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VOLVO S40
Chapter 2 - Safety
Occupant safety10
Seat belts11
Supplemental Restraint System - SRS14
Front airbags15
Occupant Weight Sensor - disabling the passenger's side front airbag18
Side impact protection (SIPS) airbags21
Volvo Inflatable Curtain (VIC)22
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS)23
Collision status25
Inspecting SRS system components26
Child safety27
pg. 10 Safety
Occupant safety
Volvo's concern for safety
Safety is Volvo's cornerstone. Our concern dates back to 1927 when the first Volvo rolled off the production line.
Three-point seat belts (a Volvo invention), safety cages, and energy-absorbing impact zones were designed into Volvo
cars long before it was fashionable or required by government regulation.
We will not compromise our commitment to safety. We continue to seek out new safety features and to refine those
already in our cars. You can help. We would appreciate hearing your suggestions about improving automobile safety.
We also want to know if you ever have a safety concern with your car. Call us in the U.S. at: 1-800-458-1552 or in
Canada at: 1-800-663-8255.
Occupant safety reminders
How safely you drive doesn't depend on how old you are but rather on:
How well you see.
Your ability to concentrate.
How quickly you make decisions under stress to avoid an accident. The following suggestions are intended to help
you cope with the ever changing traffic environment.
Never drink and drive.
If you are taking any medication, consult your physician about its potential effects on your driving abilities.
Take a driver-retraining course.
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Have your eyes checked regularly.
Keep your windshield and headlights clean.
Replace wiper blades when they start to leave streaks.
Take into account the traffic, road, and weather conditions, particularly with regard to stopping distance.
Reporting safety defects in the U.S.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should
immediately inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying Volvo Cars
of North America. If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety
defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become
involved in individual problems between you, your retailer, or Volvo Cars of North America. To contact NHTSA, you
may either call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at 1- 800-424-9393 (or 202-366-0123 in Washington, D.C. area) or
write to: NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington D.C. 20590. You can also obtain other information
about motor vehicle safety from the Hotline.
Volvo strongly recommends that if your vehicle is covered under a service campaign, safety or emission recall or
similar action, it should be completed as soon as possible. Please check with your local retailer or Volvo Cars of North
America, LLC if your vehicle is covered under these conditions. NHTSA can be reached at:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov
or by phone at:
1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327- 4236) (toll free)
1-800-424-9393 (toll free)
1-202-366-0123 (in the Washington DC area)
pg. 11 Seat belts
Seat belts
Adjusting the seat belt
Using seat belts
Volvo, the inventor of the three-point seat belt, urges you and all occupants of your vehicle to wear seat belts and
ensure that children are properly restrained, using an infant, car, or booster seat determined by age, weight and height.
Volvo also believes no child should sit in the front seat of a vehicle.
Most states and provinces make it mandatory for occupants of a vehicle to use seat belts.
Seat belt tensioners
The front and rear outboard seat belts are equipped with tensioners that reduce slack in the belts. These tensioners are
triggered in situations where the airbags deploy. The front seat belts also include a tension reducing device which, in
the event of a collision, limits the peak forces exerted by the seat belt on the occupant.
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Buckling a seat belt
Pull the belt out far enough to insert the latch plate into the receptacle until a distinct click is heard. The seat belt
retractor is normally "unlocked" and you can move freely, provided that the shoulder belt is not pulled out too far. The
retractor will lock up as follows:
if the belt is pulled out rapidly
during braking and acceleration
if the vehicle is leaning excessively
when driving in turns
When wearing the seat belt remember:
The belt should not be twisted or turned.
The lap section of the belt must be positioned low on the hips (not pressing against the abdomen).
Make sure that the shoulder belt is rolled up into its retractor and that the shoulder and lap belts are taut.
Unbuckling the seat belt
To remove the seat belt, press the red section on the seat belt receptacle. Before exiting the vehicle, check that the
seat belt retracts fully after being unbuckled. If necessary, guide the belt back into the retractor slot.
Sample label on all seat belts with tensioners
WARNING!
Never use a seat belt for more than one occupant. Never wear the shoulder portion of the belt under the arm, behind
the back or otherwise out of position. Such use could cause injury in the event of an accident. As seat belts lose
much of their strength when exposed to violent stretching, they should be replaced after any collision, even if they
appear to be undamaged.
pg. 12 Seat belts
WARNING!
Never repair the belt yourself; have this work done by a trained and qualified Volvo service technician only.
Any device used to induce slack into the shoulder belt portion of the three-point belt system will have a
detrimental effect on the amount of protection available to you in the event of a collision.
The seat back should not be tilted too far back. The shoulder belt must be taut in order to function properly.
Do not use child safety seats or child booster cushions/backrests in the front passenger's seat. We also recommend
that children who have outgrown these devices sit in the rear seat with the seat belt properly fastened.
