2004 SKODA FABIA technical data

Passive Safety117
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Safety
Passive Safety
Basic information
Driving the safe way
Passive safety measures reduce the risk of injury in acci-
dent situations.
In this section you will find important information, tips and notes on the
subject of passive safety in your vehicle. We have combined everything
here which you should be familiar with, for example, regarding seat belts,
airbags, child seats and safety of children. It is therefore important, in
particular, to comply with the notes and warnings in this section for your
own interest and in the interest of those travelling with you.
WARNING
•This chapter contains important information on how to use the
vehicle for the driver and his occupants. You will find further infor-
mation on safety, which concerns you and those travelling with
you, in the following chapters of this Owner's Manual.
•The complete on-board literature should always be in the
vehicle. This applies in particular, if you rent out or sell the
vehicle.
Safety equipment
The safety equipment is part of the occupant protection
and it can reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations.
“Do not put at risk” your safety and the safety of those travelling with you
. In the event of an accident, the safety equipment can reduce the risk of
injuries. The following list contains part of the safety equipment in your
vehicle:
•Three-point seat belts for all the seats,*,
•belt force limiter for front seats*,
•belt tensioner for front seats,
•seat belt height adjuster for front seats,
•front airbags*,
•Side airbags*,
•anchoring points for child seat using the “ISOFIX” system,
•head restraint adjustable for height,
•adjustable steering column.
The specified safety equipment works together, in order to optimally
protect you and those travelling with you in accident situations. The safety
equipment does not protect you or the people travelling with you, if you or
your occupants adopt an incorrect seated position or the equipment is not
correctly adjusted or used.
For this reason you will be provided with information on why this equip-
ment is very important, how it protects you and the occupants, what

Passive Safety119
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Correct seated position
Correct seated position for the driver
Correct seated position for the driver is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the event of an acci-
dent, we recommend the following setting.
•Adjust the steering wheel so that the distance between the steering
wheel and your chest is at least 25 cm ⇒fig. 98 .
•Position the driver seat in the forward/back direction so that you are
able to press the pedals with your legs at a slight angle .
•Adjust the backrest so that you are able to reach the highest point of
the steering wheel with your arms at a slight angle.
•Adjust the head restraint so that the top edge of the head restraint is
at the same level as the upper part of your head ⇒fig. 99 .
•Fasten the seat belt correctly ⇒page 126, “How are seat belts
correctly fastened?”.
Driver seat adjustment ⇒page 67, “Adjusting the front seats”.
WARNING
•The front seats and the head restraints must always be adjusted
to match the body size of the seat occupant as well as the seat belts
Fig. 98 The correct
distance of the driver
from the steering wheel
Fig. 99 The correct
head restraint adjust-
ment for the driver

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Correct seated position for th e occupants on the rear
seats
Occupants on the rear seats must sit upright, keep the feet
in the footwell and must have their seat belts correctly
fastened.
To reduce the risk of injury in the event of a sudden braking manoeuvre or
an accident, the occupants on the rear seats must observe the following.
•Adjust the head restraints so that the top edge of the head restraints
are at the same level as the upper part of your head ⇒page 119, fig. 99 .
•Fasten the seat belt correctly ⇒page 126, “How are seat belts
correctly fastened?”.
•If you are transporting ⇒ page 140, “Transporting children safely” chil-
dren in the vehicle, please use a suitable child restraint system.
WARNING
•The head restraints must always be adjusted to match the body
size, in order to offer an optimal protection for you and your occu-
pants.
•Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being
driven - never put your feet out of the window or on the surfaces of
the seats. You will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it
becomes necessary to apply the brake or in the event of an acci-
dent. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fatal injuries when
adopting an incorrect seated position!
•If the occupants on the rear seats are not sitting upright, the risk
of injury is increased due to in correct routing of the seat belt.
Examples of an incorrect seated position
An incorrect seated position can lead to severe injuries or
death for the occupants.
Seat belts offer their optimum protection only if the webbing of the seat
belts is properly routed. Incorrect seated positions considerably reduce
the protective functions of the seat belts and therefore increase the risk of
injury due to an incorrect routing of the seat belt. The driver is fully respon-
sible for himself and his occupants, in particular for the children. Do not
permit an occupant to adopt an incorrect seated position when the car is
moving.
The following list contains the examples of seated positions which are
dangerous for the occupants. This list is not complete, however we would
like you to get interested in this subject.
Therefore, while the car is moving never:
•stand up in the vehicle,
•stand up on the seats,
•kneel onto the seats,
•tilt the backrest fully to the back,
•lean against the dash panel,
•lie on the rear seats,
•only sit on the front area of the seat,
•sit to the side,
•lean out of the window,
•put the feet out of the window,
•put the feet on the dash panel,
•put the feet on the seat upholstery,
•occupy the footwell,
•have the seat belt not fastened,

