Disabling the passenger's side front airbag

Occupant Weight Sensor (OWS) indicator light

Volvo recommends that ALL occupants (adults and children) shorter than 4 feet 7 inches (140 cm) be seated in the rear seat of any vehicle with a passenger's side front airbag, and be properly restrained. Children should always be seated in child restraints appropriate for their size and weight. For child safety recommendations, see page 37.

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 passenger'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 manufacturer'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
The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will illuminate for a short period of time when the ignition is turned on to confirm it is functional. When the front passenger's seat is not occupied (empty seat) or in the event that the passenger's side front airbag is enabled (may inflate), the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will be off.

However, if a fault is detected in the system:

• The OWS indicator light will stay on
• The SRS warning light (see page 23) 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 indicated as explained, be aware that the passenger's side front airbag will not deploy in the event of a collision.
• In this case, the safety systems and Occupant Weight Sensor should be inspected by a trained and qualified Volvo service technician as soon as possible.

WARNING
• Never try to open, remove, or repair any components in the OWS system. This could result in system malfunction.
Maintenance or repairs should only be carried out by a trained and qualified Volvo service technician.
• The front passenger's seat should not be modified in any way. This could reduce pressure on the seat cushion, which might interfere with the OWS system's function.

The OWS is designed to disable (will not inflate) the passenger's side front airbag when a rear facing infant seat, a forward-facing child restraint, or a booster seat is detected. The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will illuminate and stay on to remind you that the passenger's side front airbag is disabled (see the following table).

A Volvo recommends that children always be properly restrained in appropriate child restraints in the rear seats.In rare situations when the seat belt is not properly fastened, some child restraints may not be detected by the OWS because there is very little weight on the vehicle seat cushion.

In these cases the passenger's side front airbag may be disabled, but the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will not be lit. Do not assume that the passenger's side front airbag is disabled unless the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is lit. Make sure the child restraint is properly installed (turn the vehicle off, remove the child restraint from the vehicle and reinstall the restraint following the child restraint manufacturer's instructions) and that the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is on, or move the child restraint to the rear seat.

The OWS is designed to enable (may inflate) the passenger's side front airbag in the event of a collision anytime the system senses that a person of adult size is sitting properly in the front passenger's seat. The PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will be off and remain off.

If a person of adult size is sitting in the front passenger's seat, but the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp is on, it is possible that the person isn't sitting properly in the seat.

If this happens:

1. Turn the vehicle off and ask the person to place the seat back in an upright position.
2. Have the person sit upright in the seat, centered on the seat cushion, with the person's legs comfortably extended.
3. Restart the vehicle and have the person remain in this position for about two minutes. This will allow the system to detect that person and enable the passenger's frontal airbag.
4. If the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp remains on even after this, the person should be advised to ride in the rear seat.

This condition reflects limitations of the OWS classification capability. It does not indicate OWS malfunction.

Modifications

If you are considering modifying your vehicle in any way to accommodate a disability, for example by altering or adapting the driver's or front passenger's seat(s) and/or airbag systems, please contact Volvo at:

In the USA
Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
Customer Care Center
1 Volvo Drive
P.O. Box 914 Rockleigh,
New Jersey 07647
1-800-458-1552

In Canada
Volvo Cars of Canada Corp.
National Customer Service
175 Gordon Baker Road
North York, Ontario M2H 2N7
1-800-663-8255

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 the 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 exerts more pressure on the passenger than normal.
This could increase the pressure exerted on the weight 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.

WARNING
Keep the following points in mind with respect to the OWS system. Failure to follow these instructions could adversely affect the system's function and result in serious injury to the occupant of the front passenger's seat:
• The full weight of the front seat passenger should always be on the seat cushion.
The passenger should never lift him/herself off the seat cushion using the armrest in the door or the center console, by pressing the feet on the floor, by sitting on the edge of the seat cushion, or by pressing against the backrest in a way that reduces pressure on the seat cushion. This could cause OWS to disable the front passenger's side airbag.
• Do not place any type of object on the front passenger's seat in such a way that jamming, pressing, or squeezing occurs between the object and the front seat, other than as a direct result of the correct use of the Automatic Locking Retractor/Emergency Locking Retractor (ALR/ELR) seat belt (see page 38).
• No objects should be placed under the front passenger's seat. This could interfere with the OWS system's function.