2009 VOLVO V50 fold seats

01 SafetySupplemental Restraint System
0122
The front airbag system
G020111
The front airbags supplement the three-point
seat belts. For these airbags to provide the
protection intended, seat belts must be worn
at all times.
The front airbag system includes gas genera-
tors surrounded by the airbags, and decelera-
tion sensors that activate the gas generators,
causing the airbags to be inflated with nitrogen
gas.
G015167
Location of the passenger's side front airbagAs the movement of the seats' occupants com-
presses the airbags, some of the gas is expel-
led at a controlled rate to provide better
cushioning. Both seat belt pretensioners also
deploy, minimizing seat belt slack. The entire
process, including inflation and deflation of the
airbags, takes approximately one fifth of a sec-
ond.
The location of the front airbags is indicated by
SRS AIRBAG 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 driver's side front airbag is folded and
located in the steering wheel hub.
•
The passenger's side front airbag is folded
behind a panel located above the glove
compartment.

01 SafetyWhiplash Protection System
0132
Certain components in the WHIPS sys-
tem may need to be replaced.
•
Do not attempt to service any compo-
nent in the WHIPS system yourself.
G020126
WARNING
Any contact between the front seat backr-
ests and the folded rear seat could 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.
G020125
WARNING
•
Boxes, suitcases, etc. wedged behind
the front seats could impede the func-
tion of the WHIPS system.
•
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 rear. This could inter-
fere with the action of the WHIPS sys-
tem.

04 InteriorFront seats
04102
Manual seat adjustment
G027960
The driver's and passenger's seats can be
adjusted in a number of ways to provide a
comfortable driving and sitting position.
Forward-rearward: Pull the lever up and
slide the seat to the position of your choice.Use this control to raise or lower the front
edge of the seat cushion.Use this control to raise or lower the rear
edge of the seat cushion.Turn this knob (option on some passeng-
er's seats) to adjust the firmness of the
lumbar support
1.
Turn this knob to adjust the backrest tilt.Control panel for power seats.WARNING
•
Do not adjust the seat while driving.
•
Adjust the driver’s seat and seat belt
(see page 18) before driving. The seat
should be adjusted so that the brake
pedal can be depressed fully.
•
Position the seat as far rearward as
comfort and control allow.
Folding down the front seat backrests
G014805
The front passenger's seat backrest can be
folded down to provide room for long loads.
1. Move the seat as far back as possible.
2. Adjust the backrest to the upright position.
3. Lift the catches on the rear of the backrest
as shown in the illustration.
4. Without releasing the catches, push the
backrest forward.
5. Move the seat as far forward as possible
so that the head restraint slides under the
glove compartment.
1Also applies to the optional power seat.

04 InteriorRear seat
04112
To fold down one or both sections:
1. Grasp the rear edge of the seat cushion
and pull it forward.
2. Pull the catch on the upper outboard edge
of the backrest upward and forward to
release the backrest lock. A red lock indi-
cator is visible when the backrest is not
locked in the upright position.
3. Fold the backrest down partially and
remove the outboard head restraints.
Press the center head restraint down com-
pletely or remove it.
4. Place the head restraints in the plastic
tubes, which are now accessible on the
under side of the seat cushions.
NOTE
When folding down the rear seat backrests,
remove the plug in the rear 12 volt socket to
help avoid marks in the upholstery.
WARNING
•
The red lock indicator is VISIBLE when
the backrest is NOT locked in position
and hidden when the backrest is cor-
rectly locked in place. When the back-
rest is in the upright position, it must
always be correctly locked in place.
•
When the rear seat is folded down, do
not place heavy objects against the
backs of the front seats. This places a
severe strain on the folded down back-
rest of the rear seat. Be sure to secure
cargo.
•
Cargo must not be stacked higher than
the top of seat backs. This will reduce
the possibility of luggage, etc. becom-
ing projectiles during sudden maneu-
vers, rapid braking or an accident.

