Seats and Stowage69
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Seats and Stowage
Front seats
Basic information
The front seats have a wide range of different settings and can thus be
matched to the physical characteristics of the driver and front passenger.
Correct adjustment of the seats is particularly important for
•safely and quickly reaching the controls,
•a relaxed, fatigue-free body position,
•achieving the maximum protection offered by the seat belts and
the airbag system.
The chapters which follow describe the procedure which you should adopt
for adjusting the seats.
WARNING
•Never transport more occupants than the maximum seating in
the vehicle.
•Each occupant must correctly fasten the seat belt belonging to
the seat. Children must be fastened ⇒page 164, “Transporting
children safely” with a suitable restraint system.
•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
must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal
protection for you and your occupants.
•Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being
driven - never place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the
window or on the surfaces of the seats. This is particularly impor- tant for the front seat passenger. You will be exposed to increased
risk of injury if it becomes necessary to apply the brake or in the
event of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fatal
injuries when adopting an incorrect seated position!
•It is important for the driver and front passenger to maintain a
distance of at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel.
Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag
system will not be able to properl y protect you - hazard! The front
seats and the head restraints must always also be correctly
adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.
•Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects
may get behind the pedals during a driving or braking manoeuvre.
You would then no longer be able to operate the clutch, to brake or
accelerate.
WARNING (continued)
Passive Safety
142
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
must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal
protection for you and your occupants.
•The driver must maintain a distan ce of at least 25 cm to the
steering wheel ⇒page 141, fig. 122 . Not maintaining this minimum
distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to prop-
erly protect you - hazard!
•When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on
the outer edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold
the steering wheel firmly in the 12 o'clock position or in another
way (e.g. in the middle of the steering wheel or at the inner steering
wheel edge). In such cases, injuries to the arms, the hands and the
head can occur when the driver airbag is deployed.
•The backrests must not be angled too far back when driving
otherwise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of
the airbag system - risk of injury!
•Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects
may get behind the pedals during a driving or braking manoeuvre.
You would then no longer be able to operate the clutch, to brake or
accelerate.
Correct seated position for the front passenger
The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least
25 cm from the dash panel so that the airbag offers the
greatest possible safety when an airbag is deployed.
For the safety of the front passenger and to reduce the risk of injury in the
event of an accident, we recommend the following setting.
•Adjust the front passenger seat as far as possible to the rear.
•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 ⇒page 141, fig. 123 .
•Fasten the seat belt correctly ⇒page 148.
In exceptional cases the front passenger airbag can be deactivated
⇒ page 161, “Deactivating an airbag”.
Manually adjust the front passenger seat ⇒page 70, “Adjusting front
seats manually”.
Electrically adjust the front passenger seat ⇒page 71, “Adjusting 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
must always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal
protection for you and your occupants.
•The front passenger must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm
to the dash panel. Not maintain ing this minimum distance will
mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you
- hazard!
•Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being
driven - never place your feet on the instrument panel, 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 accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may
suffer fatal injuries when adopting an incorrect seated position!
•The backrests must not be angled too far back when driving
otherwise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of
the airbag system - risk of injury!
Airbag system
156
Important safety informat ion regarding the front
airbag system
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the
risk of injury!
WARNING
•Never transport children on the front seat of a vehicle without
using a proper restraint system. If airbags are deployed in the event
of an accident, the child might suff er severe or even fatal injuries!
•For the driver and front passenger it is important to maintain a
distance of at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel
⇒ fig. 134 . Not maintaining this minimu m distance will mean that
the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!
The front seats and the head restraints must always also be
correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.
•It is essential to always switch off ⇒page 161, “Deactivating an
airbag” the front passenger airbag when attaching a child safety seat on the front passenger seat where the child is seated with its
back facing in direction of travel (in some countries also when the
child is facing the direction of travel). If this is not done, there is a
risk of the child suffering severe or
even fatal injuries if the front
passenger airbag is deployed. In certain countries national legal
provisions also require that the side or head passenger airbags be
deactivated. When transporting a child on the front passenger seat,
please comply with the appropriat e national regulations regarding
the use of child safety seats.
