headlights VOLVO XC90 2009 Owner´s Manual

01 SafetyOccupant safety
0116
Volvo's concern for safetySafety is the Volvo cornerstone. Our concern
dates back to 1927 when the first Volvo rolled
off the production line. Three-point seat belts
(a Volvo invention), safety cages, and energy-
absorbing impact zones were designed into
Volvo vehicles long before it was fashionable
or required by government regulation. We will
not compromise our commitment to safety. We
continue to seek out new safety features and
to refine those already in our vehicles. You can
help. We would appreciate hearing your sug-
gestions about improving automobile safety.
We also want to know if you ever have a safety
concern with your vehicle. Call us in the U.S.
at: 800-458-1552 or in Canada at:
800-663-8255.Occupant safety remindersHow safely you drive doesn't depend on how
old you are but rather on:•
How well you see.
•
Your ability to concentrate.
•
How quickly you make decisions under
stress to avoid an accident.
The tips listed below are suggestions to help
you cope with the ever changing traffic envi-
ronment.
•
Never drink and drive.
•
If you are taking any medication, consult
your physician about its potential effects
on your driving abilities.
•
Take a driver-retraining course.
•
Have your eyes checked regularly.
•
Keep your windshield and headlights
clean.
•
Replace wiper blades when they start to
leave streaks.
•
Take into account the traffic, road, and
weather conditions, particularly with
regard to stopping distance.
Reporting safety defects in the U.S.If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause
injury or death, you should immediately inform
the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-
tration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying Volvo
Cars of North America, LLC. If NHTSA receives
similar complaints, it may open an investiga-
tion, and if it finds that a safety defect exists in
a group of vehicles, it may order a recall and
remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot
become involved in individual problems
between you, your retailer, or Volvo Cars of
North America, LLC. To contact NHTSA, you
may either call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free
at 1-888-327-4236(TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or write to: NHTSA,
U.S. Department of Transportation, Washing-
ton D.C. 20590.
You can also obtain other information about
motor vehicle safety from:
http://www.safercar.gov
Volvo strongly recommends that if your vehicle
is covered under a service campaign, safety or
emission recall or similar action, it should be
completed as soon as possible. Please check
with your local retailer or Volvo Cars of North
America, LLC if your vehicle is covered under
these conditions.
NHTSA can be reached at:
Internet:
http://www.nhtsa.gov
Telephone:
1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

02 Instruments and controls
Instrument overview
0253
Headlights/Parking lightsPanel ventsDisplayTemperature gaugeOdometer/Trip odometer/Cruise control
indicatorSpeedometerTurn signal indicator lightsTachometerAmbient temperature gauge, clock, gear
indicatorFuel gaugeIndicator and warning symbolsPanel ventsGlove compartmentHazard warning flashersAudio systemClimate system controlsWindshield wiper/washer leverAudio control buttons in steering wheelInstrument panel
HornCruise control buttons in steering wheelTurn signals, High/low beams, READ-but-
tonParking brake pedalParking brake release handleReading lightsCourtesy lightMoonroof control (option)Seat belt reminderRearview mirror
Control panel in the driver's door
G029570
Central locking buttonLockout switch for rear seat power win-
dowsPower window controlsDoor mirror controls

02 Instruments and controlsCenter console controls
0260
G026944
Active Bi-Xenon headlights (ABL) –
option
The beams of ABL headlights
adjust laterally to help light up a
curve according to movements
of the steering wheel when the
vehicle is turning. This function
is activated automatically when
the engine is started and can be deactivated/
reactivated by pressing the button. The indica-
tor light in the button is on when the function is
activated, also see page 63.
Rear seat air conditioning (option)
This button controls the
optional rear seat air condition-
ing system on seven-seat mod-
els.
Folding door mirrors (option)
Press the button and release it
to fold the door mirrors in or
out. On certain models, when
the button is pressed, there
may be a long pause before the
mirrors move. Pressing the but-
ton again during this pause may erase your first
button press. If this happens, wait ten seconds
and press the button one more time.
The mirrors cannot be adjusted during the first
ten seconds after they have been folded out.

02 Instruments and controls
Lighting panel
02``
*Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
63
3501866mG027132
Headlight/parking light switchFront fog lightsRear fog lightInstrument panel lightingFuel filler door unlock button
Parking lightsThe front and rear parking lights can be turned
on even when the ignition is switched off.•
Turn switch (1) to position
.
The license plate lights also illuminate when the
parking lights are switched on.
Headlights1.
Turn the ignition key to position II.
2. The low beam headlights (daytime running
lights) illuminate automatically, except
when the light switch (1) is in position
1.
For information on switching between high and
low beams, see page 66.
NOTE
Active Bi-Xenon
Ÿ headlights*: Turn the
headlight switch to position 0 to activate a
daylight sensor, which automatically
switches the low beams on or off, depend-
ing on ambient light conditions. When driv-
ing in daylight, the headlights will switch off
and the daytime running lights will come on.
In darkness, the daytime running lights will
switch off and the Active Bi-Xenon
Ÿ head-
lights will switch on.
G020789
Active Bi-Xenon
Ÿ headlight beams
1On Canadian models, the daytime running lights will remain on with the light switch in this position.

