traction control VOLVO S80 2008 Owners Manual

5 Contents
This page left intentionally blank.
6 Introduction
Important information
Points to keep in mind
Before you operate your vehicle for the first time, please familiarize yourself with the information in chapter 3.
Information contained in the balance of the manual is extremely useful and should be read after operating the
vehicle for the first time.
The manual is structured so that it can be used for reference. For this reason, it should be kept in the vehicle for
ready access.
Do not export your Volvo to another country before investigating that country's applicable safety and emission
control requirements. In some cases it may be difficult or impossible to comply with these requirements. Modifications
to the emission control system(s) may render your Volvo not certifiable for legal operation in the U.S., Canada and
other countries.
All information, illustrations and specifications contained in this manual are based on the latest product information
available at the time of publication. This information is subject to change without prior notice. Please note that some
vehicles may be equipped differently, depending on special legal requirements. Optional equipment described in this
manual may not be available in all markets.
Volvo reserves the right to make model changes at any time, or to change specifications or design without notice
and without incurring obligation
WARNING
If your vehicle is involved in an accident, unseen damage may affect its drivability and safety.
Vehicle event data (Black box)
Your vehicle's driving and safety systems employ computers that monitor, and share with each other, information about
your vehicle's operation. One or more of these computers may store what they monitor, either during normal vehicle
operation or in a crash or near-crash event. Stored information may be read and used by:
Volvo Car Corporation
service and repair facilities
law enforcement or government agencies
others who may assert a legal right to know, or who obtain your consent to know such information.
7 Introduction
Important warnings
Driver distraction
A driver has a responsibility to do everything possible to ensure his or her own safety and the safety of passengers in
the vehicle and others sharing the roadway. Avoiding distractions is part of that responsibility.

Driver distraction results from driver activities that are not directly related to controlling the vehicle in the driving
environment. Your new Volvo is, or can be, equipped with many feature-rich entertainment and communication
systems. These include hands-free cellular telephones, navigation systems, and multipurpose audio systems. You may
also own other portable electronic devices for your own convenience. When used properly and safely, they enrich the
driving experience. Improperly used, any of these could cause a distraction.
For all of these systems, we want to provide the following warning that reflects the strong Volvo concern for your
safety:
Never use these devices or any feature of your vehicle in a way that distracts you from the task of driving safely.
Distraction can lead to a serious accident. In addition to this general warning, we offer the following guidance
regarding specific newer features that may be found in your vehicle:
Never use a hand -held cellular telephone while driving. Some jurisdictions prohibit cellular telephone use by a
driver while the vehicle is moving.
If your vehicle is equipped with a navigation system, set and make changes to your travel itinerary only with the
vehicle parked.
Never program your audio system while the vehicle is moving. Program radio presets with the vehicle parked, and
use your programmed presets to make radio use quicker and simpler.
Never use portable computers or personal digital assistants while the vehicle is moving.
Accessory installation
We strongly recommend that Volvo owners install only genuine, Volvo-approved accessories, and that accessory
installations be performed only by a trained and qualified Volvo service technician.
Genuine Volvo accessories are tested to ensure compatibility with the performance, safety, and emission systems in
your vehicle. Additionally, a trained and qualified Volvo service technician knows where accessories may and may not
be safely installed in your Volvo. In all cases, please consult a trained and qualified Volvo service technician before
installing any accessory in or on your vehicle.
Accessories that have not been approved by Volvo may or may not be specifically tested for compatibility with your
vehicle. Additionally, an inexperienced installer may not be familiar with some of your car's systems.
Any of your car's performance and safety systems could be adversely affected if you install accessories that Volvo
has not tested, or if you allow accessories to be installed by someone unfamiliar with your vehicle.
Damage caused by unapproved or improperly installed accessories may not be covered by your new vehicle
warranty. See your Warranty and Service Records
8 Introduction
Important warnings
Information booklet for more warranty information. Volvo assumes no responsibility for death, injury, or expenses that
may result from the installation of non-genuine accessories.
9 Introduction
Environment
Volvo and the environment
Volvo is committed to the well being of its customers. As a natural part of this commitment, we care about the
environment in which we all live. Caring for the environment means an everyday involvement in reducing our
environmental impact. Volvo's environmental activities are based on a holistic view, which means we consider the
overall environmental impact of a product throughout its complete life cycle. In this context, design, production,
product use, and recycling are all important considerations. In production, Volvo has partly or completely phased out
several chemicals including CFCs, lead chromates, asbestos, and cadmium; and reduced the number of chemicals used

