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147 Interior equipment
For greater flexibility, the rear seat is split so that the narrow and
the wide part can be folded down separately.
Next to the hinges in the trunk are handles for unlocking the rear seat
backrests.
The operation is easier if the front seats are not too far back and
the rear seat head restraints are fully lowered.
1 Unlock the backrest by pulling the appropriate handle in the
trunk.
2 Fold the backrest forward.
Note: When returning the backrest to its upright position, make
sure that it locks properly in place and that the safety belt does
not get caught.
If the left-hand backrest is not properly locked in position, the follow-
ing message is displayed on the SID (equivalent message displayed
for right-hand backrest):
Trunk Release Handle, see page 149.
Emergency opening of the narrow backrest, Sport Sedan, see
page 150.Rear left seat backrest
unlocked.93U S M 06.book Page 147 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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148 Interior equipmentLoad-through hatch, Sport SedanConvertible: There is no load-through hatch.
A load-through hatch is incorporated in the rear seat backrest to
enable long, narrow items to be carried inside the car.
Before loading or unloading long items, switch off the engine and
apply the parking brake. This avoids the danger of the car moving
off if a long item were to knock the gear or selector lever into gear.
Fold down the armrest and open the hatch by lifting the handle.
There is a lock on the rear side of the hatch. Use this to lock or unlock
the hatch.
To lock: Open the hatch and lock the lock. Close the hatch. The
hatch is now locked.
To unlock: Fold down the wide section of the backrest and unlock
the lock. Alternatively, you can unlock the hatch from the trunk.
WARNING
Always secure the load firmly, for example using the middle
safety belt. This reduces the danger of personal injury result-
ing from the displacement of the load on hard braking or in the
event of a crash.
Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 294).93U S M 06.book Page 148 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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149 Interior equipment
Trunk Release HandleThere is a glow-in-the-dark trunk release
handle located inside the trunk on the latch.
This handle will glow following exposure to
light. Pull the release handle down to open
the trunk from inside.
Tie down eyes, Sport SedanThere are tie down eyes in the trunk that
should be used to secure loads. In general,
loads should be placed as far forward and
as low down as possible in the trunk.
NOTICEThe trunk release handle was not
designed to be used to tie down the trunk
lid or as an anchor point when securing
items in the trunk. Improper use of the
trunk release could damage it.
WARNING
Lay heavy bags on the floor. Place
smaller and lighter bags on top.
Secure heavy and bulky items using
the lashing eyes provided in the trunk.
This will avert the danger of luggage
flying around if the car should brake
suddenly or be involved in a crash.
Secure small items if the backrest is
folded down. Small items can also be
thrown around inside the car and
cause personal injury.
The elastic cargo net3 is only
designed for light objects that are to be
kept in place while driving
Elastic cargo net3: WARNING. Avoid
eye injury. DO NOT overstretch.
ALWAYS keep face and body out of
recoil path. DO NOT use when strap
has visible signs of wear or damage.
The rear seat must be in the upright
position to protect against load
displacement in the event of a crash.
Tie down eyes in the trunk
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150 Interior equipment
Trunk lightingOn the underside of the parcel shelf is a light
that is switched on and off when the trunk is
opened and closed.
If the trunk lid is left open, the lighting will be
switched off automatically after 20 minutes
to prevent the battery from running flat.
Emergency opening of the
narrow backrest, Sport SedanThe narrow section of the backrest can be
opened in an emergency if the car is without
electricity (not possible to open trunk lid)
and you need to access the trunk for a warn-
ing triangle, for example.
Remove the cover and depress the yellow
lever forward.
Tools and spare wheel, see page 270. Do not exceed the load capacity of the
car, as this will alter its handling char-
acteristics (see page 294).
Match your speed and driving style to
how the car is loaded. The handling
characteristics of the car can be
affected since a load in the trunk will
alter the car’s center of gravity.Cover over emergency opening lever, on
parcel shelf
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151 Interior equipment
Folding down the rear seat backrest, SportCombi
For greater flexibility, the rear seat is split so that the narrow and the
wide part can be folded down separately.
