
Safe driving9
Safety First
Operating instructions
Practical tips
Technical Data
– When travelling long distances, take breaks regularly - at least 
every two hours.
– If possible, avoid driving when you are tired or are in tension.
WARNING
When driving safety is impaired during a trip, the risk of injury and acci-
dents increases.Proper sitting position for occupantsProper sitting position for driver
The proper sitting position for the driver is important for a 
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 adjustments for the driver:
– Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a distance of at least 25  cm between the steering wheel and the centre of your chest 
⇒fig. 1 .
– Move the driver seat forwards or backwards so that you are able  to press the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals to the floor with 
your knees still slightly angled  ⇒.
– Ensure that you can reach the highest point of the steering  wheel.
– Adjust the head restraint so that its upper edge is at the same  level as the top of your head, or as close as possible to the same 
level as the top of your head ⇒ fig. 2.
– Move the backrest to an upright position so that your backrests  completely against it.
Fig. 1  The proper 
distance between driver 
and steering wheel
Fig. 2  Proper head 
restraint position for 
driver
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Safe driving
10
–Fasten your seat belt securely ⇒ page 17.
– Keep both feet in the footwell so that you have the vehicle under  control at all times.Adjustment of the driver seat  ⇒page 101.
WARNING
•An incorrect sitting position of the driver can lead to severe injuries.•Adjust the driver seat so that there is at least 25 cm distance between 
the centre of the chest and the centre of the steering wheel  ⇒page 9, 
fig. 1 . If distance is less than 25 cm, the airbag system may not protect you 
properly.•If your physical constitution pr events you from maintaining the 
minimum distance of 25 cm, contact a qualified workshop. The workshop 
will help you decide if special specific modifications are necessary.•When driving, always hold the steering wheel with both hands on the 
outside of the ring at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. This reduces the 
risk of injury when the driver airbag is triggered.•Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position, or in any other 
manner (e.g. in the centre of the steering wheel). In such cases, if the 
airbag is triggered, you may sustain injuries to the arms, hands and head.•To reduce the risk of injury to the driver during sudden braking manoeu-
vres or an accident, never drive with the backrest tilted far back! The airbag 
system and seat belts can only provide optimal protection when the back-
rest is in an upright position and the driver is wearing his or her seat belt 
properly. The further the backrests are tilted to the rear, the greater the risk 
of injury due to incorrect positioning of the belt web or to the incorrect 
sitting position!•Adjust the head restraint properly to achieve optimal protection.
Proper sitting position for front passenger
The front passenger must sit at least 25 cm away from the 
dash panel so that the airbag can provide the greatest 
possible protection in the event that it is triggered.For your own safety and to reduce the  risk of injury in the event of an 
accident, we recommend the following adjustments for the front 
passenger:
– Move the front passenger seat back as far as possible  ⇒.
– Move the backrest to an upright position so that your backrests  completely against it.
– Adjust the head restraint so that its upper edge is at the same  level as the top of your head, or as close as possible to the same 
level as the top of your head  ⇒page 12.
– Keep both feet in the footwell in front of the front passenger seat.
–Fasten your seat belt securely  ⇒page 17.It is possible to deactivate the passenger airbag in  exceptional circum-
stances  ⇒ page 36.
Adjusting the front passenger seat  ⇒page 104.
WARNING
•An incorrect sitting position of the front passenger can lead to severe 
injuries.•Adjust the front passenger seat so that there is at least 25 cm between 
your breastbone and the dash panel. If distance is less than 25 cm, the 
airbag system may not protect you properly.
Ibiza ST_EN.book  Seite 10  Dienstag, 12. Januar 2010  4:03 16 

Seats and storage compartments101
Safety First
Operating instructions
Practical tips
Technical Data
Seats and storage compartmentsThe importance of correct seat adjustmentProper seat adjustment optimises the level of protection 
offered by seat belts and airbags.Your vehicle has five seats, two in the front and three in the rear. Each seat is 
equipped with a three-point seat belt.
The driver seat and the front passenger seat can be adjusted in many ways to 
suit the physical requirements of the vehicle occupants. The correct seat 
position is very important for:•a fast and easy operation of all controls on the instrument panel,•a relaxed posture which does not cause drowsiness,•a safe driving ⇒ page 7,•ensuring that the seat belts and airbag system provide maximum protec-
tion  ⇒page 17.WARNING
•If the driver and passengers assume improper sitting positions, they 
may sustain critical injuries.•More people than available seats must never be transported in your 
vehicle.•Every passenger in the vehicle must properly fasten and wear the seat 
belt belonging to his or her seat. Chil dren must be protected with an appro-
priate child restraint system  ⇒page 38, “Child safety”.•The front seats and all head restraints must always be adjusted to body 
size and the seat belt must always be properly adjusted to provide you and 
your passengers with optimum protection.