02 Instruments and controlsLighting panel
0264
Active Bi-Xenon
Ÿ headlights (ABL)—
option
When the ABL function is activated, the head-
light beams adjust laterally to help light up a
curve according to movements of the steering
wheel (see the right-pointing beam in the illus-
tration).
This function is activated automatically when
the engine is started and can be deactivated/
reactivated by pressing the ABL button (see
page 60.Fog lightsFront fog lights (option)The front fog lights can be used in combination
with either the headlights or the parking lights.•
Turn the ignition key to position II.
•
Press button (2) to turn on the front fog
lights.
An indicator light in the button illuminates when
the front fog lights are on.
Rear fog lightThe single rear fog light is located in the driver's
side of the vehicle.
The rear fog light will only function in combi-
nation with the high/low beam headlights or the
optional front fog lights.
•
Turn the ignition key to position II.
•
Press button (3) to turn on the rear fog light.
An indicator light in the button illuminates when
the rear fog light is on.NOTE
The rear fog light is considerably brighter
than the normal tail lights and should be
used only when conditions such as fog, rain,
snow, smoke or dust reduce visibility for
other vehicles to less than 500 ft.
(150 meters).Instrument panel lightingThe instrument panel lighting illuminates when
the ignition key is in position II and the light
switch (1) is in either position
or
.
•
Move the thumb wheel (4) up to increase
brightness or down to decrease bright-
ness.
Unlocking the fuel filler doorPress button (5) when the vehicle is at a stand-
still to unlock the fuel filler door. Please note
that the fuel filler door will remain unlocked until
the vehicle begins to move forward. An audible
click will be heard when the fuel filler door
relocks.
NOTE
If the fuel filler door does not unlock after the
button has been pressed, drive the vehicle
at a speed of at least 5 mph (8 km/h), stop
the vehicle, and press the button again.For information on unlocking the fuel filler door
manually, see page 65.

02 Instruments and controlsLeft-side steering wheel lever
0266
Lever positions
G026954
Turn signals, lane change positionTurn signals, position for normal turnsHigh beam flashToggle between high and low beams,
Home Safe lighting
Turn signalsWhen turningMove the lever as far up or down as possible
(to position 2) to start the turn signals. The turn
signals will be cancelled automatically by the
movement of the steering wheel, or the lever
can be returned to its initial position by hand.When changing lanesThe driver can automatically flash the turn sig-
nals 3 times by:•
Moving the turn signal lever up or down to
position (1) and releasing it.
•
Moving the lever up or down to position (2)
and immediately back to its original posi-
tion.NOTE
•
This automatic flashing sequence can
be interrupted by immediately moving
the lever in the opposite direction.
•
If the turn signal indicator flashes faster
than normal, check for a burned-out
turn signal bulb.
High/low beam headlightsContinuous high beams1.
Turn the ignition key to position II.
2. With the light switch (1) in position
, (see page 63) pull the turn signal
lever toward the steering wheel (position 4)
to toggle between high and low beams
(this also applies on models equipped with
the optional Active Bi-Xenon
Ÿ headlights).
High beam flash1.
Turn the ignition key to position II.
2. Pull the turn signal lever to position (3). The
high beams will remain on until the lever is
released.Home safe lightingWhen you leave your vehicle at night, you can
make use of the home safe lighting function to
illuminate the area in front of the vehicle.
1. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
2. Pull the direction indicator lever as far as
possible towards the steering wheel (to
position 4) and release it.
3. Exit the vehicle and lock the doors.
The headlights and parking lights will illuminate
and remain on for 30
1, 60 or 90 seconds. The
1Factory setting

02 Instruments and controlsRight-side steering wheel lever
0268
Windshield wipers
G026953
Thumb wheelRain sensor on/off
Windshield wipers off
If the lever is in the 0 position and
you move it upwards, the wipers
will sweep one stroke at a time for
as long as you hold the lever up.
Single sweep position
Move the lever slightly upward
from the 0 position for one sweep
of the wipers. The lever returns
automatically to 0 when released.
Intermittent wiper function
With the lever in this position, you
can set the wiper interval by twist-
ing the control ring 1 upward to
increase wiper speed or down-
ward to decrease the speed.
Windshield washer/headlight washer
(certain models)When the lever is pulled to wash the wind-
shield, high pressure jets mounted in the
bumper will spray the headlights.
CAUTION
•
Use ample washer fluid when washing
the windshield to avoid scratching the
glass. The windshield should be thor-
oughly wet when the wipers are in oper-
ation.
•
Before using the wipers, ice and snow
should be removed from the wind-
shield/rear window. Be sure the wiper
blades are not frozen in place.
•
To conserve washer fluid in driving condi-
tions where the windshield washers are
used frequently, the headlights will only be
washed once for every five times the wind-
shield is washed within a 10-minute period.
•
A short pull on the lever will wash the wind-
shield only.
•
When approximately 1 US quart (1 liter)
remains in the washer fluid reservoir, the
headlights will not be washed when the
lever is pulled to conserve washer fluid for
the windshield.
Continuous wiper functionTop arrow: normal speed
Bottom arrows: higher speed

