
2003 VOLVO XC90
pg. 8 Safety
Airbags (Supplemental Restraint System) (contd)
WARNING!
If your vehicle has been subjected to flood conditions (e.g. soaked car\
peting/standing water on the
floor of the vehicle) or if your vehicle has become flood-damaged in an\
y way, do not attempt to start
the vehicle or put the key in the ignition before disconnecting the batt\
ery (see below). This may cause
airbag deployment which could result in personal injury. Have the vehicle towed to an authorized
Volvo retailer for repairs.
Automatic transmission:
Before attempting to tow the vehicle, use the following procedure to ove\
rride the shiftlock system to
move the gear selector to the neutral position.
l Switch off the ignition for at least 10 minutes and disconnect the batte\
ry
l Wait at least one minute
l Insert the key in the ignition and turn it to position II
l Press firmly on the brake pedal.
l Move the gear selector from (P)ark to the (N)eutral position.
There is no maintenance to perform on the SRS yourself. The month and ye\
ar shown on the decal on the
door pillar indicate when you should contact your Volvo retailer for spe\
cific servicing or replacement of
airbags and seat belt pretensioners. This maintenance must be performed \
by an authorized Volvo
retailer. Should you have any questions about the SRS system, please con\
tact your authorized Volvo
retailer or Volvo Customer Support: In the U.S.A In Canada:
Volvo Cars of North America Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd.
Customer Relations 175 Gordon Baker Road
P.O. Box 914 North York, Ontario M2H 2N7
Rockleigh, New Jersey 07647-0914 800-663-8255
800-458-1552
pg. 9 Safety
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2003 VOLVO XC90
Front airbag (SRS) system
As an enhancement to the three-point seat belt system, your Volvo is equ\
ipped with a Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS). The Volvo SRS consists of an airbag (2) on b\
oth the driver's and passenger's
sides and seat belt pretensioners in both front door pillars. The system\
is designed to supplement the
protection provided by the three-point seat belt system. All rear seat b\
elts are also equipped with
pretensioners. The SRS system is indicated by the "SRS" embossed on the \
steering wheel pad and above
the glove compartment, and by decals on both sun visors and on the front\
and far right side of the dash.
The airbags are folded and located in the steering wheel hub and above t\
he glove compartment.
Deployment:
The SRS airbags are designed to deploy during certain frontal or front-a\
ngular collisions, impacts, or
decelerations, depending on the crash severity, angle, speed and object \
impacted. The airbags may also
deploy in certain non-frontal collisions where rapid deceleration occurs\
.
The airbag system includes gas generators (1) surrounded by the airbag\
s (2) and front seat belt
pretensioners for both of the front seats. To deploy the system, the sen\
sor (3) activates the gas generators
causing the airbags to be inflated with nitrogen gas.
As the movement of the seats' occupants compresses the airbags, some of \
the gas is expelled at a
controlled rate to provide better cushioning. Both seat belt pretensione\
rs also deploy, minimizing any
seat belt slack.The entire process, including inflation and deflation of\
the airbags, takes approximately
two-tenths of a second.
WARNING!
The SRS is designed to help prevent serious injury. Deployment occurs ve\
ry 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(s) deployment.
Never try to repair any part of the SRS or SIPS bag systems yourself. Any int\
erference in the system
could cause malfunction and serious injury. All work on these systems sh\
ould be performed by an
authorized Volvo retailer.
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2003 VOLVO XC90
NOTE: SIPS airbag deployment (one airbag) occurs only on the side of the ve\
hicle affected by the
impact.The airbags are not designed to deploy in all side impact situati\
ons.
*A SIPS airbag ' decal is also located at the end of the instrument pane\
l on the driver's side of the
vehicle.
WARNING!
l The SIPS airbag system is a supplement to the Side Impact Protection Sys\
tem and the three-point
seat belt system. It is not designed to deploy during collisions from th\
e front or rear of the vehicle,
and will only deploy in certain rollover situations.
l The use of seat covers on the front seats may impede SIPS airbag deploym\
ent.
l No objects, accessory equipment or stickers may be placed on, attached t\
o or installed near, the
SIPS airbag system or in the area affected by SIPS airbag deployment (s\
ee illustration in the center
column above).
l Never try to open or repair any components of the SIPS airbag system. Th\
is should be done only
by an authorized Volvo service technician.
l In order for the SIPS airbag to provide its best protection, both front \
seat occupants should sit in an
upright position with the seat belt properly fastened.
l Failure to follow these instructions can result in injury to the occupan\
ts of the vehicle in the event
of an accident.
pg. 11 Safety
The SIPS airbag system
This system consists of a gas generator (1), the side airbags (2), a\
nd electronic sensors/cables (3).
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2003 VOLVO XC90
WARNING!
The IC system is a supplement to the Side Impact Protection System. It i\
s not designed to deploy
during collisions from the front or rear of the vehicle. The Inflatable \
Curtains are designed to deploy
only during certain side-impact collisions, depending on the crash sever\
ity, angle, speed and impact.
The Inflatable Curtains are not designed to deploy in all side impact si\
tuations. Never try to open or
repair any components of the IC system. This should be done only by an a\
uthorized Volvo service
technician. In order for the IC to provide its best protection, both fro\
nt seat occupants and all
outboard rear seat occupants should sit in an upright position with the \
seat belt properly fastened;
adults using the seat belt and children using the proper child restraint\
system. Only adults should sit in
the front seats. Children must never be allowed in the front passenger s\
eat. See
page 20 for
guidelines. Failure to follow these instructions can result in injury to\
the vehicle occupants in an
accident.
