WARNING!
Children must never be allowed in the front passenger's 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 passenger -side front
airbag. See page 30
for guidelines.
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.
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WARNING!
No objects or accessory equipment, e.g. dashboard covers, may be placed on, attached to, or installed near the air
bag hatch (the area above the glove compartment) or the area affected by airbag deployment (see the illustration on
page 14
).
There should be no loose articles, e.g. coffee cups, on the floor, seat, or dashboard area.
Never try to open the airbag cover on the steering wheel or the passenger's side dashboard. This should only be
done by a trained and qualified Volvo service technician.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in injury to the vehicle occupants.
pg. 18 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor - disabling the passenger's side front airbag
Disabling the passenger's side front airbag
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, and be properly restrained for their size and weight. See
also the child safety recommendations on page 30
.
The passenger's side front airbag is automatically enabled/disabled by the Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS), a system
that monitors the weight of the person or object in the front passenger's seat. The system consists of a silicone-filled
bag located under the padding in the front passenger's seat cushion, a control module located under this seat, and a seat
belt tension sensor, located on the outboard side of the seat.
The OWS system continuously monitors the pressure on the front passenger's seat cushion and the tension applied to
the seat belt. Based on this data, OWS assesses the weight of the occupant or object in the front passenger's seat. This
information is transmitted to the SRS system control module, which enables or disables the passenger's side front
airbag accordingly, as indicated in the table on the following page.
If the system is functioning normally, the status of the front passenger's side airbag (enabled/disabled) will be shown
by the OWS indicator light as explained in the table on the following page. The OWS indicator light is separate and in
addition to the SRS warning light in the instrument panel.
NOTE: When the ignition is switched on, the OWS indicator light will go on for up to 10 seconds while the system
performs a self -diagnostic test. The light will then go out unless the seat is occupied by a low weight occupant/object.
However, if a fault is detected in the system:
The OWS indicator light will stay on
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The SRS warning light (see page 14) will come on and stay on
The message PASS. AIRBAG OFF SERVICE URGENT will be displayed in the information display.
WARNING!
If a fault in the system is detected and indicated as explained on the preceding page, be aware that the passenger's
side front airbag will not deploy in the event of a collision. In this case, the SRS system and Occupant Weight
Sensor should be inspected by a trained and qualified Volvo service technician as soon as possible.
WARNING!
Never try to open, remove, or repair any components in the OWS system. This could result in system malfunction.
Maintenance or repairs should only be carried out by an a trained and qualified Volvo service technician.
The front passenger's seat should not be modified in any way. This could reduce pressure on the seat cushion,
which might interfere with the OWS system's function.
pg. 19 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor - disabling the passenger's side front airbag
a. Volvo recommends that children always be properly restrained in appropriate child restraints in the rear seats. In rare
situations when the seat belt is not latched, some child restraint systems may not be detected by the OWS because there
is very little weight on the vehicle seat cushion. In these cases the airbag may be turned off but the "passenger airbag
off" indicator would not be lit. DO NOT assume the front passenger airbag is turned off unless the indicator is lit.
Make sure the child restraint is properly belted and that the indicator is lit, or move the child restraint to the rear seat.
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Modifications
If you are considering modifying your vehicle in any way to accommodate a disability, for example by altering or
adapting the driver's or front passenger's seat(s) and/or airbag systems, please contact Volvo at:
In the USA
Volvo Cars of North America
Customer Care Center
P.O. Box 914 Rockleigh, New Jersey 07647-0914
1-800-458-1552
In Canada
Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd.
National Customer Service
175 Gordon Baker Road
North York, Ontario M2H 2N7
1-800-663-8255
pg. 20 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor - disabling the passenger's side front airbag
WARNING!
No objects that add to the total weight on the seat should be placed on the front passenger's seat. If a child is seated
in the front passenger's seat with any additional weight, this extra weight could cause the OWS system to enable the
airbag, which might cause it to deploy in the event of a collision, thereby injuring the child.
The seat belt should never be wrapped around an object on the front passenger's seat. This could interfere with the
OWS system's function.
The front passenger's seat belt should never be used in a way that exerts more pressure on the passenger than
normal. This could increase the pressure exerted on the weight sensor by a child, and could result in the airbag being
enabled, which might cause it to deploy in the event of a collision, thereby injuring the child.
WARNING!
Keep the following points in mind with respect to the OWS system. Failure to follow these instructions could
adversely affect the system's function and result in serious injury to the occupant of the front passenger's seat:
The full weight of the front seat passenger should always be on the seat cushion. The passenger should never lift
him/herself off the seat cushion using the armrest in the door or the center console, by pressing the feet on the floor,
by sitting on the edge of the seat cushion, or by pressing against the backrest in a way that reduces pressure on the
seat cushion. This could cause OWS to disable the front, passenger's side airbag.
