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32Volvo's SRS consists of seat belt pretensioners, front airbags (p. 33), side impact air-bags (p. 39), a front passenger occupantweight sensor (p. 36), and inflatable cur-tains (p. 40). All of these systems are moni-tored by the SRS control module. An SRS warn-ing light in the instrument panel (see the illustra- tion) illuminates when the ignition is in modes
I
or II, and will normally go out after approximately
6 seconds if no faults are detected in the system. Where applicable, a text message will also be displayed when the SRS warning light illuminates.If this warning symbol is not functioning properly,the general warning symbol illuminates and a textmessage will be displayed. See also Information displays – indicator symbols (p. 67) and Information displays – warning sym-bols (p. 69) for more information about indica-tor and warning lights.
WARNING
• If the SRS warning light stays on after the engine has started or if it illuminateswhile you are driving, have the vehicleinspected by a trained and qualified Volvoservice technician as soon as possible.
• Never try to repair any component or partof the SRS yourself. Any interference inthe system could cause malfunction andserious injury. All work on these systemsshould be performed by a trained andqualified Volvo service technician.
WARNING
If your vehicle has become flood-damaged in any way (e.g., soaked carpeting/standingwater on the floor of the vehicle), do notattempt to start the vehicle or insert theremote key into the ignition slot before dis-connecting the battery (see below). This maycause airbag deployment which could result inserious injury. Have the vehicle towed to atrained and qualified Volvo service technicianfor repairs. Before attempting to tow the vehicle:
1. Switch off the ignition for at least
10 minutes and disconnect the battery.
2. Follow the instructions for manually over- riding the shiftlock system Transmission – shiftlock override (p. 261).
Related information
•Crash mode – general information (p. 43)
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33
Front airbags
The front airbags supplement the three-point seat belts (p. 28). For these airbags to providethe protection intended, seat belts must be wornat all times.
G018665
The front airbag systemThe front airbag system includes gas generators surrounded by the airbags, and deceleration sen-sors that activate the gas generators, causing theairbags to be inflated with nitrogen gas.
Location of the passenger's side front airbag
As the movement of the seats' occupants com- presses the airbags, some of the gas is expelledat a controlled rate to provide better cushioning.Both seat belt pretensioners also deploy, mini-mizing seat belt slack. The entire process, includ-ing inflation and deflation of the airbags, takesapproximately one fifth of a second. The location of the front airbags is indicated by SRS AIRBAG embossed on the steering wheel
pad and above the glove compartment, and by decals on both sun visors and on the front andfar right side of the dash. The driver's side front airbag is folded and located in the steering wheel hub. The passenger's side front airbag is folded behind a panel located above the glove compart-ment.
WARNING
• The airbags in the vehicle are designed to be a SUPPLEMENT to–not a replace-ment for–the three-point seat belts. Formaximum protection, wear seat belts at alltimes. Be aware that no system can pre-vent all possible injuries that may occur inan accident.
• Never drive with your hands on the steer-ing wheel pad/airbag housing.
• The front airbags are designed to helpprevent serious injury. Deployment occursvery quickly and with considerable force.During normal deployment and depend-ing on variables such as seating position,one may experience abrasions, bruises,swellings, or other injuries as a resultfrom deployment of one or both of theairbags.
• When installing any accessory equipment,make sure that the front airbag system isnot damaged. Any interference in the sys-tem could cause malfunction.
Front airbag deployment
•The front airbags are designed to deploy dur- ing certain frontal or front-angular collisions,impacts, or decelerations, depending on thecrash severity, angle, speed and objectimpacted. The airbags may also deploy in
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34certain non-frontal collisions where rapid deceleration occurs.
• The SRS (p. 31) sensors, which trigger thefront airbags, are designed to react to boththe impact of the collision and the inertialforces generated by it, and to determine ifthe intensity of the collision is sufficient forthe seat belt pretensioners and/or airbags tobe deployed.
However, not all frontal collisions activate thefront airbags.
• If the collision involves a nonrigid object (e.g.,a snow drift or bush), or a rigid, fixed objectat a low speed, the front airbags will not nec-essarily deploy.
• Front airbags do not normally deploy in aside impact collision, in a collision from therear or in a rollover situation.
• The amount of damage to the bodyworkdoes not reliably indicate if the airbagsshould have deployed or not.
WARNING
If any of the airbags have deployed:
• Do not attempt to drive the vehicle. Have it towed to a qualified repair facility.
