child seat VOLVO XC90 2005 Owners Manual

2005 VOLVO XC90
2 0 0 5
VOLVO XC90
Safety

pg. 1 Safety
Seat belts2
Airbags (Supplemental Restraint System)4
Side airbags (SIPS airbags)12
Inflatable Curtain (IC)14
Roll-over Protection System15
Inspection of airbags, Inflatable Curtains and seat belt pretensioners16
Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS)17
Child safety19
Occupant safety, Reporting safety defects23
pg. 2 Safety
Seat belts
Not wearing a seat belt is like believing "It'll never happen to me!" Vo\
lvo, the inventor of the three-point
seat belt, urges you and all occupants of your vehicle to wear seat belt\
s and ensure that children are
properly restrained, using an infant, car or booster seat determined by \
age, weight and height. Volvo also
believes no child should sit in the front seat of a vehicle.
NOTE: Most states and provinces make it mandatory for occupants of a vehicle \
to use seat belts. So,
urging you to buckle up is not just our recommendation. The few moments \
it takes to buckle your seat
belt may one day allow you to say "It's a good thing I was wearing my se\
at belt."
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2005 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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2005 VOLVO XC90
Please refer to page 22 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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2005 VOLVO XC90
NOTE:
l 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.
l Volvo's dual-threshold, dual-stage airbags use special sensors to contro\
l deployment. The point at
which the airbag deploys is determined by whether or not the seat belt i\
s being used, as well as the
severity of the collision. Collisions can occur where only one of the ai\
rbags deploys.
l If the impact is less severe, but severe enough to present a clear injur\
y risk, the dual-stage airbags are
triggered at 70-80% of their total capacity. If the impact is more sever\
e, the dualstage 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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2005 VOLVO XC90
WARNING!
Children must never be allowed in the front passenger's seat. Volvo reco\
mmends that ALL occupants
(adults and children) shorter than 4 feet 7 inches (140 cm) be seate\
d in the back seat of any vehicle
with a front passenger-side airbag. See
page 22 for guidelines.
Occupants in the front passenger's seat must never sit on the edge of th\
e seat, sit leaning toward the
instrument panel or otherwise sit out of position. The occupant's back m\
ust be as upright as comfort
allows and be against the seat back with the seat belt properly fastened\
.
Feet must be on the floor, e.g. not on the dash, seat or out of the wind\
ow.
No objects or accessory equipment, e.g. dashboard covers, may be placed \
on, attached to, or installed
near the SRS hatch (the area above the glove compartment) or the area \
affected by airbag deployment
(see illustration on
page 4).
There should be no loose articles, e.g. coffee cups, on the floor, seat \
or dashboard area.
Never try to open the SRS cover on the steering wheel or the passenger s\
ide dash. This should only be
done by an authorized Volvo service technician.
Failure to follow these instructions can result in injury to the vehicle\
occupants.
Safety system warning light in the instrument panel
A self-diagnostic system incorporated in the sensor monitors certain saf\
ety system components. A check
is performed on components such as seat belt locks, SRS, Occupant Weight\
Sensor, SIPS, and/or the
VIC system. If a fault is detected, the warning light will illuminate. T\
he light is included in the warning/
indicator light cluster in the instrument panel. Normally, the safety sy\
stem warning lamp should light up
when the ignition key is turned to positions I, II or III and should go \
out after approximately 7 seconds
or when the engine is started. Check that this light is functioning prop\
erly every time the vehicle is
started.
WARNING!
If the SRS warning light stays on after the engine has started or if it \
comes on while you are driving,
drive the vehicle to the nearest authorized Volvo retailer for inspectio\
n as soon as possible.
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2005 VOLVO XC90
pg. 7 Safety
Disabling the passenger's side front airbag.
Volvo recommends that ALL occupants (adults and children) shorter than\
four feet seven inches (140
cm) be seated in the back seat of any vehicle with a front passenger si\
de airbag, and be properly
restrained for their size and weight. See also the child safety recommen\
dations on
page 22.
The passenger's side front airbag is automatically enabled/disabled by t\
he Occupant Weight Sensor
(OWS), a system that monitors the weight of the person or object in th\
e front passenger's seat. The
system consists of a silicon-filled bag located under the padding in the\
front passenger's seat cushion, a
control module located under this seat, and a seat belt tension sensor, \
located on the outboard side of the
seat.
