Volvo XC40 Owner's Manual page 56

SAFETY
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The front airbag system
The front airbag system includes gas genera-
tors surrounded by the airbags, and decelera-
tion sensors that activate the gas generators,
causing the airbags to be inflated with nitro-
gen gas.
As the movement of the seats' occupants
compresses the airbags, some of the gas is
expelled at a controlled rate to provide better
cushioning. The belt tensioners minimize slack
in the seat belts and are activated for occu-
pants wearing their seat belts. The entire proc-
ess, from inflation to deflation of the airbag,
occurs within tenths of a second.
The location of the front airbags is indicated
by SRS AIRBAG embossed on the steering
wheel pad and above the glove compartment,
and by decals on both sun visors and on the
front and far right side of the dash.
The driver's side front airbag is folded and
located in the steering wheel hub.
The knee airbag is folded on the underside of
the dashboard on the driver's side. The text
AIRBAG is embossed on the panel.
The passenger's side front airbag is folded
behind a panel located above the glove com-
partment.
54
WARNING
The airbags in the vehicle are designed
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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 with your hands on the
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steering wheel pad/airbag housing.
The front airbags are designed to help
•
prevent serious injury. Deployment
occurs very quickly and with considera-
ble force. During normal deployment
and depending on variables such as
seating position, one may experience
abrasions, bruises, swellings, or other
injuries as a result of deployment of
one or both of the airbags.
When installing any accessory equip-
•
ment, make sure that the front airbag
system is not damaged. Any interfer-
ence in the system could cause mal-
function.
Front airbag deployment
The front airbags are designed to deploy
•
during certain frontal or front-angular colli-
sions, impacts, or decelerations, depend-
ing on the crash severity, angle, speed and
object impacted. The airbags may also
deploy in certain non-frontal collisions
where rapid deceleration occurs.
The airbag system's sensors, which trigger
•
the front airbags, are designed to deter-
mine if the collision is powerful enough to
activate the belt tensioners and/or the air-
bags.
However, not all frontal collisions activate the
front airbags.
If the collision involves a nonrigid object
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(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
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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.