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Seat belt use during pregnancy
The seat belt should always be worn during pregnancy. But it is crucial that it be worn in the correct way. The diagonal
section should wrap over the shoulder then be routed between the breasts and to the side of the belly. The lap section
should lay flat over the thighs and as low as possible under the belly. It must never be allowed to ride upward. Remove
all slack from the belt and insure that it fits close to the body without any twists.
As a pregnancy progresses, pregnant drivers should adjust their seats and steering wheel such that they can easily
maintain control of the vehicle as they drive (which means they must be able to easily operate the foot pedals and
steering wheel). Within this context, they should strive to position the seat with as large a distance as possible between
their belly and the steering wheel.
Child seats
Please refer to page 31
for information on securing child seats with the seat belts.
pg. 13 Seat belts
Seat belt reminder light in ceiling console
Seat belt reminder
The seat belt reminder consists of an audible signal, an indicator light above the rearview mirror, and a symbol in the
instrument panel (see page 37
) that alert the driver and front seat passenger if their seat belts are not fastened.
NOTE: The function is active for a total of 6 minutes from the time the ignition is switched on.
During the first minute:
The seat belt reminder function only reacts if the driver has not fastened his/her seat belt.
The indicator light above the mirror and the symbol in the instrument panel will light up and stay lit until the seat
belt has been fastened.
A chime will sound for 6 seconds. The frequency of the chiming increases with the speed of the car.
After one minute has elapsed:
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In Canada
Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd.
National Customer Service
175 Gordon Baker Road
North York, Ontario M2H 2N7
1-800-663-8255
http://www.volvocanada.com
WARNING!
Do not use child safety seats or child booster cushions/backrests in the front passenger's seat. We also recommend
that occupants under 4 feet 7 inches (140 cm) in height who have outgrown these devices sit in the rear seat with the
seat belt fastened
a.
Never drive with the airbags deployed. The fact that they hang out can impair the steering of your vehicle. Other
safety systems can also be damaged.
The smoke and dust formed when the airbags are deployed can cause skin and eye irritation in the event of
prolonged exposure.
a. See also the Occupant Weight Sensor information on page 18
.
pg. 17 Front airbags
Airbag decal on the far right end of the passenger's dashboard
Airbag decal on the outside of both sun visors
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
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airbag. See page 31 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.
Airbag decal on passenger's side dashboard
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 Occupant Weight Sensor - disabling the passenger's side front airbag
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) indicator light
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 31
.
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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
1-800-663-8255WARNING!
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.
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.
pg. 20 Occupant Weight Sensor - disabling the passenger's side front airbag
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 31
).
No objects should be placed under the front passenger's seat. This could interfere with the OWS system's function.
Contents | Top of Page
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If the ignition key is in position I or II.
During a 10 minute period after the doors have been unlocked if the door remains open.
If the door is closed and the ignition key is not yet in the ignition, or if the key is in position 0, the seat can be
adjusted or during a period of 40 seconds. The power passenger's seat can only be adjusted if the ignition key is in
position I or II, or if the engine is running.
Adjusting the seat
Controls 5, 6, and 7 on the side of the seat can be used to make adjustments.
5. Backrest tilt
6. Move this section of the control up or down to raise/lower the rear section of the seat. Move the control forward to
move the seat forward.
7. Move this section of the control up or down to raise/lower the front section of the seat. Move the control rearward
to move the seat rearward.
NOTE: The power seats have an overload protector that activates if a seat is blocked by any object. If this occurs,
switch off the ignition (key in position 0) and wait for approximately 20 seconds before operating the seat again.
Emergency stop
If the seat inadvertently begins to move, press any of the buttons to stop the seat.
Programming the seat memory, driver's seat only (option)
Three different seating positions can be stored in the seat's memory.
The following example explains how button 1 can be programmed. Buttons 2 and 3 can be programmed in the same
way.
To program (store) a seat position in button 1:
1. Use controls 5, 6, and 7 to adjust the seat to the desired position.
2. Press and hold down the M (memory) button.
3. With the M button depressed, press button 1 to store the seat's current position.
To move the seat to the position that it was in when button 1 was programmed, press and hold down button 1 until the
seat stops moving.
As a safety precaution, the seat will stop automatically if the button is released before the seat has reached the preset
position.
Central locking system remote control and driver's seat memory
The remote control transmitter can also be equipped with an optional function that controls the electrically operated
driver's seat in the following way:
1. Adjust the seat to the desired position.
2. When you leave the car, lock it using the remote control.
3. The next time the driver's door is unlocked with the same remote control and the driver's door is opened, the
pg. 74 Front seats
driver's seat will automatically move to the position that it was in when the door was most recently locked with that
remote control.
WARNING!
Because the driver's seat can be adjusted with the ignition off, children should never be left unattended in the car.
Movement of the seat can be STOPPED at any time by pressing any button on the power seat control panel.
Do not adjust the seat while driving. The seat should be adjusted so that the brake pedal can be depressed fully. In
addition, position the seat as far rearward as comfort and control allow.
The seat rails on the floor must not be obstructed in any way when the seat is in motion.
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