2011 VOLVO S40 remove seats

01 Safety
Seat belts01

21
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.
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 avail-
able 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.
Seat belt use during pregnancy
G020105
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 andsteering 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 40 for information on
securing child seats with the seat belts.
Seat belt reminder
G018084
Seat belt reminder light in ceiling console
The seat belt reminder consists of an audible
signal, an indicator light near the rearview mir-
ror and a symbol in the instrument panel that
alert all occupants of the vehicle to fasten their

01 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS)01

29
WARNING
If a fault in the system is detected and indi-
cated as explained on the preceding page,
be aware that the passenger's side front air-
bag 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 qualified Volvo service techni-
cian as soon as possible.
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.
The OWS is designed to disable (will not inflate)
the passenger's side front airbag when a rear
facing infant seat, a forward-facing child
restraint, or a booster seat is detected. The
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will
illuminate and stay on to remind you that thepassenger's side front airbag is disabled (see
the following table).
Passenger's
seat occu-
pancy statusOWS indica-
tor light sta-
tusPassenger's
side front
airbag sta-
tus
Seat unoc-
cupiedOWS 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/objectOWS 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 in the event
of a collision anytime the system senses that aperson 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
AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is on, it is possible
that the person isn't sitting properly in the seat.
If this happens:
1. Turn the vehicle off and ask the person to
place the seatback in an upright position.
2. Have the person sit upright in the seat,
centered on the seat cushion, with the per-
son's legs comfortably extended.
3. 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.
4.
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

01 Safety
Infant seats01
43
G026494
Pull out the shoulder section of the seat belt
4. Pull the shoulder section of the seat belt
out as far as possible to activate the belt's
automatic locking function.
NOTE
The locking retractor will automatically
release when the seat belt is unbuckled and
allowed to retract fully.
5. Press the infant seat firmly in place, let the
seat belt retract and pull it taut. A sound
from the seat belt retractor's automatic
locking function will be audible at this timeand is normal. The seat belt should now be
locked in place.
Ensure that the seat is securely in place
WARNING
It should not be possible to move the child
restraint (child seat) more than 1 in. (2.5 cm)
in any direction along the seat belt path.
6. Push and pull the infant seat along the seat
belt path to ensure that it is held securely
in place by the seat belt.
7. The infant seat can be removed by unbuck-
ling the seat belt and letting it retract com-
pletely.

01 Safety
Convertible seats01
45
G026500
Fasten the seat belt
2. Attach the seat belt to the convertible seat
according to the manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
3. Fasten the seat belt by inserting the latch
plate into the buckle (lock) until a distinct
click is audible.
4. Pull the shoulder section of the seat belt
out as far as possible to activate the belt's
automatic locking function.
NOTE
The locking retractor will automatically
release when the seat belt is unbuckled and
allowed to retract fully.
5. Press the convertible seat firmly in place,
let the seat belt retract and pull it taut. A
sound from the seat belt retractor's auto-
matic locking function will be audible at this
time and is normal. The seat belt should
now be locked in place.
G026501
Pull out the shoulder section of the seat belt
6. Push and pull the convertible seat along
the seat belt path to ensure that it is held
securely in place by the seat belt.
WARNING
It should not be possible to move the child
restraint (child seat) more than 1 in. (2.5 cm)
in any direction along the seat belt path.
The convertible seat can be removed by
unbuckling the seat belt and letting it retract
completely.
Ensure that the seat is securely in place

04 Interior
Front seats
04
109
The head restraints should be put in the upper
or lower position according to the height of the
occupant of the seat.
The upper edge of the head restraint should be
at least on a level with the upper-most point of
the seat occupant's ear (see illustration).
To raise or lower a head restraint:
Raising or lowering a head restraint1. Release the head restraint by pressing the
button underneath its left side, at the base
of the support (see the illustration).
2. Move the head restraint until it clicks
(locks) into the upper or lower position.
WARNING
After adjusting the head restraint, be sure
that it is securely locked in the new position
by pressing and/or pulling it.
Removing a head restraintThe front seat head restraints can be removed,
for example, when cleaning the upholstery or if
the front passenger's seat backrest is folded
down to accommodate a long load. To do so:
1. Release the head restraint by pressing the
release button underneath its left side, at
the base of the support.
2. While holding in the release button, press
the locking button at the base of the head
restraint's right support with a screw
driver, etc., and lift the head restraint until
it can be removed completely.
WARNING
•If a front seat head restraint has been
removed, it must be put properly back
in place and it must lock (click) into one
of the available adjustment positions
before the seat is occupied.
•The front seat head restraints must be
in position and properly adjusted to the
height of the person sitting in the seat
when the vehicle is driven and when the
front passenger's seat is occupied.

06 Starting and driving
Transporting loads
06
166
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 trunk 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 115.
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
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.