02 Safety
02
28
Seat belts – general
Seat belts should always be worn by all occu- pants of your vehicle. Children should beproperly restrained, using an infant, car, orbooster seat determined by age, weight andheight. Volvo also believes no child should sit in the front seat of a vehicle.
Adjusting the seat beltMost states and provinces make it mandatory for occupants of a vehicle to use seat belts.
Seat belt pretensionersAll seat belts are equipped with pretensionersthat reduce slack in the belts. These preten-sioners are triggered in situations where thefront or side impact airbags deploy, and incertain impacts from the rear. The front seatbelts also include a tension reducing devicewhich, in the event of a collision, limits the peak forces exerted by the seat belt on theoccupant.
Seat belt maintenanceCheck periodically that the seat belts are ingood condition. Use water and a mild deter-gent for cleaning. Check seat belt mechanismfunction as follows: attach the seat belt andpull rapidly on the strap.
WARNING
Never use a seat belt for more than one occupant. Never wear the shoulder portionof the belt under the arm, behind the backor otherwise out of position. Such usecould cause injury in the event of an acci-dent. As seat belts lose much of theirstrength when exposed to violent stretch-ing, they should be replaced after any col-lision, even if they appear to be undam-aged.
WARNING
•
Never repair the belt yourself; have this work done by a trained and qualifiedVolvo service technician only.
• Any device used to induce slack intothe shoulder belt portion of the three-point belt system will have a detrimen-tal effect on the amount of protectionavailable to you in the event of a colli-sion.
• The seat back should not be tilted toofar back. The shoulder belt must betaut in order to function properly.
• Do not use child safety seats or childbooster cushions/backrests in thefront passenger's seat. We also rec-ommend that children who have out-grown these devices sit in the rearseat with the seat belt properly fas-tened.
Related information
•
Seat belts – buckling/unbuckling (p. 29)
• Seat belt reminder (p. 30)
• Seat belts – pregnancy (p. 30)
02 Safety
02
}}
37
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 PASSENGERAIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will be off andremain off. If a person of adult size is sitting in the frontpassenger'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'sor front passenger's seat(s) and/or airbagsystems, please contact Volvo at: In the USA Volvo Cars of North America, LLC Customer Care Center
02 Safety
02
41
Inflatable Curtain (IC)
The inflatable curtain is designed to help pro- tect the heads of the occupants of the frontseats and the occupant of the outboard rearseating positions in certain side impact colli-sions.
This system consists of inflatable curtains located along the sides of the roof liners,stretching from the center of both front sidewindows to the rear edge of the rear sidedoor windows. In certain side impacts, both the Inflatable
Curtain (IC) and the Side Impact Airbag Sys- tem (p. 39) (SIPS airbag) will deploy. The ICand the SIPS airbag deploy simultaneously.
NOTE
If the inflatable curtain deploys, it remains inflated for approximately 3 seconds.
WARNING
• The IC system is a supplement to the Side Impact Protection System. It isnot designed to deploy during colli-sions from the rear of the vehicle.
• Never try to open or repair any compo-nents of the IC system. This should bedone only by a trained and qualifiedVolvo service technician.
• Never hang heavy items from the ceil-ing handles. This could impededeployment of the Inflatable Curtain.
• The cargo area and rear seat shouldnot be loaded to a level higher than2 in. (5 cm) below the upper edge ofthe rear side windows. Objects placedhigher than this level could impede thefunction of the Inflatable Curtain.
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, Childsafety (p. 46) for guidelines. Failure tofollow these instructions can result in injuryto the vehicle occupants in an accident.
Related information
•
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) (p. 31)
• Front airbags (p. 32)
• Child safety (p. 46)
02 Safety
02
}}
47
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 Child restraints (p. 47) for more information.
Volvo's recommendationsWhy does Volvo believe that no child shouldsit in the front seat of a car? It's quite simplereally. A front airbag (p. 32) is a very powerfuldevice designed, by law, to help protect anadult. 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 (p. 28).
• 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 backseat of any vehicle with a front passengerside airbag.
• Drive safely!
Related information
• Infant seats (p. 49)
• Convertible seats (p. 51)
• Booster cushions (p. 54)
• Integrated booster cushion – generalinformation (p. 57)
• Child safety locks (p. 61)
• Top tether anchors (p. 56)
Child restraints
Suitable child restraints should always be used when children travel in the vehicle.
Child restraint systems
G022840
Infant seat
There are three main types of child restraint systems: infant seats (p. 49), convertibleseats (p. 51), and booster cush-ions (p. 54). They are classified according tothe child's age and size. The following section provides general infor-
mation on securing a child restraint using a
three-point seat belt (p. 28). Refer to ISOFIX/ LATCH lower anchors (p. 55) and Top tetheranchors (p. 56) for information on securinga child restraint using ISOFIX/LATCH loweranchors and/or top tether anchorages.
05 Loading and storage
05
142
Loading – general
The load carrying capacity of your vehicle is determined by factors such as the number ofpassengers, the amount of cargo, the weightof any accessories that may be installed, etc. To increase loading space, the rear seat backrests can be folded down, see Rearseats – folding backrest (p. 86). When loading the cargo area, keep the fol- lowing in mind:
• Load objects in the cargo area against the backrest whenever possible.
• Unstable loads can be secured to theload anchoring eyelets with straps or weblashings to help keep them from shifting.
• Stop the engine and apply the parkingbrake when loading or unloading longobjects. The gear selector can beknocked out of position by long loads,which could set the vehicle in motion.WARNING
•Stop the engine, put the gear selector in
P, and apply the parking brake
when loading or unloading longobjects.
• The vehicle's driving characteristicsmay change depending on the weightand distribution of the load.
• A 44-pound (20 kg) object produces aforce of 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg) in ahead-on collision at 30 mph (50 km/h).
• The cargo area and rear seat shouldnot be loaded to a level higher than2 in. (5 cm) below the upper edge ofthe rear side windows. Objects placedhigher than this level could impede thefunction of the Inflatable Curtain.
Related information
•
Load anchoring eyelets (p. 143)
• Steel cargo grid (p. 147)
• Loading – roof load carriers (p. 142)
Loading – roof load carriers
Using load carriersLoad carriers are available as Volvo accesso- ries. Observe the following points when inuse:
• To avoid damaging your vehicle and to achieve maximum safety when driving,we recommend using the load carriersthat Volvo has developed especially foryour vehicle.
• Volvo-approved removable roof racks aredesigned to carry the maximum allowableroof load for this vehicle: 220 lbs (100 kg).For non-Volvo roof racks, check the man-ufacturer's weight limits for the rack.
• Never exceed the rack manufacturer'sweigh limits and never exceed the maxi-mum rated roof load of 220 lbs (100 kg).
• Avoid single-point loads. Distribute loadsevenly.
• Place heavier cargo at the bottom of theload.
• Secure the cargo correctly with appropri-ate tie-down equipment.
• Check periodically that the load carriersand load are properly secured.
• Remember that the vehicle's center ofgravity and handling change when youcarry a load on the roof.