2009 SKODA SUPERB seats

Passive Safety
163
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
SafetyPassive SafetyBasic informationDriving 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 and outer rear seats*,
•
belt tensioner for front and outer rear seats*,
•
seat belt height adjuster for front seats,
•
front airbag for the driver and front passenger,
•
Driver's knee airbag*,
•
front side airbags,
•
rear 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!
s2dk.1.book Page 163 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Passive Safety
165
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
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
⇒page 164, fig. 160
.
•
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. 161
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 170, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. Manual driver seat adjustment
⇒page 78, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical driver seat adjustment
⇒page 79, “Adjusting front seats electrically*”.
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
⇒page 164, fig. 160
. 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.•
The backrests must not be angled to
o far back when driving otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system - risk of injury!•
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.•
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
⇒fig. 161
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 170, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. In exceptional cases the front pass
enger airbag can be deactivated
⇒page 182,
“Deactivating an airbag”.
Fig. 161 The correct head restraint adjustment for the driver
WARNING (continued)
s2dk.1.book Page 165 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Passive Safety
166
Manual front passenger adjustment
⇒page 78, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical front passenger seat adjustment
⇒page 79, “Adjusting front seats electri-
cally*”.
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 sit 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 top edge of the head restraints are at the
same level as the upper part of your head
⇒page 165, fig. 161
.
•
Fasten the seat belt correctly
⇒page 170, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”.
•
If you are transporting
⇒page 185, “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 an airbag is deployed, you may suffer fatal injuries when adopting an incorrect seated position!•
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 the 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. 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,
s2dk.1.book Page 166 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Passive Safety
167
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
•
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.
s2dk.1.book Page 167 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Seat belts
170
•
No two persons (also not children) should ever use a single seat belt
together.•
The maximum protection which seat belts can offer is only achieved if
you are correctly seated
⇒page 164, “Correct seated position”.
•
The belt webbing must no
t run across solid or fragile objects (e.g. spec-
tacles, ball-point pens, keys etc.) as this may be a cause of injuries.•
Bulky, loose clothing (e.g. a winter coat over a jacket) does not allow you
to be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of the seat belts.•
It is prohibited to use clamps or other objects to adjust seat belts (e.g. for
shortening the belts for smaller persons).•
The lock tongue should only be insert
ed into the lock which is the correct
one for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will reduce its capacity to protect and the risk of injury increases.•
The backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the rear
otherwise the seatbelts can
lose their effectiveness.
•
The belt webbing must always be ke
pt clean. Soiled belt webbing may
impair proper operation of the inertia reel
⇒page 217, “Seat belts”.
•
The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked by paper or similar
objects otherwise the belt tongue will not lock in place properly.•
Inspect the seat belts regu
larly to ensure they are
in good condition. If
you find seat belts which have damage to the seat belt webbing, seat belt connections, to the inertia reels or to the lock, the relevant safety belt must be replaced by a specialist garage.•
The seat belts must not be removed or changed in any way. Do not make
an attempt to repair the seat belts yourself.•
Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an accident
and were therefore stretched, must be replaced - this is best done by a specialist garage. The anchorage points
of the belts must also be inspected.
The anchorage points for the be
lts should also be checked.
•
In certain countries it is possible to use seat belts which differ in terms of
their operation from the seat belts wh
ich are described on the pages which
follow.
How are seat belts correctly fastened?Fastening three-point seat belts Fasten your seat belt before starting!– Correctly adjust the front seat and
the head restraint before fastening
your seat belt
⇒
page 82.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 165 Routing of webbing over the shoulders and the lap beltFig. 166 Routing of belt webbing for an expectant mother
s2dk.1.book Page 170 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Seat belts
171
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
– Slowly pull the belt webbing at the to
ngue 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 uphill 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 170,
fig. 165
. 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
⇒page 170, fig. 166
.
•
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 adjusterThe seat belt height adjuster makes it possible for you to adapt the routing of the three-point seat belt in
the area of the shoulder to match
your body size. – Move the height adjuster in the desired direction up or down
⇒
fig. 167
.
– 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 at the front seats by
adjusting the height of the seat.
Fig. 167 Front seat: Seat belt height adjuster
s2dk.1.book Page 171 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Airbag system
174
Airbag systemDescription of the airbag systemGeneral information on the airbag systemThe front airbag system is complementary to the three-point seat belts and offers additional protection for the head and ches
t area of the driver and passenger in the
event of a frontal collision. In the case of a violent side crash, the si
de* and head* airbags reduce the risk of
injuries to the occupants on
the part of the 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) essent
ially consists of:
•
an electronic control unit,
•
front airbag for the driver and front passenger,
•
Driver's knee airbag*,
•
front side airbags,
•
Rear side airbags*,
•
head airbags*,
•
an airbag warning light in the instrument cluster,
•
a front passenger airbag switch*,
•
an indicator light for a switched off fron
t seat passenger airbag* in the middle
of the dash panel. A fault in the airbag system exists if:•
the airbag indicator light does not light
up when the ignition is switched on,
•
the warning light does not go out after about 4 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 164, “Correct seated position” co
rrectly 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. The authorised Škoda Service Partners are famili
ar with these regulations.
s2dk.1.book Page 174 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM

Airbag system
177
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
In certain accident situations, the front, side and head airbag are 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. 171
. The airbags inflate in fractions
of a second and at a high speed in order to
be able to offer that additional protec-
tion in the event of an accident. 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 177.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. 172
. 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 182, “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.
Fig. 172 Safe distance to steering wheel
s2dk.1.book Page 177 Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:23 PM