2008 SKODA FABIA Owner's Manual

Seats and Stowage56
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 142, “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 important 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 prop-erly 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.
Adjusting the front seats
Adjusting a seat in a forward/back direction
– Pull the lever ⇒fig. 49 up and push the seat into the desired posi-
tion.
– Release the lever and push the seat further until the lock is heard
to engage.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 49 Controls at seat
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Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Adjusting height of seat*
– Lift the seat if required by pulling or pumping lever upwards.
– Lower the seat if required by pushing or pumping lever down-
wards.
Adjust the angle of the seat backrest
– Relieve any pressure on the backrest (do not lean on it) and turn the
handwheel to adjust the angle of the backrest.
The driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the pedals can be pressed to the floor with slightly bent legs.
The backrest on the driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the upper point of the steering wheel can be easily reached with slightly bent arms.
WARNING
•Only adjust the driver seat when the vehicle is stationary - risk of injury!
•Take care when adjusting the seat! Adjusting the seat without care can lead to bruises or injuries.
•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!
Head restraints
Best protection is achieved if the top edge of the head restraint is at the
same level as the upper part of your head.
Adjusting the height of a head restraint
– Grasp the side of the head restraint with both hands and push the
head restraint in the direction of axle of the metal guide rods, in the
direction of arrow ⇒fig. 50 to the top or to the bottom.
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Fig. 50 Adjusting head restraint
Fig. 51 Removing a head restraint
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– Move the head restraint downwards if required by pressing the locking
button ⇒fig. 51 and by pressing with the other hand the head
restraint downwards.
Removing and installing a head restraint
– Pull the head restraint out of the backrest of the seat as far as the stop.
– Press the locking button in the direction of arrow ⇒fig. 51 and pull
the head restraint out.
– To re-insert the head restraint, push it down into the backrest of the
seat far enough until you hear the locking button engage.
The position of the front, rear outer head restraints and the rear middle head restraint* is adjustable for height.
The head restraints must be adjusted to match the size of the seat occupant. Correctly adjusted head restraints together with the seat belts offer effective protection for the occupants ⇒page 122.
WARNING
•The head restraints must be correctly adjusted in order to offer effective protection for the occupants in the event of an accident.
•Do not drive under any circumstance with removed head restraints - risk of injury!
Heating the front seats*
The seating and leaning surfaces of the driver and front passenger seat
can be heated when the ignition is switched on.
Front seats
– By pressing the rocker switch in the position or switch on the
front seat heating to 25 % or 100 % of its power output ⇒fig. 52.
– To switch off the heating shift the rocker switch into the horizontal
position.
WARNING
•If you have a subdued pain and/or temperature sensitivity, e.g. through medication, paralysis or because of chronic illness (e.g. diabetes), we recommend not to use the seat heating of the driver or front passenger seat. This can lead to burns on the back, the posterior and the legs which are diffi-cult to heal. If the seat heating is used, we recommend to make regular breaks in your journey when driving long distances, so that the body can recuperate from the stress of the journey. Please consult your doctor, who can evaluate your specific condition.
Fig. 52 Rocker switch: Front seat heating
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Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
•Do not use the seat heating if objects are fastened or stored on the seat for example a child seat, a bag etc. - a fault in the seat heating system can occur.
Caution
•You should not kneel on the seats or otherwise apply pressure at specific points in order to avoid damaging the heating elements of the seat heaters.
•Do not clean the seats moist ⇒page 174.
Note
The seat heating should only be switched on when the engine is running. This has a significant effect of saving on the battery capacity.
Rear seats
Folding the rear seats forwards
To enlarge the luggage compartment, the rear seats can be folded
forwards or the rear seats can be removed ⇒page 60. The rear seats can
be folded forward individually on vehicles with divided rear seats*.
Folding the rear seats forwards
– Before folding the rear seats forward adjust the front seats in such a
way that they are not damaged when folding forward the rear seats.
– Pull up the rear seat in the direction of arrow ⇒fig. 53 and fold
forwards in direction of arrow .
– Unlock the rear seat backrest by pulling the securing knob and fold
it forward ⇒fig. 54.
– Pull the head restraints out of the seat backrest.
– The head restraints can be inserted into the relevant holes of the
folded forwards rear seats ⇒page 60, fig. 55.
– Fold the seat backrests forwards completely.
Folding the rear seats back into position
– Install the head restraint in the slightly lifted rear seat backrest.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 53 Folding the rear seat forwards
Fig. 54 Unlock the seat backrest
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– Then push the seat backrest back into the upright position until the
securing knob clicks into place - check by pulling on the rear seat
backrest.
– Make sure that the red surface of the securing knob is not visible
⇒fig. 54.
– Fold the rear seat back into its original position.
WARNING
•Ensure that the seat belts are not damaged when operating the rear seat backrests. Under no circumstances must the rear seat belts be jammed by the folded back rear seat backrest.
•The belts and the belt locks must be in their original position after folding back the rear seats and seat backrests - they must be ready to use.
•Pay attention that the rear seat backrest is correctly interlocked. It is only then that the three-point seat belt can reliably fulfil its function.
•The seat backrests must be securely interlocked in position so that no objects in the luggage compartment can slide into the passenger compart-ment if there is sudden braking - risk of injury!
•If the housing of the net partition* is installed, first of all fold th left seat backrest forward and then the right double seat backrest.
