
Airbag system
26Airbag systemBrief introductionWhy wear a seat belt and assume the correct sitting position?
For the inflating airbags to achieve the best protection, the
seat belt must always be worn properly and the correct sitting
position must be assumed.For your own safety and the safety of the passengers, please ensure
the following before driving:
– Always wear the seat belt properly
– Adjust the driver seat and the steering wheel correctly.
– Adjust the front passenger seat correctly.
– Adjust the head restraint correctly ⇒page 12.
– Use an appropriate child restrain t system to protect children in
your vehicle.The airbag is deployed at high speed in fractions of a second. If you have an
incorrect seating position at the time the airbag is deployed, it could cause
you critical injuries. Therefore, it is essential that all passengers in the vehicle
assume a correct sitting position while travelling.
A sharp braking before an accident may cause a passenger not wearing a seat
belt to be thrown forward into the area of the deploying airbag. In this case, the inflating airbag may inflict critical or fatal injuries on the occupant. This
also applies to children.
Always maintain the greatest possible distance between yourself and the
front airbag. This way, the front airbags can completely deploy when trig-
gered, providing their maximum protection.
The most important factors that will trigger an airbag are: the type of acci-
dent, the angle of collision and the speed of the vehicle.
Whether the airbags are triggered depends primarily on the vehicle deceler-
ation rate resulting from the collision and detected by the control unit. If the
vehicle deceleration occurring during the collision and measured by the
control unit remains below the specified reference values, the front, side
and/or curtain airbag will not be triggered. Take into account that the visible
damage in a vehicle involved in an accident, no matter how serious, is not a
determining factor for the airbags to have been triggered.
WARNING
•Wearing the seat belt incorrectly or assuming an incorrect sitting posi-
tion can lead to critical or fatal injuries.•All occupants, including children, who are not properly belted can
sustain critical or fatal injuries if the airbag is triggered. Children up to 12
years old should always travel on the rear seat. Never transport children in
the vehicle if they are not restrained or the restraint system is not appro-
priate for their age, size or weight.•I f yo u are n o t w ea r i ng a s ea t b e l t , i f yo u l e an fo r w a rd o r t o t h e s id e w h il e
travelling or assume an incorrect sitting position, there is a substantially
increased risk of injury. This increased risk of injury will be further
increased if you are struck by an inflating airbag.•To reduce the risk of injury from an inflating airbag, always wear the
seat belt properly.
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Seats and storage compartments105
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
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 16.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 39, “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 39, “Child safety”.WARNING (continued)
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Checking and refilling levels
202•Avoid running the vehicle on tyres that are more than 6 years old. If you
have no alternative, you should drive slowly and with extra care at all
times.•Never use old tyres or those with an unknown history of use.•If wheel trims are retrofitted, you must ensure that the flow of air to the
brakes is not restricted. This could cause them to overheat.•All four wheels must be fitted with radial tyres of the same type, size
(rolling circumference) and the same tread pattern.For the sake of the environment
Old tyres must be disposed of according to the laws in the country concerned.
Note
•For technical reasons, it is not generally possible to use the wheels from
other vehicles. This can also apply to wheels of the same model. The use of
wheels or tyres which have not been approved by SEAT for use with your
model may invalidate the vehicle’s type approval for use on public roads.•If the spare tyre is not the same as the tyres that are mounted on the
vehicle (e.g. winter tyres) you should only use the spare tyre for a short period
of time and drive with extra care. Refit the normal road wheel as soon as
possible.Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must be tightened to the correct torque.The design of wheel bolts is matched to the rims. If different wheel rims are
fitted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped bolt heads must be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted securely and that the
brake system functions correctly.
In certain circumstances, you should not use wheel bolts from a different
vehicle, even if it is the same model
⇒page 175.
WARNING
If the wheel bolts are not tightened correctly, the wheel could become
loose while driving. Risk of accident.•The wheel bolts must be clean and turn easily. Never apply grease or oil
to them.•Use only wheel bolts which belong to the wheel.•If the prescribed torque of the wheel bolts is too low, they could loosen
whilst the vehicle is in motion. Risk of accident! If the tightening torque is
too high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged.Caution
The prescribed tightening torque for wheel bolts for steel and alloy wheels is
120 Nm.Winter tyres
Winter tyres will improve the vehicles handling on snow and
ice.In winter conditions winter tyres will considerably improve the vehicle’s
handling. The design of summer tyres (width, rubber compound, tread
pattern) gives less grip on ice and snow.
Winter tyres must be inflated to a pressure 0.2 bar higher than the pressures
specified for summer tyres (see sticker on tank flap).
WARNING (continued)
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Checking and refilling levels203
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Winter tyres must be fitted on all four wheels.
