seats VOLVO XC90 2004 Owners Manual

2004 VOLVO XC90
NOTE: A chime will sound several times if the driver has not fastened his/her\
seat belt.
The seat belts are equipped with tensioners that reduce slack in the sea\
t belts. These tensioners are
triggered in situations where the airbags deploy.
The front seat belts also include a tension reducing device which, in th\
e event of a collision, limits the
peak forces exerted by the seat belt on the occupant.

Extending the lap belt
To buckle a seat belt:
Pull the belt out far enough to insert the latch plate into the receptac\
le until a distinct click is heard. The
seat belt retractor is normally "unlocked" and you can move freely, prov\
ided 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).
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 vehicle, check that the seat belt retracts fully afte\
r being unbuckled. If necessary,
guide the belt back into the retractor slot.
Child seats:
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2004 VOLVO XC90
Please refer to page 20 for information on securing child seats with the seat belts.
pg. 3 Safety
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!
Seat belts:
l Never use a seat belt for more than one occupant. Never wear the shoulde\
r portion of the belt under
the arm, behind the back or otherwise out of position. Such use could ca\
use injury in the event of an
accident. As seat belts lose much of their strength when exposed to viol\
ent stretching, they should be
replaced after any collision, even if they appear to be undamaged.
l Never repair the belt on your own; have this work done by an authorized \
Volvo retailer only.
l Any device used to induce slack into the shoulder belt portion of the th\
ree-point belt system will
have a detrimental effect on the amount of protection available to you i\
n the event of a collision.
l The seat back should not be tilted too far back. The shoulder belt must \
be taut in order to function
properly.
l Do not use child safety seats or child booster cushions/backrests in the\
front passenger's seat. We
also recommend that children who have outgrown these devices sit in the \
rear seat with the seat belt
properly fastened.
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2004 VOLVO XC90
NOTE:
Deployment of SRS components occurs only one time during an accident. In\
a collision where
deployment occurs, the airbags and seat belt pretensioners activate. Som\
e noise occurs and a small
amount of powder is released. The release of the powder may appear as sm\
oke-like matter. This is a
normal characteristic and does not indicate fire.
NOTE:
Volvo's dual-threshold, dual-stage airbags use special sensors that are \
integrated with the front seat
buckles. The point at which the airbag deploys is determined by whether \
or not the seat belt is being
used, as well as the severity of the collision. Collisions can occur whe\
re only one of the airbags deploys.
If the impact is less severe, but severe enough to present a clear injur\
y risk, the dual-stage airbags are
triggered at 70% of their total capacity. If the impact is more severe, \
the dual-stage airbags are triggered
at full capacity.
WARNING!
Do not use child safety seats or child booster cushions/backrests in the\
front passenger's seat. We also
recommend that occupants under 4 feet 7 inches (140 cm) in height who \
have outgrown these devices
sit in the rear seat with the seat belt fastened.
Never drive with the airbags deployed. The fact that they hang out can i\
mpair the steering of your
vehicle. Other safety systems can also be damaged. The smoke and dust fo\
rmed when the airbags are
deployed can cause skin and eye irritation in the event of prolonged exp\
osure.
pg. 6 Safety
Airbags (Supplemental Restraint System) (contd)
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2004 VOLVO XC90
Front airbag (SRS) system
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 an airbag (2) on b\
oth the driver's and passenger's
sides and seat belt pretensioners in both front door pillars. The system\
is designed to supplement the
protection provided by the three-point seat belt system. All rear seat b\
elts are also equipped with
pretensioners.
The SRS system is indicated by the "SRS" embossed on the steering wheel \
pad and above the glove
compartment, and by decals on both sun visors and on the front and far r\
ight side of the dash.
The airbags are folded and located in the steering wheel hub and above t\
he glove compartment.
Deployment:
The SRS airbags are designed to deploy during certain frontal or front-a\
ngular collisions, impacts, or
decelerations, depending on the crash severity, angle, speed and object \
impacted. The airbags may also
deploy in certain non-frontal collisions where rapid deceleration occurs\
.
The airbag system includes gas generators (1) surrounded by the airbag\
s (2) and front seat belt
pretensioners for both of the front seats. To deploy the system, the sen\
sor (3) activates the gas generators
causing the airbags to be inflated with nitrogen gas.