5 Contents
This page left intentionally blank.
6 Introduction
Important information
Points to keep in mind
Before you operate your vehicle for the first time, please familiarize yourself with the information in chapter 3.
Information contained in the balance of the manual is extremely useful and should be read after operating the
vehicle for the first time.
The manual is structured so that it can be used for reference. For this reason, it should be kept in the vehicle for
ready access.
Do not export your Volvo to another country before investigating that country's applicable safety and emission
control requirements. In some cases it may be difficult or impossible to comply with these requirements. Modifications
to the emission control system(s) may render your Volvo not certifiable for legal operation in the U.S., Canada and
other countries.
All information, illustrations and specifications contained in this manual are based on the latest product information
available at the time of publication. This information is subject to change without prior notice. Please note that some
vehicles may be equipped differently, depending on special legal requirements. Optional equipment described in this
manual may not be available in all markets.
Volvo reserves the right to make model changes at any time, or to change specifications or design without notice
and without incurring obligation
WARNING
If your vehicle is involved in an accident, unseen damage may affect its drivability and safety.
Vehicle event data (Black box)
Your vehicle's driving and safety systems employ computers that monitor, and share with each other, information about
your vehicle's operation. One or more of these computers may store what they monitor, either during normal vehicle
operation or in a crash or near-crash event. Stored information may be read and used by:
Volvo Car Corporation
service and repair facilities
law enforcement or government agencies
others who may assert a legal right to know, or who obtain your consent to know such information.
7 Introduction
Important warnings
Driver distraction
A driver has a responsibility to do everything possible to ensure his or her own safety and the safety of passengers in
the vehicle and others sharing the roadway. Avoiding distractions is part of that responsibility.

Driver distraction results from driver activities that are not directly related to controlling the vehicle in the driving
environment. Your new Volvo is, or can be, equipped with many feature-rich entertainment and communication
systems. These include hands-free cellular telephones, navigation systems, and multipurpose audio systems. You may
also own other portable electronic devices for your own convenience. When used properly and safely, they enrich the
driving experience. Improperly used, any of these could cause a distraction.
For all of these systems, we want to provide the following warning that reflects the strong Volvo concern for your
safety:
Never use these devices or any feature of your vehicle in a way that distracts you from the task of driving safely.
Distraction can lead to a serious accident. In addition to this general warning, we offer the following guidance
regarding specific newer features that may be found in your vehicle:
Never use a hand -held cellular telephone while driving. Some jurisdictions prohibit cellular telephone use by a
driver while the vehicle is moving.
If your vehicle is equipped with a navigation system, set and make changes to your travel itinerary only with the
vehicle parked.
Never program your audio system while the vehicle is moving. Program radio presets with the vehicle parked, and
use your programmed presets to make radio use quicker and simpler.
Never use portable computers or personal digital assistants while the vehicle is moving.
Accessory installation
We strongly recommend that Volvo owners install only genuine, Volvo-approved accessories, and that accessory
installations be performed only by a trained and qualified Volvo service technician.
Genuine Volvo accessories are tested to ensure compatibility with the performance, safety, and emission systems in
your vehicle. Additionally, a trained and qualified Volvo service technician knows where accessories may and may not
be safely installed in your Volvo. In all cases, please consult a trained and qualified Volvo service technician before
installing any accessory in or on your vehicle.
Accessories that have not been approved by Volvo may or may not be specifically tested for compatibility with your
vehicle. Additionally, an inexperienced installer may not be familiar with some of your car's systems.
Any of your car's performance and safety systems could be adversely affected if you install accessories that Volvo
has not tested, or if you allow accessories to be installed by someone unfamiliar with your vehicle.
Damage caused by unapproved or improperly installed accessories may not be covered by your new vehicle
warranty. See your Warranty and Service Records
8 Introduction
Important warnings
Information booklet for more warranty information. Volvo assumes no responsibility for death, injury, or expenses that
may result from the installation of non-genuine accessories.
9 Introduction
Environment
Volvo and the environment
Volvo is committed to the well being of its customers. As a natural part of this commitment, we care about the
environment in which we all live. Caring for the environment means an everyday involvement in reducing our
environmental impact. Volvo's environmental activities are based on a holistic view, which means we consider the
overall environmental impact of a product throughout its complete life cycle. In this context, design, production,
product use, and recycling are all important considerations. In production, Volvo has partly or completely phased out
several chemicals including CFCs, lead chromates, asbestos, and cadmium; and reduced the number of chemicals used