02 Instruments and controlsMirrors
0280
Rearview mirror
G026660
To reduce glare from the headlights of follow-
ing vehicles, use the control to switch between
the normal and night-driving positions.
Normal positionNight position, reduces glare from follow-
ing headlights
Autodim function (option)The autodim function reacts to headlights from
following traffic and automatically reduces
glare.
NOTE
This function is automatically switched off
when the gear selector is placed in the
Reverse position.Rearview mirror with compass (option)
G026965
The upper left-hand corner of the rearview mir-
ror has an integrated display that shows the
compass direction toward which the car is
pointing. Eight different directions can be dis-
played:
N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W
and
NW
. The
display shows your car's orientation with
respect to true north.
If the compass is activated, it will be displayed
automatically when the ignition is in postilion IIor when the engine is running. The compass
can be switched off or on by pressing the inset
button on the rear side of the mirror (see the
inset illustration). This can be done with
straightened paperclip or similar object. The
button is recessed approximately 1 in. (2.5 cm)
in the mirror.
G026409
Magnetic zonesThe earth is divided into 15 magnetic zones.
The compass is initially set for the zone to
which the car was delivered, and should
always be adjusted if the car is driven to a new
magnetic zone. To do so:
1.
Switch the ignition to position II.

06 Starting and driving
Front/rear park assist (accessory/option)
06``147
G020294
Front/rear park assistThe park assist system is designed to assist
you when driving into parking spaces, garages,
etc. It utilizes four ultrasound sensors located
in one or both bumpers to measure the dis-
tance to a vehicle, object, or a person who may
be close to the front or rear of your vehicle.
Park assist is available in two versions:•
Rear bumper only
•
Front and rear bumpers
WARNING
Park Assist is an information system, NOT a
safety system. This system is designed to
be a supplementary aid when parking the
vehicle. It is not, however, intended to
replace the driver's attention and judge-
ment.FunctionThe system is activated automatically when the
vehicle is started. The indicator light in the but-
ton in the center console illuminates.•
The front park assist system is active from
the time the engine is started until the vehi-
cle exceeds a speed of approximately
10 mph (15 km/h). It is also active when the
vehicle is backing up.
•
Rear park assist is active when the engine
is running and reverse gear has been
selected.
Rear park assistThe distance monitored behind the vehicle is
approximately 5 ft (1.5 m). The signal comes
from the rear speakers.
The system must be deactivated when towing
a trailer, carrying bicycles in a rear-mounted
carrier, etc, which could trigger the rear park
assist system's sensors.
NOTE
Rear park assist is deactivated automati-
cally when towing a trailer if Volvo genuine
trailer wiring is used.Front park assistThe distance monitored in front of the vehicle
is approximately 2.5 ft (0.8 m). The audible sig-
nal comes from the audio system's front
speakers.•
It may not be possible to combine auxiliary
headlights and front park assist since
these lights could trigger the system's sen-
sors.
Activating/deactivating park assistThe system is activated automatically when the
vehicle is started.•
Press the Park assist button on the center
console (see page 60) to temporarily deac-
tivate the system(s). The indicator light in
the button will go out when the system has
been deactivated.
•
Park assist will be automatically reactiva-
ted the next time the engine is started, or if
the button is pressed (the indicator light in
the button will illuminate).

06 Starting and drivingBlind Spot Information System
06160
When you pass another vehicle:
The system reacts when you pass another
vehicle at a speed of up to 6 mph (10 km/h)
faster than that vehicle.
When you are passed by another vehicle:
The system reacts if your vehicle is passed by
another vehicle at a speed of up to 43 mph
(70 km/h) faster than your vehicle.
WARNING
•
BLIS does not function in sharp curves.
•
BLIS does not function when your vehi-
cle is backing up.
•
If you are towing a wide trailer, this may
prevent the BLIS cameras from detect-
ing other vehicles in adjacent lanes.
How BLIS functions in daylight and
darknessDaylight
BLIS reacts to the shape of surrounding vehi-
cles. The system is designed to help detect
motor vehicles such as cars, trucks, buses,
motorcycles, etc.
Darkness
BLIS reacts to the headlights of surrounding
vehicles. In order to be detected by BLIS, avehicle in the blind area must have its head-
lights on. This means, for example, that the
system will not detect a trailer without head-
lights that is being towed behind a car or truck.
WARNING
•
BLIS does not react to cyclists or
mopeds.
•
BLIS does not react to vehicles that are
standing still.
•
The function of the BLIS cameras may
be affected by intense light, or when
driving at night in areas where there are
no external sources of light (e.g., street
lights, other vehicles, etc.). In such
cases, the system may react as if the
cameras were obscured.
•
In both of the above mentioned condi-
tions, a message will appear in the infor-
mation display.
•
When driving in such conditions, the
system can be temporarily switched off.
For instructions, see page 161.
•
When the message is no longer dis-
played, BLIS will return to normal func-
tion.
•
The BLIS cameras have the same limi-
tation as the human eye. In other words,
their "vision is impaired" by adverse
weather conditions such as heavy
snowfall, dense fog, etc.