2003 Saab 9-3 Owner's Manual - Page 36
2003 Saab 9-3 Manual
Page 36 highlights
36 Safety How loud is the inflation? The noise of the inflation is certainly loud, but it is of an very short duration and will not damage your hearing. For a short time afterwards you could experience a buzzing noise in your ears. Most people who have experienced it cannot remember the noise of the inflation at all - all they remember is the noise of the crash. Can you still use a child seat in the front if a passenger airbag is installed? Definitely not! Children 12 and under or shorter than55 inches (140 cn) can be killed by the airbag. The back seat is the safest place for children. Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front. Sit as far back as possible from the air bag. Always use seat belts and child restraints. What should I do if the AIR-BAG warning light comes on? If the warning light is on, it means that a fault has been detected in the system. The airbag cannot be relied on to operate as intended and it might even be activated erroneously. You should therefore take the car to an authorized Saab dealer as soon as possible. Are the dust and fumes given off when the airbag operates at all harmful? Most people who have remained in a car with little or no ventilation for several minutes complained only of minor irritation of the throat and eyes. Avoid as much as possible getting dust on your skin as there is a risk of skin irritation. If you suffer from asthma, the incident may bring on an attack, in which case you should follow the normal procedure advised by your doctor. It is advisable to consult a doctor afterwards. When do the airbags in the steering wheel and passenger side of the dash board inflate? The airbag will only be inflated under certain predetermined conditions in a moderate to severe frontal, or near-frontal crash, depending on such factors as the force and angle of the impact, the speed of the car on impact, and the resistance to deformation of the impacting object. The airbag can only be activated once in the same incident. Do not attempt to drive the car after an airbag has been inflated, even if it is possible. What won't trigger the airbag? The airbag will not be activated in all frontal crashes. For instance, if the car has hit something relatively soft and yielding (e.g. a snow drift or a hedge) or a solid object at a low impact speed, the airbag will not necessarily be triggered.