32
Operation, Safety
Seat Adjustment and Head
Restraints
Warning!
The seat may move unexpectedly if you
attempt to adjust while driving. This could
cause sudden loss of control, resulting in se-
rious personal injury or death.
f Do not adjust seats while the vehicle is in mo-
tion.
The backrest locks must be engaged at all
times while the vehicle is in motion.
Safety belts only offer protection when the
backrest is upright and the belts are properly
positioned on the body.
Improperly positioned sa fety belts or safety
belts worn by passengers in an excessively
reclined position can cause serious personal
injury or death in an accident.
f Do not operate the car with the driver or
passenger backrests excessively reclined
(see “Seat position”).
Risk of injury if persons or animals are in the
movement range of the seat during seat
adjustment.
f Adjust the seat so that no-one is put at risk.
Caution!
Risk of damage to windshield, sun visor, etc.
when the seat is adjusted or folded back or
forward.
f Adjust the seat so that the s e a t b a c k re s t i s n o t in contact with any other object.
The driver and passenger seats provide
integrated head restraints in the backrests. The
head restraints are not adjustable. Warning!
All occupants, including the driver, should not
operate a vehicle or sit in a vehicle's seat until the
head restraints and backrests, respectively, are
placed in their proper posi tions so that the risk of
neck injuries is minimize d in the event of a crash.
For proper positioning of the head restraint, the
seatback's inclination should be adjusted such
that the head restraint is in an upright position.
Driver and passenger should be seated upright
and in the center of their seats.
Seat positionAn ergonomically correct sitting position is
important for safe and fatigue-free driving.
We recommend the following procedure for adjust-
ing the driver’s seat to suit individual
requirements:
1. Vehicles with manual transmission:
Adjust the seat until, with the clutch pedal fully
depressed, your leg remains at a slight angle.
Vehicles with Porsche Doppelkupplung
(PDK):
Adjust the seat until, with your left foot on the
footrest, your left leg remains at a slight angle.
2. Rest your outstretched arm on the steering wheel.
Set the backrest angle (not applicable for
Sports bucket seat) and the steering-wheel
position so that your wr ist rests on the outer
rim of the steering wheel. At the same time,
the shoulders must still be in noticeable
contact with the backrest.
3. Adjust the seat height (not applicable for
Sports bucket seat) to give yourself enough
headroom and a good overview of the vehicle.
4. Electrically adjustable seat: Adjust the seat angle until your thighs rest
lightly on the seat cushion.
38
Operation, Safety
Seat VentilationThe three-stage seat ventilation is ready for opera-
tion when the engine is running and from an
ambient cabin temperature of 58 °F (15 °C).
The three stages are controlled with the buttons
on the control panel for the air conditioning.
The blue light-emitting diodes in the buttons show
which stage is currently activated.
Note
The full effect of the seat ventilation can be
achieved only if you are wearing breathable
clothing.
Seat ventilation and seat heating can be used at
the same time and provide excellent seating
comfort when used in the right combination.
f Do not use protective seat covers.Switching on seat ventilationHigh ventilation
fPress button once.
Three light-emitting diodes light up.
Medium ventilation
f Press button twice.
Two light-emitting diodes light up.
A - Seat ventilation, left
B - Seat ventilation, rightLow ventilation
f Press button three times.
One light-emitting diode lights up.Switching off seat ventilationf Press button as often as necessary until all
light-emitting diodes go out.
Steering Wheel Adjustment
Warning!
Risk of accident.
The steering wheel may move further than
desired if you attempt to adjust it when
driving.
You can lose control of the vehicle, causing
serious personal injury or death.
f Do not adjust the steeri ng wheel when driving.
Operation, Safety
39
Adjusting steering wheel height and
longitudinal direction1. Insert ignition key fully into ignition lock.
2. Push the locking lever downwards.
3. Adjust steering wheel to fit the chosen backrest angle and your seat position by
moving the steering wheel up or down and
longitudinally.
4. Swivel locking lever back until you feel it en- gage.
If necessary, move steering wheel slightly lon-
gitudinally.
Steering Wheel HeatingThe steering wheel heatin g 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 heatingf Press 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.