06 Starting and driving
Transporting loads
06
163 Loading the vehicle
Your vehicle's load-carrying capacity is affec-
ted by factors such as:•
the number of passengers
•
tire inflation
•
the amount of optional or accessory equip-
ment installed
•
the amount of cargo.
See the chapter "Wheels and tires" for more
detailed information.
Before loading the car, turn off the engine, and
apply the parking brake when loading or
unloading long objects. The gear selector can
be inadvertently knocked out of position by
long cargo, causing the car to move.
Keep the following in mind when
loading the vehicle:•
Load objects in the cargo area against the
rear seat backrest.
•
Load heavy cargo as low as possible.
•
Center wide loads.
•
Secure all cargo with restraining straps
anchored to the load securing eyelets.
•
Cover sharp edges on the load.
•
Seats can be folded down and head
restraints removed to extend the cargo
compartment, see page 111.
WARNING
•
Remember that an object weighing
44 lbs (20 kg) produces a force of
2,200 lbs (1,000 kg) in a head-on colli-
sion at 30 mph (50 km/h)!
•
When the rear backrest(s) are folded
down, the vehicle should not be loaded
to a level higher than 2 in. (5 cm) below
the upper edge of the rear side win-
dows. Objects placed higher than this
level could impede the function of the
Volvo Inflatable Curtain.
Load carriers (accessory)Load carriers are available as Volvo accesso-
ries. Follow the installation instructions sup-
plied with the load carriers.
Observe the following points when using load
carriers:•
To avoid damaging your car and to achieve
maximum safety when driving, we recom-
mend using the load carriers that Volvo has
developed especially for your car.
•
Volvo-approved removable roof racks are
designed to carry the maximum allowable
roof load for this vehicle: 165 lbs (75 kg).
For Non-Volvo roof racks, check the man-
ufacturer's weight limits for the rack.
•
Never exceed the rack manufacturer's
weigh limits and never exceed the maxi-
mum rated roof load of 165 lbs (75 kg).
•
Avoid single-point loads. Distribute loads
evenly.
•
Place heavier cargo at the bottom of the
load.
•
Secure the cargo correctly with appropri-
ate tie-down equipment.
•
Check periodically that the load carriers
and load are properly secured.
•
Remember that the car's center of gravity
and handling change when you carry a
load on the roof.
•
The car's wind resistance and fuel con-
sumption will increase with the size of the
load.
•
Drive smoothly. Avoid rapid starts, fast
cornering and hard braking.

12 Index
12278
Driving economically................................ 136
Driving through water..............................137
DSTC, stability system............................. 155EEconomical driving..................................136
Electrical current – conserving................ 138
Electrically operated moonroof.................. 80
Electrical system...................................... 272
Electronic Brake Force Distribution
(EBD)........................................................ 154
Electronic Climate Control......................... 91
air distribution table.............................. 99
Electronic Climate Control (ECC) - option. 96
Emergency brake....................................... 74
Emergency locking retractor...................... 35
Emergency starting.................................. 159
Emergency towing................................... 157
Emission inspection readiness................ 212
Engine
specifications...................................... 270
starting................................................ 144
starting with keyless drive.................. 146Engine compartment overview................ 215
Engine oil................................................. 216
changing............................................. 216
checking............................................. 216
specifications...................................... 269
volumes.............................................. 267
Equalizer, audio system........................... 243
Eyelets for anchoring loads..................... 115
FFederal Clean Air Act............................... 210
Flat tires
changing............................................. 190
repairing with tire sealing system....... 192
Fluids and oils.......................................... 267
FM1/FM2 menu....................................... 244
Fog lights
front...................................................... 62
rear........................................................ 62
Front airbags.............................................. 22
disconnecting passenger’s side airbag 26
Front fog lights........................................... 62
Front park assist...................................... 168Front seats............................................... 102
folding backrests................................ 102
manually operated.............................. 102
power.................................................. 103
Fuel filler door
unlocking.............................................. 63
Fuel gauge................................................. 51
Fuel requirements.................................... 140
Fuel tank volume...................................... 267
Fuses, replacing....................................... 230
GGasoline requirements............................. 140
Geartronic................................................ 150
Generator................................................. 272
Glossary of tire terminology..................... 182
Glove compartment................................. 108
locking................................................ 127
Gross vehicle weight (GVW)............183, 265

12 Index
12280
Long distance trips.................................. 138
Lug nuts (wheel nuts)............................... 188MMaintenance............................................ 210
performed by the owner.....................212
Manual climate control.............................. 93
Manual transmission........................ 147, 148
Mirrors.................................................. 77, 78
Model plate.............................................. 263
Moonroof................................................... 80
Motor oil........................................... 216, 269
checking............................................. 216NNet in cargo area.............................114, 115OOccupant safety........................................ 16
Occupant weight sensor............................ 26Octane recommendations.......................140
Oil............................................................. 216
changing............................................. 216
checking............................................. 216
On Call Roadside Assistance.................. 275
Opening the hood.................................... 214
Owner maintenance................................. 212
PPanel lighting, instrument.......................... 62
Park assist............................................... 168
Parking brake............................................. 74
Parking lights............................................. 61
Passenger’s side front airbag, disabling. . . 26
Periodic owner-performed maintenance. 212
Permissible axle weight........................... 183
Personal settings....................................... 82
Power door mirrors.................................... 78
Power front seat...................................... 103
memory function................................. 103
Power moonroof........................................ 80
Power steering fluid................................. 219Power windows......................................... 75
Pregnancy, using seat belts during........... 19
RRadio
Sirius satellite radio............................ 245
Radio functions........................................ 244
Rain sensor - windshield wipers................ 71
Rear fog light............................................. 62
Rear park assist....................................... 168
Rear seat backrests, folding down.......... 111
Rear seats
center head restraint........................... 111
Rearview mirror.......................................... 77
auto-dim function................................. 77
Rearview mirror with compass (option)..... 77
Recalls, child restraints.............................. 45
Refrigerant (A/C system).................... 90, 267
Refueling.................................................. 142
fuel tank volume.................................267
Registering child restraints........................ 45
Remote control........................................ 118
battery replacement............................ 120