2010 Volvo S40 Owner's Manual - Page 23

01 Safety Supplemental Restraint System WARNING Front airbag deployment NOTE 01 • The airbags in the vehicle are designed to be a SUPPLEMENT to-not a replacement for-the three-point seat belts. For maximum protection, wear seat belts at all times. Be aware that no system can prevent all possible injuries that may occur in an accident. Never drive a vehicle with a steering wheel-mounted airbag with your hands on the steering wheel pad/airbag housing. The front airbags are designed to help prevent serious injury. Deployment occurs very quickly and with considerable force. During normal deployment and depending on variables such as seating position, one may experience abrasions, bruises, swellings, or other injuries as a result from deployment of one or both of the airbags. When installing any accessory equipment, make sure that the front airbag system is not damaged. Any interference in the system could cause malfunction. • The front airbags are designed to deploy during certain frontal or front-angular 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 SRS sensors, which trigger the front airbags, are designed to react to both the impact of the collision and the inertial forces generated by it, and to determine if the intensity of the collision is sufficient for the seat belt pretensioners and/or airbags to be deployed. However, not all frontal collisions activate the front airbags. Deployment of front airbags occurs only one time during an accident. In a collision where deployment occurs, the airbags and seat belt pretensioners activate. Some noise occurs and a small amount of powder is released. The release of the powder may appear as smoke-like matter. This is a normal characteristic and does not indicate fire. Volvo's front 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 where only one of the airbags deploys. If the impact is less severe, but severe enough to present a clear injury risk, the airbags are triggered at partial capacity. If the impact is more severe, the airbags are triggered at full capacity. • • • • If the collision involves a nonrigid object (e.g., a snow drift or bush), or a rigid, fixed object at a low speed, the front airbags will not necessarily deploy. • • Front airbags do not normally deploy in a side impact collision, in a collision from the rear or in a rollover situation. • The amount of damage to the bodywork does not reliably indicate if the airbags should have deployed or not. Should you have questions about any component in the SRS system, please contact a trained and qualified Volvo service technician or Volvo Customer Support: In the USA Volvo Cars of North America, LLC `` 23