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WARNING!
No objects that add to the total weight on the seat should be placed on \
the front passenger's seat. If a
child is seated in the front passenger's seat with any additional weight\
, this extra weight could cause
the OWS system to enable the airbag, which might cause it to deploy in t\
he event of a collision,
thereby injuring the child. The seat belt should never be wrapped around\
an object on the front
passenger's seat. This could interfere with the OWS system's function.
The front passenger's seat belt should never be used in a way that exert\
s more pressure on the
passenger than normal. This could increase the pressure exerted on the w\
eight sensor by a child, and
could result in the airbag being enabled, which might cause it to deploy\
in the event of a collision,
thereby injuring the child.
pg. 9 Safety
When are the airbags deployed?
The information on this page pertains to SRS (front) airbags only. For\
information about Side Impact
Protection System (SIPS) airbags, please see
page 12. For Inflatable Curtain (IC) airbags, please see
page 14.
The SRS system is designed to deploy during certain frontal or front-ang\
ular collisions, impacts, or
decelerations, depending on the crash severity, angle, speed and object \
impacted. The SRS sensor is
designed to react to both the impact of the collision and the inertial f\
orces generated by it and to
determine if the intensity of the collision is sufficient for the seat b\
elt pretensioners or airbags to be
deployed.
If the airbags have been deployed, we recommend the following:
l Have the vehicle towed to an authorized Volvo retailer. Never drive with\
the airbags deployed.
l Have an authorized Volvo retailer replace the SRS system components.
l Use only new, Genuine Volvo Parts when replacing SRS components (airbag\
s, seat belts,
pretensioners, etc.).
When are the airbags NOT deployed?
Not all frontal collisions activate the SRS system. If the collision inv\
olves a nonrigid object (e.g., a snow
drift or bush), or a rigid, fixed object at a low speed, the SRS system\
will not necessarily deploy. Front
airbags do not normally deploy in a side impact collision, in a collisio\
n from the rear or in a rollover
situation. The amount of damage to the bodywork does not reliably indica\
te if the airbags should have
deployed or not.
Seat belts - the heart of the Volvo safety system
The heart of the Volvo safety system is the three-point seat belt (a Vo\
lvo invention)! In order for the
SRS system to provide the protection intended, seat belts must be worn a\
t all times by everyone in the
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2005 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 22 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. 15 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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2005 VOLVO XC90
pg. 18 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. 19 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 20).
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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2005 VOLVO XC90
Holding a child in your arms is NOT a suitable substitute for a child re\
straint system. In an accident, a
child held in a person's arms can be crushed between the vehicle's inter\
ior and an unrestrained person.
The child could also be injured by striking the interior, or by being ej\
ected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. The same can also happen if the infant or chi\
ld rides unrestrained on the
seat. Other occupants should also be properly restrained to help reduce \
the chance of injuring or
increasing the injury of a child.
All states and provinces have legislation governing how and where childr\
en should be carried in a
vehicle. Find out the regulations existing in your state or province. Re\
cent accident statistics have shown
that children are safer in rear seating positions than front seating pos\
itions when properly restrained. A
child restraint system can help protect a child in a vehicle. Here's wha\
t to look for when selecting a child
restraint system:
l It should have a label certifying that it meets applicable Federal Motor\
Vehicle Safety Standards
(FMVSS 213) - or in Canada, CMVSS 213.
l Make sure the child restraint system is approved for the child's height,\
weight and development - the
label required by the standard or regulation, or instructions for infant\
restraints, typically provide this
information.
l In using any child restraint system, we urge you to carefully look over \
the instructions that are
provided with the restraint. Be sure you understand them and can use the\
device properly and safely in
this vehicle. A misused child restraint system can result in increased i\
njuries for both the infant or child
and other occupants in the vehicle.
When a child has outgrown the child safety seat, you should use the rear\
seat with the standard seat belt
fastened. The best way to help protect the child here is to place the ch\
ild on a cushion so that the seat
belt is properly located on the hips (see
page 2). Legislation in your state or province may mandate the
use of a child seat or cushion in combination with the seat belt, depend\
ing on the child's age and/or size.
Please check local regulations.
A specially designed and tested booster cushion (not available in Canad\
a) can be obtained from your
Volvo retailer for children weighing 33-80 lbs (15-36 kg) and 38-54 in\
ches (97-137 cm) in height.
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