2008 SAAB 9-3 belt

15 Safety
Adjust the belt so that it is as high up as
possible without rubbing against the neck.
To avoid chafing in the case of a short
person, the guide can be lowered until the
belt comes about an inch (a few centime-
ters) from the throat but still provides safe
restraint.
Raise the belt guide by pushing it upward to
the desired position. To lower it, depress the
catch release button while lowering the
guide. Check that the guide locks in its new
position.
Safety belt use during pregnancyPregnant women must always wear a
safety belt to protect both themselves and
the unborn child.
The lap belt should be placed low, across
the hips and over the upper thighs.
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16 SafetySafety belt pretensioners
SportSedan and SportCombi: The front
safety belts are equipped with pretension-
ers and force limiters. The pretensioners
are activated in the event of a violent frontal
or side-on crash. The safety belt pretension-
ers are only activated if the safety belt in
question is in use but not activated should
the car roll over.
The safety belt pretensioners serve to
reduce the forward movement of the body
by tensioning the belt. The force limiters
reduce belt loads on the body by "slacken-
ing" the safety belt slightly to absorb the
body’s kinetic energy as gradually as possi-
ble.Convertible: The front and rear safety belts
are equipped with pretensioners and force
limiters. The pretensioners are activated in
the event of a violent frontal or side-on
crash. The front safety belt pretensioners
are only activated if the safety belt in ques-
tion is in use.
The safety belt pretensioners serve to
reduce the movement of the body by ten-
sioning the belt, including in a roll over
crash. The force limiters reduce belt loads
on the body by "slackening" the safety belt
slightly to absorb the body’s kinetic energy
as gradually as possible.
WARNING
If the car is involved in a crash, the safety
belts, belt pretensioners and other com-
ponents must be inspected and replaced
as necessary. We recommend that you
contact a Saab dealer.
Never make any alterations or repairs to
the safety belt yourself. We recommend
that you contact a Saab dealer for any
necessary repairs.93_US_M08.book Page 16 Friday, May 11, 2007 11:37 AM
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17 Safety
Safety belts, rear seat,
SportSedan and SportCombiSafety belts rear seat, Convertible, see
page 75.
The three rear seats all have three-point
safety belts with inertia reels.
Fasten the belts by pulling the belt across
you and inserting the tongue into the buckle.
Check that it is securely fastened.
Grasp the shoulder belt close to the buckle
and pull the belt towards the shoulder to
tighten the lap belt part.The belt must be as far in on the shoulder as
possible.
Press the red button on the buckle to
release the belt.
See page 266 for the checking of belt func-
tion, cleaning, etc.
WARNING
Make sure that the belt does not
become trapped when the backrest is
folded down or raised (see page 138).
If cargo has to be placed on a seat, it
must be properly secured with the
safety belt. This reduces the risk of the
cargo being thrown about during hard
braking or a crash, which could cause
personal injury.
Check that the belt is not twisted or
lying against sharp edges.
Make sure you use the correct safety
belt buckle. The buckles for the center
and left-hand rear seats are close
together.
Rear safety belts, SportSedan and SportCombi
Securing an item on the rear seat
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19 Safety
Legroom adjustmentLift the lever under the front of the seat and
slide the seat to the desired position.
Backrest rake angleTo find the most comfortable position, turn
the knob to provide stepless adjustment of
the backrest.
Lumbar support3
33 3Adjust the firmness of the lumbar support by
turning the knob.
WARNING
Check that the seat is locked in the new
position. If not, it may move while the car
is being driven and it could result in injury
to the occupant in the event of a crash.
WARNING
The backrest should be upright during
driving, so that the safety belt, airbag and
backrest can provide optimum protection
in the event of emergency braking or a
crash, in particular a rear-end crash.Adjusting the backrest
Adjusting the legroom Adjusting the lumbar support93_US_M08.book Page 19 Friday, May 11, 2007 11:37 AM
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21 Safety
Backrest rake angleAdjust the rake angle of the backrest with
the rear lever.
Lumbar support3
33 3Adjust the firmness of the lumbar support by
turning the knob.
Memory function3
33 3
WARNING
The backrest should be upright during
driving, so that the safety belt, airbag and
backrest can provide optimum protection
in the event of emergency braking or a
crash, in particular a rear-end crash.
