SAFETY
42
Safety
The vehicle is equipped with a number of safetysystems that work together to help protect thevehicle's driver and passengers in the event ofan accident.
The vehicle is equipped with a number of sensorsthat may react in the event of an accident andactivate different safety systems, such as the air-bag system and seat belt tensioners. Dependingon the specific conditions of the accident, e.g.collisions at certain angles, overturning or swerv-ing, the systems react differently to help providethe best protection.
There are also mechanical safety systems suchas the Whiplash Protection System. The vehicleis also built so that a large part of the force of acollision is distributed to the vehicle's members,pillars, floor, roof and other parts of the body.
After an accident, the vehicle's safety mode maybe activated if any important function in the vehi-cle has been damaged.
Warning symbol in the instrument panel
The warning symbol in the instrumentpanel illuminates when the vehicle'selectrical system is in ignition mode II.The symbol will go out after approx. 6seconds if no faults are detected in the vehicle'ssafety systems.
WARNING
If the warning symbol remains illuminated orswitches on while driving and the messageSRS airbag Service urgent Drive toworkshop is displayed in the instrumentpanel, this indicates that something in thesafety system is not functioning properly.Volvo recommends contacting an authorizedVolvo workshop for repairs as soon as possi-ble.
WARNING
Never attempt to alter or repair any of thevehicle's safety systems yourself. Incorrectlyperformed repairs to any system could impairfunction and lead to serious injury. Volvo rec-ommends contacting an authorized Volvoworkshop.
If this dedicated warning symbol is notfunctioning, the general warning sym-bol will illuminate instead and the samemessage will be displayed in the instru-ment panel.
Related information
Safety during pregnancy (p. 43)
Occupant safety (p. 43)
Reporting safety defects (p. 44)
Recall information (p. 45)
Seat belts (p. 47)
Airbags (p. 52)
Whiplash Protection System (p. 46)
Safety mode (p. 61)
Child safety (p. 63)
SAFETY
}}
* Option/accessory.43
Safety during pregnancy
It is important that seat belts are worn correctlyduring pregnancy and that pregnant driversadjust their seating position accordingly.
Seat belt
The seat belt should fit closely against the shoul-der, with the diagonal section between thebreasts and to the side of the stomach.
The lap section of the seat belt should lie flatover the thighs and as far as possible under thestomach. Never let it ride upward. Removeunnecessary slack and make sure the seat beltfits as close as possible to the body. Make surethere are no twists in the seat belt.
Seating position
As pregnancy progresses, pregnant driversshould adjust the seat and steering wheel to aposition that allows them to retain full control of
the vehicle (which means they should be able toeasily reach the steering wheel and foot pedals).Try to maintain as much distance as possiblebetween the stomach and the steering wheel.
Related information
Safety (p. 42)
Seat belts (p. 47)
Manual front seats (p. 180)
Power* front seats (p. 181)
Occupant safety
Safety is Volvo's cornerstone.
Volvo's concern for safety
Our concern for safety dates back to 1927 whenthe first Volvo rolled off the production line.Three-point seat belts (a Volvo invention), safetycages, and energy-absorbing impact zones weredesigned into Volvo vehicles long before it wasfashionable or required by government regulation.
We will not compromise our commitment tosafety. We continue to seek out new safety fea-tures and to refine those already in our vehicles.You can help. We would appreciate hearing yoursuggestions about improving automobile safety.We also want to know if you ever have a safetyconcern with your vehicle. Call us in the U.S. at:1-800-458-1552 or in Canada at:1-800-663-8255.
||
SAFETY
46
Related information
Safety (p. 42)
Reporting safety defects (p. 44)
Occupant safety (p. 43)
Whiplash Protection System
The Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) isdesigned to help reduce the risk of whiplash-type injuries. The system consists of energyabsorbing backrests and seat cushions as wellas specially designed head restraints in the frontseats.
WHIPS is activated in the event of a rear-endcollision and adapted to the angle and speed ofthe collision and to the characteristics of the col-liding vehicle.
When WHIPS is activated, the front seat back-rests move rearward and the seat cushions movedownward to change the seating positions of thedriver and front seat passenger. This movementhelps absorb some of the forces that could resultin whiplash.