When the backrest(s) in the rear seat(s) are folded down, the vehicl\
e should not be loaded to a level
higher than 2 inches (5 cm) below the upper edge of the side windows. \
Objects placed higher than
this level could impede the function of the Inflatable Curtain.
pg. 13 Safety
Roll-over Protection System
Volvo's Roll-over Protection System has been developed to help prevent t\
he vehicle from rolling over in
the event of sudden evasive maneuvers, skids, etc and to offer enhanced \
protection if a roll-over occurs.
The system works in two ways:
l The stabilizing system Roll Stability Control (RSC) acts to minimize b\
ody roll.
l The system provides additional protection with a reinforced body, Inflat\
able Curtains for all outboard
seating positions, and seat belt pretensioners for all seating positions\
.
RSC uses a gyro-sensor that registers the vehicle's angle of inclination\
and the speed at which this angle
changes. Using this information, the control module calculates the risk \
of a roll-over. If there is an
imminent roll-over risk, the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DS\
TC) system is activated, engine
speed is reduced, and the brakes are applied to one or more of the wheel\
s until the vehicle has regained
stability.
If a roll-over occurs, RSC triggers the seat belt pretensioners and then\
deploys the Inflatable Curtains
(which remain inflated for approximately 5 seconds). These curtains ar\
e designed to follow the contours
of the side windows so that they position themselves between the occupan\
ts' heads and the sides of the
vehicle.
pg. 14 Safety
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2003 VOLVO XC90
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) - front seats only
WHIPS consists of specially designed hinges and brackets on the front se\
at backrests and head restraints
designed to help absorb some of the energy generated in a rear-end colli\
sion.
In the event of a collision of this type, the hinges and brackets of the\
front seat backrests are designed to
change position slightly to allow the backrest/head restraint to help su\
pport the occupant's head before
moving slightly rearward. This movement helps absorb some of the forces \
that could result in the
whiplash effect.
WARNING!
WHIPS is designed to supplement the other safety systems in your vehicle\
. For this system to
function properly, the three-point seat belt must be worn. Please be awa\
re that no system can prevent
all possible injuries that may occur in an accident.
If your vehicle has been involved in a collision, the front seat backres\
ts must be inspected by an
authorized Volvo retailer even, if the seats appear to be undamaged. Cer\
tain components in the
WHIPS system may need to be replaced. Do not attempt to service any comp\
onent in the WHIPS
system yourself.
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2003 VOLVO XC90
WARNING!
If the rear seat backrests are folded down, cargo must be secured to pre\
vent it from sliding forward
against the front seat backrests in the event of a collision from the re\
ar. This could interfere with the
action of the WHIPS system.
The WHIPS system is designed to function in certain collisions from the \
rear, depending on the crash
severity, angle and speed.
Occupants in the front seats must never sit out of position. The occupan\
t's back must be as upright as
comfort allows and be against the seat back with the seat belt properly \
fastened.
pg. 16 Safety
WARNING!
Any contact between the front seat backrests and the folded rear seat co\
uld impede the function of the
WHIPS system. If the rear seat is folded down, the occupied front seats \
must be adjusted forward so
that they do not touch the folded rear seat.
Boxes, suitcases, etc. wedged behind the front seats (see illustration \
above) could impede the function
of the WHIPS system.
pg. 17 Safety
Child safety
Volvo recommends the proper use of restraint systems for all occupants i\
ncluding children. Remember
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2003 VOLVO XC90
WARNING!
l Do not use child safety seats or child booster cushions/backrests in the\
front passenger's seat. We
also recommend that children under 4 feet 7 inches (140 cm) in height \
who have outgrown these
devices sit in the rear seat with the seat belt fastened.
l Keep vehicle doors and the tailgate locked and keep keys out of a child'\
s reach. Unsupervised
children could lock themselves in an open tailgate and risk injury. Chil\
dren should be taught not to
play in vehicles.
l On hot days, the temperature in the vehicle interior can rise very quick\
ly. Exposure to these high
temperatures for even a short period of time can cause heat-related inju\
ry or death. Small children are
particularly at risk.
pg. 18 Safety
Child safety (contd)
Isofix attachments
ISOFIX fasteners and seat guides
ISOFIX fasteners are installed in the second row of seats in the outboar\
d positions. One set of ISOFIX
guides is also provided. Consult your Volvo retailer for more informatio\
n on child safety accessories.
When installing child seats in the second row of seats (in seven-seat m\
odels), we recommend that the
seats in this row be moved to their rearmost position.
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2003 VOLVO XC90
Integrated child booster cushion (option)
Volvo's own integrated booster cushion has been specially designed to he\
lp safeguard a child seated in
the rear seat. When using an integrated booster cushion, the child must \
be secured with the vehicle's
three-point seat belt. This child seat is designed for use only by child\
ren who weigh between 33 and 80
lb (15 and 36 kg) and whose height is between 38 and 54 in (97 and 13\
7 cm).
The child should be properly seated on the booster cushion. The hip sect\
ion of the three-point seat belt
must fit snugly across the child's hips, not across the stomach. The sho\
ulder section of the three-point
seat belt should be positioned across the chest and shoulder (see illus\
tration). The shoulder belt must
never be placed behind the child's back or under the arm.
WARNING!
Failure to follow the manufacturer's instructions on the use of this chi\
ld restraint system can result in
your child striking the vehicle's interior during a sudden stop or crash\
. In the event of a collision
while the integrated booster cushion was occupied, the entire booster cu\
shion and seat belt must be
replaced. The booster cushion should also be replaced if it is badly wor\
n or damaged in any way. This
work should be performed by an authorized Volvo retailer only. The boost\
er cushion should be
cleaned while in place in the vehicle if possible. If not, please consul\
t your Volvo retailer.
pg. 19 Safety
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