2011 VOLVO V50 height

01 Safety
Seat belts 01
20
Using seat belts
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Adjusting the seat belt
Seat 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 pretensionersThe outboard seat belts are equipped with pre-
tensioners that reduce slack in the belts. These
pretensioners are triggered in situations where
the front or side impact airbags deploy, and incertain 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 occu-
pant.
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 seat belt retractor will lock up in the fol-
lowing situations:
•if the belt is pulled out rapidly
•during braking and acceleration
•if the vehicle is leaning excessively
•when driving in turns
•if the Automatic Locking Retractor/Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR) is acti-
vated
NOTE
Each seat belt (except for the driver's belt)
is equipped with the ALR/ELR function,
which is designed to help keep the seat belt
taut. ALR/ELR activates if the seat belt is
pulled out as far as possible. If this is done,
a sound from the seat belt retractor will be
audible, which is normal, and the seat belt
will be pulled taut and locked in place. This
function is automatically disabled when the
seat belt is unbuckled and fully retracted.
See also page 38 for information about using
a seat belt's ALR/ELR function to anchor a
child seat.
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.
Unbuckling the seat belt
•To remove the seat belt, press the red sec-
tion on the seat belt receptacle. Before
exiting the vehicle, check that the seat belt
retracts fully after being unbuckled. If nec-
essary, guide the belt back into the retrac-
tor slot.

01 Safety
Supplemental Restraint System 01
26
WARNING
•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
1.
•Never drive with the airbags deployed.
The fact that they hang out can impair
the steering of your vehicle. Other
safety systems can also be damaged.
•The smoke and dust formed when the
airbags are deployed can cause skin
and eye irritation in the event of pro-
longed exposure.
Passenger's side airbag decal
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Airbag decal on the outside of both sun visors
1See also the Occupant Weight Sensor information on page 28.

01 Safety
Child safety01

37 Children should be seated safely
Volvo recommends the proper use of restraint
systems for all occupants including children.
Remember that, regardless of age and size, a
child should always be properly restrained in a
car.
Your car is also equipped with ISOFIX/LATCH
attachments, which make it more convenient
to install child seats.
Some restraint systems for children are
designed to be secured in the vehicle by lap
belts or the lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt.
Such child restraint systems can help protect
children in cars in the event of an accident only
if they are used properly. However, children
could be endangered in a crash if the child
restraints are not properly secured in the vehi-
cle. Failure to follow the installation instructions
for your child restraint can result in your child
striking the vehicle's interior in a sudden stop.
Holding a child in your arms is NOT a suitable
substitute for a child restraint system. In an
accident, a child held in a person's arms can
be crushed between the vehicle's interior and
an unrestrained person. The child could also be
injured by striking the interior, or by being ejec-
ted from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver
or impact. The same can also happen if the
infant or child rides unrestrained on the seat.
Other occupants should also be properlyrestrained to help reduce the chance of injuring
or increasing the injury of a child.
All states and provinces have legislation gov-
erning how and where children should be car-
ried in a car. Find out the regulations existing
in your state or province. Recent accident sta-
tistics have shown that children are safer in rear
seating positions than front seating positions
when properly restrained. A child restraint sys-
tem can help protect a child in a vehicle. Here's
what to look for when selecting a child restraint
system:
•It should have a label certifying that it
meets applicable Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards (FMVSS 213) – or in Can-
ada, CMVSS 213.
•Make sure the child restraint system is
approved for the child's height, weight and
development – the label required by the
standard or regulation, or instructions for
infant restraints, typically provide this infor-
mation.
•In using any child restraint system, we urge
you to carefully look over the instructions
that are provided with the restraint. Be sure
you understand them and can use the
device properly and safely in this vehicle.
A misused child restraint system can result
in increased injuries for both the infant or
child and other occupants in the vehicle.When a child has outgrown the child safety
seat, you should use the rear seat with the
standard seat belt fastened. The best way to
help protect the child here is to place the child
on a cushion so that the seat belt is properly
located on the hips (see the illustration on page
45). Legislation in your state or province may
mandate the use of a child seat or cushion in
combination with the seat belt, depending on
the child's age and/or size. Please check local
regulations.
A specially designed and tested booster cush-
ion and backrest can be obtained from your
Volvo retailer.
USA: for children weighing 33–80 lbs. (15–
36 kg) and 38–54 inches (97–137 cm) in height
Canada: for children weighing 40–80 lbs. (18–
36 kg) and 40–54 inches (102–137 cm) in height
WARNING
Do not use child safety seats or child
booster cushions/backrests in the front
passenger's seat. We also recommend that
children under 4 feet 7 inches (140 cm) in
height who have outgrown these devices sit
in the rear seat with the seat belt fastened.

