2009 VOLVO XC70 airbag disable

01 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor
01``23 General information
2
2
G017724
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) indicator lightDisabling the passenger's side front
airbagVolvo 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.
For child safety recommendations, see
page 34.
The Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) is
designed to meet the regulatory requirements
of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 and is designed to disable (will
not inflate) the passenger's side front airbag
under certain conditions.The OWS works with sensors that are part of
the front passenger's seat and seat belt. The
sensors are designed to detect the presence of
a properly seated occupant and determine if
the passenger's side front airbag should be
enabled (may inflate) or disabled (will not
inflate).
The OWS will disable (will not inflate) the pas-
senger's side front airbag when:
•
the front passenger's seat is unoccupied,
or has small/medium objects in the front
seat,
•
the system determines that an infant is
present in a rear-facing infant seat that is
installed according to the manufacturer's
instructions,
•
the system determines that a small child is
present in a forward-facing child restraint
that is installed according to the manufac-
turer's instructions,
•
the system determines that a small child is
present in a booster seat,
•
a front passenger takes his/her weight off
of the seat for a period of time,
•
a child or a small person occupies the front
passenger's seat.
The OWS uses a PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
indicator lamp which will illuminate and stay on
to remind you that the passenger's side frontairbag is disabled. The PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp is located in the overhead
console, near the base of the rearview mirror.
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.However, if a fault is detected in the system:•
The OWS indicator light will stay on
•
The SRS warning light (see page 18) 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 indi-
cated as described, be aware that the pas-
senger'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 quali-
fied Volvo service technician as soon as
possible.

01 SafetyOccupant Weight Sensor
0124
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 sys-
tem's function.
Passeng-
er's seat
occu-
pancy sta-
tus
OWS indi-
cator light
status
Passeng-
er's side
front air-
bag status
Seat unoc-
cupied
OWS indica-
tor light
lights up.
Passenger's
side front
airbag disa-
bled
Seat occu-
pied by low
weight
occupant/
object
A
OWS indica-
tor light
lights up
Passenger's
side front
airbag disa-
bled
Seat occu-
pied by
heavy occu-
pant/object
OWS indica-
tor light is
not lit
Passenger's
side front
airbag ena-
bled
AVolvo recommends that children always be properly
restrained in appropriate child restraints in the rear seats. Do
not assume that the passenger's side front airbag is disabled
unless the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is lit.
Make sure the child restraint is properly installed. If there is
any doubt as to the status of the passenger's side front air-
bag, move the child restraint to the rear seat.The OWS is designed to enable (may inflate)
the passenger's side front airbag anytime the
system senses that a person of adult size is
sitting properly in the front passenger's seat.The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
will be off and remain off.
If a person of adult size is sitting in the front
passenger's seat, but the PASSENGER AIR-
BAG OFF indicator lamp is on, it is possible that
the person isn't sitting properly in the seat. If
this happens:
•
Turn the vehicle off and ask the person to
place the seatback in an upright position.
•
Have the person sit upright in the seat,
centered on the seat cushion, with the per-
son's legs comfortably extended.
•
Restart the vehicle and have the person
remain in this position for about two
minutes. This will allow the system to
detect that person and enable the pas-
senger's frontal airbag.
•
If the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator
lamp remains on even after this, the person
should be advised to ride in the rear seat.
This condition reflects limitations of the OWS
classification capability. It does not indicate
OWS malfunction.
ModificationsIf 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 sys-
tems, please contact Volvo at:

01 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor
01``25
In the USA
Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
Customer Care Center
P.O. Box 914 Rockleigh, New Jersey
07647-0914
1-800-458-1552
In Canada
Volvo Cars of Canada Corp.
National Customer Service
175 Gordon Baker Road North York, Ontario
M2H 2N7
1-800-663-8255
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 passeng-
er'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 exer-
ted 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 occu-
pant of the front passenger's seat:
•
The full weight of the front seat passen-
ger should always be on the seat cush-
ion. 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.

01 SafetyChild safety
0134
Automatic Locking Retractor/
Emergency Locking Retractor (ALR/
ELR)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.When attaching the seat belt to a child
seat:1. Attach the seat belt to the child seat
according to the child seat manufacturer's
instructions.
2. Pull the seat belt out as far as possible.
3. Insert the seat belt latch plate into the
buckle (lock) in the usual way.
4. Release the seat belt and pull it taut around
the child seat.
A sound from the seat belt retractor will be
audible at this time and is normal. The belt will
now be locked in place. This function is auto-
matically disabled when the seat belt is
unlocked and the belt is fully retracted.
WARNING
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.Volvo's recommendationsWhy does Volvo believe that no child should sit
in the front seat of a vehicle? It's quite simple
really. A front airbag is a very powerful device
designed, by law, to help protect an adult.
Because of the size of the airbag and its speed
of inflation, a child should never be placed in
the front seat, even if he or she is properly bel-
ted or strapped into a child safety seat. Volvo
has been an innovator in safety for over sev-
enty-five years, and we'll continue to do our
part. But we need your help. Please remember
to put your children in the back seat, and
buckle them up.Volvo has some very specific
recommendations:•
Always wear your seat belt.
•
Airbags are a SUPPLEMENTAL safety
device which, when used with a three-
point seat belt can help reduce serious
injuries during certain types of accidents.Volvo recommends that you do not dis-
connect the airbag system in your vehicle.
•
Volvo strongly recommends that everyone
in the vehicle be properly restrained.
•
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.
Drive safely!