38
Operation, Safety
Steering Wheel HeatingThe steering wheel heating can be switched on
and off with the button on the rear of the steering
wheel when the ignition is switched on.
Switching on steering wheel heatingfPress button.
The message “Steering wheel heating ON”
is displayed on the on-board computer for
2seconds.Switching off steering wheel heatingfPress button.
The message “Steering wheel heating OFF”
is displayed on the on-board computer for
2seconds.
Operation, Safety
39
Multi-Functional Steering Wheel
Warning!
There is a danger of accident if you set or
operate the on-board computer, radio,
navigation system, telephone or other
equipment when driving.
Operating these devices while driving could
distract you from traffic and cause you to
lose control of the vehicle.
fOperate these components while driving only if
the traffic situation allows you to do so safely.
fCarry out any complicated operating or setting procedures only while the vehicle is stationary.
Depending on the equipment in your vehicle, you
can use the function keys of the multi-functional
steering wheel to operate the following Porsche
communication systems:
–PCM
– Telephone
– CD-Audio, DVD-Audio
Readiness for operation of multi-
functional steering wheelThe multi-functional steering wheel is ready for
operation when the ignition and PCM are switched
on.
Operating the function keysfPlease read the separate PCM operating
instructions before operating the function
keys.
The rotary knobs at the top left and right of the
steering wheel can also be pressed.
Turn volume control
Upwards – increase volume.
Downwards – decrease volume.
Press volume control
To switch volume/mute on and off.
Turn rotary knob
To select/mark function in the PCM within
a menu. To do this, turn the rotary knob
upward or downward.
Press rotary knob
To activate selected function.
Press screen button
To call the stored PCM function.
The button can be assigned the desired
function in the PCM.
Press Back button
To move back in the PCM menu.
Press Handset Pickup button
To accept a telphone call.
Press Handset Hangup button
To end or refuse a telephone call.
42
Operation, Safety An audio-visual warning system is interconnect-
ed with the driver’s safety belt.
Every time the ignition is turned on, the gong will
sound for about 6 seconds to remind driver and
passenger to buckle up.
In addition, the gong will sound for approx. 90 sec-
onds if vehicle speed exceeds 15 mph/24 km/h.
The safety belt warning lights in the instrument
panel and on-board computer will go off as soon
as the driver has buckled up.
Inertia reel retractor The combination lap/shoulder belt with inertia reel
locking mechanism adjusts automatically to your
size and movements as long as the pull on the belt
is slow.
Rapid deceleration during hard braking or a colli-
sion locks the belt. The belt will also lock when you
drive up or down a steep hill or in a sharp curve,
otherwise, the shoulder belt will not inhibit your
upper body movement.
Fastening the safety beltfAssume a comfortable sitting position.
fPlease see the chapter “SEAT POSITION” on
Page 30.
fThe shoulder belt should always rest on your
upper body. The shoulder belt should never be
worn behind your back or under your arm.
fGrasp belt and pull the belt in a continuous
slow motion across your chest and lap.
fInsert belt tongue into buckle on inboard side
of seat. Push down until it securely locks with
an audible click. Pull the belt to check.
fPull shoulder section to make sure belt fits
snugly across the pelvis.
fBelts should fit snugly across the pelvis and
chest. Make sure there is no slack in the belt. Releasing the safety beltfPush in release button (arrow) on buckle. Belt
tongue will spring out of buckle.
fTo release a latched belt, lean back to take the
body pressure off the belt.
fTo store lap/shoulder belt, allow the belt to re-
tract as you guide the latch to its stowed posi-
tion.
fPlease see the chapter “AUTOMATIC LOCKING
RETRACTOR” on Page 53.
Safety Belt Warning System
Operation, Safety
45
fUsing accessories not approved by Porsche
can cause the weight sensing system to be im-
paired.
fDo not squeeze objects, such as the fire extin-
guisher, or first aid kit under the seat.
fOnly have seats removed and installed by an
authorized Porsche dealer so that weight sens-
ing components will not be damaged.
fGive your passenger all of the information in
this chapter.
Note
Airbag components (e.g. steering wheel, door lin-
ing, seats) may be disassembled only by an autho-
rized Porsche dealer.
When disposing of a used airbag unit, our safety
instructions must be followed. These instructions
can be obtained at any authorized Porsche dealer.
Function of the airbag systemAirbags are a supplemental safety system. Your
primary protection comes from your safety belts.
The front airbags are triggered during a frontal col-
lision of sufficient force and direction.
