steering wheel VOLVO XC90 2012 Owner´s Manual

02 Instruments and controls
Lighting panel
02
68* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
Active Bending Lights (ABL)*
When this function is activated, the headlight
beams adjust laterally to help light up a curve
according to movements of the steering wheel
(see the right-pointing beam in the illustration).
The ABL function is activated automatically
when the engine is started and can be deacti-
vated/reactivated by pressing the button in the
center console (see page 64.
Fog lights
Front fog lights*The front fog lights can be used in combination
with either the headlights or the parking lights.
1.
Turn the ignition key to position II.
2. 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.
1.
Turn the ignition key to position II.2. 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 lighting
The 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 door
Press 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 69.

02 Instruments and controls
Left-side steering wheel lever
02
70
Lever positions
G026954
Turn signals, lane change position
Turn signals, position for normal turns
High beam flash
Toggle between high and low beams,
Home Safe lighting
Turn signals
When 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 headlights
Continuous high beams1.
Turn the ignition key to position II.
2.
With the light switch in position
, (see
page 67) pull the turn signal lever toward
the steering wheel to toggle between high
and low beams.
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 leaving your vehicle at night, home safe
lighting can illuminate the area in front of the
vehicle.
1. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
2. Pull the turn signal lever as far as possible
toward the steering wheel 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
time interval can be changed by a trained and
qualified Volvo service technician.
1Factory setting

02 Instruments and controls
Right-side steering wheel lever
02

71 Windshield wipers
G026953
Thumb wheel
Rain sensor on/off
Windshield wipers offIf 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 positionMove the lever slightly upward
from the 0 position for one sweep
of the wipers. The lever returns
automatically to 0 when released.
Intermittent wiper functionWith 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 controls
Right-side steering wheel lever
02
72* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
Tailgate wiper/washer
G027127
Intermittent wiping: Press the upper
section of the switch
Neutral position: The wiper is switched
off
Normal (continuous) wiping: Press the
lower section of the switch
Move the lever forward to start the tailgate
washer. After washing the rear window, the
wiper will make several additional sweeps.
Tailgate wiper and reverse gearIf the front wipers are on and the transmission
is put into reverse gear, the tailgate wiper will
go into intermittent wiping function
1.
If the tailgate wiper is already in normal wiping
function, the normal wiping function will con-
tinue.
Rain sensor*
The rain sensor automatically regulates wiper
speed according to the amount of water on the
windshield.
The sensitivity of the sensor can be adjusted
by twisting ring (1) up (the wipers will sweep the
windshield more frequently) or down (the wip-
ers will sweep the windshield less frequently).
Activating the rain sensor:1.
Turn the ignition key to at least position I
and put the windshield wiper lever in posi-
tion 0.
2. Press button (2), see page 71.
> A light in the button will light up to indi-
cate that the rain sensor is active.
Deactivating the rain sensor:
•Press button (2), see page 71.
or
•Move the windshield wiper lever down to
another position. Moving the lever up will
not deactivate the rain sensor. Doing so
will cause the wipers to sweep the wind-
shield until the lever is released, at which
time the wipers return to rain sensor mode.
The rain sensor is also deactivated when the
key is removed from the ignition.
CAUTION
The rain sensor should be deactivated when
washing the vehicle in an automatic car
wash, etc. If the rain sensor function is left
on, the wipers will start inadvertently in the
car wash and could be damaged.
1Consult your Volvo retailer if you would like to have this function deactivated.

02 Instruments and controls
Right-side steering wheel lever
02
* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.73 IR-reflecting windshield*
Section of the windshield where the IR-coating is
not applied
An optional factory-installed infrared (IR) coa-
ting can be applied to the windshield to help
protect the cabin from the sun's heat and the
fading effect of sunlight on upholstery, panels,
etc.
Electronic equipment such as garage door
openers, electronic toll tags and similar devi-
ces should not be placed on sections of the
windshield with the IR coating because this
could affect their function and limit their range.
For best performance, place the device on the
section of the windshield without the IR coating
(see the area marked in the illustration).

