Safe driving 10
Adjusting the seat position
Introduction
Number of seats
Depending on the equipment, your vehicle has a total of five or seven seats.
Each seat is equipped with a seat belt.
Additional information and warnings:
xSeat functions Ÿpage 137
xSeat belts Ÿpage 22
xAirbag system Ÿpage 33
xChild seats (accessories) Ÿpage 42
WARNING
An incorrect sitting position in the vehicle can lead to severe injuries or
death in the event of sudden braking or manoeuvres, collision or accidents
or if the airbag deploys.
xBefore the vehicle moves, assume the proper sitting position and main-
tain it throughout the trip. This also includes fastening the seat belt.
xNever transport more people than there are seats with a seat belt avail-
able in the vehicle.
xChildren must always be protected with an approved child restraint
system suited to their height and weight Ÿpage 42, Ÿpage 33.
xAlways keep your feet in the footwell while the vehicle is in motion.
Never, for example, put your feet on the surface of a seat or on the dash
panel and never put them out of a window. Otherwise the airbag and seat
belt offer insufficient protection and the risk of injury in the event of an
accident is increased.
WARNING
Before every trip, adjust the seat, the seat belt and the head restraints and
instruct your passengers to fasten their seat belts properly.
xMove the front passenger seat back as far as possible.
xAdjust the driver's seat so that there is a distance of at least 25 cm (10
inches) between the centre of your chest and the hub of the steering wheel.
Adjust the driver's seat so that you are able to press the accelerator, brake
and clutch pedals to the floor with your knees slightly angled and that the
distance between your knees and the dash panel is at least 10 cm (4
inches). If you physical constitution prevents you from meeting these
requirements, contact a qualified workshop to make any modifications
required.
xNever drive with the backrest tilted far back. The further the backrests
are tilted to the rear, the greater the risk of injury due to incorrect posi-
tioning of the belt web or to the incorrect sitting position.
xNever drive with the backrest tilted forwards. Should a front airbag
deploy, it could throw the backrest backwards and injure the passengers of
the rear seats.
xSit as far away as possible from the steering wheel and the dash panel.
xKeep your back straight and resting completely against the backrest
and the front seats correctly adjusted. Never place any part of your body in
the area of the airbag or very close to it.
EquipmentSeats in the
frontSeats in the
second rowSeats in the
third row
5 seats23–
6 seats222
7 seats232
WARNING (continued)
Safe driving 12
Correct sitting position
The correct sitting positions for the driver and passengers are shown below.If you physical constitution prevents you from maintaining the correct sitting
position, contact a qualified workshop for help with any special devices. The
seat belt and airbag can only provide optimum protection if a correct sitting
position is adopted. SEAT recommends visiting a qualified workshop.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the event of an accident
or sudden braking or manoeuvre, SEAT recommend the following positions:
Valid for all vehicle occupants:
xAdjust 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 and under no circumstances below eye level. Keep the back of your neck
as close as possible to the head restraint Ÿfig. 1 and Ÿfig. 2.
xShort people must lower the head restraint completely, even if your head
is below its upper edge.
xTall people must raise the head restraint completely.
xAdjust the backrest to an upright position so that your back rests
completely against it.
xAlways keep your feet in the footwell while the vehicle is in motion.
xAdjust and fasten your seat belt correctly Ÿpage 22.
Also valid for the driver:
xAdjust the steering wheel so that there is a distance of at least 25 cm (10
inches) between it and your chest Ÿfig. 1 and so that you can hold the
steering wheel with both hands on the outside of the ring at the 9 o'clock and
3 o'clock positions with your arms slightly bent.
xThe adjusted steering wheel must face your chest and not your face.
xAdjust the driver's seat forwards or backwards so that you are able to
press the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals to the floor with your knees
slightly angled and the distance between your knees and the dash panel is at
least 10 cm (4 inches) Ÿfig. 1.
xAdjust the height of the driver's seat so that you can easily reach the top
of the steering wheel.
Fig. 1 The correct
distance between the
driver and the steering
wheel must be at least 25
cm (10 inches).
Fig. 2 Correct belt web
and head restraint posi-
tions.
Seat belts 20
Even at low speeds, the forces acting on the body in a collision are so great
that it is not possible to brace oneself with just one's arms and hands. In a
frontal collision, unbelted passengers are thrown forward and will make
violent contact with the steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen or whatever
else is in the way Ÿpage 19, fig. 7.
The airbag system is not a substitute for seat belts. When triggered, airbags
provide only additional protection. Airbags do not deploy in all types of acci-
dent. All occupants (including the driver) must be wearing seat belts properly
during the trip, even if the vehicle is equipped with airbag systems. This will
reduce the risk of critical or fatal injuries in the event of an accident – regard-
less of whether an airbag is fitted for the seat.
