Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) indicator light
Disabling the passenger's side front
airbag
Volvo recommends that ALL occupants (adults
and children) shorter than 4 feet 7 inches
(140 cm) be seated in the back seat of any
vehicle with a front passenger side airbag, and
be properly restrained for their size and weight.
For child safety recommendations, see
page 34.
The Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) is
designed to meet the regulatory requirements
of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 and is designed to disable (will
not inflate) the passenger's side front airbag
under certain conditions.
The OWS works with sensors that are part of
the front passenger's seat and seat belt. The
sensors are designed to detect the presence of
a properly seated occupant and determine if
the passenger's side front airbag should be
enabled (may inflate) or disabled (will not
inflate).
The OWS will disable (will not inflate) the pas-
senger's side front airbag when:
•
the front passenger's seat is unoccupied,
or has small/medium objects in the front
seat,
•
the system determines that an infant is
present in a rear-facing infant seat that is
installed according to the manufacturer's
instructions,
•
the system determines that a small child is
present in a forward-facing child restraint
that is installed according to the manufac-
turer's instructions,
•
the system determines that a small child is
present in a booster seat,
•
a front passenger takes his/her weight off
of the seat for a period of time,
•
a child or a small person occupies the front
passenger's seat.
The OWS uses a PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
indicator lamp which will illuminate and stay on
to remind you that the passenger's side front
airbag is disabled. The PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp is located in the overhead
console, near the base of the rearview mirror.
NOTE
When the ignition is switched on, the OWS
indicator light will go on for up to 10 seconds
while the system performs a self-diagnostic
test.
However, if a fault is detected in the system:
•
The OWS indicator light will stay on
•
The SRS warning light (see page 17) will
come on and stay on
•
The message PASS. AIRBAG OFF
SERVICE URGENT will be displayed in
the information display.
WARNING
If a fault in the system is detected and indi-
cated as described, be aware that the pas-
senger's side front airbag will not deploy in
the event of a collision. In this case, the SRS
system and Occupant Weight Sensor
should be inspected by a trained and quali-
fied Volvo service technician as soon as
possible.