02 Instruments and controls
Cruise control
02

77 Engaging the cruise control function
G027098
The cruise control panel is located on the left
side of the steering wheel hub.
NOTE
This does not set the vehicle's speed.
1.
Press the CRUISE button.
>
CRUISE will be displayed in the infor-
mation window in the instrument panel.
2.
Press + or – to set the current speed.
>
CRUISE-ON will be displayed in the
information window in the instrument
panel.
Increasing or decreasing speed
G027139
Use + or – in the following ways to increase or
decrease the vehicle's speed:
1.
Press and hold down + or – until the vehicle
reaches the desired speed.
2.
Press + or – for approximately a half sec-
ond and release the button to increase or
decrease vehicle speed by approximately
1 mph (1.6 km/h).
NOTE
Cruise control will not function at speeds
below 20 mph. (30 km/h).
Braking
•Cruise control is automatically disengaged
when the brake pedal is depressed. The
currently set speed is stored in memory.
•Pressing resume will return the vehicle
to the previously set speed.
AccelerationMomentary acceleration, such as when pass-
ing another vehicle, does not affect cruise con-
trol operation. The vehicle will automatically
return to the previously set speed when you
release the accelerator pedal.
Disengaging cruise controlTo disengage cruise control, press the
CRUISE button. CRUISE or CRUISE-ON will
no longer be displayed in the information win-
dow in the instrument panel.
NOTE
Cruise control is automatically disengaged
if:
•the engine is switched off
•the gear selector is placed in (N) Neutral
•the wheels start to spin or lock
•if an increase in speed is maintained for
more than one minute
•if the vehicle's speed falls below
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h).

05 Locks and alarm
Locking and unlocking
05
128
G029646
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
the inside
The switch on the driver's door armrest can be
used to lock or unlock all doors and the tail-
gate, and to set the alarm.
Each door can also be locked with the lock
button on the respective door and opened by
pulling the door handle on the door.
Alternative locking when parkingThe central locking button on the driver's door
can also be used to lock the vehicle when you
leave it. To do so:
1. Open the door.2. Press the lock section of the button.
3. Close the door. This will lock the vehicle
completely and arm the alarm.
NOTE
Please be aware that locking the vehicle in
this way makes it possible to lock the
remote key in the passenger compartment.
To help avoid this, lock the vehicle from the
outside by pressing the lock button on the
remote key.
If the vehicle is locked using the central
locking button, be sure that the remote key
is in your possession before closing the
door.
Automatic lockingThe function locks the doors automatically
when the vehicle's speed exceeds approxi-
mately 5 mph (7 km/h). The doors will then
remain locked until a door in opened from the
inside or if all of the doors are unlocked from
the control panel in the driver's door.
This function can be activated/deactivated
from the control panel in the driver's door.
Activating/deactivating automatic
locking
1.
Turn the ignition key to position I or II.2.
Press the READ button on the left-side
steering wheel lever to erase any mes-
sages that may be displayed in the infor-
mation display.
3. Depress the central locking button on the
control panel until a new message about
the locking status is displayed.
The message
AUTOLOCK ON (the doors will
be locked when the vehicle begins to move) or
AUTOLOCK OFF will be displayed.
ATTENTIONPakjdskdl ioiuip kjöpp opoodidåuswi
CSOUND
MENU
80
ENTERLSEEEXITMY KEYRTO
AIRBAG
G027025
Locking the glove compartmentThe glove compartment can be locked with the
master key.

132* Option/accessory, for more information, see Introduction.
General information............................................................................... 134
Fuel requirements................................................................................. 135
Refueling............................................................................................... 137
Starting the vehicle............................................................................... 139
Ignition switch and steering wheel lock................................................ 141
Economical driving................................................................................ 142
Difficult driving conditions..................................................................... 143
Automatic transmission........................................................................ 144
Jump starting........................................................................................ 147
All Wheel Drive*..................................................................................... 148
Brake system........................................................................................ 149
Parking brake........................................................................................ 152
Stability system..................................................................................... 153
Front/rear park assist*........................................................................... 155
Towing.................................................................................................. 157
Towing a trailer...................................................................................... 159
Detachable trailer hitch......................................................................... 162
Load carriers (accessory)...................................................................... 163
Cold weather precautions..................................................................... 164
Before a long distance trip.................................................................... 165
Blind Spot Information System*............................................................ 166

