IntroductionEnvironment
10
Volvo and the environmentVolvo is committed to the well being of its cus-
tomers. As a natural part of this commitment,
we care about the environment in which we all
live. Caring for the environment means an
everyday involvement in reducing our environ-
mental impact. Volvo's environmental activities
are based on a holistic view, which means 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 chemicals including CFCs,
lead chromates, asbestos, and cadmium; and
reduced the number of chemicals used in our
plants 50% since 1991.
Volvo was the first in the world to introduce into
production a three-way catalytic converter with
a Lambda sond, now called the heated oxygen
sensor, in 1976. The current version of this
highly efficient system reduces emissions of
harmful substances (CO, HC, NOx) from the
exhaust pipe by approximately 95 – 99% and
the search to eliminate the remaining emis-
sions continues. Volvo is the only automobile
manufacturer to offer CFC-free retrofit kits for
the air conditioning system of all models as far
back as the 1975 model 240. Advanced elec-
tronic engine controls and cleaner fuels are
bringing us closer to our goal. After Volvo vehi-cles and parts have fulfilled their use, recycling
is the next critical step in completing the life
cycle. The metal content is about 75% of the
total weight of a vehicle, which makes the vehi-
cle among the most recycled industrial prod-
ucts. In order to have efficient and well-
controlled recycling, dismantling information is
available for all Volvo models. For Volvo, all
homogeneous plastic parts weighing more
than 3.4 oz. (100 grams) are marked with inter-
national symbols that indicate how the com-
ponent is to be sorted for recycling. In addition
to continuous environmental refinement of
conventional gasoline-powered internal com-
bustion engines, Volvo is actively looking at
advanced technology alternative-fuel vehicles.
When you drive a Volvo, you become our part-
ner in the work to lessen the car's impact on
the environment. To reduce your vehicle's
environmental impact, you can:
•
Maintain proper air pressure in your tires.
Tests have shown decreased fuel econ-
omy with improperly inflated tires.
•
Follow the recommended maintenance
schedule in your Warranty and Service
Records Information booklet.
•
Drive at a constant speed whenever pos-
sible.
•
See a trained and qualified Volvo service
technician as soon as possible for inspec-
tion if the check engine (malfunction indi-cator) light illuminates, or stays on after the
vehicle has started.
•
Properly dispose of any vehicle-related
waste such as used motor oil, used batter-
ies, brake pads, etc.
•
When cleaning your vehicle, please use
genuine Volvo car care products. All Volvo
car care products are formulated to be
environmentally friendly.WARNING
PROPOSITION 65 WARNING!
Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the state of Cali-
fornia to cause cancer, and birth defects or
other reproductive harm. In addition, certain
fluids contained in vehicles and certain
products of component wear contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali-
fornia to cause cancer, and birth defects or
other reproductive harm.
01 SafetySeat belts
0116
General information
G020995
Adjusting the seat beltSeat belts should always be worn by all occu-
pants of your vehicle. Children should be prop-
erly 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 pretensionersAll seat belts are equipped with pretensioners
that reduce slack in the belts. These preten-
sioners are triggered in situations where the
front or side impact airbags deploy, and in cer-
tain impacts from the rear. 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.
Buckling a seat beltPull 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.
To make child seat installation easier, each
seat belt (except for the driver's belt) is equip-
ped with a locking mechanism to help keep the
seat belt taut. See page 34 for more infor-
mation regarding the Automatic Locking
Retractor (ALR).
When wearing the seat belt remember:•
The belt should not be twisted or turned.
•
The lap section of the belt must be posi-
tioned 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.
Seat belt reminderThe seat belt reminder consists of an audible
signal and a symbol in the instrument panel
that alert the driver if his/her seat belt is not
fastened.Unbuckling the seat beltTo 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.Seat belt maintenanceCheck periodically that the seat belts are in
good condition. Use water and a mild deter-
gent for cleaning. Check seat belt mechanism
function as follows: attach the seat belt and pull
rapidly on the strap.
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.
01 SafetySupplemental Restraint System (SRS)
0118
General information
G022831
Warning symbols in the instrument panelAs an enhancement to the three-point seat
belts, your Volvo is equipped with a Supple-
mental Restraint System (SRS). Volvo's SRS
consists of seat belt pretensioners, front air-
bags, side impact airbags, a front passenger
occupant weight sensor, and inflatable cur-
tains. All of these systems are monitored by the
SRS control module. An SRS warning light in
the instrument panel (see the illustration) illu-
minates when the ignition is in modes I,II, or
III, and will normally go out after approximately
6 seconds if no faults are detected in the sys-
tem.
Where applicable, a text message will also be
displayed when the SRS warning light illumi-
nates. If this warning symbol is not functioningproperly, the general warning symbol illumi-
nates and a text message will be displayed.
See also page 72 and page 74 for more
information about indicator and warning sym-
bols.
WARNING
•
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 service technician as soon as
possible.
•
Never try to repair any component or
part of the SRS yourself. Any interfer-
ence in the system could cause mal-
function and serious injury. All work on
these systems should be performed by
a trained and qualified Volvo service
technician.
WARNING
If your vehicle has been subjected to flood
conditions (e.g. soaked carpeting/standing
water on the floor of the vehicle) or if your
vehicle has become flood-damaged in any
way, do not attempt to start the vehicle or
insert the remote control into the ignition
slot before disconnecting the battery (see
below). This may cause airbag deployment
which could result in personal injury. Have
the vehicle towed to a trained and qualified
Volvo service technician for repairs.
Automatic transmission:
Before attempting to tow the vehicle, use
the following procedure to override the
shiftlock system to move the gear selector
to the neutral position:
1. Switch off the ignition for at least
10 minutes and disconnect the battery
2. Wait at least one minute.
3. Insert the remote key into the ignition
slot and press the Start button (without
depressing brake pedal) to go to ignition
modeII. See page 77 for more infor-
mation.
4. Press firmly on the brake pedal.
5.
Move the gear selector from Park (P) to
the Neutral (N) position. see page 107
for information on manually overriding
the shiftlock system.