Seat belts123
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Seat belts
Why seat belts?
It is a proven fact that seat belts offer good protection in accidents
⇒fig. 100 . Thus wearing a seat belt is a legal requirement in most coun-
tries.
Seat belts which have been correctly fastened and adjusted hold the
occupants of the car in the correct seated position ⇒fig. 100 . The belts
reduce the kinetic energy (energy of motion) to a considerable extent.
They also prevent uncontrolled movements which, in turn, may well result
in severe injuries.
The occupants of a vehicle who have fastened and correctly adjusted their
seat belt, profit to a major extent from the fact that the kinetic energy is
optimally absorbed by the belts. The structure of the front end of the
vehicle and other passive safety measures, such as the airbag system, also contribute to reducing the kinetic energy. The energy produced is
thus absorbed and there is less risk of injury.
Accident statistics prove that seat belts which are fastened and properly
adjusted reduce the risk of an injury and enhance the chance of survival
in a major accident
⇒page 124.
It is important that you pay attention to safety measures, particularly when
transporting children in the vehicle ⇒page 140, “Transporting children
safely”.
WARNING
•Fasten your seat belt each time before setting off, also when
driving in town! This also applies to the people seated at the rear -
risk of injury!
•Expectant women must also always wear a seat belt. This is the
only way of ensuring optimal protection for the unborn child
⇒ page 126, “Fastening a three-point seat belt”.
•It is important for the belt webbing to be properly routed if the
seat belts are to offer the maximum protection. You can see a
description of how safety belts should be fitted properly on the next
pages.
Note
Please comply with any differing legal requirements when using the seat
belts.
Fig. 100 Driver
wearing seat belt

Seat belts125
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Important safety information regarding
the use of seat belts
The correct use of the seat belts considerably reduces the
risk of injury!
WARNING
•The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point
or twisted, or chafe against any sharp edges.
•It is important that the belt webb ing is properly routed if the seat
belts are to offer their maximum protection ⇒page 126, “How are
seat belts correctly fastened?”.
•No two persons (also not children) should ever use a single seat
belt together.
•The maximum protection which seat belts can offer is only
achieved if you are correctly seated ⇒page 119, “Correct seated
position”.
•The belt webbing must not run across solid or fragile objects
(e.g. spectacles, ball-point pens, keys etc.) as this may be a cause
of injuries.
•Bulky, loose clothing (e.g. a winter coat over a jacket) does not
allow you to be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of
the seat belts.
•It is prohibited to use clamps or other objects to adjust seat
belts (e.g. for shortening the belts for smaller persons).
•The lock tongue should only be inserted into the lock which is
the correct one for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will
reduce its capacity to protect and the risk of injury increases.
•The backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the
rear otherwise the seatbelts can lose their effectiveness.
•The belt webbing must always be kept clean. Soiled belt
webbing may impair proper operation of the inertia reel
⇒ page 176, “Seat belts”.
•The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked by paper or
similar objects otherwise the belt tongue will not lock in place prop-
erly.
•Inspect the seat belts regularly to ensure they are in good condi-
tion. If you find seat belts which have damage to the seat belt
webbing, seat belt connections, to the inertia reels or to the lock,
the relevant safety belt must be replaced by a Škoda dealer.
•Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an
accident and were therefore stretched, must be replaced - this is
best done by a Škoda dealer. The anchorage points of the belts
must also be inspected. The anchorage points for the belts should
also be checked.
•In certain countries it is possible to use seat belts which differ
in terms of their operation from the seat belts which are described
on the pages which follow.
WARNING (continued)

Seat belts127
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•A seat belt which is hanging too loose can result in injuries as
your body is moved forward by the kinetic energy produced in an
accident and is then suddenly held firm by the belt.
•Only insert the lock tongue into the lock which is the correct one
for your seat. This will affect the protection which the belt offers
and increase the risk of an injury.
Seat belt height adjuster
The seat belt height adjuster makes it possible for you to adapt
the routing of the three-point seat belt in the area of the shoulder
to match your body size.
– To adjust the belt height press the height adjuster and move it up or down ⇒fig. 105 . – Then pull firmly on the belt to ensure that the seat belt height
adjuster has correctly locked in place.
WARNING
Adjust the height of the belt in such a way that the shoulder part of
the belt is positioned approximately across the middle of your
shoulder - on no account across your neck.
Note
It is also possible to adapt the routing of the belt webbing on the front seats
by adjusting the height of the seat*.
Taking seat belts off
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 105 Front seat:
Seat belt height
adjuster
Fig. 106 Releasing
lock tongue from belt
lock