may need correcting. When this happens, please have your vehicle checked by a trained and qualified Volvo service
technician as soon as possible.
A malfunction indicator (CHECK ENGINE) light may have many causes. Sometimes, you may not notice a change in
your car's behavior. Even so, an uncorrected condition could hurt fuel economy, emission controls, and drivability.
Extended driving without correcting the cause could even damage other components in your vehicle.
Canadian models are equipped with this symbol:
Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) warning light
If the warning light comes on, there may be a malfunction in the ABS system (the standard braking system will still
function). Check the system by:
1. Stopping in a safe place and switching off the ignition.
76 03 Your driving environment
Instruments and controls
2. Restart the engine.
3. If the warning light goes off, no further action is required.
If the warning light remains on, the vehicle should be driven to a trained and qualified Volvo service technician for
inspection. See page 113
for additional information.
Canadian models are equipped with this symbol:
Rear fog light
This symbol indicates that the rear fog light (located in the driver's side tail light cluster) is on.
Stability system
This indicator symbol flashes when the DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control system) is actively working to
stabilize the vehicle. See page 151
for more detailed information.
Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) - option
This symbol illuminates to indicate that tire pressure in one or more tires is low. See page 242
for detailed information.
Low fuel level
When this light comes on, there are approximately 2.1 US gallons (8 liters) of fuel remaining in the tank.
Information symbol
The information symbol illuminates and a text message is displayed if a fault is detected in one of the vehicle's
systems. The message can be erased and the symbol can be turned off by pressing the READ button (see page 124
for
information) or this will take place automatically after a short time (the length of time varies, depending on the
function affected).
The information symbol may also illuminate together with other symbols.
High beam indicator

The door mirror will reset to its normal position:
after 10 seconds when reverse is disengaged and the car remains stopped.
immediately when reverse is disengaged and the vehicle's forward speed exceeds approximately 6 mph (10 km/h).
immediately if you press the corresponding L or R button again.
when the engine is turned off.
when the side mirrors are folded in.
NOTE
Only one mirror can be tilted down at a time.
Automatic retraction when locking
When the vehicle is locked/unlocked with the remote key the door mirrors are automatically retracted/extended.
The function can be activated/deactivated under Car settings
Retract mirrors
100 03 Your driving environment
Mirrors
when locking. For a description of the menu system, see page 123.
Resetting to neutral
Mirrors that have been moved out of position by an external force must be electrically reset to the neutral position for
electric retracting/extending to work.
Retract the mirrors with the L and R buttons.
Fold them out again with the L and R buttons.
The mirrors are now reset in neutral position.
Home safe and approach lighting
The light on the door mirrors comes on when approach lighting or home safe lighting is selected, see page 94
.
Rear window and door mirror defrosters
Use the defroster to quickly remove misting and ice from the rear window and the door mirrors.
Press the button once to start simultaneous rear window and door mirror defrosting. The light in the button indicates
that the function is active. Defrosting is deactivated automatically and its duration is controlled by the outside

Shiftlock override
If the vehicle cannot be driven, for example because of a dead battery, the gear selector must be moved from the P
position so that the vehicle can be moved
1.
Lift away the rubber mat on the floor of the storage compartment behind the center console and open the hatch.
Insert the key blade into the opening as far as possible. Press the key blade down and keep it held down. Move the
gear selector from the P position. For information on the key blade, see page 52
.
1If the battery is dead, the optional electric parking brake cannot be applied or released. Connect an auxiliary battery if the battery voltage is too
low, see page 109
.
112 03 Your driving environment
Transmission
All Wheel Drive - AWD1
Your Volvo can be equipped with permanent All Wheel Drive, which means that power is distributed automatically
between the front and rear wheels. Under normal driving conditions, most of the engine's power is directed to the front
wheels. However, if there is any tendency for the front wheels to spin, an electronically controlled coupling distributes
power to the wheels that have the best traction.
1Standard on certain models.
113 03 Your driving environment
Brakes
Brake system
The brake system is a hydraulic system consisting of two separate brake circuits. If a problem should occur in one of
these circuits, it is still possible to stop the vehicle with the other brake circuit.
If the brake pedal must be depressed farther than normal and requires greater foot pressure, the stopping distance will
be longer.
A warning light in the instrument panel will light up to warn the driver that a fault has occurred.
If this light comes on while driving or braking, stop immediately and check the brake fluid level in the reservoir.

