2000 Saab 9-3 Owner's Manual - Page 23

Safety Operation of the airbag in a front-end collision. 23 WARNING Moment of impact. • Never rest your hands or forearms on the steering-wheel center padding. • If the AIR BAG warning light remains on after the car has been started or comes on while you are driving, have the car checked immediately by an authorized Saab dealer. The warning light could signify that the airbags may not inflate in a crash, or they could even inflate without a crash. • Even if the car is equipped with an SRS (airbag), safety belts must still always be worn by all occupants. • Note that because an airbag inflates and deflates extremely rapidly, it will not provide protection against a second impact occurring in the same incident. Always use your safety belt. • Always sit with the whole of your back in contact with the backrest of the seat, and with your seat as far back as is practical. This is to reduce the risk of injury from contact with the backrest of the seat when the airbag inflates and also because the airbag needs space in which to inflate. • Never attach anything to the steering wheel or passenger side of the instrument panel, as this could result in injury if the airbag should inflate. The same applies to anything you might have in your mouth, such as a pipe, for instance. • Some components of the airbag will be hot for a short time. In some circumstances the airbag can cause burns or abrasions to the body when the airbag inflates/deflates. Sensor detects retardation and sends a signal via the control module to a gas generator that inflates the airbag. The inflating airbag cushions the driver. Airbag now fully inflated. The steering column has collapsed and the airbag starts to deflate. IB828