01 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor01
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WARNING
•If a fault in the system is detected and indicated as explained, be aware thatthe passenger's side front airbag willnot deploy in the event of a collision.
• In this case, the safety systems andOccupant Weight Sensor should beinspected by a trained and qualifiedVolvo service technician as soon aspossible.
WARNING
•Never try to open, remove, or repair any components in the OWS system.This could result in system malfunc-tion. Maintenance or repairs shouldonly be carried out by a trained andqualified Volvo service technician.
• The front passenger's seat should notbe modified in any way. This couldreduce pressure on the seat cushion,which might interfere with the OWSsystem's function.
The OWS is designed to disable (will not inflate) the passenger's side front airbagwhen a rear facing infant seat, a forward-fac-ing child restraint, or a booster seat isdetected. The
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will illuminate and stay on toremind you that the passenger's side frontairbag is disabled (see the following table).
Passeng- er's seatoccu-pancystatusOWS indicatorlight sta-tusPasseng- er's sidefront air-bag status
Seat unoc- cupiedOWS indi- cator light
is not
lit
Passenger's side front air-bag disabled
Seat occu- pied by lowweightoccupant/ object AOWS indi- cator light
lights
up
Passenger's side front air-bag disabled
Seat occu- pied byheavy occu-pant/objectOWS indi- cator light
is not
lit
Passenger's side front air-bag enabled
A
Volvo recommends that children always be properly restrained in appropriate child restraints in the rear seats.Inrare situations when the seat belt is not properly fastened,some child restraints may not be detected by the OWSbecause there is very little weight on the vehicle seat cush-ion. In these cases the passenger's side front airbag maybe disabled, but the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator
lamp will not be lit. Do not assume that the passenger'sside front airbag is disabled unless the PASSENGERAIRBAG OFF
indicator lamp is lit. Make sure the child
restraint is properly installed (turn the vehicle off, removethe child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the restraintfollowing the child restraint manufacturer's instructions)and that the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is
on, or move the child restraint to the rear seat.
The OWS is designed to enable (may inflate) the passenger's side front airbag in the eventof a collision anytime the system senses thata person of adult size is sitting properly in thefront 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 possi-
ble that the person isn't sitting properly in theseat. If this happens:
1. Turn the vehicle off and ask the person to place the seat back in an upright position.
2. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the person's legs comfortably extended.
3. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for about twominutes. This will allow the system todetect that person and enable the pas-senger's frontal airbag.
4. If the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indica-
tor lamp remains on even after this, the
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person should be advised to ride in the rear seat.
This condition reflects limitations of the OWSclassification capability. It does not indicateOWS malfunction.
ModificationsIf you are considering modifying your vehiclein any way to accommodate a disability, forexample by altering or adapting the driver'sor front passenger's seat(s) and/or airbagsystems, please contact Volvo at: In the USA Volvo Cars of North America, LLC Customer Care Center1 Volvo DriveP.O. Box 914 Rockleigh,New Jersey 076471-800-458-1552 In Canada Volvo Cars of Canada Corp. National Customer Service9130 Leslie Street, Suite 101Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 0B91-800-663-8255
WARNING
• No objects that add to the total weight on the seat should be placed on thefront passenger's seat. If a child isseated in the front passenger's seatwith any additional weight, this extraweight could cause the OWS systemto enable the airbag, which mightcause it to deploy in the event of a col-lision, thereby injuring the child.
• The seat belt should never be wrappedaround an object on the front pas-senger's seat. This could interfere withthe OWS system's function.
• The front passenger's seat belt shouldnever be used in a way that exertsmore pressure on the passenger thannormal. This could increase the pres-sure exerted on the weight sensor by achild, and could result in the airbagbeing enabled, which might cause it todeploy in the event of a collision,thereby injuring the child.