In the event of a side impact of corresponding
force, the side airbag on the impact side is
triggered.
The inflation process generates the amount of gas
required to fill the airbags at the necessary pres-
sure in fractions of a second.Airbags help to protect the head and upper body,
while simultaneously damping the motion of the
driver and passenger in the impact direction in the
event of a frontal impact or side impact.
In order to help provide protection in severe colli-
sions which can cause death and serious injury,
airbags must inflate extremely rapidly. Such high
speed inflation has a negative but unavoidable
side effect, which is that it can and does cause in-
juries, including facial and arm abrasions, bruising
and broken bones. You can help minimize such in-
juries by always wearing your safety belts.
There are many types of accidents in which
airbags are not expected to deploy. These include
accidents where the airbags whould provide no
benefit, such as a rear impact against your vehi-
cle. Other accidents where the airbags are de-
signed not to deploy are those where the risk of
injury from the airbag deployment could exeed any
protective benefits, such as in low speed acci-
dents or higher speed accidents where the vehicle
decelerates over a longer time. Since airbag de-
ployment does not occur in all accidents, this fur-
ther emphasizes the need for you and your pas-
sengers to always wear safety belts.
Your vehicle is equipped with a crash sensing and
diagnostic module. This module will record the
use of the seat belt restraint system by the driver
and front passenger when the airbags and/or belt
tensioner work.
Advanced AirbagYour vehicle is equipped with a weight sensing sys-
tem for the passenger's seat in accordance with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208.
Depending on the weight acting on the front pas-
senger's seat, the front passenger's airbag will au-
tomatically be switched on and off.
Depending on the angle and force of impact, the
front passenger's airbag which is activated will be
triggered during a collision.
Precondition for switching the front passenger's
airbag on and off, depending on weight:
– Vehicles equipped with key-operated airbag
deactivation device:
Switch position AUTO.
– Ignition key is inserted.
Improper handling of the weight sensing
system can unintentionally impair switching
the passenger's airbag off and on.
Operation, Safety
47
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lampNote on operation
Although not desired, it can occur in the case of
heavier children that the passenger’s airbag re-
mains active or, in the case of very light adults or
young persons, that the passenger’s airbag is
deactivated.
The condition of the passenger’s front airbag is
shown by the indicator lamp.
If in doubt:
fPlease see the chapter “PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF INDICATOR LAMP DOES NOT LIGHT UP”
on Page 47.fPlease see the chapter “KEY-OPERATED AIR-
BAG DEACTIVATION DEVICE” on Page 49.
fPlease see the chapter “CHILD RESTRAINT
SYSTEMS” on Page 50.
fPlease see the chapter “LATCH SYSTEM
CHILD SEAT BRACKET ON THE PASSENGER’S
SEAT” on Page 54.
Note
fAfter inserting the ignition key, the PASSEN-
GER AIRBAG OFF warning light lights up for a
few seconds as a bulb check.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
lights up
– The passenger's airbag is switched off.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
does not light up
– The passenger's airbag is active and ready for
operation.
– If the passenger's seat is not occupied, the
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will
also not light up, even though the passenger's
airbag is switched off.
Danger!
Risk of serious personal injury or death due
to the passenger airbag triggering uninten-
tionally.
When the ignition key is inserted and the up
to one-year old child is seated in the child re-
straint system on the passenger’s seat, the
indicator lamp “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF”
must be on.
If the “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF” indicator
lamp does not light up, it could indicate a
fault in the system.
In this case:
fChild restraint systems facing forwards:
Install on the rear seats.
fChild restraint systems facing rearwards:
On vehicles with key-operated airbag deactiva-
tion device: Switch to position OFF.
fChild restraint systems facing rearwards:
On vehicles without key-operated airbag deac-
tivation device: Do not use a child restraint sys-
tem in the front passenger’s seat.
fHave the fault remedied at your nearest author-ized Porsche dealer.
48
Operation, Safety Note
The key switch for switching off the passenger’s
airbag in combination with the LATCH attachment
bracket are not installed at the factory. They can
be retrofitted.
fPlease see your authorized Porsche dealer.
Faults are indicated by a warning light in the instru-
ment panel and a message on the on-board com-
puter.
fPlease see the chapter “WARNINGS ON THE
INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE ON-BOARD
COMPUTER” on Page 158.
fIn the following cases you should immedi-
ately consult an authorized Porsche
dealer in order to assure the airbag sys-
tem is functioning properly:
– If the warning light does not light up when the
ignition key is inserted or
– If the warning light does not go out once the
engine is running or
– If the warning light appears while driving.
