01 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS)01
29 Disabling the passenger's side front
airbag
G018346
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) indicator light
Volvo recommends that ALL occupants (adults
and children) shorter than 4 feet 7 inches
(140 cm) be seated in the rear seat of any vehi-
cle with a passenger's side front airbag, and be
properly restrained. Children should always be
seated in child restraints appropriate for their
size and weight. See also the child safety rec-
ommendations on page 39.
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 (willnot 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 front
airbag 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 24) will
come on and stay on
The message
PASS. AIRBAG OFF SERVICE
URGENT will be displayed in the information
display.
01 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) 01
30
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
Whiplash Protection System01
35 Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) – front seats only
G020347
The WHIPS system consists of specially
designed hinges and brackets on the front seat
backrests designed to help absorb some of the
energy generated in a collision from the rear
(when the vehicle is "rear-ended").
In the event of a collision of this type, the hinges
and brackets of the front seat backrests are
designed to change position slightly to allow
the backrest/head restraint to help support the
occupant's head before moving slightly rear-
ward. This movement helps absorb some of
the forces that could result in whiplash.WARNING
•The WHIPS system is designed to sup-
plement the other safety systems in
your car. For this system to function
properly, the three-point seat belt must
be worn. Please be aware that no sys-
tem can prevent all possible injuries that
may occur in an accident.
•The WHIPS system is designed to func-
tion in certain collisions from the rear,
depending on the crash severity, angle
and speed.
WARNING
•Occupants in the front seats must never
sit out of position. The occupant's back
must be as upright as comfort allows
and be against the seat back with the
seat belt properly fastened.
•If your car has been involved in a rear-
end collision, the front seat backrests
must be inspected by a trained and
qualified Volvo service technician, even
if the seats appear to be undamaged.
50* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
Instrument overview................................................................................ 52
Instrument panel..................................................................................... 54
Indicator and warning symbols............................................................... 56
Symbols – instrument panel.................................................................... 58
Information display.................................................................................. 61
12-volt sockets....................................................................................... 63
Lighting panel.......................................................................................... 64
Left-side steering wheel lever................................................................. 68
Trip computer.......................................................................................... 70
Cruise control*........................................................................................ 72
Right-side steering wheel lever............................................................... 74
Steering wheel adjustment, Hazard warning flashers............................. 76
Power windows....................................................................................... 77
Mirrors..................................................................................................... 78
Personal settings.................................................................................... 81
HomeLink
® Wireless Control System*.................................................... 83
02 Instruments and controls
Instrument overview
02
* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.53
Steering wheel adjustment
Hood opener
Controls in front doors
Left steering wheel lever
Lighting panel, fuel filler door opener
Door open handle and locking button
Lock indicator light
Climate system air vent
Side window air vent
Cruise control
Horn, airbag
Main instrument panel
Audio controls
Right steering wheel lever
Ignition switch
Rear-view mirror
Seat belt reminder and Occupant
Weight Sensor indicator
Driver's side reading light
Movement detector*, alarm sensor
Courtesy lighting switch
Position for accessory switch
Passenger's side reading light
Display for climate control, personal
settings, and audio system
Controls for personal settings and
audio system
Controls for climate system
Hazard warning flashers
Door open handle and locking button
Glove compartment
Gear selector
12-volt socket
Switch for raising/lowering the power
retractable hard top
Parking brake
Position for optional equipment
Position for optional equipment
Control panel in driver's door
Power windows
Door mirror button, driver's side
Door mirror adjustment control
Door mirror button, passenger's side
02 Instruments and controls
Instrument panel
02
54
Instrument panel
Speedometer
Turn signal, left
Warning symbol – See the following pages
for additional information.
Information display – The display presents
information and warning messages, the
ambient temperature, clock, etc. When the
ambient temperature is between 23 °F and
36 °F (–5 °C and +2 °C), a snowflake sym-
bol is shown in the display. This symbol
serves as a warning for possible slippery
road surfaces. Please note that this symbol
does not indicate a fault with your car. At
low speeds, or when the car is not moving,the temperature readings may be slightly
higher than the actual ambient tempera-
ture.
Information symbol – See the following
pages for additional information.
Turn signal, right
Tachometer – Shows engine speed in
thousands of revolutions per minute (rpm).
Do not drive continuously with the needle
in the red area of the dial, which indicates
maximum allowable engine rpm range.
Instead, shift to a higher gear or slow the
vehicle down. The engine management
system will automatically prevent exces-sively high engines speeds. This will be
noticeable as a pronounced unevenness in
engine speed.
Indicator and information symbols
Fuel gauge, see page 275 for fuel tank vol-
ume. When a warning light in the gauge
comes on, the vehicle should be refueled
as soon as possible, see page 70 for
more information on fuel level and con-
sumption in the "Trip computer” section.
High beam indicator
Function display – This window displays
information on functions such as the
02 Instruments and controls
Indicator and warning symbols
02
56
Function check
The indicator and warning symbols1 light up
when you turn the ignition key or the optional
keyless drive start control to the driving posi-
tion (position II) before starting. This shows that
the symbols are functioning.
When the engine starts, all sym-
bols go out. If the engine is not
started within 5 seconds, all of the
symbols except the malfunction
indicator light (CHECK ENGINE)
and the oil pressure warning light
will go out. Certain symbols may
not have their functions illustrated, depending
on the car's equipment.
The PARK BRAKE symbol will not go out until
the parking brake has been released.
Symbols in the center of the instrument
panel
Warning symbolThe red warning symbol lights up
to indicate a fault that could affect
the car's drivability.This symbol
illuminates when the vehicle is
traveling at speeds above 5 mph
(7 km/h). A text explaining the nature of the fault
will also be shown in the information display.
The symbol and accompanying text will remain
on until the fault has been corrected. This sym-
bol may also light up in combination with other
indicator or warning symbols.
If the red warning symbol lights up:
1. Stop the car as soon as possible in a suit-
able location.
2. Read the message in the information dis-
play.
3. Follow the instructions provided, or con-
tact a trained and qualified Volvo service
technician. Erase the message by pressing
READ, see page 61.
Information symbolThe yellow information symbol
lights up to alert the driver to a
message in the information dis-
play. This symbol illuminates when
the vehicle is traveling at speeds
below 5 mph (7 km/h).
The message can be erased by pressing the
READ button, see page 61, or will disappear
automatically (the length of time required for
the message to disappear varies, depending
on the function indicated).
When the message "
TIME FOR REGULAR
MAINTENANCE" is displayed, the text can be
erased and the information symbol light can be
turned off by pressing the READ button. The
text will disappear and the symbol light will go
out automatically after two minutes.
1On certain engines, the symbol for low oil pressure is not used. Instead, a text warning is provided in the information display, see page 219.
02 Instruments and controls
Indicator and warning symbols
02
57
This symbol may also light up in combination
with other indicator or warning symbols.
NOTE
The car can still be driven after the informa-
tion symbol has come on. The car can be
driven for 1–2 weeks after service-related
information has been displayed.