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WARNING
•The pelvic belt must always sit firmly across the pelvis; tighten
the belt webbing if necessary.
•An unused pelvic belt should be stowed away together with the
lock for safety reasons.
Three-point safety belt fo r the middle rear seat*
It is used in the same way as the normal three-point seat belts on the left
and right (at front and rear). The three-point seat belt for the rear middle
seat must be put on first to allow the pelvic part of the belt to run between
the belt lock for the right three-point seat belt and the backrest, while
avoiding crossing the belt webbing of the right and middle seat belts.
WARNING
The three-point safety belt for the rear middle seat can only fulfil its
function reliably when the backrests are correctly locked into posi-
tion ⇒page 29.
Belt tensioners
Safety for the driver and front passenger wearing their seat belts is
enhanced by the belt tensioners fitted to the inertia reels of the front three-
point seat belts.
The fastened three-point seat belts are automatically tensioned in the
event of a frontal collision of a certain severity. On vehicles fitted with side
airbags, a seat belt which is not fastened is also tensioned. The belt tensioner is deployed in the event of a frontal collision of major
severity. A powder charge is ignited in the inertia reels during deployment.
The belt webbing is pulled into the inertia reels by a mechanical system
and the belt is tensioned.
Belt tensioners are not activated in the event of minor frontal collisions,
side and rear-end collisions, in the case of a rollover and also not in acci-
dents in which no major forces are produced from the front.
WARNING
•The service life of seat belts and belt tensioners is 15 years from
the date of manufacture of the vehicle. It is then necessary to have
the seat belts replaced by a Škoda dealer.
•Any work on the belt tightener system, including removal and
installation of system components because of other repair work,
must only be carried out by Škoda dealer.
•The protective function of the system is only adequate for a
single accident. If the belt tensioners have been deployed, it is then
necessary to replace the entire system.
•The Owner's Manual must also be handed over to the new
owner if the vehicle is sold.
Note
•Smoke is generated when the belt tensioners are deployed. This is not
an indication of a fire in the vehicle.
•It is essential to pay attention to relevant safety regulations if the
vehicle or individual parts of the system are scrapped. Škoda dealers are
familiar with these regulations and will be able to provide you with detailed
information in this respect.
•When disposing of vehicle or parts of the system, it is important to
comply with the national legal requirements.

Airbag system131
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•The service life of the airbag system is 15 years from the date of
manufacture of the vehicle. Have the airbag system replaced by a
Škoda dealer after this period. If the modules of the system are
replaced before the expiry of the term (e.g. because of an accident),
the new change interval has to be entered in the service brochure.
•If you sell your car, please hand over the complete vehicle docu-
mentation to the new owener. Please note that the documents
relating to the possibility of deactivating the front passenger airbag
are also part of the vehicle documents!
•If the vehicle or individual parts of the airbag system are
scrapped, it is essential to observe the relevant safety precautions.
Škoda dealers are familiar with these regulations.
•When disposing of vehicle or parts of the airbag system, it is
important to comply with th e national legal requirements.
When are the airbags deployed?
The airbag system is designed in such a way that the driver and the front
passenger airbag* are deployed in the event of a frontal collision of
major severity.
In the case of a violent side crash the side airbags* on the front seat of
the vehicle on the side on which the collision occurs are deployed.
It is also possible under certain special accident situations that the front
as well as the side airbags are deployed.
The airbags are not deployed in the case of minor frontal and side colli-
sions, in the case of rear-end collisions and vehicle rollover. Deployment factors
It is not possible to state globally which deployment conditions apply to the
airbag system in every situation as the circumstances which exist in the
case of accidents vary greatly. An important role in this case, for example,
is played by factors such as the type of object against which the vehicle
impacts (hard, soft), the angle of impact, the vehicle speed etc.
A decisive factor for the deployment of the airbags is the deceleration
which occurs during a collision. The control unit analyses the nature of the
collision and activates the relevant restraint system. If the vehicle decel-
eration which occurs and is measured during the collision remains below
the prescribed reference values specified in the control unit, the airbags
are not deployed although the vehicle may well suffer severe damage to
the bodywork as a consequence of the accident.
The airbags are not deployed if:
•ignition off
•a minor frontal collision
•a minor side collision
•a rear-end collision
•rollover.
Note
•A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This
is perfectly normal and is not an indication of a fire in the vehicle.
•The dash panel must be replaced after the front passenger airbag has
been deployed.
•In the event of an accident in which the airbags are deployed:
− The interior lighting comes on (if the switch for the interior light is in
the door contact position)
− The hazard warning light is switched on
− All the doors are unlocked.
WARNING (continued)