
WARNING!
 Children must  never be  allowed in the front  passenger  seat. Volvo recommends that ALL  occupants (adults and
children) shorter than 4 feet 7 inches (140 cm) be  seated in the back seat of any  vehicle with a  front  passenger  side
airbag.
 Occupants in the front  passenger's  seat must  never sit  on the edge of the seat, sit  leaning  toward the instrument
panel or otherwise sit  out of position. The occupant's back must  be  as upright as comfort allows and  be  against the
seat back with the seat belt properly fastened.
 Feet must  be  on the floor,  e.g.  not on the dash, seat or out of the window.
 No objects or accessory  equipment, e.g.  dash covers, may be  placed on, attached to or installed near the SRS
hatch (the area above the glove compartment) or the area affected by airbag deployment (see illustration on page 4
).
 There should be  no loose articles, e.g.  coffee cups, on the floor,  seat or dash area.
 Never  try to open  the SRS cover on the steering wheel or the passenger  side SRS seam. This should only be  done
by an  authorized Volvo service technician.
 Failure to follow these instructions can result in injury to the vehicle occupants in an  accident.
pg. 7 Volvo SRS
NOTE : The information on this  page does not pertain to the Side Impact Protection System  airbags.
When are the airbags deployed?
The SRS system is designed to deploy during certain frontal or front -angular collisions, impacts, or decelerations,
depending on the crash severity, angle, speed and  object  impacted. The SRS sensor is designed to react  to both the
impact of the collision  and  the inertial forces  generated  by it and  to determine if the intensity  of the collision  is
sufficient for the airbags to be  deployed.
WARNING!
The SRS is designed to help prevent serious injury. Deployment  occurs very quickly and  with considerable force.
During normal deployment and  depending on variables such as seating position, one  may experience abrasions,
bruises, swellings, or other injuries as a  result of airbag deployment.
If the airbags have been deployed, we recommend the following:
 Have the car towed  to an  authorized Volvo retailer. Never  drive with the airbags deployed.
 Have an  authorized Volvo retailer replace  the SRS system components.
 Use only new, Genuine Volvo Parts when replacing SRS components (airbags, seat belts, tensioners, etc.).
When are the airbags NOT deployed?
Not all frontal collisions activate the SRS system. If the collision  involves a  non-rigid object  (e.g., a  snow drift or
bush), or a  rigid, fixed object  at a  low speed, the SRS system will not necessarily  deploy. Front airbags do not
normally deploy in a  side impact collision,  in a  collision  from  the rear or in a  rollover situation.  The amount of
damage to the bodywork does not reliably indicate if the airbags should have deployed or not.
Seat belts - the heart of the Volvo safety system
The heart of the Volvo safety system is the three-point seat belt (a Volvo invention)!  In order for the SRS system to
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2 0 0 3 
VOLVO
S40 & V40
Chapter 2 - Instruments, switches and controls
pg. 17 Instruments, switches and controls
Instruments, switches and controls
Instruments, switches,  controls etc. are described on the following pages.  Instruments
18
Indicator and warning lights21
Headlights, Parking  lights, Instrument illumination, Fog lights24
Turn signals, Home Safe lighting, Wipers/washers25
Ignition switch/steering wheel  lock, Flashers, Heated rear window/mirrors26
Trip  Computer27
Dynamic Stability Assistance30
Cruise control31
Heated seats, Parking  brake32
Auxiliary socket, Cupholder33
Steering wheel  adjustment34
Heating, Ventilation and Air  Conditioning35
Electrically operated windows38
pg. 18 Instruments, switches and controls
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20Hood latch 53
21Steering wheel height adjustment 34
2212-volt electrical outlet 33
23AC on and  off 36
24Trip Computer 27
25Coin  holder 33
26Recirculation 36-37
27Cupholder 33
28Defroster - door mirrors/rear window 26
29Not in use -
30 Dynamic Stability Assistance (DSA) 30
31Controls  for heated front  seats 32
32Switch for selecting door mirror left and  right 50
33Control for adjusting door mirrors 50
34Door lock switch 42
35Window  left and  right front 38
36Window  left and  right rear 38
37Cut -out switch windows rear 38
Some of the items listed on this page are available on certain models only.
pg. 20 Instruments
1 Coolant temperature gauge 
Do not drive the car with the pointer in the red  range. The pointer should be  approximately midway on the gauge
face when driving. If the pointer approaches the red range repeatedly, check coolant  level.  See  page 117
.