40
Operation, Safety
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.
f Operate these components while driving only if
the traffic situation allows you to do so safely.
f Carry 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
– Radio with CD-Drive
–CD-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 keysf Please 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.
44
Operation, Safety
Airbag SystemsThe airbags in combination with the safety belts
make up a safety system which offers the driver
and the passenger the greatest known protection
from injuries in case of accident.
Your vehicle is equipped with a weight sensing sys-
tem for the passenger's seat in accordance with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicl e Safety Standard 208.
Even if your vehicle is equipped with airbags, the
safety belts must be worn at all times ,
because the front airbag system is only deployed
by frontal collisions with an impact of sufficient
severity.
Below the deployment threshold of the airbag sys-
tem, and during types of collisions which do not
cause the actuation of the system, the safety belts
provide the primary protection to the occupants
when correctly worn.
Therefore, all persons within the vehicle
must wear safety belts at all times (in many
states, state law requires the use of safety belts).
f Please see the chapter “SAFETY BELTS” on
Page 42.
The front airbags are located under the padded
steering wheel panel on the driver’s side and, on
the passenger's side, in the dashboard.
The side airbags are installed on the side in the
seat backrests.
The head airbags are installed in the door linings.
Danger!
To provide optimal occupant protection, air-
bags must inflate at very high speed. If you
are not wearing your safety belt or are too
close to the airbag when it is deployed, infla-
ting airbags can result in serious personal in-
jury or death.
f Make sure there are no people, animals or ob-
jects between the driver or passenger and the
area into which the airbag inflates.
f Sit back as far from the dashboard or steering
wheel as is practical, while still maintaining full
vehicle control.
f Always hold the steering wheel by the outer
rim. Never rest your hands on the airbag panel.
f Always fasten seat belts because triggering
of the airbag system depends on the force and
angle of impact.
f Do not transport heavy objects on or in front of
the passenger’s seat. These could impair the
function of the airbag , the seat belts, and
weight sensing.
f Do not hang objects (e.g . jackets, coats, coat
hangers) over the backrest. f
Always keep the lid of the door storage com-
partment closed. Objects must not protrude
out of the door storage compartment.
f No changes may be made to the wiring or
components of the airbag system.
f Do not add any additional coverings or stickers
to the steering wheel or in the area of the pas-
senger airbag, side airbags and head airbags.
Doing so may adversely affect the functioning
of the airbag system or cause harm to the oc-
cupants if the airbag system should deploy.
Do not use protective seat covers.
f Do not modify the seat coverings. Do not at-
tach additional cushions, protective coverings,
or pillows to the passenger's seat. Do not affix
things to the passenger's seat or cover it with
other materials. Do not cover the back of the
backrest. Do not make changes to the passen-
ger's seat and to the seat base frame.
f Do not undertake any wiri ng for electrical ac-
cessory equipment in the vicinity of the airbag
wiring harnesses. Doing so may disable the air-
bag system or cause inadvertent inflation.
f If the warning light co mes on, the airbag sys-
tem should be repaired immediately by your
authorized Porsche dealer.
f Always keep feet in the footwell while driving.
Do not put feet on the dashboard or the seat
area. Do not lean against the inside of the door
or outside the window while the vehicle is mov-
ing.
Operation, Safety
45
fUsing accessories not approved by Porsche
can cause the weight sensing system to be im-
paired.
f Do not squeeze objects, such as the fire extin-
guisher, or first aid kit under the seat.
f Only have seats removed and installed by an
authorized Porsche dealer so that weight sens-
ing components will not be damaged.
f Give 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
collision 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 gene rates 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 damp ing 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 an d arm abrasions, bruising
and broken bones. You can help minimize such in-
juries by always wear ing your safety belts.
There are many types of accidents in which air-
bags are not expected to deploy. These include
accidents where the airbags would provide no be-
nefit, such as a rear impact against your vehicle.
Other accidents where the airbags are designed
not to deploy are those where the risk of injury
from the airbag deployment could exceed any pro-
tective benefits, such as in low speed accidents or higher speed accidents where the vehicle decele-
rates over a long time. Since airbag deployment
does not occur in all accidents, this further em-
phasizes the need for yo
u and your passenger 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 passenger when the airbags and/or belt ten-
sioner 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 passen-
ger's seat, the passenger's airbag will automati-
cally be switched on and off.
