2007 SKODA FABIA seats

Passive Safety113
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Safety
Passive Safety
Basic information
Driving the safe way
Passive safety measures reduce the risk of injury in accident situa-
tions.
In this section you will find important inform ation, tips and notes on the subject of passive safety in your vehicle. We ha ve combined everything here which you should be familiar with, for example, regarding seat belts, airbags, child seats and safety of children. It is therefore importan t, in particular, to comply with the notes and warnings in this section for your own interest and in the interest of those trav- elling with you.
WARNING
•This chapter contains important information on how to use the vehicle for the driver and his occupants. You will find further information 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 equipmen t can reduce the risk of injuries. The following list contains part of th e 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 airbag for the driver and the front seat passenger*
•side airbags*,
•head airbags*,
•anchoring points for child seat using the “ISOFIX” system,
•anchoring points for child seat using the “Top Tether” system,
•head restraint adjustable for height,
•adjustable steering column.
The specified safety equipment works toge ther, 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 equipmen t is not correctly adjusted or used.
Fo r t h i s re a s o n y o u w i l l b e p ro v i d e d w i th i n fo rm a ti o n o n w hy t h i s e q u i p m e nt i s v e r y important, how it protects you and the o ccupants, what should be observed when using the equipment and how you and the pe ople travelling with you can make full use of the existing safety equipment. This Owner's Manual contains important warning notes, which you and those travelli ng with you should pay attention to in order to reduce a risk of injury.
Safety concerns everybody!
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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 accident, 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. 105.
•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. 106.
•Fasten the seat belt correctly ⇒page 120, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
Driver seat adjustment ⇒page 56, “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 always be correctly fastened in order to provide an optimal protection for you and your occupants.
•The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the steering wheel ⇒fig. 105. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly 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.
•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.
Fig. 105 The correct distance of the driver from the steering wheel
Fig. 106 The correct head restraint adjust-ment for the driver
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•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 115, fig. 106.
•Fasten the seat belt correctly ⇒page 120, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
In exceptional cases the front pass enger airbag can be deactivated ⇒page 131, “Deactivating an airbag”.
Adjusting the passenger seat ⇒page 56, “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 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 maintaining 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 fata l 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 th e seat belts and of the airbag system - risk of injury!
Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear seats
Occupants on the rear seats must si t upright, keep the feet in the
footwell and must have their se at belts correctly fastened.
To reduce the risk of injury in the event of a sudden braking manoeuvre or an acci- dent, the occupants on the rear seats must observe the following.
•Adjust the head restraints so that the to p edge of the head restraints are at the same level as the upper part of your head ⇒page 115, fig. 106.
•Fasten the seat belt correctly ⇒page 120, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
•If you are transporting ⇒page 134, “Transporting children safely” children 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 occupants.
•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 accident. If th e head airbag* is deployed and when adopting an incorrect seated position, you are exposing yourself to an increased risk of injury and in the event of an accident you may suffer fatal injuries!
•If the occupants on the rear seats are not sitting upright, the risk of injury is increased due to incorrec t 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 on ly if the webbing of the seat belts is properly routed. Incorrect seated positio ns considerably reduce the protective functions of the seat belts and therefore incr ease the risk of injury due to an incor- rect routing of the seat belt. The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occu-pants, in particular for the children. Do not permit an occupant to adopt an incor- rect 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 comple te, however we would like you to get inter- ested in this subject.
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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,
•occupy the luggage compartment.
WARNING
•If the occupant adopts an incorrect seated position, he is exposed to life- threatening injuries, in case he is hit by a deployed airbag.
•Before setting off, please adopt the correct seated position and do not change this seated position while the car is moving. Also advise your occu- pants to adopt the correct seated position and not to change this seated position while the car is moving.
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Seat belts121
Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
– Slowly pull the belt webbing at the tongue of the lock over your chest
and pelvis ⇒.
– Insert the tongue of the lock into th e seat belt buckle belonging to the
seat until it is heard to lock in place.
– Pull on the belt to check that it has also reliably engaged in the lock.
Each three-point seat belt is equipped with an inertia reel. This inertia reel offers you complete freedom of movement if the belt is unreeled slowly. If the brakes are applied suddenly, the inertia reel will block. It also blocks the belts when the car accelerates, when driving downhill and when cornering.
