Foot Brake; Anti-Lock Braking System; Cleaning The Brake Discs; Emergency Brake Assistance - Volvo XC70 Owner's Manual

03 Your driving environment

Foot brake

General
The car is equipped with two brake circuits. If
one brake circuit is damaged then this will
mean that the brakes engage at a deeper
level and harder pressure on the pedal is
needed to produce the normal braking effect.
03
The driver's brake pedal pressure is rein-
forced by a brake servo.
WARNING
The brake servo only works when the
engine is running.
If the brake is used when the engine is
switched off then the pedal will feel stiff and
more force must be used to brake the car.
In very hilly terrain or when driving with a
heavy load the brakes can be relieved by
using engine braking. Engine braking is most
efficiently used if the same gear is used
downhill as up.
For more general information on heavy loads
on the car, see page 227.

Anti-lock braking system

The car is equipped with ABS (Anti-lock
Braking System) that prevents the wheels
from locking during braking. This means the
ability to steer is maintained and it is easier to
swerve to avoid a hazard for example. Vibra-
96
tion may be felt in the brake pedal when this
is engaged and this is normal.
After the engine has been started and the car
has reached 20 km/h there is a short auto-
matic test of the ABS system. The test may
be felt as pulses in the brake pedal.

Cleaning the brake discs

Coatings of dirt and water on the brake discs
may result in delayed brake function. This
delay is minimised by cleaning the brake lin-
ings.
Manual cleaning is advisable with wet road
surfaces, prior to long-stay parking and after
the car has been washed. Carry this out by
braking gently during a short period while en
route.

Emergency Brake Assistance

Emergency Brake Assistance (EBA) helps to
increase brake force and so reduce braking
distance. The EBA system detects the
driver's braking style and increases brake
force as necessary. The brake force can be
reinforced up to the level when the ABS sys-
tem is engaged. The EBA function is inter-
rupted when the pressure on the brake pedal
is reduced.
NOTE
When EBA is activated the brake pedal low-
ers slightly more than usual, depress (hold)
the brake pedal as long as necessary. If the
brake pedal is released then all braking
ceases.
Symbols in the combined instrument
panel
Symbol Specification
Constant glow – Check the brake
fluid level. If the level is low, fill with
brake fluid and check for the cause
of the brake fluid loss.
Constant glow for two seconds
when the engine is started – There
was a fault in the brake system's
ABS function when the engine was
last running.
WARNING
If and illuminate at the same time
then a fault may have arisen in the brake
system.
If the level in the brake fluid reservoir is nor-
mal at this stage, drive carefully to the near-
est authorised Volvo workshop and have
the brake system checked.
If the brake fluid is under the MIN level in the
brake fluid reservoir, do not drive further
before topping up the brake fluid.
The reason for the loss of brake fluid must
be investigated.