150 04 Comfort and driving pleasure
Compass
4. The display will revert to showing the compass direction after several seconds.
151 04 Comfort and driving pleasure
Stability system
Introduction
The Dynamic Stability and Traction Control system (DSTC) consists of a number of functions designed help reduce
wheel spin, counteract skidding, and to generally help improve directional stability.
CAUTION
A pulsating sound will be audible when the system is actively operating and is normal.
Traction control (TC)
This function is designed to help reduce wheel spin by transferring power from a drive wheel that begins to lose
traction to the wheel on the opposite side of the vehicle (on the same axle).
TC is most active at low speeds.
This is one of DSTC's permanent functions and cannot be switched off.
Active Yaw Control (AYC)
This function helps maintain directional stability, for example when cornering, by braking one or more of the wheels if
the vehicle shows a tendency to skid or slide laterally.
This is one of DSTC's permanent functions and cannot be switched off.
Spin control (SC)
The spin control function is designed to help prevent the drive wheels from spinning while the vehicle is accelerating.
Under certain circumstances, such as when driving with snow chains, or driving in deep snow or loose sand, it may be
advisable to temporarily switch off this function for maximum tractive force.
WARNING
The car's handling and stability characteristics will be altered if the spin control function has been disabled.
Operation

The set speed, for example 55 mph, is then shown in parentheses. Speed and time interval are resumed by pressing .
WARNING
There may be a significant increase in speed after the
button has been pressed.
A short press on
in standby mode or a long press in active mode deactivates ACC.
The set speed is then cleared and cannot be resumed.
When ACC is activated, the vehicle's speed increases by approximately 1 mph (1 km/h) each additional time
is
pressed.
Deactivation due to action by the driver
ACC is deactivated:
when the brakes are applied
if the gear selector is moved to N
if the accelerator pedal is depressed for an extended period.
NOTE
If the accelerator pedal is only depressed for a short time, such as when passing another vehicle, ACC is deactivated
temporarily and is reactivated when the pedal is released.
Automatic deactivation
Adaptive cruise control is linked to other systems such as ABS, the stability and traction control system (DSTC) and
the Distance Alert system. If any of these systems are not functioning properly, adaptive cruise control is automatically
deactivated.
In the event of automatic deactivation a signal will sound and the message Cruise Control Canceled is shown in the
display. The driver must then intervene and adapt the vehicle's speed to the surrounding traffic.
Automatic deactivation may be caused if:
the vehicle's speed falls below 20 mph (30 km/h)
the wheels lose traction or if the anti-lock brake system (ABS) is activated
brake temperature is high
engine speed (rpm) is too low
the radar sensor is obstructed by, for example, wet snow or rain.
160 04 Comfort and driving pleasure
Adaptive Cruise Control-ACC
The radar sensor and its limitations
The radar sensor is used by both Adaptive Cruise Control and the Collision Warning System with Auto-brake (see
page 166
). It is designed to detect cars or larger vehicles driving in the same direction as your vehicle.
WARNING

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
ALL PASSENGER VEHICLE TIRES MUST CONFORM TO FEDERAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS IN
ADDITION TO THESE GRADES
Quality grades can be found, where applicable, on the tire sidewall between the tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
TREADWEAR
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified government test course. For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one half (1 1/2) times as
well on the government course as a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual
conditions of their use, however, and many depart significantly from the norm due to variation in driving habits,
maintenance practices and differences in road characteristics and climate.
TRACTION
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C, as measured under controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor traction performance. The traction
grade assigned to this tire is based on braking (straight-ahead) traction tests and is not a measure of cornering (turning)
traction.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on braking (straight-ahead) traction tests and is not a measure of
cornering (turning) traction.
TEMPERATURE
The temperature grades are AA (the highest), A, B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to the generation of heat
and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive
temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a minimum level of performance that all
passenger vehicle tires must meet under the Federal Motor Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher
levels of performance on the laboratory test wheel than the minimum required by law.
WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is established for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, under-inflation, or excessive loading, either separately or in combination, can cause heat buildup and tire
failure.
250 06 Maintenance and specifications
Wheels and tires
Snow chains, snow tires, studded tires
Snow chains
Snow chains can be used on your Volvo with the following restrictions:
Snow chains should be installed on front wheels only. Use only Volvo approved snow chains.