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Function of the front airbags
Risk of injury to the head and chest area is reduced by fully
inflated airbags.
The airbag system is designed in such a way that the driver and front passenger airbag* are deployed in the event of a frontal collision of major severity.
In certain accident situations both the front airbags as well as the head and side airbags may be deployed together.
If the airbags are deployed, the airbags are filled with a propellant gas and inflated in front of the driver and front passenger ⇒fig. 115. The airbags inflate in fractions of a second and at a high speed in order to be able to of fer that a ddi - tional protection in the event of an accident. The forward movement of the driver and of the front passenger is cush ioned when they make contact with the fully inflated airbag and the risk of injury to head and chest is thus reduced.
The specially developed airbag allows the gas to flow out of the inflated airbag in a controlled manner (depending on th e load of the particular car occupant)
in order to cushion head and chest areas. The airbag then deflates subsequently to such an extent, after an accident, to again provide a clear view forward.
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 airbag develops enormous forces wh en triggered, which can lead to inju- ries if the sitting position or seated position is not correct ⇒ in “Important safety information regarding the front airbag system”.
Important safety information regarding the front airbag
system
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk
of injury!
Fig. 115 Inflated airbags
Fig. 116 Safe distance to steering wheel
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The side airbag system in combination wi th the three-point seat belts, offers additional protection for the upper area of the body (chest, stomach and pelvis) in the event of severe side collisions ⇒ in “Important safety information on the side airbag” on page 149.
Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the seat belts is to also hold the driver and front passenger in a correct seated position in the event of a side collision so as to enable the side airbags to offer the maximum protec- tion.
You should therefore always fasten the seat belts, not only because this is required by law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection ⇒ page 138, “Why seat belts?”.
Function of the side airbags
Risk of injury to the upper part of the body is reduced by fully
inflated side airbags.
In the case of a violent side crash, the side airbags in the front seat and the head airbags on the side of the car at which the collision occurs, are deployed ⇒ fig. 118.
In certain accident situations both the front airbags as well as the head and side airbags may be deployed together.
If an airbag is deployed, the airbag is filled with propellant gas. The airbags inflate in fractions of a second and at a high speed in order to be able to offer that additional protection in the event of an accident.
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 load of the occupants is cushioned when plunging into the fully inflated airbag and the risk of injury to the enti re upper body (chest, stomach and pelvis) is reduced on the side facing the door.
Important safety information on the side airbag
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk
of injury!
WARNING
•It is essential to always switch off ⇒page 152, “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 passenger airbags be deactivated. When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
Fig. 118 Side airbags deployed
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You should therefore always fasten the seat belts, not only because this is required by law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection ⇒ page 138.
Together with other elements (such as cross bars in the doors, stable vehicle structure) the head airbags are the co nsequent further development of occu- pant protection in the case of side collisions.
Function of the head airbags
The risk of injury to the head and neck area is reduced in the
event of a side collision by fully inflated head airbags.
In the case of a side collision the head airbag is deployed together with the relevant side airbag on the side of the car on which the accident occurs ⇒ fig. 120.
If the head airbag is deployed, the airbag is filled with propellant gas and covers the entire area of the side window including the door pillars ⇒fig. 120.
The protection offered by the head ai rbags is thus available simultaneously both to the front occupants of the car se ated on the side on which the accident occurs, as well as to the rear occupants. Any impact of the head against parts of the interior or objects outside of the ca r, is cushioned by the inflated head airbag. The reduction in any impact to th e head and the resultant minimizing of any movements of the head additionally re duce the risk of injuries to the neck area. In certain accident situations both the front airbags as well as the side and head airbags may be deployed together.
The airbags inflate in fractions of a seco nd and at a high speed in order to be able to offer that additional protection in the event of an accident. 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.
Important safety information on the head airbag
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk
of injury!
WARNING
•It is essential to always switch o ff 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) ⇒page 152. If this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffer ing severe or even fatal injuries if the front passenger airbag is deploy ed. In certain countries national legal provisions also require that th e side or head passenger airbags be deactivated. When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•There must not be any objects in the deployment area of the head airbags which might prevent the ai rbags from inflating properly.
Fig. 120 Inflated head airbag
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If the airbag was switched of f using diagnostic equipment:
•The airbag indicator light in the instrument cluster lights up for about 3 seconds after switching on the ignition an d then flashes after that for about 12 seconds.
If the airbag was switched off using the airbag switch* on the side of the dash panel:
•The airbag warning light comes on in the instrument cluster for about 3 seconds each time the ig nition is switched on.
•Switching off airbags is indicated in the middle of the dash panel by the lighting up of the indicator light ⇒fig. 122.
Note
Your Škoda Service Partner will be able to advise you whether national legisla- tion in your country allows airbags in yo ur vehicle to be deactivated, and which ones.
Switch for the front seat passenger airbag(s)*
The front passenger front as well as side airbag (if the vehicle is fitted
with side airbags) are switched off using the switch.
Fig. 121 Switch for the front seat passenger airbag(s)
Fig. 122 Indicator light for a switched off front seat passenger airbag
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Tr a n s p o r t i n g c h i l d r e n s a f e l y
What you should know about transporting
children!
An introduction to the subject
Accident statistics have revealed that children are generally
more safely transported on the rear seats than on the front
passenger seat.
Children younger than 12 years of age should normally travel on the rear seat of the vehicle (take note of any national legal provisions which differ from this). They should be secured there by means of a child restraint system or by using the existing seat belts depending on thei r age, body size and weight. The child seat should be mounted behind the fr ont passenger seat for safety reasons.
