Saab 9-5 2011 Owner's Manual page 51

50 Seats, restraints
still only complementary to the
use of a properly worn 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.Other‐
wise you will be thrown back
against the backrest when the
airbag inflates, which could
cause you injury or death. The
airbag needs room in which to
inflate.
■ Some components of the airbag
will be warm for a short time. In
some circumstances, the airbag
can cause minor burns or abra‐
sions to the body when inflating/
deflating.
■ Fumes are generated by the
chemical reaction that inflates
the airbag. Skin surfaces that
show signs of irritation should
be washed with clean water and
a mild soap as soon as possible.
In the event of eye irritation,
flush the eyes thoroughly with
clean water for at least 20 mi‐
nutes. In case of persistent irri‐
tation, consult a doctor.
■ Never attach anything to the
steering wheel, headliner, pillar
trims or passenger side instru‐
ment panel as this could cause
personal injury when an airbag
inflates. The same applies to
anything you might have in your
mouth, such as a pipe.
■ Never rest your hands or fore‐
arms on the steering wheel cen‐
ter padding where the airbag is
located.
■ If the airbag indicator light v in
the main instrument panel does
not extinguish after the car has
been started, or comes on or
flashes while driving, have the
car checked immediately. We
recommend that you contact an
authorized Saab workshop.
When illuminated, the airbag in‐
dicator light v indicates that the
system may fail to function in
a collision or could even inflate
without a collision.
Airbag system components
■ Airbag in steering wheel
■ Airbag in instrument panel in front
of passenger seat
■ Side airbags in front seat backrests
■ Inflatable curtains along length of
headlining (from front to rear roof
pillars)
■ Safety belt pretensioners for front
seats
■ Safety belt pretensioners and side
airbags for rear outboard seats.
The airbag system supplements the
protection provided by the safety
belts to further enhance the safety of
occupants taller than 4 ft 7 in.
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.