2006 VOLVO XC90
Information contained in the balance of the manual is extremely useful a\
nd should be read after operating the
vehicle for the first time.
The manual is structured so that it can be used for reference. For this \
reason, it should be kept in the vehicle for
ready access.
Do not export your Volvo to another country before investigating that co\
untry's applicable safety and exhaust
emission requirements. In some cases it may be difficult or impossible t\
o comply with these requirements.
Modifications to the emission control system(s) may render your Volvo \
not certifiable for legal operation in the
U.S., Canada and other countries.
All information, illustrations and specifications contained in this manu\
al are based on the latest product
information available at the time of publication. Please note that some \
vehicles may be equipped differently,
depending on special legal requirements. Optional equipment described in\
this manual may not be available in
all markets.
Volvo reserves the right to make model changes at any time, or to change\
specifications or design without
notice and without incurring obligation.
WARNING!
CALIFORNIA Proposition 65 Warning
Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components\
contain or emit chemicals known
to the state of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other r\
eproductive harm. In addition, certain
fluids contained in vehicles and certain products of component wear cont\
ain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproduc\
tive harm.
Volvo and the environment
Volvo is committed to the well being of its customers. As a natural part\
of this commitment, we care about the
environment in which we all live. Caring for the environment means an ev\
eryday involvement in reducing our
environmental impact.
Volvo's environmental activities are based on a holistic view, which mea\
ns we consider the overall
environmental impact of a product throughout its complete life cycle. In\
this context, design, production,
product use, and recycling are all important considerations.
In production, Volvo has partly or completely phased out several chemica\
ls including chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs), lead chromates, naphtanates, asbestos, mercury and cadmium; an\
d reduced the amount of chemicals
used in our plants 50% since 1991.
Volvo was the first in the world to introduce into production a three-wa\
y catalytic converter with Lambda
Sond, now called oxygen sensor, in 1976. The current version of this hig\
hly efficient system reduces emissions
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2006 VOLVO XC90
2 0 0 6
VOLVO XC90
Safety
pg. 1 Safety
Occupant safety, Reporting safety defects2
Seat belts3
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)5
Front airbags 6
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS)9
Side impact (SIPS) airbag12
Volvo Inflatable Curtain (VIC)13
Inspecting SRS Ssystem components14
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS)15
Child safety17
pg. 2 Safety
Occupant safety, Reporting safety defects
Volvo Concern for Safety
Safety is the Volvo cornerstone. Our concern dates back to 1927 when the\
first Volvo rolled off the
production line. Three-point seat belts (a Volvo invention), safety ca\
ges, and energy-absorbing impact
zones were designed into Volvo cars long before it was fashionable or re\
quired 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
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2006 VOLVO XC90
Child seats
Please refer to
page 19 for information on securing child seats with the seat belts.
pg. 5 Safety
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
SRS warning light
Supplemental Restraint System
As an enhancement to the three-point seat belts, your Volvo is equipped \
with a Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS). Volvo's SRS consists of seat belt tensioners, front airb\
ags, side impact airbags, the
occupant weight sensor, and inflatable curtains. All of these systems ar\
e monitored by the SRS control
module. An SRS warning light in the instrument panel (see the illustrat\
ion above) illuminates when the
ignition key is turned to position I, II, or III, and will normally go o\
ut after approximately 7 seconds if
no faults are detected in the system.
Where applicable, a text message will also be displayed when the SRS war\
ning light illuminates. If this
warning symbol is not functioning properly, the general warning symbol
illuminates and a text
message will be displayed.
WARNING!
l If the SRS warning light stays on after the engine has started or if it \
illuminates while you are
driving, have the vehicle inspected by a trained and qualified Volvo ser\
vice technician as soon as
possible.
l Never try to repair any component or part of the SRS yourself. Any inter\
ference in the system
could cause malfunction and serious injury. All work on these systems sh\
ould be performed by an
authorized Volvo service technician.
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2006 VOLVO XC90
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 vehicl\
e towed to a trained and
qualified Volvo service technician 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.
pg. 6 Safety
Front airbags
The front airbag system
The front airbags supplement the three-point seat belts. For these airba\
gs to provide the protection
intended, seat belts must be worn at all times.
The front airbag system includes gas generators (1) surrounded by the \
airbags (2) and a deceleration
sensor (3) that activates the gas generators, causing the airbags to b\
e inflated with nitrogen gas.