• If necessary seek medical attentIon.
WARNING
•Do not use child safety seats or child booster cushions/backrests in the frontpassenger's seat. We also recommendthat occupants under 4 feet 7 inches(140 cm) in height who have outgrownthese devices sit in the rear seat with the seat belt fastened 1
.
• Never drive with the airbags deployed. The fact that they hang out can impair thesteering of your vehicle. Other safety sys-tems can also be damaged.
• The smoke and dust formed when theairbags are deployed can cause skin andeye irritation in the event of prolongedexposure.
Should you have questions about any component in the SRS system, please contact a trained andqualified Volvo service technician or Volvo cus-tomer support: In the USA Volvo Cars of North America, LLC Customer Care Center1 Volvo Drive P.O. Box 914Rockleigh, New Jersey 076471-800-458-1552 www.volvocars.com/us In Canada Volvo Cars of Canada Corp. National Customer Service9130 Leslie Street, Suite 101Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 0B91-800-663-8255www.volvocars.com/ca
1
See also the Occupant Weight Sensor information, (p. 36).
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35
NOTE
•Deployment of front airbags occurs only one time during an accident. In a collisionwhere deployment occurs, the airbagsand seat belt pretensioners activate.Some noise occurs and a small amountof powder is released. The release of thepowder may appear as smoke-like matter.This is a normal characteristic and doesnot indicate fire.
• Volvo's front airbags use special sensorsthat are integrated with the front seatbuckles. The point at which the airbagdeploys is determined by whether or notthe seat belt is being used, as well as theseverity of the collision.
• Collisions can occur where only one ofthe airbags deploys. If the impact is lesssevere, but severe enough to present aclear injury risk, the airbags are triggeredat partial capacity. If the impact is moresevere, the airbags are triggered at fullcapacity.
Airbag decals
Airbag decal on the outside of both sun visors
Passenger's side airbag decal
WARNING
• Children must never be allowed in the front passenger's seat.
• Occupants in the front passenger's seatmust never sit on the edge of the seat, sitleaning toward the instrument panel orotherwise sit out of position.
• The occupant's back must be as uprightas comfort allows and be against the seatback with the seat belt properly fastened.
• Feet must be on the floor, e.g., not on thedash, seat or out of the window.
WARNING
•No objects or accessory equipment, e.g. dashboard covers, may be placed on,attached to, or installed near the air baghatch (the area above the glove compart-ment) or the area affected by airbagdeployment.
• There should be no loose articles, suchas coffee cups on the floor, seat, or dash-board area.
• Never try to open the airbag cover on thesteering wheel or the passenger's sidedashboard. This should only be done by atrained and qualified Volvo service techni-cian.
• Failure to follow these instructions canresult in injury to the vehicle occupants.
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36
Related information
•Occupant Weight Sensor (p. 36)
• Side impact protection (SIPS) airbags (p. 39)
• Inflatable Curtain (IC) (p. 40)
• Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)(p. 31)
Occupant Weight Sensor
The Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) is designed to meet the regulatory requirements ofFederal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)208 and is designed to disable (will not inflate)the passenger's side front airbag under certainconditions.
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 feet 7 inches(140 cm) be seated in the back seat of any vehi-cle with a front passenger side airbag (p. 33), andbe properly restrained for their size and weight.For child safety recommendations, see Childsafety (p. 45). The OWS works with sensors that are part of thefront passenger's seat and seat belt (p. 28). Thesensors are designed to detect the presence of aproperly seated occupant and determine if thepassenger's side front airbag should be enabled(may inflate) or disabled (will not inflate). The OWS will disable (will not inflate) the pas- senger's side front airbag when:
• the front passenger's seat is unoccupied, orhas small/medium objects in the front seat,
• the system determines that an infant is pres-ent in a rear-facing infant seat that is instal-led according to the manufacturer's instruc-tions,
• the system determines that a small child ispresent in a forward-facing child restraintthat is installed according to the manufactur-er's instructions,
• the system determines that a small child ispresent in a booster seat,
• a front passenger takes his/her weight off ofthe seat for a period of time,
• a child or a small person occupies the frontpassenger's seat.
The OWS uses a PASSENGER AIRBAG OFFindicator lamp which will illuminate and stay on toremind you that the passenger's side front airbagis disabled. The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indi-cator lamp is located in the overhead console,near the base of the rearview mirror.