Expectant mothers must also wear the seat belt ⇒.
WARNING
•The shoulder part of the seat belt must never run across your neck but must run approximately over the middl e of the shoulder and fit snugly against the chest. The lap part of the belt must run across the hip and must never be routed across the stomach. It must always fit snugly ⇒page 120, fig. 110 . Adjust the belt webbing as required.
•The lap part of the belt should be positioned as low as possible at the pelvis of an expectant mother in order to avoid exerting any pressure on the lower abdomen.
•Always ensure that the webbing of the seat belts is properly routed. Seat belts which are not correctly adjusted ca n themselves cause injuries even in minor accidents.
•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 lo ck which is the correct one for your seat. This will affect the protection whic h the belt offers and increase the risk of an injury.
Seat belt height adjuster on the front seats
The seat belt height adjuster makes it possible for you to adapt the
routing of the front 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. 112.
– 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*.
Fig. 112 Front seat: Seat belt height adjuster
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Taking seat belts off
– Press the red button in the belt lock ⇒fig. 113. The spring force causes
the tongue of the lock to jump out.
– Guide the belt back with your hand to enable the inertia reel to wind
up the belt webbing more easily.
A plastic knob in the belt webbing holds the belt tongue in a position which is easy to get hold of.
Three-point safety belt for 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, whil e 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 func- tion reliably when the backrests are correctly locked into position ⇒ page 59.
Note
The vehicles of the group N1 are not equipped with the third seat belt on the rear seats. The vehicle is only approved for four persons.
Belt tensioner
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 au tomatically tensioned in the event of a frontal collision of a certain severity. The belts tensioners are also deployed if the seat belts are not fastened.
Belt tensioners are not activated in the ev ent of minor frontal collisions, side and rear-end collisions, in the ca se of a rollover and also not in accidents in which no major forces are produced from the front.
WARNING
•Any work on the belt tightener syst em, including removal and installa- tion of system components because of other repair work, must only be carried out by a specialist garage.
•The protective function of the system is only adequate for a single acci-dent. If the belt tensioners have been deployed, it is then necessary to replace the entire system.
•The Owner's Manual must also be ha nded over to the new owner if the vehicle is sold.
Note
•Smoke is generated when the belt tensione rs are deployed. This is not an indi- cation of a fire in the vehicle.
•It is essential to pay attention to relevant safety regulations if the vehicle or indi- vidual parts of the system are scrapped. Škoda Service Partners are familiar with
Fig. 113 Releasing lock tongue from belt lock
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Airbag system124
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 airbags reduce the risk of injury to the occu- pants 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 few seconds each time the ignition is switched on.
The airbag system (according to vehicl e equipment) essentially consists of:
•an electronic control unit,
•the front airbags for the driver and front passenger ⇒page 126,
•the side airbags ⇒page 128,
•head airbags ⇒page 130,
•an airbag warning light in the instrument cluster ⇒page 28,
•a front passenger airbag switch* ⇒page 132,
•an indicator light for a switched off front seat passenger airbag* in the middle of the dash panel ⇒page 132.
A fault in the airbag system exists if:
•the airbag indicator light does not light 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 swit ched-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 115, “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 maintenance during its working life.
•If you sell your car, please hand over the complete vehicle documenta-tion 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 Service Partners are familiar with these regulations.
•When disposing of vehicle or parts of the airbag system, it is important to comply with the national legal requirements.
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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 ⇒page 126, fig. 116. The airbags inflate in fractions of a second and at a high speed in order to be able to offer that addi- tional protection in the event of an acci dent. The forward movement of the driver and of the front passenger is cushioned 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 the 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 when triggered, which can lead to injuries if the sitting position or seated position is not correct ⇒ in “Important safety information regarding the front airbag system” on page 127.
Important safety information 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 suffer 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. 117. Not main- taining this minimum 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 occu- pant.
•It is essential to always switch off ⇒page 131, “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 al so 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 requir e that the side or head passenger airbags be deactivated. When transpor ting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
•There must not by any further persons, animals or objects positioned 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 includ ing installing and removing system components because of other repair work (e.g. removing the steering wheel) must only be carried out by a specialist garage.
•Never carry out changes on the front bumper or on the body.
•Never place any objects on the dash panel on the front passenger side.
Fig. 117 Safe distance to steering wheel
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