2009 SAAB 9-5 warning

15 Safety
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.
Safety belt pretensionersThe belts of the front seats are fitted with
automatic pretensioners and force limiters.
These are activated in the event of a severe
frontal or rear-end crash and a side-on col-
lision, provided that the safety belts are
being worn.
The pretensioners serve to reduce the for-
ward movement of the body by tensioning
the belt. The force limiters reduce belt loads
on the body by "loosening" the safety belt to
absorb the body’s kinetic energy as gradu-
ally as possible.
The safety belt pretensioners are not acti-
vated by vehicle rollover.
Safety belt, rear seat
WARNING
If the car is involved in a crash, the safety
belts, belt pretensioners and other com-
ponents must be inspected by an autho-
rized Saab dealer and replaced as neces-
sary.
Never make any alterations or repairs to
the safety belt yourself. Visit an autho-
rized Saab dealer for any necessary
repairs.
WARNING
 Make sure that the belt does not
become trapped when the backrest is
folded down or raised (see page 129).
 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.
IB414
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17 Safety
WARNING
 Safety belts are designed to bear upon
the bony structure of the body, and
should be worn low across the front of
the pelvis or the pelvis, chest and
shoulders, as applicable; wearing the
lap section of the belt across the
abdominal area must be avoided.
 Safety belts should be adjusted as
firmly as possible, consistent with
comfort, to provide the protection for
which they have been designed. A
loose belt will greatly reduce the pro-
tection afforded to the wearer.
 Care should be taken to avoid contam-
ination of the webbing with polishes,
oils and chemicals, and particularly
battery acid. Cleaning may safely be
carried out using mild soap and water.
The belt should be replaced if webbing
becomes frayed, contaminated or
damaged.
 It is essential to replace the entire
assembly after it has been worn in a
severe impact even if damage to the
assembly is not obvious.
 Belts should not be worn with straps
twisted.
 Each belt assembly must only be used
by one occupant; it is dangerous to put
a belt around a child being carried on
the occupant´s lap.
 No modifications or additions should
be made by the user which will either
prevent the safety belt adjusting
device from operating to remove
slack, or prevent the safety belt
assembly from being adjusted to
remove slack.
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18 SafetySeats Both front seats are electrically operated.
On certain models the driver´s seat is
equipped with a memory function.
To facilitate getting into the car, both seats
can be adjusted when either of the front
doors is open.
For safety reasons, if the door is closed, the
seat can only be adjusted when the ignition
is ON.
Note, however, that both seats can be
adjusted for 30 seconds after both doors
have been closed. The following seat adjustments can be
made to achieve a comfortable driving
position:
 height
legroom
 backrest rake angle
 lumbar support3
 head-restraint height
We recommend that adjustments to the
driver’s seat be performed in the following
order:
1height
2 legroom
3 seat tilt angle
4 backrest rake angle
Lastly, adjust the steering wheel (see
page 114).
Side airbags
(see page 36).
Head restraint
(see page 21).
HeightTo raise the seat, lift the lower control
straight up.
To lower the seat, press the lower control
down.
The same control can be used to adjust the
height of the front and rear edges of the seat
independently.
WARNING
The seats are actuated by powerful
motors. Bear this in mind when adjusting
the seat, and make sure that nothing gets
caught and damaged. Ensure that noth-
ing can be trapped when adjusting the
seat.
Bear in mind that children can be injured
if they play with the electrically-operated
seats.
Always remove the ignition key when you
leave the car. This prevents personal
injury caused by the electrically adjust-
able seats, for example, due to children
playing.
WARNING
Never adjust the driver’s seat except
when the car is stationary.
IB3225
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19 Safety
Legroom adjustmentTo adjust the legroom, push the lower con-
trol forward or back.
Backrest rake angleTo adjust the backrest, move the upper con-
trol forward or back.
Lumbar support3Turn the smaller wheel for stepless adjust-
ment of the lumbar support.
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 and in particular a rear-end
collision.
IB3226
IB3227
IB1161
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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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22 SafetyChild safety
Car safety tips
For Trunk Release Handle information see
page 48 and 138.
WARNING
Children can be killed or seri-
ously 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 keys from the
car while filling the tank.
Never allow children to climb on top of
– or under cars.
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 a car Teach 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 seats closed
to help prevent kids from getting into
the trunk from inside the car.
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23 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 and on the cargo
floor by the rear seat backrest's lower part
(SportCombi), see page 25 and on top of the
parcel shelf (9-5 Sedan), see page 26.
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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25 Safety
Securing a Child Restraint
Designed for the LATCH System9-5 SportCombi:
Before installation, please read through
these instructions and the child restraint
installation instructions.
1 The top tether anchor is located on the
cargo floor by the rear seat backrest's
lower part (see picture). To access the
top tether anchor, unlock the rear seat
backrest (see page 132 for detailed
instructions), and fold it slightly forward.
Note! Backrest only, not the seat cush-
ion.
2 The top tether anchor is originally
rotated downwards. To use it, it has to be
rotated upwards (see arrow in picture).
Use the top tether anchor right behind
the seating position you want to use.
3 Raise the vehicle head restraint to its
highest position (see page 21 for
detailed instructions).
4 Put the child restraint on the seat.
5 If you are using a single top tether, route
the top tether under the vehicle head
restraint, and attach the top tether hook
to the top tether anchor. If you are using
a dual top tether, route the top tether around the vehicle head restraint, and
attach the top tether hook to the top
tether anchor. The child restraint
instructions will show you how.
6 Reposition the rear seat backrest, and
make sure it locks properly. Check the
indicator on top of the backrest that it is
locked.
7 Find the lower anchors for the seating
position you want to use. The lower
anchors are located where the bottom of
the seatback meets the back of the seat
cushion. Above each lower anchor,
there is a label indicating its location
(see picture on page 24).
8 Attach and tighten the lower anchor
attachments on the child restraint to the
vehicle lower anchors. If your child
restraint does not have the lower attach-
ments, you will be using the lap-shoul-
der belt to secure the child restraint. The
child restraint instructions will show
you how.
9 Tighten the top tether strap according to
the child restraint instructions.
10 Push and pull the child restraint in differ-
ent directions to be sure it is secured at
the lower anchors/safety belt and the top
tether anchor. The child restraint shall
be firmly attached to the vehicle.
WARNING
Make sure the child restraint anchorages
are folded all the way up or down other-
wise it can obstruct locking the rear seat
backrest.
WARNING
If a cargo net is fitted, do not pull the top
tether strap through the cargo net in such
a way that there is slack in the strap to the
child seat.
IB4113
Child top tether anchorages, Saab 9-5
SportCombi
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