Inserting head restraints in the rear seats
– The rear head restraints can be inserted into the relevant holes of the
folded forwards rear seats.
Remove the rear seat
The luggage compartment can be increased in size by removing the rear
seat.
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Fig. 55 Rear seats: Head restraints in rear seats
Fig. 56 Remove the rear seats
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Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
Removing
– Fold the rear seat forwards.
– Press the wire clamps in the direction of the arrow ⇒fig. 56 and
remove the rear seat from its holder.
Installing
– Press the wire clamp in the direction of the arrow and place the seat
upholstery in its holder.
– Fold the rear seat back into its original position.
Pedals
You should use only footmats which do not obstruct the movement of the pedals and have an anti-slip protection.
We recommend only to use footmats from Škoda genuine accessories offered by your Škoda dealer.
Operation of the pedals must not be hindered!
WARNING
•Greater pedal distances may be needed when there is a fault in the brake system.
•Do not place any footmats or other additional floor coverings in the area of the pedals in order to ensure that all the pedals can be fully depressed and are able to return unobstructed to their initial position - risk of accident!
•There must be no objects on the floor which could roll under the pedals. You would then no longer be able to apply the brakes, operate the clutch or accelerator - risk of accident!
luggage compartment
Loading the luggage compartment
Please observe the following in the interest of having good handling char-
acteristics of your vehicle:
– Distribute the items of luggage as evenly as possible.
– Place heavy objects as far forward as possible.
– Attach the items of luggage to the lashing eyes or the safety net*
⇒page 62.
In the event of an accident, there is such a high kinetic energy which is produced by small and light objects that they can cause severe injuries. The magnitude of the kinetic energy depends on the speed at which the vehicle is travelling and on the weight of the object. The speed at which the vehicle is travelling is in this case the more significant factor.
Example: In the event of a frontal collision at a speed of 50 km/h, an unsecured object with a weight of 4.5 kg produces an energy, which corresponds to 20 times its own weight. This means that it results in a weight of approx. 90 kg. You can imagine the injuries that can occur, if this “bullet” is flying through the interior compartment and hits an occupant.
WARNING
•Store the objects in the luggage compartment and attach them to the lashing eyes.
•Loose objects in the passenger compartment can be thrown forward during a sudden manoeuvre or in case of an accident and can injure the occupants or other oncoming traffic. This risk is still increased, if the objects which are flying around are hit by a deployed airbag. In this case, the objects which are thrown back can injure the occupants - hazard.
•Please note that the handling properties of your vehicle may be affected when transporting heavy objects as a result of the displacement of the
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centre of gravity. The speed and style of driving must be adjusted accord-ingly.
•The items carried in the luggage compartment should be stored in such a way that no objects are able to slip forward if there are any sudden driving or braking manoeuvres undertaken - risk of injury!
•When transporting fastened objects which are sharp and dangerous in the luggage compartment enlarged by folding the rear seats forward or removing the rear seats, ensure the safety of the passengers transported on the other rear seats ⇒page 124, “Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear seats”.
•If the rear seats next to the folded forward seat are occupied, ensure maximum safety, e.g. by placing the goods to be transported in such a way that a folding back of the seat is prevented in case of a rear collision.
•Never drive with the boot lid fully opened or slightly ajar otherwise exhaust gases may get into the interior of the vehicle - risk of poisoning!
•On no account exceed the permissible axle loads and the permissible gross weight of the vehicle - risk of accident!
•Never transport occupants in the luggage compartment.
Caution
Please ensure that the heating elements of the rear window heater are not damaged as a result of objects sliding in this area.
Note
•Tyre pressure must be adjusted to the load ⇒page 194, fig. 177.
Fastening elements
Eyes and hooks are located on the sides of the loading area for lashing the goods to be loaded ⇒fig. 57.
You can also attach securing nets* to these eyes and hooks for lashing small objects.
WARNING
•The load to be transported must be fixed in place in such a way that it cannot move during the journey and when braking.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 57 Luggage compart-ment: Lashing eyes and lashing hooks (Fabia)
Fig. 58 Luggage compart-ment: Lashing eyes and lashing hooks (Combi)
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Using the systemSafetyDriving TipsGeneral MaintenanceBreakdown assistanceTechnical Data
•If the items of luggage or objects are attached to the lashing eyes with unsuitable or damaged lashing straps, injuries can occur in the event of braking manoeuvres or accidents. In order to prevent the items of luggage being thrown forward, always use suitable lashing straps which are firmly attached to the lashing eyes.
•The load to be transported must be fixed in place in such a way that it cannot move during the journey and when braking.
Fixing nets - Net programme Combi*
Fixing examples of the fixing nets as horizontal pocket, floor fixing net ⇒fig. 59 and double vertical pockets⇒fig. 60.
The fixing nets* for small items of luggage and the installation instruction are located in the luggage compartment.
WARNING
•The whole strength of the net makes it possible to load the pocket with objects of up to 5 kg in weight. Heavy objects are not secured sufficiently - risk of injury and net damage!
•The load to be transported must be fixed in place in such a way that it cannot move during the journey and when braking.
•Do not place any objects with sharp edges in the nets - risk of net damage.
Folding hooks*
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 59 Fixing net: double horizontal pocket, floor fixing net
Fig. 60 Fixing net: double vertical pockets
Fig. 61 Luggage compart-ment: folding hook (Fabia)
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