WARNING
WHIPS is a supplement to the seat belt.Always wear your seat belt.
WARNING
Do not attempt to alter or repair the seat orWHIPS on your own. Volvo recommends con-tacting an authorized Volvo workshop.
If the front seats have been subjected tosevere stress, e.g. in a collision, the seatsmust be replaced. Even if the seats appearundamaged, some of their protective proper-ties may have been lost.
Do not place any objects on the floor behind or underthe front seats or on the rear seat that could preventWHIPS from functioning correctly.
SAFETY
}}
* Option/accessory.47
WARNING
Do not squeeze box-like cargo between therear seat cushion and the front seat backrest.
If the rear seat backrests are folded down,cargo must be secured to prevent it from slid-ing forward against the front seat backrests inthe event of a collision.
WARNING
If a rear seat backrest is folded down or if arear-facing child restraint is being used in therear seat, the seat in front must be moved for-ward so that it does not come into contactwith the backrest or child restraint.
Seating position
For WHIPS to provide optimal protection, thedriver and passenger must be seated correctlyand the system's function must not be impededin any way.
Set the front seat to the correct seating positionbefore starting to drive.
The driver and the front seat passenger shouldsit in the center of the seat with their heads asclose as possible to the head restraints.
Related information
Safety (p. 42)
Manual front seats (p. 180)
Power* front seats (p. 181)
Rear Collision Warning (p. 320)Seat belts
Seat belts should always be worn by all occu-pants in your vehicle. Children should be prop-erly restrained using an infant seat, adjustablechild seat or booster cushion as determined byage, weight and height.
Most states and provinces make it mandatory foroccupants of a vehicle to use seat belts.
Seat belt maintenance
Check periodically that the seat belts are in goodcondition. Use water and a mild detergent forcleaning. Check the seat belt mechanism's func-tion as follows: attach the seat belt and pull rap-idly on the strap.
||
SAFETY
48
WARNING
Never repair the belt yourself. Repairsshould only be performed by a trainedand qualified Volvo service technician.
Any device used to induce slack into theshoulder belt portion of the three-pointbelt system will have a detrimental effecton the amount of protection available inthe event of a collision.
The seat back should not be tilted too farback. The shoulder belt must be taut inorder to function properly.
Do not use any type of child restraint inthe front passenger seat. We recommendthat children who have outgrown thesedevices sit in the rear seat with the seatbelt properly fastened.
Related information
Safety (p. 42)
Seat belt tensioners (p. 50)
Buckling and unbuckling seat belts (p. 48)
Door and seat belt reminders (p. 51)
Buckling and unbuckling seat belts
Make sure that all passengers have buckledtheir seat belts before starting to drive.
Buckling seat belts
1. Pull out the belt slowly and make sure it isnot twisted or damaged.
NOTE
The seat belt is equipped with a seat beltretractor that will lock up in the following sit-uations:
if the belt is pulled out too quickly.
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. Each seat belt (except for the driv-er's) is equipped with an ALR function,which is designed to keep the seat belttaut when installing a child restraint. ALRis activated when the seat belt is pulledout as far as possible. If this is done, asound from the seat belt retractor will beaudible, which is normal. The seat belt cannow only be fed into the retractor, notpulled out. This function is automaticallydisabled when the seat belt is unbuckledand fully retracted.
SAFETY
}}
49
2.Buckle the seat belt by pushing the latchplate into the receptacle.
> A distinct "click" indicates that the belt islocked into place.
WARNING
Always insert the seat belt latch plate into thebelt buckle on the correct side. Failure to doso could cause the seat belts and belt buck-les to malfunction in a collision. There is a riskof serious injury.
3.The height of the seat belts in the front seatscan be adjusted.
Press the button on the seat belt holder andmove the belt up or down.
Position the belt as high as possible withoutit chafing against the neck.
The belt should be positioned closely over the shoulder(against the collarbone, not down over the arm).
4. Tighten the lap section of the seat belt overthe hips by pulling the diagonal sectionupward toward the shoulder.
The lap section of the seat belt should be positioned lowon the hips (not against the abdomen).
||
SAFETY
* Option/accessory.50
WARNING
Never use a seat belt for more than oneoccupant. Never wear the shoulder portion ofthe belt under the arm, behind the back orotherwise out of position. Such use couldcause injury in the event of an accident. Asseat belts lose much of their strength whenexposed to violent stretching, they should bereplaced after any collision, even if theyappear to be undamaged.