As the movement of the seats' occupants compresses the airbags, some of \
the gas is expelled at a
controlled rate to provide better cushioning. Both seat belt pretensione\
rs also deploy, minimizing any
seat belt slack.The entire process, including inflation and deflation of\
the airbags, takes approximately
two-tenths of a second.
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2004 VOLVO XC90
pg. 10 Safety
Side airbags (SIPS airbags)

SIPS airbag*
SIPS airbag (front seats only)
As an enhancement to the structural Side Impact Protection System built \
into your vehicle, the vehicle is
also equipped with Side Impact Protection System (SIPS) airbags. The S\
IPS airbag system consists of
airbag modules built into the sides of both front seat backrests, wires \
and gas generators/sensor units
(see illustration on next page).
The SIPS airbag system is designed to help increase occupant protection \
in the event of certain side
impact collisions. The SIPS airbags are designed to deploy only during c\
ertain side-impact collisions,
depending on the crash severity, angle, speed and point of impact.
The airbags are not designed to deploy in all side impact situations.
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2004 VOLVO XC90
NOTE: SIPS airbag deployment (one airbag) occurs only on the side of the ve\
hicle affected by the
impact.The airbags are not designed to deploy in all side impact situati\
ons.
*A SIPS airbag warning decal is also located at the end of the instrumen\
t panel on the driver's side of the
vehicle.
WARNING!
l The SIPS airbag system is a supplement to the Side Impact Protection Sys\
tem and the three-point
seat belt system. It is not designed to deploy during collisions from th\
e front or rear of the vehicle,
and will only deploy in certain rollover situations.
l The use of seat covers on the front seats may impede SIPS airbag deploym\
ent.
l No objects, accessory equipment or stickers may be placed on, attached t\
o or installed near, the
SIPS airbag system or in the area affected by SIPS airbag deployment (s\
ee illustration above).
l Never try to open or repair any components of the SIPS airbag system. Th\
is should be done only
by an authorized Volvo service technician.
l In order for the SIPS airbag to provide its best protection, both front \
seat occupants should sit in an
upright position with the seat belt properly fastened.
l Failure to follow these instructions can result in injury to the occupan\
ts of the vehicle in the event
of an accident.
pg. 11 Safety
The SIPS airbag system
This system consists of a gas generator (1), the side airbags (2), a\
nd electronic sensors/cables (3).
pg. 12 Safety
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2004 VOLVO XC90
Inflatable Curtain (IC)

7-seat model shown
Volvo Inflatable Curtain (IC)
This system consists of Inflatable Curtains located along the sides of t\
he roof liners, stretching from the
front side windows to the rear edge of the rear side windows. It is desi\
gned to help protect the heads of
the occupants of the front seats and the occupant of the outboard rear s\
eating positions, including the
outboard passenger in the optional third row of seats in certain side im\
pact collisions.
The Inflatable Curtains in the Volvo XC90 are also designed to help prot\
ect the occupants of the vehicle
in a roll-over situation, and to help prevent them from being thrown fro\
m the vehicle if a roll-over
occurs.
NOTE:
In 5-seat models, the Inflatable Curtains extend to protect both rows of\
seats. In 7-seat models, they
extend to protect all three rows.
By design, the IC system deploys only on the side of the vehicle affecte\
d by the impact.
However, in certain side impacts, or in a rollover situation, BOTH the Inflatable Curtains (IC) and the
Side Impact Airbag System (SIPS-bag) will deploy, whereas, in some cas\
es, ONLY the Inflatable
Curtain (IC) will deploy. In cases where BOTH the IC and the SIPS-bag deploy, deployment will occur
simultaneously. If the Inflatable Curtain deploys, it remains inflated f\
or approximately 5 seconds.
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2004 VOLVO XC90
WARNING!
The IC system is a supplement to the Side Impact Protection System. It i\
s not designed to deploy
during collisions from the front or rear of the vehicle. The Inflatable \
Curtains are designed to deploy
only during certain side-impact collisions, depending on the crash sever\
ity, angle, speed and impact.
The Inflatable Curtains are not designed to deploy in all side impact si\
tuations.
Never try to open or repair any components of the IC system. This should\
be done only by an
authorized Volvo service technician.
