2006 SKODA FABIA warning light

Passive Safety134
For this reason you will be provided with information on why this equipment is very important, how it protects you and the occupants, what should be observed when using the equipment and how you and the people travelling with you can make full use of the exis ting safety equipment. This Owner's Manual contains important warning notes, which you and those travelling with you should pay attention to in order to reduce a risk of injury.
Safety concerns everybody!
Before setting off
The driver is always fully responsible for his occupants and for
the operating safety of the vehicle.
For your own safety and the safety of the people travelling with you, please pay attention to the following points before setting off.
•Ensure that the lighting and the turn signal system are functioning properly.
•Inspect the tyre inflation pressure.
•Ensure that all the windows offer a good visibility to the outside.
•Safely attach the items of luggage ⇒page 75, “Loading the luggage compartment”.
•Ensure that no objects can obstruct the pedal.
•Adjust the mirror, the front seat and the head restraint to match your body size.
•Point out to your occupants that the head restraints must be adjusted to match their body size.
•Protect the children in suitable child se ats with correctly fastened seat belts ⇒ page 155, “Transporting children safely”.
•Adopt the correct seated position. Also inform your occupants to adopt the correct seated position.
•Fasten the seat belt correctly. Also inform your occupants to properly fasten the seat belts ⇒page 141, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
What influences the driving safety?
The driving safety is primaril y determined by the style of
driving and the personal behaviour of all the occupants.
The driver is fully responsible for hims elf and his occupants. If your driving safety is effected, you place yourself an d the oncoming traffic at risk. Please refer to the following guidelines.
•Do not get distracted from concentrating on the traffic situation, e.g. by your occupants or mobile phone calls.
•Never drive when your driving ability is impaired, e.g. through medication, alcohol, drugs.
•Keep to the traffic regulations and the permissible speed limit.
•Adjust the driving speed at all times to the road condition as well as to the traffic and weather conditions.
•Take regular breaks on long journe ys - at the latest every two hours.
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Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
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 accident, we recommend the following setting.
•Adjust the steering wheel so that th e distance between the steering wheel and your chest is at least 25 cm ⇒fig. 104.
•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 ab le 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. 105.
•Fasten the seat belt correctly ⇒page 141, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
Driver seat adjustment ⇒page 70, “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 must
Fig. 104 The correct distance of the driver from the steering wheel
Fig. 105 The correct head restraint adjust-ment for the driver
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Airbag system
Description of the airbag system
General information on the airbag system
The front airbag system is complementary to the three-point seat belts and offers additional protection in the head and chest area of the driver and passenger in the event of a frontal collision.
In the event of a side collision, the side ai rbags reduce the risk of injury to the occupants to the part of their body facing the side of the accident.
The airbag system is only functional after the ignition has been switched on.
The operational readiness of the airbag system is monitored electronically. The airbag warning light comes on for a fe w seconds each time the ignition is switched on.
The airbag system (according to vehi cle equipment) essentially consists of:
•an electronic control unit,
•the front airbags for the driver and front passenger ⇒page 146,
•the side airbags ⇒page 148,
•Head airbags ⇒page 150,
•an airbag warning light in the instrument cluster ⇒page 35,
•a front passenger airbag switch* ⇒page 153,
•an indicator light for a switched off front seat passenger airbag* in the middle of the dash panel ⇒page 153.
A fault in the airbag system exists if:
•the airbag indicator light does not ligh t up when the ignition is switched on,
•the airbag indicator light does not go out after about 3 seconds after the ignition is switched on,
•the airbag indicator light goes out and comes on again after the ignition is switched on,
•the airbag indicator light comes on or flickers when driving,
•an airbag indicator light showing a sw itched-off front passenger airbag* in the middle of the dash panel flashes.
WARNING
•To enable the occupants of a car to be protected with the greatest possible effect when the airbag is deployed, the front seats must be ⇒ page 135, “Correct seated position” correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.
•If you do not fasten the seat belts when driving, lean too far forward or adopt an incorrect seated position, you are exposing yourself to increased risk of injury in the event of an accident.
•Have the airbag system checked imme diately by a specialist garage if a fault exists. Otherwise, there is a risk of the airbag not being activated in the event of an accident.
•No modifications of any kind may be made to parts of the airbag system.
•It is prohibited to manipulate individual parts of the airbag system as this might result in the airbag being deployed.
•The protective function of the airbag system is sufficient for only one accident. The airbag system must then be replaced if the airbag has been deployed.
•The airbag system needs no main tenance during its working life.
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Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
•If you sell your car, please hand over the complete vehicle documen- tation to the new owener. Please note that the documents relating to the possibility of deactivating the front pa ssenger 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 Service Partners are familiar with these regulations.
•When disposing of vehicle or parts of the airbag system, it is impor- tant to comply with the 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 airbag* in the front seat and the head airbag* on the side of the car at which the collision occurs are deployed.
It is also possible under certain special accident situations that the front as well as the side airbags and head airbags* are deployed.
The airbags are not deployed in the case of minor frontal and side collisions, in the case of rear-end collisions and vehicle rollover.
Deployment factors
It is not possible to state globally wh ich 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 agains t 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 uni t analyses the nature of the collision and activates the relevant restraint system. If the vehicle deceleration which occurs and is measured during the collision remains below the prescribed reference values specified in the cont rol 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.
Caution
The dash panel must be replaced afte r the front passenger airbag has been deployed.
Note
•A grey white or red, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is perfectly normal and is not an in dication of a fire in the vehicle.
•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)
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•Your head should never be positioned in the deployment area of the side airbag. You might suffer severe in juries in the event of an accident. This applies in particular to children who are transported without using a suitable child safety seat ⇒page 158, “Child safety and side airbag*”.
