2002 Saab 9-3 Owner's Manual - Page 31

Safety • The sensors for the side airbags are fitted in the front doors. • We advise against doing any work on the doors that could affect the moisture barrier in the door or the airbag sensors. It is essential that the moisture barrier (thick plastic film) in the front door is not damaged in any way. • Improvement of the anticorrosion treatment of the doors should only be carried out by an authorized Saab dealer. Otherwise there is a risk that the side impact sensor and the moisture barrier in the door could be damaged. • The side airbags will inflate only in the event of a side impact; not in the event of a front or rear-end crash or of the car's rolling over. • Wear and damage to the seat cover, or the seat seam, in the area of the side airbag must immediately be repaired by an authorized Saab dealer. • Do not modify the speaker installation in the front doors or install speakers other than those specifically approved by Saab. IB1892 31 Accessories and other equipment must not be fitted to the surfaces marked as these are where the airbags may inflate in the event of a crash. Side airbags are housed inside the backrests of the front seats and are designed to protect the driver and front passenger in the event of a side impact. In a side impact, only the airbag on that side will be activated, and only then if certain predetermined conditions are met such as the force and angle of the impact, the speed of the car on impact, and at which point on the car's side the impact occurs. The sensors, which are fitted in the front doors, sense the rise in pressure caused by the door panel being pressed in during an impact condition. The side airbag trigger will be commanded based on the characteristics of this pressure rise. Side airbag, components 1 2 3 4 Side airbags (SRS) Sensor Moisture barrier Text on seat IB1707