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38
ModificationsIf you are considering modifying your vehicle in any way to accommodate a disability, for exampleby altering or adapting the driver's or front pas-senger's seat(s) and/or airbag systems, pleasecontact 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 the frontpassenger's seat. If a child is seated inthe front passenger's seat with any addi-tional weight, this extra weight couldcause the OWS system to enable the air-bag, which might cause it to deploy in theevent of a collision, thereby injuring thechild.
• The seat belt should never be wrappedaround an object on the front passeng-er's seat. This could interfere with theOWS system's function.
• The front passenger's seat belt shouldnever be used in a way that exerts morepressure on the passenger than normal.This could increase the pressure exertedon the weight sensor by a child, andcould result in the airbag being enabled,which might cause it to deploy in theevent of a collision, thereby injuring thechild.
WARNING
• Keep the following points in mind with respect to the OWS system. Failure tofollow 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 passen-ger should always be on the seat cushion.The passenger should never lift him/herself off the seat cushion using thearmrest in the door or the center console,by pressing the feet on the floor, by sit-ting on the edge of the seat cushion, orby pressing against the backrest in a waythat reduces pressure on the seat cush-ion. This could cause OWS to disable thefront, passenger's side airbag.
WARNING
•Do not place any type of object on the front passenger's seat in such a way thatjamming, pressing, or squeezing occursbetween the object and the front seat,other than as a direct result of the correctuse of the Automatic Locking Retractor/Emergency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR)seat belt (Child restraints (p. 47)).
• No objects should be placed under thefront passenger's seat. This could inter-fere with the OWS system's function.
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40
NOTE
SIPS airbag deployment (one airbag) occurs only on the side of the vehicle affected by theimpact. The airbags are not designed todeploy in all side impact situations.
Components in the SIPS airbag systemThis SIPS airbag system consists of a gas gener- ator, the side airbag modules built into the out-board sides of both front seat backrests, andelectronic sensors/wiring.
WARNING
•The SIPS airbag system is a supplement to the structural Side Impact ProtectionSystem and the three-point seat belt sys-tem. It is not designed to deploy duringcollisions from the front or rear of thevehicle or in rollover situations.
• The use of seat covers on the front seatsmay impede SIPS airbag deployment.
• No objects, accessory equipment or stick-ers may be placed on, attached to orinstalled near the SIPS airbag system orin the area affected by SIPS airbagdeployment.
• Never try to open or repair any compo-nents of the SIPS airbag system. Thisshould be done only by a trained andqualified Volvo service technician.
• In order for the SIPS airbag to provide itsbest protection, both front seat occupantsshould sit in an upright position with theseat belt properly fastened.
• Failure to follow these instructions canresult in injury to the occupants of thevehicle in the event of an accident.
Related information
•Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) (p. 31)
• Front airbags (p. 33)
• Inflatable Curtain (IC) (p. 40)
Inflatable Curtain (IC)
The inflatable curtain is designed to help protect the heads of the occupants of the front seatsand the occupant of the outboard rear seatingpositions in certain side impact collisions.
This system consists of inflatable curtains located along the sides of the roof liners, stretching fromthe center of both front side windows to the rearedge of the rear side door windows. In certain side impacts, both the Inflatable Cur-
tain (IC) and the Side Impact Airbag Sys- tem (p. 39) (SIPS airbag) will deploy. The IC andthe SIPS airbag deploy simultaneously.
NOTE
If the inflatable curtain deploys, it remains inflated for approximately 6 seconds.
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41
WARNING
•The IC system is a supplement to the Side Impact Protection System. It is notdesigned to deploy during collisions fromthe 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 qualified Volvoservice technician.
• Never hang heavy items from the ceilinghandles. This could impede deploymentof the Inflatable Curtain.
• The rear seat should not be loaded to alevel higher than 2 in. (5 cm) below theupper edge of the rear side windows.Objects placed higher than this levelcould impede the function of the Inflat-able Curtain.
WARNING
In order for the IC to provide its best protec- tion, both front seat occupants and both out-board rear seat occupants should sit in anupright position with the seat belt properlyfastened; adults using the seat belt and chil-dren using the proper child restraint system.Failure to follow these instructions can resultin injury to the vehicle occupants in an acci-dent.
Related information
•Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) (p. 31)
• Front airbags (p. 33)
• Child safety (p. 45)
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) The WHIPS system consists of specially designed hinges and brackets on the front seatbackrests designed to help absorb some of theenergy generated in a collision from the rear(when the vehicle is rear-ended).