06 Starting and driving
Fuel requirements
06
136
WARNING
Driving with the tailgate open: Driving with
the tailgate open could lead to poisonous
exhaust gases entering the passenger com-
partment.
•If the tailgate must be kept open for any
reason, proceed as follows:
•Close the windows
•Set the ventilation system control to air
flow to floor, windshield and side win-
dows and blower control to its highest
setting.
Gasoline containing alcohol and ethers,
"Oxygenated fuels"
Some fuel suppliers sell gasoline containing
"oxygenates" which are usually alcohols or
ethers. In some areas, state or local laws
require that the service pump be marked indi-
cating use of alcohols or ethers. However,
there are areas in which the pumps are
unmarked. If you are not sure whether there is
alcohol or ethers in the gasoline you buy, check
with the service station operator. To meet sea-
sonal air quality standards, some areas require
the use of "oxygenated" fuel.
Volvo allows the use of the following "oxygen-
ated" fuels; however, the octane ratings listed
on page 135 must still be met.
Alcohol – EthanolFuels containing up to 10% ethanol by volume
may be used. Ethanol may also be referred to
as Ethyl alcohol, or "Gasohol".
Ethers – MTBE: Fuels containing up to
15% MTBE may be used.
MethanolDo not use gasolines containing methanol
(methyl alcohol, wood alcohol). This practice
can result in vehicle performance deterioration
and can damage critical parts in the fuel sys-
tem. Such damage may not be covered under
the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Weight distribution affects handlingAt the specified curb weight your vehicle has a
tendency to understeer, which means that the
steering wheel has to be turned more than
might seem appropriate for the curvature of a
bend.
This ensures good stability and reduces the
risk of rear wheel skid. Remember that these
properties can alter with the vehicle load.
The heavier the load in the cargo area, the less
the tendency to understeer.
Handling, roadholdingVehicle load, tire design and inflation pressure
all affect vehicle handling. Therefore, check
that the tires are inflated to the recommendedpressure according to the vehicle load. See
"Tire pressure" section.
Loads should be distributed so that capacity
weight or maximum permissible axle loads are
not exceeded.
Conserving electrical currentKeep the following in mind to help minimize
battery drain:
•When the engine is not running, avoid turn-
ing the ignition key to position II (see
page 141). Many electrical systems (the
audio system, the optional infotainment/
navigation systems, power windows, etc)
will function with the ignition key in position
I. This position reduces drain on the bat-
tery.
•Please keep in mind that using systems,
accessories, etc that consume a great deal
of current when the engine is not running
could result in the battery being completely
drained. Driving or having the engine run-
ning for approximately 15 minutes will help
keep the battery charged.
NOTE
A warning message will be displayed in the
text window in the instrument panel when
the battery charge is low.

06 Starting and driving
Starting the vehicle
06

139 Starting the engine
WARNING
Before starting, check that the seat, steering
wheel and mirrors are adjusted properly.
Make sure the brake pedal can be
depressed completely. Adjust the seat if
necessary, see page 104.
1. Fasten the seat belt.
2. Apply the parking brake (hand brake) if not
already set. The gear selector is locked in
the P position (SHIFTLOCK).
3. Without touching the accelerator pedal,
turn the ignition key
1 to the starting posi-
tion. Allow the starter to operate for up to
10 seconds. Release the key as soon as
the engine starts
2. If the engine fails to
start, repeat this step.
WARNING
•Never use more the one floor mat at one
time on the driver's floor. An extra mat
on the driver's floor can cause the
accelerator and/or brake pedal to
catch. Check that the movement of
these pedals is not impeded.
•Volvo's floor mats are specially manu-
factured for your car. They must be
firmly secured in the clips on the floor so
that they cannot slide and become trap-
ped under the pedals on the driver's
side.
NOTE
•If the key blade section of the remote is
not fully folded out when starting the
vehicle, the immobilizer function may
make it impossible to start the engine.
•After a cold start, idle speed may be
noticeably higher than normal for a
short period. This is done to help bring
components in the emission control
system to their normal operating tem-
perature as quickly as possible, which
enables them to control emissions and
help reduce the vehicle's impact on the
environment.
•To release the gear selector from the P
(Park) position, the engine must be run-
ning (or the ignition key must be in posi-
tion II) and the brake pedal must be
depressed.
•Select the desired gear. The gear
engages after a very slight delay which
is especially noticeable when selecting
R.
1If two of the keys to your vehicle are close together, e.g. on the same key ring when you try to start the vehicle, this could cause interference in the immobilizer system and result in the vehicle not
starting. If this should occur, remove one of the keys from the key ring before trying to start the vehicle again.
2On vehicles equipped with the autostart feature, release the key immediately. See also page 141.