Do not place any type of object on the front passenger's seat in such a way that jamming, pressing, or squeezing
occurs between the object and the front seat, other than as a direct result of the correct use of the ALR/ELR seat belt
(see page 30
).
No objects should be placed under the front passenger's seat. This could interfere with the OWS system's function.
pg. 21 Safety
Side impact protection (SIPS) airbags
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Side impact airbags - front seats only
As an enhancement to the structural side impact protection built into your car, the car is also equipped with Side
Impact Protection System (SIPS) airbags.
The SIPS airbag system is designed to help increase occupant protection in the event of certain side impact collisions.
The SIPS airbags are designed to deploy only during certain side-impact collisions, depending on the crash severity,
angle, speed and point of impact.
NOTE: SIPS airbag deployment (one airbag) occurs only on the side of the vehicle affected by the impact. The airbags
are not designed to deploy in all side impact situations.
Components in the SIPS airbag system
This SIPS airbag system consists of a gas generator (1), the side airbag modules built into the outboard sides of both
front seat backrests (2), and electronic sensors/wiring (3).
WARNING!
The SIPS airbag system is a supplement to the structural Side Impact Protection System and the three-point seat
belt system. It is not designed to deploy during collisions from the front or rear of the car or in rollover situations.
The use of seat covers on the front seats may impede SIPS airbag deployment.
No objects, accessory equipment or stickers may be placed on, attached to or installed near the SIPS airbag system
or in the area affected by SIPS airbag deployment.
Never try to open or repair any components of the SIPS airbag system. This should be done only by a trained and
qualified Volvo service technician.
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.
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Failure to follow these instructions can result in injury to the occupants of the vehicle in the event of an accident.
pg. 22 Safety
Door Mounted Inflatable Curtain (DMIC)
The Door Mounted Inflatable Curtain system
The DMIC is a supplement to the structural side impact protection. These inflatable curtains are concealed in the upper
section of the driver and passenger doors.
The Inflatable Curtain (DMIC) and the Side Impact Airbag System (SIPS-bag) will both deploy in certain side
impacts.
In certain situations in which there is a roll-over risk, only the inflatable curtain (DMIC) may deploy.
NOTE:
DMIC deployment can occur regardless of whether the power retractable hard top is up or down.
If the inflatable curtain deploys, it remains inflated for approximately 5 seconds.
WARNING!
The DMIC system is a supplement to the Side Impact Protection System. It is not designed to deploy during
collisions from the front or rear of the car. It only provides protection for the occupants of the front seats.
Never install or mount any equipment on the insides of the doors, door pillars, or side panels. This could impede
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the function of the DMIC system.
Never try to open or repair any components of the DMIC system. This should be done only by a trained and
qualified Volvo service technician.
WARNING!
In order for the DMIC to provide its best protection, both front 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 seat. See page 30
for
guidelines. Failure to follow these instructions can result in injury to the vehicle occupants in an accident.
pg. 23 Safety
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS)
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) - front seats only
The WHIPS system consists of specially designed hinges and brackets on the front seat backrests designed to help
absorb some of the energy generated in a collision from the rear (when the vehicle is "rear-ended"). 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 support the occupant's head before moving slightly rearward. This movement
helps absorb some of the forces that could result in whiplash.
WARNING!
The WHIPS system is designed to supplement the other safety systems in your car. For this system to function
properly, the three-point seat belt must be worn. Please be aware that no system can prevent all possible injuries that
may occur in an accident.
The WHIPS system is designed to function in certain collisions from the rear, depending on the crash severity,
angle and speed.
WARNING!
Occupants in the front seats must never 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.
WARNING!
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If your car has been involved in a rearend collision, the front seat backrests must be inspected by a trained and
qualified Volvo service technician, even if the seats appear to be undamaged. Certain components in the WHIPS
system may need to be replaced.
Do not attempt to service any component in the WHIPS system yourself.
pg. 24 Safety
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS)
WARNING!
Boxes, suitcases, etc. wedged behind the front seats could impede the function of the WHIPS system.
pg. 25 Safety
Roll-over Protection system (ROPS)
Roll-over Protection system (ROPS)
The ROPS system consists of two roll bars located behind the rear seat head restraints, and a sensor that monitors the
roll or pitch angle of the car.
If the car rolls or pitches beyond a preset angle, the roll bars are automatically deployed (raised).
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