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1996 Volvo 850
WARNING! The doors should not be locked while driving. In case of an acc\
ident, this may hinder
rapid access to the occupants of the vehicle. (Also see information on \
"child safety locks".
To avoid battery drain.
The courtesy lights and the warning lights in the rear of the doors come\
on when a door is opened.
To avoid battery drain when the doors are opened for prolonged periods, \
these lights can be switched off
by pressing the lock mechanism (A) located in the rear facing side of \
the driver's door. To return the
lights to their normal function, pull the door handle out before closing\
the door (B).
pg. 2:4 Remote keyless entry system (certain models)
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1996 Volvo 850
system is armed.
To unlock : Press the small button (number 2 in the illustration) once to unlock the driver's door only
and disarm the security system.
Press the button again (within 10 seconds) to unlock all doors and trunk/tailgate.
Emergency function
To activate the " panic alarm " function :
Press and hold button 1 for at least three seconds. The car's lights wil\
l flash and an alarm will sound for
approximately 30 seconds.
This function can be switched off at any time by pressing either of the \
buttons.
Programming a transmitter
New transmitters (max. 4) must be programmed to function with your ala\
rm system.
To do this:
l Make sure all doors, hood and trunk/tailgate are closed.
l Turn the ignition on and off 5 times within 10 seconds. On the fifth try\
, leave the ignition on.
l Press either button on the transmitter.
NOTE: The first transmitter must be programmed within 15 seconds, the ot\
hers within 10 second
intervals. When the alarm system accepts the codes from each transmitter\
, the LED on the dash will
glow steadily for several seconds.
l Switch the ignition off and test the transmitter(s).
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1996 Volvo 850
Rear-view mirror
A Normal position
B Night position, reduces glare from following headlights
CAUTION: Never use ice scrapers made of metal as they can easily scratch\
the mirror
surface.
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1996 Volvo 850
Electrically operated side-view mirrors
The control switches are located in the central console, beside the park\
ing brake.
A Lateral adjustment
B Vertical adjustment
WARNING! The mirrors should always be adjusted prior to driving. Objects\
seen in the wide-angle
right side-view mirror are closer than they appear to be.
pg. 2:8 Interior lights, Vanity mirror
Front courtesy lights
The front courtesy lighting consists of two reading lights for the front\
seat occupants.
Front and rear reading lights always on
Front and rear reading lights always off
Front and rear reading lights come on when a door is opened
Left or right reading light illuminates if the center switch is in posi\
tion .
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1996 Volvo 850
Reading lights, rear seat
There are two reading lights for the rear seat passengers. These are tur\
ned on/off by using the adjacent
switches.
Light is on if the front switch is in position .
Light turns on if any door is opened.
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1996 Volvo 850
Occupant safety
pg. 3:1 Occupant safety
Occupant safety
3:2 Seat belts
3:4Volvo SRS
3:8Side Impact Protection System - (SIPS) air bag
3:9Child safety
3:13Occupant safety
3:13Reporting Safety Defects
Despite our strongest recommendations, and your best intentions, not wea\
ring a seat belt is like
believing "It'll never happen to me!". Volvo urges you and all adult occ\
upants of your car to wear seat
belts and ensure that children are properly restrained, using an infant,\
car or booster seat determined by
age, weight and height.
Fact: In every state and province, some type of child-restraint legislat\
ion has been passed. Additionally,
most states and provinces have already made it mandatory for occupants o\
f a car to use seat belts.
So, urging you to "buckle up" is not just our recommendation - legislati\
on in your state or province may
mandate seat belt usage. The few seconds it takes to buckle up may one d\
ay allow you to say, "It's a
good thing I was wearing my seat belt".
pg. 3:2 Seat belts
Seat belts
Always fasten the seat belts before you drive or ride.
Two lights above the rear view mirror will be illuminated for 4-8 second\
s after the starting (ignition) key
is turned to the driving position. A chime will sound at the same time i\
f the driver has not fastened his
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1996 Volvo 850
The push-buttons to the left of the gear lever are for selection of mode\
s E, S and W. The desired mode
can be selected at any time, including while the car is moving.
Winter/Wet mode
Enhanced Vehicle Traction
This mode may be selected for starting/moving off on slippery roads.
In this mode:
* In position D, the gearbox starts in 3rd gear and changes up to 4th ge\
ar.
* In position 3, 2nd gear is locked and there is no change up to 3rd gea\
r.
In position L, 1st gear is locked.
* These positions always offer the kick-down function.
The indicator lamp in the instrument panel
lights up when this mode is selected (the lamp will also
light up if the gear selector is in position 3 or L.). Press button WIN\
TER in order to disengage this
mode.
When mode is disengaged, the gearbox automatically reverts to the previo\
usly selected S or E mode. If
the indicator lamp
begins to flash, this is an indication of a fault in the automatic gear\
box. The
Malfunction Indicator lamp will also light up if a fault is detected. Pl\
ease contact your Volvo retailer if
this occurs.
CAUTION: Driveability and fuel economy will be adversely affected by pro\
longed driving in mode
W . Volvo recommends using this mode only when starting in extremely sli\
ppery conditions.
Economy Mode
This mode is used for normal driving. The gearbox changes gears at a low\
er engine speed to achieve the
lowest possible fuel consumption.
Sport Mode
This mode is adapted to "sporty" driving characteristics. The transmissi\
on upshifts at higher engine
speeds and less accelerator pedal pressure is required to initiate a dow\
nshift.
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1996 Volvo 850
can cause three-way catalytic converter or exhaust system overheating.
l Remember that tampering or unauthorized modification to the engine or th\
e vehicle may be illegal
and can cause three-way catalytic converter or exhaust system overheatin\
g. This includes:
- Altering fuel injection settings or components.
- Adjusting distributor ignition timing beyond specified limits.
- Altering emission system components or location or removing components\
- Repeated use of leaded fuel.
NOTE: Unleaded fuel is required for cars with three-way catalytic conver\
ters. A label on the instrument
panel and inside fuel tank filler door will remind owners and filling st\
ation attendants of this
requirement.
Important! It is unlawful to dispense leaded fuel into any vehicle label\
ed "unleaded gasoline only".
pg. 4:16 Brake system
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)
If the warning lamp lights up there is a malfunction of the ABS system (\
the standard braking system will
however function) and the vehicle should be driven to a Volvo retailer \
for inspection. The Anti-lock
Braking System (ABS) helps to improve vehicle control (stopping and s\
teering) during severe braking
conditions by limiting brake lock-up. When the system "senses" impending\
lock-up, braking pressure is
automatically modulated in order to help prevent lockup, which could lea\
d to a skid.
The system performs a self-diagnostic test when the vehicle first reache\
s a speed of approximately 12
mph (20 km/h). The brake pedal will pulsate several times and a sound \
may be audible from the ABS
control module. This is normal.
To obtain optimal effect from the ABS system, constant pressure should b\
e kept on the brake pedal
while the system is modulating the brakes. Do not pump the brake pedal. \
The switching of the ABS modulator will be audible and the brake pedal w\
ill pulsate at this time. Please
be aware that ABS does not increase the absolute braking potential of th\
e vehicle. While control will be
enhanced, ABS will not shorten stopping distances on slippery surfaces. \
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