2004 Saab 9-3 Owner's Manual - Page 28

28 Safety Airbag system components • Airbag in steering wheel • Airbag in instrument panel in front of passenger seat • Side airbags in front seat backrests Convertible: The side airbags help protect the head also. • Inflatable curtains along length of headlining (from front to rear roof pillars) (Sport Sedan only) • Safety belt pretensioners for front seats and outer rear seats. The airbag system supplements the protection provided by the safety belts to further enhance the safety of occupants taller than 55 in. (140 cm). When the system is activated at the moment of impact, the airbag inflates and then deflates through holes in the back. The whole operation takes roughly 0.1 second, quicker than the blink of an eye. The steering wheel and passenger airbags are so-called smart airbags. The driver and passenger airbag system compensates for safety belt usage and the force of the crash at the moment of impact. Note: The sensor reacts differently depending on whether or not the front safety belts on the driver's and passenger sides are used. Situations can therefore arise where only one of the airbags inflates. It is also possible for only the safety belt pretensioners to be activated and for the airbags to remain uninflated. If only Stage I is activated at the moment of impact, Stage II will automatically be activated later to neutralize the gas generator in the airbag. Airbag WARNING To reduce risk of death or serious injury: • Always wear your safety belt. • Always adjust your seat so that you are as far back as possible but still able to operate the pedals and reach the steering wheel and controls comfortably. • Passengers 12 and under or shorter than 55 inches (140 cm) must always travel in the rear seat as the car is fitted with a passenger airbag. • Never fit a child seat in front of the passenger airbag.