The airbag is only deployed once. To achieve the best possible protection, the
seat belt must always be worn properly so that you will be protected in acci-
dents in which no airbag is deployed. Vehicle occupants not wearing belts
could be thrown from the vehicle and sustain even more severe or fatal inju-
ries.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear seat belts properly, as they
could otherwise be thrown forward violently in an accident. Rear passengers
who do not use seat belts endanger not only themselves but also the driver
and other occupants Ÿpage 19, fig. 8.Seat belt protection
Wearing a correctly fastened seat belt can significantly change the situation.
Properly worn seat belts hold the vehicle occupants in the correct sitting posi-
tions and substantially reduce the kinetic energy in the event of an accident.
Seat belts also help to prevent uncontrolled movements that could lead to
severe injuries. In addition, properly worn seat belts reduce the danger of
being thrown from the car Ÿfig. 9.
Passengers wearing their seat belts correctly benefit greatly from the ability
of the belts to absorb kinetic energy. The front crumple zones and other
passive safety features (such as the airbag system) are also designed to
absorb the kinetic energy generated in a collision. Taken together, all these
features reduce the energy released and decrease the risk of injury.
Our examples describe frontal collisions. Of course, properly worn seat belts
substantially reduce the risk of injury in all other types of accidents. This is
why it is so important to fasten seat belts before every trip, even when just
driving “around the corner”. Ensure that your passengers wear their seat
belts as well.
Fig. 9 Drivers with prop-
erly worn seat belts will
not be thrown forward in
the event of sudden
braking.
Airbag system29
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTe c h n i c a l D a t a
Airbag system
Brief introduction
Introduction
Front airbags have been installed for both driver and passenger. The front
airbags can also protect the chest and head of driver and passenger if the
seats, seat belts head restraints and, for the driver, the steering wheel are
correctly adjusted and used. Airbags are considered as additional safety
equipment. An airbag cannot replace the safety belt, which must be worn at
all times, even in front seats where front airbags have been installed.
Additional information and warnings:
xDriving tips Ÿpage 7
xCorrect sitting positions Ÿpage 10
xSeat belts Ÿpage 22
xChild seats (accessories) Ÿpage 42
xCare and cleaning of the vehicle interior Ÿpage 278
xAccessories, parts replacement, repairs and modifications Ÿpage 285
xNotes for the user Ÿpage 283
WARNING
Never exclusively trust the airbag system as a means of protection.
xEven when triggered, airbag protection is only auxiliary.
xThe airbags provide the best protection when the seat belts are prop-
erly fastened, thus reducing the risk of sustaining injuries Ÿpage 22,
“Seat belts”.
xBefore each trip, every occupant must sit properly, correctly fasten the
seat belt belonging to his or her seat and keeping it fastened throughout
the trip. This rule is valid for all occupants.
WARNING
Occupants sitting in the front of the vehicle must never carry any objects in
the deployment space between them and the airbags, as this increases the
risk of sustaining injuries if the airbag is triggered. This modifies the
airbag deployment space or the objects may fly uncontrollably and hit your
body.
xNever carry objects in your hand or on your lap while the vehicle is in
motion.
xNever transport objects on the front passenger seat. In the event of
sudden braking and manoeuvres, the objects may end up in the airbag
deployment space and fly uncontrollably around the vehicle interior if the
airbag is activated.
xOccupants of the front and outer rear seats must never carry any other
people, pets or objects in the deployment space between them and the
airbags. Make sure children and other passengers also respect this recom-
mendation.
WARNING
The airbag system provides protection for one accident only. If they have
been deployed, they must be replaced.
WARNING (continued)
Airbag system35
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTe c h n i c a l D a t a In conjunction with the seat belts, the front airbag system gives the front
occupants additional protection for the head and chest in the event of a
severe frontal collision. Always remains as far away as possible from the front
airbag. This way, the front airbags can completely deploy when triggered,
providing their maximum protection.
The front airbag for the driver is located in the steering wheel Ÿpage 34,
fig. 17 and the airbag for the front passenger is located in the dash panel
Ÿfig. 18. Airbags are identified by the word “AIRBAG”.
When the front airbags are triggered they fill the zones marked in red (deploy-
ment area) Ÿpage 34, fig. 17. Therefore, objects should never be placed or
mounted in these areas Ÿ, Factory-fitted accessories are outside the
range of the front airbag for the driver and the front passenger, e.g. the base-
plate for the mobile phone support.
The airbag covers fold out of the steering wheel or dash panel when the driver
and front passenger airbags are triggered Ÿfig. 18. The airbag covers
remain connected to the steering wheel or the dash panel.
WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in fractions of a second.
xAlways keep the deployment areas of the front airbags free.
xNever secure objects to the covers or in the deployment area of the
airbag modules, e.g. cup holders or phone supports.
xThe deployment space between the front passengers and the airbags
must not in any case be occupied by other passenger, pets and objects.
xNever fix any object to the windscreen above the front airbag on the
front passenger side.
xDo not alter, cover or stick anything to the steering wheel hub or the
surface of the airbag module on the passenger side of the dash panel.
WARNING
Front airbags are deployed in front of the steering wheel Ÿpage 34, fig. 17
and the dash panel Ÿfig. 18.
Fig. 18 Location and deployment area of the front airbag
for the front passenger.