as soon as possible. 3 As soon as possible, have the cooling
system checked by a workshop. We rec-
ommend that you contact an authorized
Saab dealer.
Towing a trailer





Trailer hitch attachment




Trailer hitch attachments are available as
accessories. These are designed for a max-
imum trailer weight of 3500 lbs. (1588 kg),
see also page 261.
Use only the electrical trailer hitch socket
provided in the trailer hitch kit.

Saab recommends:
 Use a Saab original hitch kit attachment
which is designed and tested by Saab.
 Consult your Saab dealer regarding the
appropriate hitch kit for your car.
WARNING
 Exercise care when opening the hood
if the engine is overheated. Never
remove the expansion tank cap com-
pletely when the engine is hot.
 The cooling system is pressurized -
hot coolant and vapor can escape.
These can cause injury to your eyes
and burns. Open the cap slowly to
release the pressure before
removing it.
WARNING
 When towing a trailer, do not attempt
to negotiate a hill having a gradient in
excess of 15 %. The weight distribu-
tion over the front wheels of the car will
be insufficient to prevent wheelspin,
making further progress impossible.
 In addition, the parking brake may not
always be able to hold the car and
trailer securely, with the result that the
wheels can start to slide downhill.
 Always apply the trailer’s parking-
brake when unhitching it. There is oth-
erwise a risk of personal injury or
damage to the bumper should the
trailer start to roll.
NOTICEUse only a genuine Saab trailer hitch and
wiring, since other wiring methods can
cause expensive damage to the car’s
body and electrical system.
We recommend that you consult an
authorized Saab dealer for guidance on
how to connect the trailer hitch electrical
system.
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177 Starting and driving
Trailer weightMaximum recommended trailer weights for
different gradients, with a view to comfort
and drivability for manual and automatic
cars, are shown on the drawing.
Make sure you are familiar with the law
regarding speed limits for towing, maxi-
mum trailer weights, trailer-braking
requirements, and also any special
driving-licence provisions
(see also page 261).
The specified trailer weights and gradients
assume that the journey starts at the hill and
therefore apply only to short periods. Recommendations for driving in hilly
terrain
The following time limits are based on the
capacity of the cooling system in warm
weather, i.e. approximately 86°F (30°C).
The following time limits are based on the
capacity of the cooling system in hot
weather, i.e. approximately 104°F (40°C).
Gradient
of hill, % Maximum
trailer weight,
lbs. (kg)Maximum dura-
tion, minutes
6–7 3300 (1500) unlimited
8–9 3300 (1500) 15 max
10–15 1870 (850) 15 max
Gradient
of hill, % Maximum
trailer weight,
lbs. (kg)Maximum dura-
tion, minutes
6–7 2000 (900) unlimited
8–9 2000 (900) 15 max
10–15 1000 (450) 15 max.
Maximum recommended trailer weights
for different gradients
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180 Starting and drivingTrailer hitch loadThe weight distribution on the trailer makes
a lot of difference to the handling properties
of the car and trailer combination. As
regards single-axle trailers, whenever pos-
sible, concentrate the load over the wheels
and keep it as low as possible.
The trailer should be loaded so that the
maximum load on the towbar ball is 5 % to
7 % of the trailer weight with a maximum
permissible tongue weight of 110–165 lbs.
(50–75 kg).
Note that this load must be added to the total
load for the car. If this now exceeds the
specified load capacity, the load in the lug-
gage compartment will have to be reduced
by a corresponding amount.
WARNING
When you connect the trailer be sure to
attach its safety chains to the holes as
illustrated.
IB106
Distribution of load in trailer
aLight
b Moderate
cHeavy
Attach the safety chains to the holes as
illustrated
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183 Starting and driving
Driving at nightBear in mind the following points when
driving at night:
 Nighttime driving requires your full con-
centration.
 Do not rush. Count on your journey taking
slightly longer.
 The number of drivers under the influence
of drugs is likely to be greater at night than
during the day.
 Do not stare at the headlights of oncom-
ing vehicles.
 Avoid driving at night if you have poor eye-
sight. Night vision deteriorates with age.
 Keep your car's headlights, windows and
mirrors clean. Also, if you wear glasses,
make sure they are clean.
 Make sure you are well rested before
starting a long journey. Take a break every
other hour.
 Only eat light meals. Heavy meals have a
tendency to induce tiredness.
Driving with a loadThe driving characteristics of the car are
affected by the way it is loaded.
 Place heavy loads as far forward and as
low as possible in the trunk.
 Secure the load to the tie downs, see
page 132.
 The load should be such that the car´s
total weight or axle weight are not
exceeded, see page 260.
 Heavy loads mean that the car’s center of
gravity is further back. As a result, the car
will sway more during evasive steering.
 Never exceed the permissible load in the
roof box
, even if there is room for more.
 Ensure that the tire pressure is correct –
slight overinflation is preferable to under-
inflation.
 The braking distance of a loaded car is
always greater. Keep your distance from
the vehicle in front.
 Roof loads can negatively affect tele-
communication.
Tire pressure, see page 270 and back
cover.
IB1295
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