WARNING
Do not use clips or fasten the belts aroundhooks or other parts of the interior. This willprevent the seat belt from fitting properly.
WARNING
Never damage the seat belts and never insertany foreign objects into the belt buckle. Thismay cause the seat belts and belt buckles tomalfunction in a collision. There is a risk ofserious injury.
Unbuckling seat belts
1. Press the red button on the seat belt recep-tacle and make sure the seat belt retractsfully into the retractor slot.
2. If it does not fully retract, guide the belt man-ually into the slot and make sure it does nothang loose.
Related information
Seat belts (p. 47)
Seat belt tensioners (p. 50)
Door and seat belt reminders (p. 51)
Seat belt tensioners
The vehicle is equipped with standard and elec-tric* seat belt tensioners that can help tensionthe seat belt in a critical situation or collision.
Standard seat belt tensioners
All seat belts are equipped with a standard seatbelt tensioner.
In a collision of sufficiently violent force, the seatbelt tensioners will tension the seat belts in orderto more effectively restrain the occupants.
Electric seat belt tensioners *
The driver's and front passenger's seat belts areequipped with electric seat belt tensioners.
The seat belt tensioners interact and can be acti-vated in conjunction with the City Safety andRear Collision Warning driver support systems. Incritical situations, such as if the vehicle brakessuddenly, begins to skid or runs off the road (e.gif the vehicle rolls into a ditch, lifts off the groundor hits an obstacle in the road), or if there is a riskof collision, the seat belts can be pulled taut bythe seat belt tensioner's electric motor.
The electric seat belt tensioner helps to positionthe occupant more effectively in the seat, whichreduces the risk of the occupant striking the inte-rior of the passenger compartment and improvesthe effect of other safety systems such as theairbags.
SAFETY
}}
* Option/accessory.51
When a critical situation has passed, the seat beltand the electric seat belt tensioner are resetautomatically. However, they can also be resetmanually.
WARNING
Never attempt to alter or repair the seat belton your own. Volvo recommends contactingan authorized Volvo workshop.
If the seat belt has been exposed to extremeforces, e.g. in conjunction with a collision, theentire seat belt must be replaced. Even if theseat belt appears undamaged, some of itsprotective properties may have been lost. Alsoreplace the seat belt if it is worn or damaged.The new seat belt must be type approved andintended for the same seating position as thereplaced seat belt.
Related information
Seat belts (p. 47)
Buckling and unbuckling seat belts (p. 48)
Resetting the electric seat belt tensioners*(p. 51)
City Safety™ (p. 305)
Rear Collision Warning (p. 320)
Resetting the electric seat belt
tensioners*
The electric seat belt tensioners are designed tobe reset automatically, but if the seat beltremains taut it can be reset manually.
1. Stop the vehicle in a safe location.
2.Unbuckle the seat belt and then rebuckle it.
> The seat belt and the electric seat belttensioner will be reset.
WARNING
Never attempt to alter or repair the seat belton your own. Volvo recommends contactingan authorized Volvo workshop.
If the seat belt has been exposed to extremeforces, e.g. in conjunction with a collision, theentire seat belt must be replaced. Even if theseat belt appears undamaged, some of itsprotective properties may have been lost. Alsoreplace the seat belt if it is worn or damaged.The new seat belt must be type approved andintended for the same seating position as thereplaced seat belt.
Related information
Seat belt tensioners (p. 50)
Seat belts (p. 47)
Door and seat belt reminders
This system is intended to remind occupants tobuckle their seat belts and to alert the driver if adoor, hood or other opening (trunk, sunroof,etc.) is open.
Graphics in the instrument panel
Graphics in the instrument panel with various types ofwarnings. The warning colors for the doors/trunk lid varydepending on the vehicle's speed.
The instrument panel graphic shows the seatswhere seat belts are buckled and not buckled.
The same graphic also indicates if the hood,trunk lid, fuel filler door or any door is open.
Confirm the graphic by briefly pressing the Obutton on the right-side steering wheel keypad.