•Always keep your feet on the footwell when the vehicle is moving; never 
rest them on the dash panel, out of the window or on the seat. This is also 
applied to passengers. An incorrect sitting position exposes you to an 
increased risk of injury in case of a sudden braking or an accident. If the 
airbag is triggered, you could sustain severe injuries due to an incorrect 
sitting position.•It is important for the driver and front passenger to keep a distance of 
at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel. Failure to respect the 
minimum distance means that the airbag will not protect you. Risk of fatal 
injury. The distance between the driver and the steering wheel or between 
the front passenger and the dash panel should always be as great as 
possible.•Adjust the driver or front passenger seat only when the vehicle is 
stationary. Otherwise, your seat  could move unexpectedly while the 
vehicle is moving. This could increase the risk of an accident and therefore, 
injury. In addition, while adjusting your seat, you will assume an incorrect 
sitting position. Risk of fatal accidents.•Special guidelines apply to installing a child seat on the front 
passenger seat. When installing a child seat, please observe the warnings 
described in  ⇒page 38, “Child safety”.WARNING (continued)
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Driving
130DrivingAddressAdjusting the steering wheel position
The height and reach of the steering wheel can be freely 
adjusted to suit the driver.– Adjust the driver seat to the correct position.
– Push the lever under the steering column  ⇒fig. 99  down ⇒.
– Adjust the steering wheel until the correct position is set  ⇒fig. 99 .
– Then push the lever up again firmly  ⇒.
WARNING
•Incorrect use of the steering column adjustment function and an incor-
rect seating position can result in serious injury.•To avoid accidents, the steering column should be adjusted only when 
the vehicle is stationary.•Adjust the driver seat or steering wheel so that there is a distance of at 
least 25 cm between the steering wheel and your chest  ⇒fig. 99 . If you fail 
to observe the minimum distance, the airbag will not protect you. Risk of 
fatal injury.•If your physical constitution does not allow you to maintain the 
minimum distance of 25 cm, contact an Authorised Service Centre. The 
Authorised Service Centre will help you to decide if special specific modifi-
cations are necessary.•If you adjust the steering wheel so that it points towards your face, the 
driver airbag will not protect you properly in the event of an accident. Make 
sure that the steering wheel points towards your chest.•When driving, always hold the steering wheel with both hands on the 
outside of the ring at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions. Never hold the 
steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position, or in any other manner (e.g. in 
the centre of the steering wheel, or on the inside of the rim). In such cases, 
if the airbag is triggered, you may sustain injuries to the arms, hands and 
head.
Fig. 99  Steering column 
height adjustment
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Index247
Soot accumulation in the diesel engine particulate 
filter
warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Spare parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Speed selector lever lock warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Speedometer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Starting Petrol engines  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Starting the engine  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  133, 134 After the fuel tank has been run dry . . . . . . 134
Steam jets  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Steering  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 Steering lock  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Steering column controls Audio Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Steering wheel height adjustment . . . . . . . . . . 130
Storage compartment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Front passenger side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
front seat  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Sun visor Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Sun visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Switch Hazard warning lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Heated rear window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Switches Electric windows  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Sliding/tilting sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Switching off the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
TTank fuel level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
reserve indicator  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
tank capacity  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
TCS  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
TCS (Traction control system) warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Technical modifications  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
The danger of not using the seat belt  . . . . . . . . 19
Tightening torque of wheel bolts  . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Tilting roof  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Tow starting Comments  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Towing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Towing a trailer  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  160, 232
Towing bracket  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Towing bracket, fitting  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Towing eye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Traction control system warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Trailer eyes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Trailer turn signals Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Trailer weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Trips, checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  8 Turn signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Warning lamp  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64, 92
Two-way radio  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Type plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Tyre Mobility-System (Tyre repair kit) . . . . . . . . 202
Tyre pressure  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Tyre pressures  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Tyre repair kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  202, 207
Tyre-Mobility-System (Tyre repair kit) . . . . . . . . 207
Tyres and wheels Dimensions  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Tyres service life  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Tyres tread depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Tyres with directional tread pattern . . . . . . . . . 195
UUnderbody protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169VVehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Vehicle data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Vehicle identification data  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Vehicle identification number  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Vehicle interior heating or cooling system  . . . 124
Vehicle modifications  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Vehicle paintwork Products for vehicle maintenance  . . . . . . . 163
Waxing  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
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