It is easiest to fold down the rear seat backrests if the front seats are
slid forward.
1 Unlock the backrest by pulling the appropriate handle forward.
An unlocked backrest has a red indicator by the handle.
2 Fold the backrest forward.
When returning the backrest to its upright position, make sure that
it locks properly in place. The red indicator by the handle must not
be visible. Also make sure that the seatbelt does not get caught.
WARNING
Never drive the car if the backrest is not correctly locked into
position as this increases the risk of personal injury in the
event of heavy braking or a crash.
Never leave a child or animal unattended in the car. During
sunny weather the temperature in the passenger and trunk
can climb to 160–180°F (70–80°C). Small children are very
susceptible to heat stroke.
Keep hands well clear of all moving parts.
When folding the backrest back upright, make sure that it is
locked correctly on both sides. This is imperative since the
center safety belt is mounted in the backrest.
Adjust the head restraints for the rear seats to be occupied to
a suitable height before riding in the car.93U S M 06.book Page 151 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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152 Interior equipment
WARNING
Lay heavy bags on the floor. Place smaller and lighter bags on
top.
Elastic cargo net3: WARNING. Avoid eye injury. DO NOT
overstretch. ALWAYS keep face and body out of recoil path.
DO NOT use when strap has visible signs of wear or damage.
Secure heavy and bulky items using the lashing eyes provided
in the trunk. This will avert the danger of luggage flying around
if the car should brake suddenly or be involved in a crash.
Secure small items if the backrest is folded down. Small items
can also be thrown around inside the car and cause personal
injury.
Do not exceed the load capacity of the car, as this will alter its
handling characteristics (see page 294).93U S M 06.book Page 152 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
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154 Interior equipmentTie down eyes, 9-3 SportCombiThere are tie down eyes in the trunk that
should be used to secure loads. In general,
loads should be placed as far forward and
as low down as possible in the trunk.
Driving with the trunk lid open, see
page 204.
WARNING
Put heavy loads as low down and as
far forward as possible in the luggage
compartment, i.e. against the back of
the rear seat.
Never stack cargo so high that any
part of the cargo lies above the edge
of the backrest, if a cargo guard3 is
not being used.
Always tie down the cargo so that it
cannot be thrown forward during
heavy braking or in the event of a
crash.
Unsecured and heavy cargo can
increase the risk of injury during hard
braking, sudden avoidance manoeu-
vres and in the event of a crash.
Use the lashing eyes and suitable
anchorage straps3 for optimum
securing of loads.
Provide protection on sharp edges to
prevent damage to the cargo straps.
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155 Interior equipment
Cargo net3
If possible, avoid having the rear seat
folded down when driving with a heavy
load, because the anchoring possibili-
ties are restricted when the rear seat
is in this position. That the rear seat
is in the upright is a basic require-
ment for protection against cargo
displacement in the event of a
crash.
Improve safety by fastening the outer
seatbelts. Check that the red "indica-
tor-flag" next to the opening handles is
not visible. If the red "indicator-flag" is
visible the backrest is not locked.
Match your speed and driving style to
how the car is loaded. The handling
characteristics of the car can be
affected since a load in the trunk will
alter the car’s center of gravity.
An object weighing 55 lbs. (25 kg)
corresponds to a weight of 2200 lbs.
(1,000 kg) in a front-end collision at
32 mph (50 km/h).
Adjust the car’s load (passengers and
luggage) so that the gross vehicle
weight and the axle weight are not
exceeded, see page 294.
WARNING
Never overload the cargo net3. If the
elastic breaks this may cause
personal injury. Do not use a cargo net
that shows signs of wear.
Never use the elastic floor net3 and
elastic side net3 when the rear seat is
folded down. These nets are only
intended to keep light objects tidy, not
for the anchoring of loads.
Secure the load in the luggage
compartment firmly. Using a cargo net
is not considered as load securing.
The only purpose of a cargo net is to
prevent light objects from being
thrown forward into the cabin during
heavy breaking.
Example of cargo anchoring
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