2012 VOLVO S60 tow

03 Your driving environment
Ignition modes
03
87 Starting and stopping the engine
See page 114 for information on starting the
engine and switching it off.
Emergency towing
See page 265 for more information.

03 Your driving environment
Steering wheel
03
94* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
Adjusting
G021138
Adjusting the steering wheel
Lever for releasing/locking the steering
wheel
Possible positions
The steering wheel can be adjusted for both
height and reach:
1. Pull the lever toward you to release the
steering wheel.
2. Adjust the steering wheel to the position
that suits you.
3. Push back the lever to lock the steering
wheel in place. If the lever is difficult to
push into place, press the steering wheel
lightly at the same time as you push the
lever.
WARNING
Never adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing.
With the optional speed-dependent power
steering the level of steering force can be
adjusted, see page 152.
Unlocking/locking
Unlocking1. Insert the remote key into the ignition slot
as far as possible.
2.
Press the START/STOP ENGINE button.
> A sound will be audible when the lock
releases.
Vehicles with keyless drive*A remote key must be in the passenger com-
partment or trunk (but not inserted into the igni-
tion slot)

Press the START/STOP ENGINE button.
> A sound will be audible when the steer-
ing wheel lock releases.
Locking1. Switch off the engine (see page 116 for
details).2. Remove the remote key from the ignition
slot.
3. Open the driver's door.
> A sound will be audible when the steer-
ing wheel lock engages.
Vehicles with keyless drive*1. Switch off the engine (see page 116 for
details).
2. Open the driver's door.
> A sound will be audible when the steer-
ing wheel lock engages.
Keypads
Keypads in the steering wheel
Cruise control, see page 153. Adaptive
cruise control*, see page 155.
Infotainment controls, see page 207.

03 Your driving environment
Lighting
03
96
Lighting panel
Overview, light switches
Thumb wheel for adjusting display and
instrument lighting
Rear fog light
Headlights/parking lights
Instrument lightingIllumination of the display and instrument lights
will vary, depending on ignition mode.
The display lighting is automatically subdued
in darkness and the sensitivity is set with the
thumb wheel.
The intensity of the instrument lighting is
adjusted with the thumb wheel.
High/low beam headlights
Headlight switch and lever
High beam flash
Toggle between high and low beams
Daytime running lights/high
beams/high beam flash
Parking lights
Low beams/high beams/high
beam flash
High beam flashMove the lever toward the steering wheel to
position 1. The high beams come on until the
lever is released.
High/low beam headlights
Continuous high beams
1.
Set the ignition to mode II.
2.
With the light switch in position 0 or
, pull the turn signal lever toward the
steering wheel to position 2 to toggle
between high and low beams (this also
applies on models equipped with the
optional Active Bending Lights).
>
The symbol
illuminates in the
instrument panel to indicate that the
high beams are on.
Low beamsWhen the engine is started, the low beams are
activated automatically (daytime running lights)
if the headlight control is in position 0 or
.
Daytime running lights can be deactivated in
the MY CAR menu system under Settings
Car settingsLight settingsDaytime
running lights.
However, please be aware that these lights
may not be deactivated in Canada.