The physical principle of an accident do es, of course, also apply to children ⇒ page 139, “The physical principle of a frontal collision”. They differ from adults in that their muscles and bone structure of children are not yet fully developed. Thus children are exposed to increased risk of injury.
Children should be transported by using special child safety seats in order to reduce this risk of injury.
Only use child safety seats which are offi cially approved, suitable for children and which comply with the ECE-R 44 stan dard, which classifies child safety seats into 5 groups ⇒page 159, “Classification of child seats into groups”. Child restraint systems which have been tested for conformity with ECE-R 44 have a non-detachable test seal (a large E within a circle and below this the test number) attached to the seat.
We recommend that you us e child safety seats from the Škoda genuine acces- sories. These child seats were developed and also tested for use in Škoda vehi- cles. They fulfil the standard ECE-R 44.
WARNING
Always comply with national legal provisions and instructions from the relevant child safety seat manufacturer when installing and using a child seat ⇒ in “Important safety information regarding the use of child safety seats”.
Note
Any national legal provisions which vary from the information contained in this Owner's Manual take precedence over the information contained herein.
Important safety information regarding the use of child
safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats considerably reduces the risk
of injury!
WARNING
•All the occupants of the car - in part icular children - must wear a seat belt when the car is moving!
•Child ren less than 1.50 m in height or younger than 12 years must not use a normal seat belt without a child restraint system otherwise this
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We recommend, for safety reasons, that you always mount a child restraint systems on the rear seats whenever possible. If you still decide, however, to use a child safety seat on the front passenge r seat then you must pay attention to the following warnings in connection with the use of the airbag system on the front passenger seat.
WARNING
•Warning - particular hazard! Never use a child safety seat on the front passenger seat in which the child is seated with its back facing the direc- tion of travel. This child safety seat is positioned in the deployment area of the front passenger airbag. The ai rbag may cause the child severe, or even fatal injuries, in the event of it being deployed.
•This is also clearly stated on the sticker which is located on the centre column of the body on the front passenger side ⇒page 156, fig. 123. The sticker is visible upon opening the front passenger door.
•It is essential to always switch off ⇒page 152, “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 comp ly with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•If the front passenger airbag has b een switched off by a specialist garage using the vehicle system te ster, the side passenger airbag* remains switched on. In certain countries national legal provisions require that besides the front passen ger airbag also the side or head passenger airbags are deactivated. Please comply with any differing national legal regulations regardin g the use of child safety seats.
•If a child safety seat in which the child faces in the direction of travel is used on the front passenger seat , the front passenger seat must be
moved back and to the top fully. Adjust the backrest to the vertical posi- tion.
•As soon as you no longer use the child safety seat on the front passenger seat, you should again have the front or the side passenger airbag activated.
WARNING (continued)
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Child seat
Classification of child seats into groups
Only child safety seats which have an official approval and are
suitable for the child, may be used.
ECE-R 44 standard applies to child sa fety seats. ECE-R means: Economic Commission of Europe - Regulation.
Child safety seats which have been tested for conformity with ECE-R 44 have a non-detachable test seal (a large E within a circle and below this the test number) attached to the seat.
Child safety seats are classified in 5 groups:
Children of more than 150 cm in height may use the seat belts fitted to the vehicle without a seat bolster.
Use of child seats
An overview of the usefulness of child seats on each of the seats according to the EG guidelines 77/541 and ECE 44 standard:
Universal category - seat is suitable for all approved types of child safety seats.
The seat can be fitted with fixing eyes for the “ISOFIX*”system.
The seat is equipped as standa rd with the fixing system “To p Te t h e r”.
Child seats of group 0/0+GroupWeight
00 - 10 kg⇒page 159
0+up to 13 kg⇒page 159
19 - 18 kg⇒page 160
215 - 25 kg⇒page 161
322 - 36 kg⇒page 162
Child seat groupsFront passenger seatRear seat outsideRear seat middle
0
0+
1
2 and 3
AUAUA+ATAU
AUAUA+ATAU
AUAUA+ATAU
AUAUAU
AU
A+
AT
Fig. 126 Child seats of group 0/0+
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direction of travel (in some countries also when the child is facing the direction of travel) ⇒page 153.
•In certain countries national legal provisions require that besides the front passenger airbag also the side or head passenger airbags are deac- tivated. Please comply with any differing national legal regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•If this is not done, a child seated on the front passenger seat may suffer severe or even fatal injuries if the front passenger airbag or airbags are deployed.
•You should have the front passenger airbag (or airbags) reactivated just as soon as you no longer use a child safety seat on the front passenger seat.
Child safety seats in Group 2
For children up to about 7 years of age weighing between 15 and 25 kg the optimal solution is a child safety seat in combination with the three-point seat belt ⇒page 161, fig. 128.
WARNING
•When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats. Switch off the front passenger airbag if necessary at a specialist garage or switch it off with the switch for front passenger airbag* ⇒page 153.
•The shoulder part of the seat belt must run approximately across the middle of the shoulder and fit snugly against the chest. It must on no account run across the neck. The lap part of the seat belt must run across the pelvis and fits snugly; it must not run over the belly. Tighten the belt webbing over your hip if necessary.
•Please comply with any differing na tional legal regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 128 Child seat in Group 2 installed on the rear seat facing the direc-tion of travel
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