02 Instruments and controls
Steering wheel adjustment, Hazard warning flashers
02
76
Steering wheel adjustment
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Both the height and the reach of the steering
wheel can be adjusted to a comfortable posi-
tion for the driver.
1. Pull down the lever on the steering column
to release the steering wheel.
2. Adjust the steering wheel to a suitable
position.
3. Press the lever back into place to lock the
steering wheel in the new position. If nec-
essary, press the steering wheel slightly
while pressing the lever into the locked
position.Check that the steering wheel is locked in the
new position.
WARNING
Never adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing.
Hazard warning flashers
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The four-way flasher should be used to indi-
cate that the vehicle has become a traffic haz-
ard.
1. Press the triangular button in the center
dash.2. Press the button again to turn off the flash-
ers.
NOTE
•Regulations regarding the use of the
hazard warning flasher may vary,
depending on where you live.
•The hazard warning flashers will be acti-
vated automatically if an airbag
deploys.

04 Interior
Front seats
04
104
Manual seat adjustment
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 (optional 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 the optional power seats.
NOTE
Both front seats are equipped with head
restraints that can be adjusted vertically to
suit the height of the passenger. 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 the section
"Adjusting the front seat head restraints" on
page 107).
WARNING
•Do not adjust the seat while driving.
•Adjust the driver’s seat and seat belt
(see page 20) 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
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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 Interior
Front seats
04

* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.105
WARNING
•When transporting long objects, cover
sharp edges on the load to help prevent
injury to occupants. Secure the load to
help prevent shifting during sudden
stops.
•When the seat's backrest is returned to
the upright position, push and pull it to
be sure that it is securely locked in this
position.
Power seats*
The power driver's seat can be adjusted:
•If the ignition key is in position I or II.
•During a 10 minute period after the doors
have been unlocked if the door remains
open.
•If the door is closed and the ignition key is
not yet in the ignition, or if the key is in
position 0, the seat can be adjusted or dur-
ing a period of 40 seconds. The power
passenger's seat can only be adjusted if
the ignition key is in position I or II, or if the
engine is running.
Adjusting the seat
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Seat adjustment controls
Seat adjustment controls 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the
side of the seat can be used to move the seat
to the position of your choice.
Move this section of the control up or down
to raise/lower the front section of the seat
cushion.
Move the control forward/rearward to
move the seat forward or rearward.
Move this section of the control up or down
to raise/lower the rear section of the seat
cushion.
Backrest tilt.
NOTE
Both front seats are equipped with head
restraints that can be adjusted vertically to
suit the height of the passenger. 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 the section
"Adjusting the front seat head restraints" on
page 107).
NOTE
The power seats have an overload protector
that activates if a seat is blocked by any
object. If this occurs, switch off the ignition
(key in position 0) and wait for approxi-
mately 20 seconds before operating the
seat again.
Emergency stopIf the seat inadvertently begins to move, press
any of the buttons to stop the seat.

04 Interior
Front seats
04

107 Adjusting the front seat head restraints
The front seat head restraints are designed so
that they can be adjusted to two different
height positions.
NOTE
•When the vehicle leaves the factory, the
front seat head restraints will be in the
lower position.
•It is advisable to have the front seat
head restraints in the lower position if
you wish to fold down the seat's back-
rest.
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.

04 Interior
Front seats
04
108
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.