As the movement of the seats' occupants compresses the airbags, some of \
the gas is expelled at a
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2006 VOLVO XC90
l The front airbags are designed to deploy during certain frontal or front\
-angular 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\
.
l The SRS sensors, which trigger the front airbags, are designed to react \
to both the impact of the
collision and the inertial forces generated by it, and to determine if t\
he intensity of the collision is
sufficient for the seat belt tensioners and/or airbags to be deployed.
However, not all frontal collisions activate the front airbags.
l If the collision involves a nonrigid object (e.g., a snow drift or bush\
), or a rigid, fixed object at a low
speed, the front airbags will not necessarily deploy.
l Front airbags do not normally deploy in a side impact collision, in a co\
llision from the rear or in a
rollover situation.
l The amount of damage to the bodywork does not reliably indicate if the a\
irbags should have deployed
or not.
NOTE:
l Deployment of front airbags occurs only one time during an accident. In \
a collision where deployment
occurs, the airbags and seat belt tensioners activate. Some noise occurs\
and a small amount of powder is
released. The release of the powder may appear as smoke-like matter. Thi\
s is a normal characteristic and
does not indicate fire.
l Volvo's dual-threshold, dual-stage front airbags use special sensors to \
control deployment. The point
at which the airbag deploys is determined by whether or not the seat bel\
t is being used, as well as the
severity of the collision.
l Collisions can occur where only one of the airbags deploys. If the impac\
t is less severe, but severe
enough to present a clear injury risk, the dual-stage airbags are trigge\
red at 70-80% of their total
capacity. If the impact is more severe, the dual-stage airbags are trigg\
ered at full capacity.
Should you have questions about any component in the SRS system, please \
contact a trained and
qualified Volvo service technician or Volvo Customer Support:
In the USA:
Volvo Cars of North America
Customer Care Center
P.O. Box 914
Rockleigh, New Jersey 07647-0914
1-800-458-1552
http://www.volvocars.us
In Canada:
Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd.
National Customer Service
175 Gordon Baker Road
North York, Ontario M2H 2N7
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2006 VOLVO XC90
1-800-663-8255
http://www.volvocanada.com
WARNING!
l 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.
l Never drive with the airbags deployed. The fact that they hang out can i\
mpair the steering of your
vehicle. Other safety systems can also be damaged.
l The smoke and dust formed when the airbags are deployed can cause skin a\
nd eye irritation in the
event of prolonged exposure.
a. See also the Occupant Weight Sensor information on
page 9.
pg. 8 Safety
Front airbags (contd)
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2006 VOLVO XC90
WARNING!
l Children must never be allowed in the front passenger's seat. Volvo reco\
mmends 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 passengerside front airbag. See
page 19 for guidelines.
l Occupants in the front passenger's seat must never sit on the edge of th\
e seat, sit leaning toward the
instrument panel or otherwise sit out of position.
l The occupant's back must be as upright as comfort allows and be against \
the seat back with the seat
belt properly fastened.
l Feet must be on the floor, e.g., not on the dash, seat or out of the win\
dow.
WARNING!
l 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 6).
l There should be no loose articles, e.g. coffee cups, on the floor, seat,\
or dashboard area.
l Never try to open the airbag cover on the steering wheel or the passenge\
r'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. 9 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS)
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2006 VOLVO XC90
Disabling the passenger's side front airbag
Volvo recommends that ALL occupants (adults and children) shorter than\
four feet seven inches (140
cm) be seated in the back seat of any vehicle with a front passenger si\
de airbag, and be properly
restrained for their size and weight. See also the child safety recommen\
dations on
page 19.
The passenger's side front airbag is automatically enabled/disabled by t\
he Occupant Weight Sensor
(OWS), a system that monitors the weight of the person or object in th\
e front passenger's seat. The
system consists of a silicone-filled bag located under the padding in th\
e 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 w\
eight of the occupant or object in
the front passenger's seat. This information is transmitted to the SRS s\
ystem control module, which
enables or disables the passenger's side front airbag accordingly, as in\
dicated in the table below.
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 to th\
e right. The OWS indicator light
is separate and in addition to the SRS warning light in the instrument p\
anel.
NOTE: When the ignition is switched on, the OWS indicator light will go on fo\
r up to 10 seconds while
the system performs a selfdiagnostic test and then go out. However, if a\
fault is detected in the system:
l The OWS indicator light will stay on
l The SRS warning light (see page 5) will come on and stay on
l The message PASS. AIRBAG OFF SERVICE URGENT will be displayed in the inf\
ormation display.
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