belt VOLVO 850 1996 Owners Manual

1996 Volvo 850
850 Owner's Manual VOLVO 850
1 9 9 6
This manual deals with the operation and care of your Volvo.

Welcome to the world-wide family of Volvo owners. We trust that you will\
enjoy many years of safe
driving in your Volvo, an automobile designed with your safety and comfo\
rt in mind. To help ensure
your satisfaction with this vehicle, we encourage you to familiarize you\
rself with the equipment
descriptions, operating instructions and maintenance requirements/recomm\
endations in this manual. We
also urge you and your passengers to wear seat belts at all times in thi\
s (or any other) automobile. And,
of course, please do not operate a vehicle if you may be affected by alc\
ohol, medication or any
impairment that could hinder your ability to drive.

Your Volvo is designed to meet all applicable safety and emission standa\
rds, as evidenced by the
certification labels attached to the driver's door opening and on the le\
ft wheel housing in the engine
compartment.

Contents
Instruments and controls ... 1
Body and interior .. 2
Occupant safety, Reporting safety defects ... 3
Starting and driving ... 4
Wheels and tires ... 5
In case of emergency ... 6
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1996 Volvo 850
21 Traction Control System (option)
22 Malfunction indicator lamp
(See
page 1:4 for more information)
23 (Not in use)

* Warning light is amber.
pg. 1:4 Warning lights
The warning lights described on pages
1:4 and 1:5 should never stay on when driving

When the ignition key is turned on, and before the engine starts, all of\
the warning lights should be on to test the function of the
bulbs. Should a light not go off after the engine has started, the syste\
m indicated should be inspected. However, the parking brake
reminder light will not go off until the parking brake is fully released\
.


Generator warning light
If the light comes on while the engine is running, check the tension of \
the generator drive belt as soon as possible.


Malfunction indicator lamp
If the lamp comes on (or stays on after the vehicle has started), the \
engine diagnostic system has detected a possible fault in the
emission control system. Although driveability may not be affected, see \
an authorized Volvo retailer as soon as possible for
inspection.

NOTE: if the fuel filler cap is not closed tightly or if the engine is r\
unning when the car is refueled, the Malfunction Indicator
Lamp may indicate a fault. Use only Volvo original or approved fuel fill\
er caps.


Oil pressure warning light
If the light comes on while driving, the oil pressure is too low. Stop t\
he car and then stop the engine immediately and check the
engine oil level. See the section titled "Engine oil". If the light stay\
s on after restart, have the car towed to the nearest authorized
Volvo retailer. After hard driving, the light may come on occasionally w\
hen the engine is idling. This is normal, provided it goes
off when the engine speed is increased.


Parking brake reminder light
This light will be on when the parking brake (hand brake) is applied. \
The parking brake lever is situated between the front seats.
Canadian models are equipped with this warning light:

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1996 Volvo 850

Spare tire and jack

The spare tire and the jack are located beneath the floor mat in the lar\
ge storage bin. Always secure the
spare tire and the jack to prevent them from rattling (see illustration\
).

NOTE:
See pages 6:2-6:3 for information on how the jack should be used.
pg. 2:16 Folding rear seat (sedan)

Folding rear seat

The rear seat is split into two sections so that each section can be fol\
ded independently.
l Lift the rear seat belts to the fixed section of the backrest. The cente\
r seat belt can also be folded
across the fixed part of the backrest so that it does not get in the way\
if the right-hand backrest is folded
down (see illustration above).
l Pull the catch forward and fold the backrest down.

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1996 Volvo 850

Locking levers

The two red levers on the rear side of the backrests can be used to bypa\
ss the folding mechanism and
prevent the backrests from being folded down from inside the car. Push t\
he levers down to lock the
backrests in the upright position. This function can be used to limit ac\
cess to the trunk.
l When folding the backrests up, make sure the seat belts return to their \
normal positions.

WARNING! When the backrest is returned to the upright position, check th\
at it is properly locked in
place.

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1996 Volvo 850
l Check that the hooks under the seat cushions engage the holes on the top\
edge of the backrest.
When the backrest is raised, the outboard head restraints return to thei\
r normal positions.


The backrest must lock into place. The red lock indicator will not be vi\
sible if the seat has locked into
place correctly.
The seat belts must be correctly positioned when the seat is returned to\
the normal position.

WARNING! When the rear seat is folded down, do not place heavy objects a\
gainst the backs of the
front seat. This places a severe strain on the folded down backrest of t\
he rear seat. Be sure to secure
cargo. Cargo must not be stacked higher than the top of seatbacks. This \
will reduce the possibility of
luggage, etc. becoming projectiles during sudden maneuvers, rapid brakin\
g or an accident.

