2013 VOLVO XC90 Owner´s Manual

Introduction

15

16
Occupant safety...................................................................................... 18
Seat belts................................................................................................ 20
Supplemental Restraint System.............................................................. 23
Front airbags........................................................................................... 24
Occupant Weight Sensor........................................................................ 28
Side impact protection airbags............................................................... 31
Inflatable Curtain..................................................................................... 33
Whiplash Protection System................................................................... 35
Child safety............................................................................................. 37
Child restraint systems........................................................................... 40
Infant seats.............................................................................................. 42
Convertible seats.................................................................................... 44
Booster cushions.................................................................................... 47
ISOFIX/LATCH lower anchors................................................................. 48
Top tether anchors.................................................................................. 50
Integrated booster cushion..................................................................... 51

SAFETY

01 Safety
Occupant safety 01
18
Volvo's concern for safety
Safety is the Volvo cornerstone. Our concern
dates back to 1927 when the first Volvo rolled
off the production line. Three-point seat belts
(a Volvo invention), safety cages, and energy-
absorbing impact zones were designed into
Volvo vehicles long before it was fashionable
or required by government regulation. We will
not compromise our commitment to safety. We
continue to seek out new safety features and
to refine those already in our vehicles. You can
help. We would appreciate hearing your sug-
gestions about improving automobile safety.
We also want to know if you ever have a safety
concern with your vehicle. Call us in the U.S.
at: 800-458-1552 or in Canada at:
800-663-8255.
Occupant safety reminders
How safely you drive doesn't depend on how
old you are but rather on:
•How well you see.
•Your ability to concentrate.
•How quickly you make decisions under
stress to avoid an accident.
The tips listed below are suggestions to help
you cope with the ever changing traffic envi-
ronment.
•Never drink and drive.
•If you are taking any medication, consult
your physician about its potential effects
on your driving abilities.
•Take a driver-retraining course.
•Have your eyes checked regularly.
•Keep your windshield and headlights
clean.
•Replace wiper blades when they start to
leave streaks.
•Take into account the traffic, road, and
weather conditions, particularly with
regard to stopping distance.
•Never send text messages while driving.
•Refrain from using or minimize the use of a
cell phone while driving.
Reporting safety defects in the U.S.
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) in addition to
notifying Volvo Cars of North Amer-
ica, LLC. If NHTSA receives similar
complaints, it may open an investiga-tion, and if it finds that a safety defect
exists in a group of vehicles, it may
order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become
involved in individual problems
between you, your retailer, or Volvo
Cars of North America, LLC. To con-
tact NHTSA, you may either call the
Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at
1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or write to:
NHTSA, U.S. Department of Trans-
portation, Washington D.C. 20590.
You can also obtain other information
about motor vehicle safety from:
http://www.safercar.gov
Volvo strongly recommends that if
your vehicle is covered under a serv-
ice campaign, safety or emission
recall or similar action, it should be
completed as soon as possible.
Please check with your local retailer
or Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
if your vehicle is covered under these
conditions.

01 Safety
Occupant safety01
19
NHTSA can be reached at:
Internet:
http://www.nhtsa.gov
Telephone:
1-888-DASH-2-DOT
(1-888-327-4236).
Reporting safety defects in Canada
If you believe your vehicle has a defect that
could cause a crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately inform Trans-
port Canada in addition to notifying Volvo Cars
of Canada Corp.
Transport Canada can be contacted at:
1-800-333-0510
Teletypewriter (TTY): 613 990-4500
Fax: 1-819-994-3372
Mailing Address: Transport Canada - Road
Safety, 80 rue Noël, Gatineau, (Quebec) J8Z
0A1

01 Safety
Seat belts 01
20
Using seat belts
G020104
Adjusting the seat belt
Volvo, the inventor of the three-point seat belt,
urges you and all occupants of your vehicle to
wear seat belts and ensure that children are
properly 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 seat belts are equipped with pretensioners
that reduce slack in the belts. These preten-sioners are triggered in situations where the
airbags deploy. The front seat belts also
include a tension reducing device which, in the
event of a collision, limits the peak forces exer-
ted by the seat belt on the occupant.
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 beltTo remove the seat belt, press the red section
on the seat belt receptacle. Before exiting the
vehicle, check that the seat belt retracts fully
after being unbuckled. If necessary, guide the
belt back into the retractor slot.

01 Safety
Seat belts01
21
Seat belt reminderThe seat belt reminder consists of an audible
signal, an indicator light above the rearview
mirror, and a symbol in the instrument panel
that alert the driver and front seat passenger if
their seat belts are not fastened.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.
•Seat belts lose much of their strength
when exposed to violent stretching and
should be replaced after any collision,
even if they appear to be undamaged.
•Never repair the belt yourself; have this
work done by an authorized Volvo serv-
ice 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 and

01 Safety
Seat belts 01
22
steering 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 seatsPlease see page 38 for information on secur-
ing child seats with the seat belts.
Seat belt maintenanceCheck periodically that the seat belts are in
good condition. Use water and a mild deter-
gent for cleaning. Check seat belt mechanism
function as follows: attach the seat belt and pull
rapidly on the strap.