WARNING
The legroom of the electrically operated
driver’s seat can always be adjusted,
whether or not a front door is open and
irrespective of the position of the ignition
switch.
Adjusting the rake angle Adjusting the lumbar support
Driver’s seat in SportSedan and Sport-
CombiMemory function buttons93_US_M08.book Page 21 Friday, May 11, 2007 11:37 AM
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24 SafetyChild safety
Car safety tips
For Trunk Release Handle information see
page 53 and 141.
WARNING
Children can be killed or
seriously injured by the
airbag
The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place
for children 12 and under or shorter
than 55 inches (140 cm)
ALWAYS use SAFETY BELTS and
CHILD RESTRAINTS
NEVER put a rear-facing child seat in
the front
Sit as far back as possible from the
airbag
WARNING
Never leave children unattended in a
car, even for a short time.
–Children can suffer heat stroke,
perhaps die, in a matter of minutes.
–Children can put the car into gear and
hurt themselves or others.
At gas stations, take the remote con-
trol out of the car while filling the tank.
Never allow children to climb on top of
or under motor vehicles.
Always look for children before back-
ing your car out of a garage or drive-
way.
To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning,
never let a car idle in an enclosed
garage.
Supervise young children around
buckets of water while washing your
car. Small children can drown in a
short time in less than an inch of water.
WARNING
Protect children from getting
trapped in the trunk of your carTeach children not to play in or around
cars.
Watch children when loading or
unloading the car so they don’t get
locked in by mistake.
Always lock the doors and trunk of
your car, and keep the keys out of chil-
dren´s sight and reach.
Keep the rear fold-down seat closed to
help prevent children from getting into
the trunk from inside the car.
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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.
The backseat is the safest place for chil-
dren.
Make sure you are acquainted with the
legal requirements for seating children
in the car.
When fitting child restraints in cars you
must always read the instructions sup-
plied by the child restraint manufacturer.
Make sure that it is possible to fit a child
restraint in accordance with the manufac-
turer’s child restraint instructions.
Saab recommends the use of a rear-fac-
ing child seat for as long as this is possi-
ble - for all children under 18 kg (40 lbs.)
as a minimum. Use a child seat approved
for the weight of the child.
Saab recommends the use of a booster seat
for children up to the length of 140 cm
(55 in.) or the weight of 36 kg (80 lbs.).
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 (SportSedan), see page 28, on
the back of the rear seat (SportCombi), see
page 29 and behind the head restraints
(Convertible) see page 30.
The lower anchorages are located where
the seat cushion and seat back come
together. There is a label above the anchor-
ages, see picture on next page. Label con-
sists 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.
WARNING
If a LATCH-type child restraint is not
attached to its anchor points, the restraint
will not be able to protect the child cor-
rectly. In a crash, the child could be seri-
ously injured or killed. Make sure that a
LATCH-type child restraint is properly
installed using the anchor points, or use
the vehicle's safety belts to secure the
restraint, following the instructions that
came with that restraint, and also the
instructions in this manual.
WARNING
Child top tether anchorages are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed by
correctly fitted child restraints.
Under no circumstances are they to be
used for adult safety belts.
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28 SafetyChild top tether anchorages for
forward facing child seatsSportSedan
Child restraints with a tether strap must be
attached according to Canadian and U.S.
safety standards.
If you have any questions regarding child
anchorages please contact your Saab
dealer.
The car is provided with three top tether
anchorages. Use the one that is right behind
the seating position in which the child
restraint is to be installed and attach the
restraint as follows:
1 Open the cover that is right behind the
child restraint, 1 in illustration.
2 Place the child restraint in the rear seat.
3 Secure the lower part of the child
restraint by means of the lower anchor-ages or the safety belts as described in
the child restraint installation instruction.
4 Lower the headrest and route the tether
over it.
5 Attach the tether to the anchorage, 2 in
illustration.
6 Close the cover to the middle position, 3
in illustration.
7 Tighten the tether so that the back of the
child restraint is pressed hard against
the backrest.
8 Pull the child restraint to make a second
check that the restraint is securely
attached at both the lower anchorages
bars on the safety belts and the top
tether strap.
WARNING
Child top tether anchorages are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed by
correctly fitted child restraints.
Under no circumstances are they to be
used for adult safety belts.
Child top tether anchorages in parcel shelf, SportSedan
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