In order for the IC to provide its best protection, both front seat occu\
pants and all outboard rear seat
occupants should sit in an upright position with the seat belt properly \
fastened; adults using the seat
belt and children using the proper child restraint system. Only adults s\
hould sit in the front seats.
Children must never be allowed in the front passenger seat. See
page 20 for guidelines. Failure to
follow these instructions can result in injury to the vehicle occupants \
in an accident.
When the backrest(s) in the rear seat(s) are folded down, the vehicl\
e should not be loaded to a level
higher than 2 inches (5 cm) below the upper edge of the side windows. \
Objects placed higher than
this level could impede the function of the Inflatable Curtain.
pg. 13 Safety
Roll-over Protection System
Volvo's Roll-over Protection System has been developed to help prevent t\
he vehicle from rolling over in
the event of sudden evasive maneuvers, skids, etc and to offer enhanced \
protection if a roll-over occurs.
The system works in two ways:
l The stabilizing system Roll Stability Control (RSC) acts to minimize b\
ody roll.
l The system provides additional protection with a reinforced body, Inflat\
able Curtains for all outboard
seating positions, and seat belt pretensioners for all seating positions\
.
RSC uses a gyro-sensor that registers the vehicle's angle of inclination\
and the speed at which this angle
changes. Using this information, the control module calculates the risk \
of a roll-over. If there is an
imminent roll-over risk, the Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DS\
TC) system is activated, engine
speed is reduced, and the brakes are applied to one or more of the wheel\
s until the vehicle has regained
stability.
If a roll-over occurs, RSC triggers the seat belt pretensioners and then\
deploys the Inflatable Curtains
(which remain inflated for approximately 5 seconds). These curtains ar\
e designed to follow the contours
of the side windows so that they position themselves between the occupan\
ts' heads and the sides of the
vehicle.
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2004 VOLVO XC90
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) - front seats only
WHIPS consists of specially designed hinges and brackets on the front se\
at backrests and head restraints
designed to help absorb some of the energy generated in a rear-end colli\
sion.
In the event of a collision of this type, the hinges and brackets of the\
front seat backrests are designed to
change position slightly to allow the backrest/head restraint to help su\
pport the occupant's head before
moving slightly rearward. This movement helps absorb some of the forces \
that could result in the
whiplash effect.
WARNING!
WHIPS is designed to supplement the other safety systems in your vehicle\
. For this system to
function properly, the three-point seat belt must be worn. Please be awa\
re that no system can prevent
all possible injuries that may occur in an accident.
If your vehicle has been involved in a collision, the front seat backres\
ts must be inspected by an
authorized Volvo retailer even, if the seats appear to be undamaged. Cer\
tain components in the
WHIPS system may need to be replaced. Do not attempt to service any comp\
onent in the WHIPS
system yourself.
WARNING!
If the rear seat backrests are folded down, cargo must be secured to pre\
vent it from sliding forward
against the front seat backrests in the event of a collision from the re\
ar. This could interfere with the
action of the WHIPS system.
The WHIPS system is designed to function in certain collisions from the \
rear, depending on the crash
severity, angle and speed.
Occupants in the front seats must never sit out of position. The occupan\
t's back must be as upright as
comfort allows and be against the seat back with the seat belt properly \
fastened.
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2004 VOLVO XC90
pg. 16 Safety
WARNING!
Any contact between the front seat backrests and the folded rear seat co\
uld impede the function of the
WHIPS system. If the rear seat is folded down, the occupied front seats \
must be adjusted forward so
that they do not touch the folded rear seat.
Boxes, suitcases, etc. wedged behind the front seats (see illustration \
above right) could impede the
function of the WHIPS system.
pg. 17 Safety
Child safety
Volvo recommends the proper use of restraint systems for all occupants i\
ncluding children. Remember
that, regardless of age and size, a child should always be properly rest\
rained in a vehicle.
Your vehicle is also equipped with ISOFIX attachments, which make it mor\
e convenient to install child
seats (see
page 18).
Restraint systems for children are designed to be secured in the vehicle\
by lap belts or the lap portion of
a lap-shoulder belt. Such child restraint systems can help protect child\
ren in vehicles in the event of an
accident only if they are used properly. However, children could be enda\
ngered in a crash if the child
restraints are not properly secured in the vehicle. Failure to follow th\
e installation instructions for your
child restraint can result in your child striking the vehicle's interior\
in a sudden stop.
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