03 Your driving environment
Lighting
03
100* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
Interior lighting, rear
G021150
Rear reading lights
The lights are switched on or off by pressing
each respective button.
Courtesy lights/door step lighting*The courtesy lights/door step lighting switch
on/off automatically when one of the front
doors is opened/closed.
Glove compartment lightingThe glove compartment lighting switches on/
off automatically when the lid is opened/
closed.
Overhead courtesy lightingThe passenger compartment lighting is
switched on and off automatically when button
(3) is in the neutral position.
The lighting comes on and remains on for
30 seconds if:
•the vehicle is unlocked from the outside
with the key or remote control
•the engine is switched off and the ignition
is in mode 0.
The lighting switches off when:
•the engine is started
•the vehicle is locked from the outside.
The lighting comes on and remains on for two
minutes if one of the doors is open.
The passenger compartment lighting can be
switched on and off manually within 30 minutes
after the vehicle has been unlocked.
If the lighting is switched on manually and the
vehicle is locked, the courtesy lighting will
switch off automatically after one minute.
Trunk lightingThe trunk lighting comes on automatically
when the trunk lid is opened.
Home safe lighting
When you leave your vehicle at night, you can
make use of the home safe lighting function to
illuminate the area in front of the vehicle.
1. Remove the key from the ignition slot.
2. Pull the turn signal lever as far as possible
towards the steering wheel and release it.
3. Exit the vehicle and lock the doors.
The headlights, parking lights, turn signals,
lights in the door mirrors, license plate lights,
and footwell lighting will illuminate and remain
on for 30
2, 60 or 90 seconds. The time interval
can be set in MY CAR under Settings
Car
settings
Light settingsHome safe light
duration. See page 133 for a description of
the menu system.
Approach lighting
Approach lighting is activated by pressing the
approach light button on the remote key (see
the illustration on page 57).
When the function has been activated, the
parking lights, indicator lights, door mirror
lights, license plate lighting, dome lighting and
door step lighting come on.
2Factory setting

03 Your driving environment
Wipers and washers
03
* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.103
The rain sensor is automatically deactivated
when the key is removed from the ignition slot
or five minutes after the ignition has been
switched off.
CAUTION
The rain sensor should be deactivated when
washing the car in an automatic car wash,
etc. If the rain sensor function is left on, the
wipers will start inadvertently in the car
wash and could be damaged.
Windshield washing
Washing function
Move the lever toward the steering wheel to
start the windshield and headlight washers.
After the lever is released the wipers make sev-
eral extra sweeps.
Heated washer nozzles*The washer nozzles are heated automatically
in cold weather to help prevent the washer fluid
from freezing.
High-pressure headlight washing*High-pressure headlight washing consumes a
large quantity of washer fluid. To save fluid, the
headlights are washed using two alternatives:
•Low/high beam headlights on. The head-
lights will be washed the first time the wind-
shield is washed. Thereafter, the head-
lights will only be washed once for every
five times the windshield is washed within
a 10-minute period.
•Parking lights on. Optional Active Bend-
ing Lights will be washed once for every
five times the windshield is washed. Nor-
mal halogen headlights will not be washed.
CAUTION
Use ample washer fluid when washing the
windshield. The windshield should be thor-
oughly wet when the wipers are in opera-
tion.

03 Your driving environment
Starting the engine
03

115
WARNING
•Always remove the remote key from the
ignition slot when leaving the vehicle,
especially if there are children in the
vehicle.
•Never open the driver's door while driv-
ing or when the vehicle is being towed.
The steering lock could otherwise be
activated, making it impossible to steer
the vehicle. On vehicles with the
optional keyless drive, never remove
the remote key from the vehicle while
driving or during towing.
•Always place the gear selector in Park
and apply the parking brake before
leaving the vehicle. Never leave the
vehicle unattended with the engine run-
ning.
•Always open garage doors fully before
starting the engine inside a garage to
ensure adequate ventilation. The
exhaust gases contain carbon monox-
ide, which is invisible and odorless but
very poisonous.
NOTE
•After a cold start, idle speed may be
noticeably higher than normal for a
short period. This is done to help bring
components in the emission control
system to their normal operating tem-
perature as quickly as possible, which
enables them to control emissions and
help reduce the vehicle's impact on the
environment
3.
CAUTION
•When starting in cold weather, the auto-
matic transmission may shift up at
slightly higher engine speeds than nor-
mal until the automatic transmission
fluid reaches normal operating tem-
perature.
•Do not race a cold engine immediately
after starting. Oil flow may not reach
some lubrication points fast enough to
prevent engine damage.
•The engine should be idling when you
move the gear selector. Never acceler-
ate until after you feel the transmission
engage. Accelerating immediately after
selecting a gear will cause harsh
engagement and premature transmis-
sion wear.
•Selecting P or N when idling at a stand-
still for prolonged periods of time will
help prevent overheating of the auto-
matic transmission fluid.
3If the gear selector is in the D or R positions and the car is not moving, engine speed (rpm) will be lower and it will take longer for the engine to reach normal operating temperature.