2 Coolant temperature warning light  
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NOTE: A defective turn signal bulb will cause the turn signal indicator and  remaining signal lights to flash  more
rapidly than normal.
Home Safe lighting  
When you leave your car at night, you can make use of the exterior courtesy lighting function:
 Remove the key  from  the ignition switch.
 Pull the turn signal lever towards the steering wheel (as when using the headlight flasher function).
The low beam headlights will now remain on for 30 seconds to light your way. 
Repeat the above measures if you want  to switch off the Home  Safe Lighting.  
Wipers/washers
1 "Single sweep" position:  
The switch returns automatically  when released.
2 Intermittent wiper  
The wipers will sweep approximately every 5 seconds (car speed depending).
3 Wipers, normal speed
4 Wipers, high speed
5 Windshield wiper/washer, headlight  wiper/washer. 
The wipers will make 2-3 sweeps across the windshield and  headlights and  1 additional sweep after 3 seconds.
6 Tailgate window wiper  (V40)
The tailgate  wiper switch has three positions:
 : Intermittent
O : Off
 : Continuous
Tip  function When pressing switch 7 briefly the wiper will make one  sweep, independent of the interval
Backing  up When the vehicle is put into reverse  with the windshield wipers on and  tailgate  wiper off, the rear window
wiper will come on for two sweeps.
7 Tailgate window washer (V40)  
The washer keeps working for as long as you keep the button depressed.  
The wiper will make 2-3 sweeps after the lever is released and  1 sweep after 3 seconds.
   
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 Note  that roof racks, ski racks, etc., increase air resistance  and  thereby fuel consumption.
 Avoid using automatic  transmission kick-down feature unless necessary.
 Avoid using the air conditioning when it is not required. When engaged, the air conditioner's compressor places an
additional load on the engine. However, please note that fuel consumption is lower with the air conditioning on than it
is when driving with the air conditioning switched off and  the windows down.
 Utilizing the fuel consumption modes in the Trip Computer can help you "learn"  how to drive more economically.
Other factors  which decrease gas mileage are:
 Dirty air cleaner
 Dirty engine oil and  clogged oil filter
 Dragging brakes
 Incorrect front  end  alignment 
Some of the above mentioned items and  others  are checked at the standard Maintenance Service intervals.
NOTE : The automatic  transmission's ( D)rive position should be  used as often as possible to help improve fuel
economy.
WARNING!
It is recommended that tires of the same make and  dimensions be  used on all four wheels (including the use of
snow tires). Do not use bias ply tires as this  will adversely alter vehicle handling characteristics. Maintain correct tire
pressure.
 Do not drive with trunk lid open! A warning light in the instrument panel will indicate that the trunk is open.
Poisonous exhaust gases may enter via the open  trunk lid. If the trunk lid/tailgate must  be  kept open  for any  reason,
proceed as follows:
 Close the windows.
 Set the ventilation system control to air flow to floor,  windshield and  side windows and  blower control to its
highest setting.
pg. 65 Starting the engine
Starting and stopping
1. Fasten the seat belt.
WARNING!
Before starting, check that the seat, steering wheel and  mirrors  are adjusted properly. Make sure the brake pedal can
be  depressed  completely.  Move the seat closer if necessary.  Refer to section "front seats".
2. Make sure the gear selector is in the Park position.
3. Without touching the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition key  to the starting position. Allow the starter to operate
for up to 5 seconds. Release the key  as soon as the engine starts. If the engine fails to start, repeat  step 3. 
For cold starts at altitudes above 6000 ft (1800 meters), depress the accelerator  pedal halfway and  turn the key  to the
starting position. Release the pedal slowly when the engine starts. Depress the brake pedal and  release the parking
brake.
4. To release the gear selector from  the (P)ark position, the ignition key  must  be  in position II and  the brake pedal
must  be  depressed.
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Transmission Lamp67
Trip Computer27
Trip odometer20
Trunk  - opening from  the inside - S4046
Tuning modes, radio - changing142
Turn  signals25
U
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY  GRADING83
Uniform  tire quality grading83
Upholstery  - cleaning105
V
Vanity mirrors51
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)108
Vehicle loading125
Volvo On Call128
Volvo SRS4
W
W  - Winter/Wet Weather67
Warning flashers26
Warning lights22,23
Warranty109
Washer fluid reservoir118
Washing103
Waste bin - rear34
Waxing104
Weights127
Wheel changing86, 87, 88
Wheels and  tires80
Whiplash Protection System  (WHIPS)9
WHIPS9
Windows - electrically -operated38
Windshield wiper blades - replacing98
Winter driving75
   
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