01 Safety
Seat belts
01
18
General information
Adjusting the seat belt
Seat belts should always be worn by all occu-
pants of your vehicle. Children should be
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.
Most states and provinces make it mandatory
for occupants of a vehicle to use seat belts.
Seat belt pretensioners
All seat belts are equipped with pretensioners
that reduce slack in the belts. These preten-
sioners are triggered in situations where the
front or side impact airbags deploy, and in
certain impacts from the rear. The front seat
belts also include a tension reducing device
which, in the event of a collision, limits the
peak forces exerted by the seat belt on the
occupant.
Fastening a seat belt
Buckling
Pull the belt out far enough to insert the latch
plate into the receptacle until a distinct click
is heard. The seat belt retractor is normally
"unlocked" and you can move freely, provi-
ded that the shoulder belt is not pulled out
too far.
Seat belt retractor
The seat belt retractor will lock up in the
following situations:
•
if the belt is pulled out rapidly
•
during braking and acceleration
•
if the vehicle is leaning excessively
•
when driving in turns
•
if the Automatic Locking Retractor/Emer-
gency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR) is
activated
NOTE
Each seat belt (except for the driver's belt)
is equipped with the ALR/ELR function,
which is designed to help keep the seat
belt taut. ALR/ELR activates if the seat belt
is pulled out as far as possible. If this is
done, a sound from the seat belt retractor
will be audible, which is normal, and the
seat belt will be pulled taut and locked in
place. This function is automatically disa-
bled when the seat belt is unbuckled and
fully retracted.
See also page 38 for information about
using a seat belt's ALR/ELR function to
anchor a child seat.
When wearing the seat belt remember:
•
The belt should not be twisted or turned.
•
The lap section of the belt must be posi-
tioned low on the hips (not pressing
against the abdomen).
•
Make sure that the shoulder belt is rolled
up into its retractor and that the shoulder
and lap belts are taut.
Unbuckling the seat belt
To remove the seat belt, press the red section
on the seat belt receptacle. Before exiting the
vehicle, check that the seat belt retracts fully
after being unbuckled. If necessary, guide the
belt back into the retractor slot.