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1996 Volvo 850
Occupant safety
pg. 3:1 Occupant safety
Occupant safety

3:2 Seat belts
3:4Volvo SRS
3:8Side Impact Protection System - (SIPS) air bag
3:9Child safety
3:13Occupant safety
3:13Reporting Safety Defects

Despite our strongest recommendations, and your best intentions, not wea\
ring a seat belt is like
believing "It'll never happen to me!". Volvo urges you and all adult occ\
upants of your car to wear seat
belts and ensure that children are properly restrained, using an infant,\
car or booster seat determined by
age, weight and height.
Fact: In every state and province, some type of child-restraint legislat\
ion has been passed. Additionally,
most states and provinces have already made it mandatory for occupants o\
f a car to use seat belts.
So, urging you to "buckle up" is not just our recommendation - legislati\
on in your state or province may
mandate seat belt usage. The few seconds it takes to buckle up may one d\
ay allow you to say, "It's a
good thing I was wearing my seat belt".

pg. 3:2 Seat belts
Seat belts

Always fasten the seat belts before you drive or ride.
Two lights above the rear view mirror will be illuminated for 4-8 second\
s after the starting (ignition) key
is turned to the driving position. A chime will sound at the same time i\
f the driver has not fastened his
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1996 Volvo 850
seat belt. The rear seats are provided with self-retracting inertia reel\
belts. The front seats are provided
with single roller belts with tensioners.

To buckle:
Pull the belt out far enough to insert the latch plate into the receptac\
le (buckle for rear seats) until a
distinct snapping sound is heard. The seat belt retractor is normally "u\
nlocked" and you can move freely,
provided that the shoulder belt is not pulled out too far. The retractor\
will lock up as follows:
l if the belt is pulled out rapidly
l during braking and acceleration
l if the vehicle is leaning excessively
l when driving in turns


For the seat belt to provide maximum protection in the event of an accid\
ent, it must be worn correctly.
When wearing the seat belt remember:
l The belt should not be twisted or turned.
l The lap belt must be positioned low on the hips (not pressing against t\
he abdomen).
l The shoulder section of the front seat belts adjusts automatically to th\
e driver's height.
Make sure that the shoulder belt is rolled up into its retractor and tha\
t the shoulder and lap belts are taut.
Before exiting the car, check that the seat belt retracts fully after be\
ing unbuckled.
If necessary, guide the belt back into the retractor slot.

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1996 Volvo 850
NOTE: Legislation in your state or province may mandate seat belt usage.\

WARNING! Any device used to induce slack into the shoulder belt portion \
of the three-point belt
system will have a detrimental effect on the amount of protection availa\
ble to you in the event of a
collision. The seat back should not be tilted too far back. The shoulder\
belt must be taut in order to
function properly.
pg. 3:3 Seat belts

During pregnancy

Pregnant women should always wear seat belts. Remember that the belt sho\
uld always be positioned in
such a way as to avoid any possible pressure on the abdomen. The lap por\
tion of the belt should be
located low, as shown in the above illustration.
WARNING! Never use a seat belt for more than one occupant. Never wear th\
e shoulder portion of the
belt under the arm, behind the back or otherwise out of position. Such u\
se could cause injury in event
of accident. As the seat belts lose much of their strength when exposed \
to violent stretching, they
should be replaced after any collision, even though they may appear to b\
e undamaged. Never repair
the belt on your own; have this done by an authorized Volvo retailer onl\
y.

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1996 Volvo 850
pg. 3:4 Volvo SRS


As an enhancement to the three-point seat belt system, your Volvo is equ\
ipped with a Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS). The Volvo SRS consists of airbags (2) and kn\
ee bolsters (5) on both the driver's
and passenger's sides and seat belt tensioners in both front door pillar\
s (4). The system is designed to
supplement the protection provided by the three-point seat belt system. \

The SRS system is indicated by the "SRS" embossed on the steering wheel \
pad and above the glove
compartment, the knee bolsters beneath the steering column and the glove\
compartment and decals on
both sun visors and on the far right side of the dash.

The airbags are folded and located in the center of the steering wheel a\
nd above the glove compartment.
They are designed to deploy during certain frontal-angular collisions, i\
mpacts, or decelerations,
depending on the crash severity, angle, speed and object impacted. Both \
air bags and seat belt tensioners
will deploy, even if the passenger seat is not occupied.
WARNING! As its name implies, SRS is designed to be a SUPPLEMENT to - no\
t a replacement for -
the three-point belt system. The airbag is designed not to be released i\
n the event of a side or rear-end
collision, or during a rollover situation. For maximum protection, wear \
seat belts at all times. Be aware
that no system can prevent all possible injuries that may occur in an ac\
cident.

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1996 Volvo 850

The airbag system includes gas generators (1) surrounded by the airbag\
s (2) and front seat belt
tensioners for both of the front seats (4). To deploy the system, the \
sensor (3) activates the gas
generators causing the airbags to be inflated with nitrogen gas. As the \
movement of the seat's occupants
compresses the airbags, some of the gas is expelled at a controlled rate\
to provide better cushioning.
Both seat belt tensioners also deploy, minimizing any seat belt slack.

The entire process, including inflation and deflation of the airbags, ta\
kes approximately two-tenths of a
second.
WARNING! When installing any optional equipment make sure that the SRS s\
ystem is not damaged.
Do not attempt to service any component of the SRS yourself. Attempting \
to do so may result in
serious personal injury. If a problem arises, take your car to the neare\
st authorized Volvo Retailer for
inspection as soon as possible.
pg. 3:5 Volvo SRS
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