WARNING
Keep the following points in mind with respect to the OWS system. Failure to fol-low these instructions could adverselyaffect the system's function and result inserious injury to the occupant of the frontpassenger's seat:
• The full weight of the front seat pas- senger should always be on the seatcushion. The passenger should neverlift him/herself off the seat cushionusing the armrest in the door or thecenter console, by pressing the feet onthe floor, by sitting on the edge of theseat cushion, or by pressing againstthe backrest in a way that reducespressure on the seat cushion. Thiscould cause OWS to disable the frontpassenger's side airbag.
• Do not place any type of object on thefront passenger's seat in such a waythat jamming, pressing, or squeezingoccurs between the object and thefront seat, other than as a direct resultof the correct use of the AutomaticLocking Retractor/Emergency LockingRetractor (ALR/ELR) seat belt (seepage 39).
• No objects should be placed under thefront passenger's seat. This could
01 Safety
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WARNING
In order for the IC to provide its best pro- tection, both front seat occupants andboth outboard rear seat occupants shouldsit in an upright position with the seat beltproperly fastened; adults using the seatbelt and children using the proper childrestraint system. Only adults should sit inthe front seats. Children must never beallowed in the front passenger seat. Seepage 39 for guidelines. Failure to followthese instructions can result in injury to thevehicle occupants in an accident.
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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, achild should always be properly restrained ina vehicle. Your vehicle is also equipped with ISOFIX/ LATCH attachments, which make it moreconvenient to install child seats. Some restraint systems for children are designed to be secured in the vehicle by lapbelts or the lap portion of a lap-shoulder belt.Such child restraint systems can help protectchildren in vehicles in the event of an acci-dent only if they are used properly. However,children could be endangered in a crash if thechild restraints are not properly secured in thevehicle. Failure to follow the installationinstructions for your child restraint can resultin your child striking the vehicle's interior in asudden stop. Holding a child in your arms is NOT a suitable substitute for a child restraint system. In anaccident, a child held in a person's arms canbe crushed between the vehicle's interior andan unrestrained person. The child could alsobe injured by striking the interior, or by beingejected from the vehicle during a suddenmaneuver or impact. The same can also hap-pen if the infant or child rides unrestrained onthe seat. Other occupants should also beproperly restrained to help reduce the chanceof 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 vehicle. Find out the regulationsexisting in your state or province. Recentaccident statistics have shown that childrenare safer in rear seating positions than frontseating positions when properly restrained. Achild restraint system can help protect a childin a vehicle. Here's what to look for whenselecting a child restraint system: •
It should have a label certifying that it meets applicable Federal Motor VehicleSafety Standards (FMVSS 213) – or inCanada, CMVSS 213.
• Make sure the child restraint system isapproved for the child's height, weightand development – the label required bythe standard or regulation, or instructionsfor infant restraints, typically provide thisinformation.
• In using any child restraint system, weurge you to carefully look over theinstructions that are provided with therestraint. Be sure you understand themand can use the device properly andsafely in this vehicle. A misused childrestraint system can result in increased injuries for both the infant or child andother occupants in the vehicle.
When a child has outgrown the child safety seat, you should use the rear seat with thestandard seat belt fastened. The best way tohelp protect the child here is to place thechild on a cushion so that the seat belt isproperly located on the hips, see page 48.Legislation in your state or province maymandate the use of a child seat or cushion incombination with the seat belt, depending onthe child's age and/or size. Please checklocal regulations. A specially designed and tested booster cushion and backrest can be obtained fromyour 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
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WARNING
•Do not use child safety seats or child booster cushions/backrests in thefront passenger's seat. We also rec-ommend that children under 4 feet7 inches (140 cm) in height who haveoutgrown these devices sit in the rearseat with the seat belt fastened.
• On hot days, the temperature in thevehicle interior can rise very quickly.Exposure to these high temperaturesfor even a short period of time cancause heat-related injury or death.Small children are particularly at risk.
Child seat should always be registered. See page 40 for more information.
Automatic Locking Retractor/ Emergency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR)
To make child seat installation easier, each seat belt (except for the driver's belt) is equip-ped with a locking mechanism to help keepthe seat belt taut.
When attaching the seat belt to a child seat:
1. Attach the seat belt to the child seat
according to the child seat manufactur- er's instructions.