Airbag maintenanceIn order to ensure long-term functioning, the air-
bag system must be inspected by an authorized
Porsche dealer at the intervals recommended in
your Maintenance Booklet.
Important information
If you sell your Porsche, notify the purchaser that
the vehicle is equipped with airbags, and refer
them to the chapter, “Airbag Systems“, in the
Owner's Manual (safety and disposal rules).
Further information on the airbag system can be
found on stickers attached to the sun visors.
For special recommendations on the use of child
restraints:
fPlease see the chapter “CHILD RESTRAINT
SYSTEMS” on Page 50.
Warning light and warning
message
Operation, Safety
49
Key-operated airbag deactivation deviceIn case your vehicle is equipped with LATCH, you
can switch off (OFF) the passenger’s front airbag
manually. In the automatic mode (AUTO), the
airbag will be switched on or off automatically
depending on the weight on the passenger seat.
fSwitch off the passenger’s airbag on the key
switch using the vehicle key.
Switch position AUTO – passenger’s front airbag is
active
Switch position OFF – passenger’s front airbag is
switched off
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
Danger!
Risk of serious personal injury or death for
passenger if passenger’s airbag remains
switched off after the child restraint system
is removed.
fMake sure that the key switch is switched to
AUTO once the child seat has been removed,
in order to provide protection to the adult occupants.Warning light “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF”
If the airbag on the passenger’s side is switched
off:
– Warning light “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF” is
continuously lit when the ignition key is
inserted.
Danger!
Risk of serious personal injury or death from
the passenger’s airbag.
If the “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF” warning
light is not lit when the ignition key is inserted
and the Airbag OFF switch is switched to the
OFF-Position, this could indicate a fault in the
system.
fDo not install a child restraint system on the
passenger’s seat.
fHave the fault remedied immediately. Please see your authorized Porsche dealer.
Note
fDo not install a child restraint system in
the Sports bucket seat.
The key switch for switching off the passenger’s
airbag in combination with the LATCH attachment
bracket are not installed at the factory. They can
be retrofitted (not on vehicles with Sports bucket
seats).
fPlease see your authorized Porsche dealer.
52
Operation, Safety
Using child restraint systems in the front
passenger seatfDo not install a child restraint system in
the Sports bucket seat.
Danger!
The use of a child restraint system in the
front passenger seat can result in serious
personal injury or death to the child from an
airbag deployment.
To reduce risk of injury from an inflating air-
bag in an accident, Porsche strongly recom-
mends:
fPlease see the chapter “PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF INDICATOR LAMP DOES NOT LIGHT UP”
on Page 47.
fPlease see the chapter “CHILD RESTRAINT
SYSTEMS” on Page 50.
fDo not install a child restraint system in
the Sports bucket seat.
The Sports bucket seat cannot be equipped with the LATCH system. Child restraint system for up to one-year old
children
– Make sure that the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
indicator lamp lights up.
– Adjust the passenger's seat as far away from
the airbag as possible.
Danger!
Risk of serious personal injury or death due
to the passenger’s airbag triggering uninten-
tionally.
When the ignition is on and the up to one-
year old child is seated in the child restraint
system on the passenger’s seat the indicator
lamp „PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF“ must be on.
If the “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF” indicator
lamp does not light up, it could indicate a
fault in the system.
In this case:
fOn vehicles with key-operated airbag deactiva-
tion device: Switch to position OFF.
fOn vehicles without key-operated airbag deac-
tivation device: Do not use a child restraint sys-
tem in the front passenger’s seat.
fHave the fault remedied at your nearest autho-rized Porsche dealer.Child restraint system for children older than
one year
Your vehicle is equipped with a weight sensing sys-
tem for the passenger's seat in accordance with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208.
Depending on the weight acting on the passen-
ger's seat, the passenger's airbag will automati-
cally be switched on or off.
Small adult passengers
Make sure that the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indi-
cator lamp does not light up.
Danger!
Risk of serious personal injury or death due
to the passenger’s airbag not triggering.
When the ignition key is inserted and the
small adult passenger is seated on the pas-
senger’s seat, the indicator lamp “PASSEN-
GER AIRBAG OFF” must be off.
If the “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF” indicator
lamp lights up, it could indicate a fault in the
system.
In this case:
fThe passenger should sit in the rear seat until
the fault is repaired.
fHave the fault remedied at the nearest autho-rized Porsche dealer.