01 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor 01
26
General information
2
2
G017724
Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) indicator light
Disabling the passenger's side frontairbag
Volvo recommends that ALL occupants (adults and children) shorter than 4 feet7 inches (140 cm) be seated in the back seatof any vehicle with a front passenger side air-bag, and be properly restrained for their sizeand weight. For child safety recommenda-tions,see page 38. The Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) is designed to meet the regulatory requirementsof Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard(FMVSS) 208 and is designed to disable (willnot inflate) the passenger's side front airbagunder certain conditions. The OWS works with sensors that are part ofthe front passenger's seat and seat belt. Thesensors are designed to detect the presenceof a properly seated occupant and determineif the passenger's side front airbag should beenabled (may inflate) or disabled (will notinflate). 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 frontseat,
• the system determines that an infant ispresent in a rear-facing infant seat that isinstalled according to the manufacturer'sinstructions,
• the system determines that a small childis present in a forward-facing childrestraint that is installed according to themanufacturer's instructions,
• the system determines that a small childis present in a booster seat,
• a front passenger takes his/her weight offof the seat for a period of time,
• a child or a small person occupies thefront passenger's seat.
The OWS uses a PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp which will illuminate and stayon to remind you that the passenger's side front airbag is disabled. The PASSENGERAIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is located in theoverhead console, near the base of the rear-view mirror.
NOTE
When the ignition is switched on, the OWS indicator light will go on for up to 10 sec-onds 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 21) will come on and stay on
• The message
Pass. Airbag OFF Service
urgent will be displayed in the informa-
tion display.
WARNING
If a fault in the system is detected and indicated as described, be aware that thepassenger's side front airbag will notdeploy in the event of a collision. In thiscase, the SRS system and OccupantWeight Sensor should be inspected by atrained and qualified Volvo service techni-cian as soon as possible.
01 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor01
}}
27
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 an 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.
Passeng- er's seatoccu-pancy sta-tusOWS indicatorlight sta-tusPasseng- er's sidefront air-bag status
Seat unoc- cupiedOWS indi- cator lightlights up.Passenger's side front air-bag disabled
Seat occu- pied by lowweightoccupant/ object AOWS indi- cator lightlights upPassenger's side front air-bag disabled
Seat occu- pied byheavy occu-pant/objectOWS indi- cator lightis
not litPassenger's side front air-bag enabled
A
Volvo 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 isdisabled unless the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicatorlamp is lit. Make sure the child restraint is properly instal-led. If there is any doubt as to the status of the passeng-er's side front airbag, move the child restraint to the rearseat.
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 andremain off. If a person of adult size is sitting in the front passenger's seat, but the PASSENGER AIR-BAG OFF indicator lamp is on, it is possiblethat the person isn't sitting properly in theseat. If this happens:
• Turn the vehicle off and ask the person to place the seatback in an upright position.
• Have the person sit upright in the seat,centered on the seat cushion, with theperson's legs comfortably extended.
• Restart the vehicle and have the personremain in this position for about twominutes. This will allow the system todetect that person and enable the pas-senger's frontal airbag.
• If the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indica-tor lamp remains on even after this, theperson should be advised to ride in therear seat.
This condition reflects limitations of the OWS classification 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's
01 Safety
Occupant Weight Sensor 01
28
or front passenger's seat(s) and/or airbag systems, please contact Volvo at: In the USA Volvo Cars of North America, LLC Customer Care Center1 Volvo DriveP.O. Box 914Rockleigh, New Jersey 076471-800-458-1552 In Canada Volvo Cars of Canada Corp. National Customer Service9130 Leslie Street, Suite 101Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 0B91-800-663-8255WARNING
•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 tofollow these instructions couldadversely affect the system's functionand result in serious injury to the occu-pant of the front passenger'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 front,passenger's side airbag.
01 Safety
Child safety 01
38
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 39 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