Depending on the angle and force of impact, the
passenger's airbag which is activated will be trig-
gered during a collision.
Precondition for switching the 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 unintentional ly impair switching
the passenger's airbag off and on.
Operation, Safety
55
Sports Exhaust SystemSwitching on and offThe sports exhaust system can be switched on
and off when the ignition is switched on using the
button.
When the sports exhaust system is switched on,
the light-emitting diode in the button lights up.
Parking Brake Parking brake force is mechanically transferred to
the rear wheels by means of cables.
f Use the parking brake only after the vehicle
has come to a full stop.
Setting the parking brake f Pull the lever all the way up (arrow ).
With the ignition on, the parking brake warning
lights in the instrume nt panel and on-board
computer will come on if the lever is even
slightly raised. A firm pull upward is required to
properly engage the parking brake.
If the brake is not fully set, the vehicle may roll
without control.
f Move the selector lever to “P” (PDK) or move
the gearshift lever to reverse or first gear
(Manual transmission).
f Before exiting the vehicle, make sure that the
parking brake is fully se t and the vehicle is not
moving at all.
Danger!
Risk of serious personal injury or death. A
partially engaged parking brake may allow
the vehicle to roll, ca using serious personal
injury or death to any person in its path.
f Engage the parking brake fully.Releasing the parking brakefPull the lever slightly up as you depress the re-
lease button, and then push the lever all the
way down.
56
Operation, Safety
The warning lights in the
instrument panel and on-
board computer will go out after the parking brake
is fully released.
The warning lights are not an indicator that the
parking brake is fully set; it is only intended to be
a warning to release the parking brake before
driving the car. Caution!
A partially engaged brake will overheat the
rear brakes, reduce their effectiveness and
cause excessive wear.
f Release the parking brake fully.
f When parking your car, always set the parking
brake by pulling all the way up on the lever.
f Move the selector lever to “P” (PDK) or move
the gearshift lever to reverse or first gear
(Manual transmission).
f On hills also turn the front wheels towards the
curb.
Brakes fMake it a habit to chec k the operation of your
brakes before driving.
Keep in mind that the braking distance increases
very rapidly as the speed increases. At 60 mph or
100 km/h, for example, it is not twice but four
times longer than 30 mph or 50 km/h. Tire trac-
tion is also less effective when the roads are wet
or slippery.
f Therefore, always maintain a safe distance
from the car in front of you.
Vehicles without Porsche Ceramic Compos-
ite Brake (PCCB)
Even though the brake discs consist of alloyed
grey cast iron, they will unavoidably start to cor-
rode if your car is parked for an extended period.
The brakes will tend to “rub” as a result.
The nature, extent and effects of corrosion de-
pend on the amount of time the vehicle was
parked, whether granular or liquid road salt was
spread and whether grease-dissolving agents
were used in car washes.
To prevent corrosion of the brake discs, ”brake
them dry“ before parking the car.
If the braking comfort is noticeably impaired, we
recommend having the brake system checked by
experts at an authorized Porsche dealer.
Brake system function Your Porsche is equipped with a power assisted
hydraulic dual circuit brake system with disc
brakes at the front and rear.
Both circuits function independently. One brake
circuit operates the front and the other operates
the rear.
If one brake circuit has failed, the other will still op-
erate. However, you will notice an increased pedal
travel when you apply the brakes.
Failure of one brake circuit will cause the stopping
distance to increase.
Warning!
Risk of an accident, resulting in serious per-
sonal injury or death.
In the unlikely event of hydraulic failure of
one brake circuit:
f Push the brake pedal down firmly and hold it in
that position.
A mechanical linkage activates the second cir-
cuit, and you will be able to bring the vehicle to
a stop.
f After bringing your vehicle to a complete stop,
avoid driving the vehicle and instead have it
towed to the nearest authorized Porsche deal-er for repair.
Parking brake warning light USA
Parking brake warning light
Canada