•If children adopt an incorrect seated position when travelling, they may be exposed to an increased risk of injury in the event of an accident. This can result in serious injuries ⇒page 155, “What you should know about transporting children!”.
•There must not be any further persons, animals as well as objects positioned between the occupants and the deployment area of the airbag. There must also be no accessories such as cup holders, attached to the doors to enable the side airbags to activate properly.
•Only hang light items of clothing on the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of clothing.
•Ensure that there are no excessiv e forces, such as violent knocks, kicks etc., impact on the backrests of the seats otherwise the system may be damaged. The side airbags would not be deployed in such a case!
•Any seat or protective covers which you fit to the driver or front passenger seats must only be of the type expressly authorized by Škoda Auto. In view of the fact that the airbag inflates out of the backrest of the seat, use of non-approved seat or protective covers would considerably impair the protective function of the side airbag.
•Any damage to the original seat covers in the area of the side airbag module must be repaired without delay by your specialist garage.
•The airbag modules in the front seats must not display any damage, cracks or deep scratches. It is not permissible to use force in order to open the modules.
•Any work on the side airbag system including removing and installing system components because of other repair work (e.g. removing seats) must only be carried out by a specialist garage.
Head airbags*
Description of the head airbags
The head airbag together with the side airbag offers
enhanced occupant protection in the event of a side collision.
The head airbags are positioned above the doors on both sides in the interior of the car ⇒fig. 119. The installation positions of the head airbags are each marked with the “AIRBAG” logo.
The head airbag together with the three-point seat belts and the side airbags, offers additional protection for the head and neck area of the occupants in the event of a side collision of major severity ⇒ in “Important safety informa- tion on the head airbag” on page 151.
Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the seat belts is to also hold the driver and the occupants in a correct seated position in the event o f a s i d e c o l l i s i o n s o a s t o e n a b l e t h e head airbags to offer the maximum protec- tion.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 119 Installation position of the head airbags
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•Only hang light items of clothing on the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of clothing. In addition, it is not permitted to use clothes hangers for hanging up items of clothing.
•There must not be any other persons (e.g. children) or animals between the car occupant and the deployment area of the head airbag. In addition, none of the occupants should lean their head out of the window when driving, or extend their arms and hands out of the window.
•The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deployment area of the head airbags if any objects, such as ball-point pens etc. are attached to them. This might result in injuries to the occu- pants if the head ai rbag is deployed.
•Installing impermissible accessories in the area of the head airbags may considerably impair the protection offered by the head airbag in the event of it being deployed. When the deployed head airbag is inflated, parts of the accessories fitted may in certain circumstances be thrown into the interior of the car and cause injuries to the occupants ⇒ page 220.
•Any work on the head airbag system including installing and removing system components because of other repair work (e.g. removing headliner) must only be carried out by a specialist garage.
Deactivating an airbag
Deactivating airbags
If any airbags have been deacti vated, switch them on again as
soon as possible so that they are able to again provide their
proper protection.
There is the technical means installed within your vehicle to switch off the front, side* or head airbag* (take out of commission).
This is why you should have the deacti vation of the airbags carried out by a specialist garage.
On vehicles equipped with the switch fo r deactivation of the airbags, you can deactivate the front passenger airbag or passenger side airbag by means of this switch ⇒page 153.
Deactivation of airbags is envisaged only for particular instances, such as if:
•you must in exceptional cases use a child seat on the front passenger seat where the child has its back to the direct ion of travel of the vehicle (in some countries this must be in the direction of travel due to other legal regulations applying) ⇒page 155, “Important safety information regarding the use of child safety seats”,
•you are not able to maintain the distan ce of at least 25 cm between middle of steering wheel and chest, despite the driver seat being correctly adjusted,
•special attachments are required in the area of the steering wheel because of a physical disability,
•you have installed other seats (e.g. orthopaedic seats without side airbags).
Monitoring the airbag system
The functionality of the airbag system is also monitored electronically, when one airbag has been switched off
WARNING (continued)
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Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
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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Deactivating an airbag
– Switch off the ignition.
– Turn the slot of the airbag switch using the ignition key in the direc-
tion of the arrow to the position OFF ⇒page 153, fig. 121.
– Check whether the airbag indicator light    in
the middle of the dash panel lights up ⇒page 153, fig. 122 when
the ignition is turned on.
Switching on an airbag
– Switch off the ignition.
– Turn the slot of the airbag switch using the ignition key in the direc-
tion of the arrow to the position ON ⇒page 153, fig. 121.
– Check whether the airbag indicator light    in
the middle of the dash panel lights up ⇒page 153, fig. 122 when
the ignition is turned on.
The airbags should only be switched off under exceptional circumstances ⇒ page 152.
Indicator light    (airbag switched off)
The airbag indicator light is located in the middle of the dash panel ⇒page 153, fig. 122 .
If the front passenger airbag is switched on, the airbag warning light comes on for a few seconds each time the ignition is switched on.
In cases where the front passenger front airbag or side airbag is switched off the airbag indicator light comes on for a few seconds after switching on the igni- tion, goes out for about a second and then comes on again.
There is a system fault present in the airbag switch off ⇒ if the indicator light flashes.
WARNING
•The driver is responsible for whethe r the airbags are switched on or switched off.
•Only switch off the airbag when the ignition is switched off! Other- wise a fault can occur in the system for the airbag deactivation.
•If the warning light    (airbag switched off) flashes:
− Front passenger airbag is not deployed in the event of an accident!
− It is also important to have the system inspected without delay by a specialist garage.
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