•There must not by any further persons, animals or objects posi-
tioned between the front seated occupants and the deployment
area of the airbag.
•The steering wheel and the surface of the airbag module in the
dash panel on the passenger side must not be stuck onto, covered
or modified in any other way. These parts should only be cleaned
with a dry cloth or a cloth moistened with water. No objects such
as cup holders, mobile phone mounts, etc. may be attached to the
covers of the airbag modules or be located within the immediate
area.
•No modifications of any kind may be made to parts of the airbag
system. Any work on the airbag system including installing and
removing system components because of other repair work (e.g.
removing the steering wheel) must only be carried out by a Škoda
dealer.
•Never carry out changes on the front bumper or on the body.
•Never place any objects on the surface of the front passenger
airbag in the dash panel.
Fig. 134 Safe distance
to steering wheel
WARNING (continued)
Wheels and Tyres
228
Changing wheels around
If significantly greater wear is present on the front tyres, we recommend
changing the front wheels around with the rear wheels as shown in the
diagram ⇒fig. 172 . You will then obtain approximately the same life for
all the tyres.
It may be advantageous to swap the tyres over “crosswise” when certain
types of wear characteristic arise on the running surface of the tyres (but
not in the case of unidirectional tyres). Škoda dealers can provide you with
details.
We recommend that you change the wheels around every 10 000 km in
order to achieve even wear on all wheels and to obtain optimal tyre life.
New tyres and wheels
Tyres and wheel rims are important design elements. One should there-
fore use the tyres and wheel rims which have been released for use by
Škoda Auto. They are exactly matched to the vehicle type and therefore
contribute significantly to good road holding and safe driving characteris-
tics ⇒ .
Only fit radial tyres of the same type on all 4 wheels, size (rolling circum-
ference) and, if possible, the same tread pattern on one axle.
Škoda dealers have access to the most current information about which
tyres we have released for use.
We recommend that you have any work relating to tyres or wheels carried
out by your Škoda dealer . Your dealer has all of the necessary special
tools and replacement parts available plus the required specialist knowl-
edge and is also in a position to properly dispose of the old tyres. A large
number of Škoda dealers also have an attractive range of tyres and
wheels available.
The tyre/wheel combinations which are approved for your vehicle are indi-
cated in your vehicle documents. Approval and licensing may differ
according to the legislation prevailing in individual countries.
Proper knowledge of the tyre data makes it easier for you to select the
correct type of tyre. Tyres do, for example, have the following inscription
on their walls:
205 / 60 R 15 91 V
What this means is:
Fig. 172 Changing
wheels around
205Ty r e w i dt h i n m m
60Height/width ratio in %
RCode letter for the type of tyre - Radial
WARNING
planning" (uncontrolled movements of the vehicle - "swimming"
on a wet road surface).
Wheels and Tyres
230
Wheel bolts
Wheels and wheel bolts are matched to each other in terms of design.
Each time you fit other wheels - e.g. light alloy wheels or wheels with
winter tyres - you must therefore also use the matching wheel bolts of the
correct length and shape of spherical cap. This is essential to ensure that
the wheels are tightly fitted and that the brake system operates properly.
If you retrofit wheel trims (or have this done), please also ensure that an
adequate flow of air remains assured for cooling the brake system.
Škoda dealers are instructed in the technical possibilities which exist
regarding converting or retrofitting wheels, tyres and wheel trim.
WARNING
•In case of incorrect treatment of the wheel bolts, the wheel can
loosen when the car is moving - risk of accident!
•The wheel bolts must be clean and must turn easily. However,
they must never be treated with grease or oil.
•If the wheel bolts are tightened to a too low tightening torque,
the rim can lossen when the car is moving - risk of accident! A tight-
ening torque which is too high can damage the bolts and threads
and this can result in perman ent deformation of the contact
surfaces on the rims.
