Saab 2008 9-3 - Manual (Page 23)

23 Safety
Head restraints
SportSedan and SportCombi
Head restraint, Convertible, see page 74.
The front seats are equipped with Saab
Active Head Restraints (SAHRs). These are
designed to reduce the risk of neck injury if
the car is hit from behind.
The SAHR is a mechanical system, actu-
ated by body weight. The mechanism is built
into the top of the backrest, where it is con-
nected to the head restraint.
In the event of a rear-end crash, the body is
forced back against the backrest. This, in
turn, causes the mechanism to press the
head restraint forward and upward, thus
limiting the backward movement of the
head.
Therefore, the SAHR does not normally
need to be replaced or repaired after a
rear-end crash.
The front and rear head restraints can be
raised and lowered to a number of positions.
• Raising: grasp the head restraint on both
sides and pull it straight up.
• Lowering the front head restraints: press
in the left catch and press the head
restraint down.
• Lowering the rear head restraints: press
the head restraint forward and downward.
The rear head restraints can be fully low-
ered to improve rearward vision when the
rear seats are unoccupied.
WARNING
• Adjust the head restraint so that the
head is optimally supported and the
center of the head restraint is at ear
height, thus reducing the likelihood of
neck injury in a crash.
• Raise the head restraints in the seats
that are occupied.
93_US_M08.book Page 23 Friday, May 11, 2007 11:37 AM