2. Pull the seat belt out as far as possible.
3. Insert the seat belt latch plate into the buckle (lock) in the usual way.
4. Release the seat belt and pull it taut around the child seat.
A sound from the seat belt retractor will be audible at this time and is normal. The beltwill now be locked in place. This function isautomatically disabled when the seat belt isunlocked and the belt is fully retracted.
WARNING
Do not use child safety seats or child booster cushions/backrests in the frontpassenger's seat. We also recommendthat children who have outgrown thesedevices sit in the rear seat with the seatbelt properly fastened.
Volvo's recommendations
Why does Volvo believe that no child should sit in the front seat of a car? It's quite simplereally. A front airbag is a very powerful devicedesigned, by law, to help protect an adult. Because of the size of the airbag and its speed of inflation, a child should never beplaced in the front seat, even if he or she isproperly belted or strapped into a child safetyseat. Volvo has been an innovator in safetyfor over seventy-five years, and we'll continueto do our part. But we need your help. Pleaseremember to put your children in the backseat, and buckle them up.
Volvo has some very specific recommendations:
• Always wear your seat belt.
• Airbags are a SUPPLEMENTAL safety device which, when used with a three-point seat belt can help reduce seriousinjuries during certain types of accidents.Volvo recommends that you do not dis-connect the airbag system in your vehi-cle.
• Volvo strongly recommends that every-one in the vehicle be properly restrained.
• Volvo recommends that ALL occupants(adults and children) shorter than 4 feet7 inches (140 cm) be seated in the back
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seat of any vehicle with a front passenger side airbag.
• Drive safely!
Child restraint registration and recalls
Registering a child restraintChild restraints could be recalled for safety reasons. You must register your childrestraint to be reached in a recall. To stayinformed about child safety seat recalls, besure to fill out and return the registration cardthat comes with new child restraints. Child restraint recall information is readily available in both the U.S. and Canada. Forrecall information in the U.S., call the U.S.Government's Auto Safety Hotline at1-800-424-9393 or go to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/register/childseat/index.cfm. In Canada, visitTransport Canada's Child Safety website athttp://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/childsafety/menu.htm.
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Child restraint systems01
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Child restraints
G026491
Infant seat
There are three main types of child restraint systems: infant seats, convertible seats, andbooster cushions. They are classified accord-ing to the child's age and size. The following section provides general infor-
mation on securing a child restraint using a
three-point seat belt. Refer to page 49 and page 51 for information on securing a childrestraint using ISOFIX/LATCH lower anchorsand/or top tether anchorages.
G026503
Convertible seat
WARNING
A child seat should never be used in the front passenger seat of any vehicle with afront passenger airbag – not even if thePASSENGER AIRBAG OFF symbol near
the rear-view mirror is illuminated (on vehi-cles equipped with Occupant Weight Sen-sor). If the severity of an accident were tocause the airbag to inflate, this could leadto serious injury or death to a child seatedin this position.
G026489
Booster cushion
WARNING
Always refer to the child restraint manufac- turer's instructions for detailed informationon securing the restraint.
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Infant seats01
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Securing an infant seat with a seat belt
G026417
Do not place the infant seat in the front passeng- er's seat
NOTE
Refer to page 49 and page 51 for infor- mation on securing a child restraint usingISOFIX/LATCH lower anchors and/or toptether anchorages.
G026493
Positioning the seat belt through the infant seat
WARNING
•An infant seat must be in the rear-facing position only.
• The infant seat should not be positionedbehind the driver's seat unless there isadequate space for safe installation.
1. Place the infant seat in the rear seat of
the vehicle.
2. Attach the seat belt to the infant seat according to the manufacturer's instruc- tions.
G026492
Fasten the seat belt
WARNING
A child seat should never be used in the front passenger seat of any vehicle with afront passenger airbag – not even if the"Passenger airbag off " symbol near the
rear-view mirror is illuminated (on vehiclesequipped with Occupant Weight Sensor). Ifthe severity of an accident were to causethe airbag to inflate, this could lead to seri-ous injury or death to a child seated in thisposition.