03 Your driving environment
Transmission
03
118
Automatic transmission
G021351
Shiftgate positions1
Depress the button on the front of the gear
selector knob to move the gear selector
between the R, N, D, and P positions.
The gear selector can be moved freely between
the Geartronic (manual shifting) and Drive (D)
positions while driving.
Park position (P)Select the P position when starting or parking.
ShiftlockWhen P has been selected, the transmission is
mechanically blocked in this position. The
brake pedal must be depressed and the igni-
tion must be in at least mode II (see page 86)before the gear lever can be moved from the
P position.
Always apply the parking brake when the vehi-
cle is parked. Press the control to apply the
brake, see page 124.
CAUTION
The vehicle must be stationary when posi-
tion P is selected.
Reverse ®)The vehicle must be stationary when position
R is selected.
Neutral position (N)No gear is engaged and the engine can be
started with the gear selector in this position.Apply the parking brake if the vehicle is sta-
tionary with the gear selector in position N.
Drive (D)D is the normal driving position. The car auto-
matically shifts between the various forward
gears, based on the level of acceleration and
speed. The car must be at a standstill when
shifting from position R to position D.
Geartronic–manual shiftingGeartronic allows you to manually shift among
your vehicle's six forward speeds. Geartronic
can be selected at any time.
•To access the manual shifting position
from Drive (D), move the gear selector to
the right (to the area marked M in the illus-
tration.
•To return to the D position from the manual
shifting position, move the gear selector to
the left.
While driving
•If you select the manual shifting position
while driving, the gear that was being used
in the Drive position will also initially be
selected in the manual shifting position.
•Move the gear selector forward (toward
"+") to shift to a higher gear or rearward
(toward "–") to shift to a lower gear.
1The information display (see page 79) shows the gear selector's position or the selected gear by displaying the following: P, R, N, D, S, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.

03 Your driving environment
Transmission
03

119
•If you hold the gear selector toward "–", the
transmission will downshift one gear at a
time and will utilize the braking power of
the engine. If the current speed is too high
for using a lower gear, the downshift will
not occur until the speed has decreased
enough to allow the lower gear to be used.
•If you slow to a very low speed, the trans-
mission will automatically shift down.
Shiftlock – Neutral (N)If the gear selector is in the N position and the
vehicle has been stationary for at least 3 sec-
onds (irrespective of whether the engine is run-
ning) then the gear selector is locked.
To be able to move the gear selector from N to
another gear position, the brake pedal must be
depressed and the ignition must be in posi-
tion II, see page 86.
Geartronic–Sport mode (S)2
This transmission mode provides sportier shift-
ing characteristics and enables a more active
driving style by making it possible to drive at
higher rpm in each gear before shifting up. The
engine also responds faster when the throttle
pedal is pressed.
To access Sport mode from Drive (D), move the
gear selector to the right. The transmission willnot switch to manual shifting mode until the
gear selector is moved forward or rearward
toward + or –.
Sport mode can be selected any time.
NOTE
•When the transmission is in Sport
mode, the transmission symbol in the
main instrument panel will change from
D to S (see page 79).
•Please be aware that using Sport mode
may result in a slight decrease in fuel
economy. Driving in D can help improve
fuel economy.
Geartronic–starting on slippery surfacesSelecting 3rd gear in Geartronic’s manual shift-
ing mode can help provide better traction when
starting off on slippery surfaces. To do so:
1. Depress the brake pedal and move the
gear selector to the right from the D posi-
tion to the manual shifting position. The
text in the instrument panel display will
change from
D to 1.
2. Press the gear selector forward and
release it (this selects 2nd gear). Press theselector forward again and release it to
select 3rd gear.
3. Release the brake pedal and press gently
on the accelerator pedal.
Shiftlock override
If the vehicle cannot be driven, for example
because of a dead battery, the gear selector
must be moved from the P position before the
vehicle can be moved
3.
Lift away the rubber mat on the floor of the
storage compartment behind the center
console to expose the small opening for
overriding the shiftlock system.
2Certain models only3If the battery is dead, the electric parking brake cannot be applied or released. Connect an auxiliary battery if the battery voltage is too low, see page 116.