Caution
The prescribed tightening torque of the wheel bolts for steel and light alloy
wheels is 120 Nm.
Winter tyres
The handling of your vehicle will be significantly improved when driving on
wintry roads and at temperatures below 7 °C if you fit winter tyres.
Summer tyres do not offer the same grip on ice and snow because of their
construction (width, rubber blend, tread pattern). This applies in particular
to vehicles which are equipped with low-profile tyres or high-speed
tyres (code index V, W or Y on wall of tyre).
Winter tyres must be mounted on all four wheels to obtain the best
handling characteristics.
Only use radial winter tyres.
You must only fit those types of winter tyre which are approved for your
vehicle. The permissible sizes of winter tyres are stated in your vehicle
documents. Approvals may differ because of national legislation.
Please remember that the tyres should be inflated to 20 kPa (0.2 bar)
more than is the case for summer tyres ⇒page 226.
Winter tyres no longer offer the same winter performance once the tyre
tread has worn down to a depth of about 4 mm.
Ageing also causes winter tyres to lose most of their winter performance
properties - even in cases where the remaining tread depth is still clearly
more than 4 mm.
Speed restrictions apply to winter tyres as well as to summer tyres
⇒ .
You can fit winter tyres of a lower speed category to your vehicle provided
that you also do not drive faster than the permissible maximum speed for
such tyres, even if the possible maximum speed of your vehicle is higher.
The corresponding tyre category can damage the tyres when exceeding
the permissible maximum speed.
Please pay attention to the notes if you decide to fit winter tyres
⇒ page 225.
Wheels and Tyres231
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
You can also fit so-called “all-weather tyres” instead of winter tyres.
Please contact your Škoda dealer If there are any points which are not
clear who will be able to provide you with information regarding the
maximum speed fo
r your tyres.
WARNING
You must on no account drive your car at more than the permis-
sible maximum speed for your winter tyres - risk of an accident
resulting from tyre damage and loss of control over your car.
For the sake of the environment
Fit your summer tyres on again in good time since summer tyres offer you
better grip and handling on roads which are free of snow and ice as well
as ar temperatures below 7 °C - the braking distance is shorter, there is
less tyre noise, tyre wear is reduced and fuel consumption is reduced.
Note
Please observe the various differing legal requirements regarding tyres.
Unidirectional tyres*
The direction of rotation of the tyres is marked by arrows on the wall of
the tyre . This indicates the direction of rotation of the tyre, and it is essen-
tial that the tyres are fitted on to run in this direction. Only then are the
tyres able to provide the optimal properties in terms of grip, low noise,
wear-and-tear and aquaplaning.
Should it be necessary to fit on a spare wheel in exceptional cases with a
tyre not dedicated to the running direction or in opposite running direction,
please adopt a cautious style of driving as the tyre is no longer able to provide optimal grip and handling in such a situation. This particularly
important on wet roads. Please refer to the notes
⇒page 237, “Spare
wheel”.
You should have the defective tyre replaced as soon as possible and
restore the correct direction of rotation on all tyres
Snow chains
Snow chains can be used only for wheel sizes 6J x 16 ET 40 or 6J x 16
ET 37. Your Škoda Dealer can provide you with more detailed information.
Snow chains must only be mounted on the front wheels.
When driving on wintry roads, snow chains improve not only traction, but
also the braking performance.
Only use fine-link snow chains . They must not project more than 15 mm
- including the chain lock.
Remove the full wheel trim if you wish to fit snow chains to the wheels.
Observe the national legal requirements relating to the maximum vehicle
speed with snow chains.
WARNING
Please pay attention to the information in the supplied fitting
instructions of the snow chain manufacturer.
Caution
You must take the chains off as soon as you drive on roads which are free
of snow. They adversely affect the handling of your vehicle, damage the
tyres and are rapidly destroyed.