Information on permitted
winter tyre sizes can be found in the vehicle’s regis-
tration documents. Use only radial winter tyres. All tyre sizes listed in the
vehicle documentation also apply to winter tyres.
Winter tyres lose their effectiveness when the tread is worn down to a depth
of 4 mm.
The speed rating code ⇒page 201, “New tyres and wheels” determines the
following speed limits for winter tyres: ⇒
Q max. 160 km/h
S max. 180 km/h
T max. 190 km/h
H max. 210 km/h
In some countries, vehicles which can exceed the speed rating of the fitted
tyre must have an appropriate sticker in the driver’s field of view. These
stickers are available from your Authorised Service Centre. The legal require-
ments of each country must be followed.
Do not have winter tyres fitted for unnecessarily long periods. Vehicles with
summer tyres handle better when the roads are free of snow and ice.
If you have a flat tyre, please refer to the notes on the spare wheel
⇒ page 201, “New tyres and wheels”.
WARNING
The maximum speed for the winter tyres must not be exceeded. Otherwise,
this could lead to tyre damage and risk of accident.
For the sake of the environment
Fit your summer tyres again as soon as possible. They are quieter, do not wear
so quickly and reduce fuel consumption.
Snow chainsSnow chains may be fitted only to the front wheels, and only for the following
tyres:
Remove wheel hub covers and trim rings before fitting snow chains. For safety
reasons cover caps, available in any Authorised Service Centre, must then be
fitted over the wheel bolts.
WARNING
Snow chains should be correctly tightened in accordance with the manu-
facturer’s instructions. This will prevent the chains coming into contact
with the wheel housing.
Caution
Remove the snow chains to drive on roads without snow. Otherwise they will
impair handling, damage the tyres and wear out very quickly.
Note
In some countries, the speed limit for using snow chains is 50 km/h. The legal
requirements of the country should be followed.175/70R14
185/60R15
Chains with links not exceeding 15 mm (including the
chain closure)
215/45R16
Chains with links not exceeding 9 mm (including the
chain closure)
215/40R17
Chains with links not exceeding 7mm (including the
chain closure)
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If and when205
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Snow chains
For technical reasons, snow chains must
not be used on the compact tempo-
rary spare wheel.
If you have a puncture on one of the front wheels when using snow chains, fit
the compact temporary spare in place of one of the rear wheels. You can then
attach the snow chains to the wheel taken from the rear and use this wheel to
replace the punctured front wheel.
WARNING
•The tyre pressures must be checked and corrected as soon as possible.•Do not drive faster than 80 km/h. Higher speeds can cause an accident.•Avoid heavy acceleration, hard braking and fast cornering. Risk of acci-
dent.•Never use two or more compact spare tyres at the same time, risk of
accident.•No other type of tyre (normal summer or winter tyre) may be fitted on
the compact temporary spare wheel rim.
Tyre repair kit*
The tyre repair kit (for vehicles not including a spare wheel) is
stored under the floor panel in the luggage compartment.In the event of a punctured tyre, your vehicle is equipped with the Tyre
Mobility System.
The tyre repair kit consists of a container with sealing compound to repair the
puncture and a compressor to generate the required tyre pressure. The kit will
reliably seal punctures up to a size of about 4 mm caused by the penetration
of a foreign body into the tyre.
Note
•Seek professional assistance if the repair of a tyre puncture is not
possible with the sealing compound.Changing a wheelPreparation work
What you must do before changing a wheel.– If you have a flat tyre or puncture, park the vehicle as far away from the flow of traffic as possible. Choose a location that is as
level as possible.
– All passengers should leave the vehicle. They should wait in a safe area (for instance behind the roadside crash barrier).
– Switch the engine off. Switch the hazard warning lights on and place the warning triangles in position.
–Apply the handbrake firmly.
– Engage the first gear, or put the selector lever to position P for
those vehicles with an automatic gearbox.
– If you are towing a trailer, unhitch it from your vehicle.
– Take the vehicle tools and the spare wheel out of the luggage
compartment.
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Description of specifications
234If the maximum permissible drawbar load cannot be met (e.g. with small,
empty and light-weight single axle trailers or tandem axle trailers with a
wheelbase of less than 1 metre), at least 4% of the actual trailer weight is a
legal stipulation for a drawbar load.
WARNING
•For safet y reas ons , d o not excee d the 8 0 k m/h limit . Th is is als o valid in
countries where higher speeds are permitted.•Never exceed the maximum trailer weights or the drawbar load. If the
permissible axle load or the permissible total weight is exceeded, the
driving characteristics of the vehicle may change, leading to accidents,
injuries and damage to the vehicle.
WheelsTyre pressure, snow chains, wheel boltsTyre pressures
The sticker with the tyre pressure values can be found on the inside of the
tank flap. The tyre pressure values given there are for cold tyres. The slightly
raised pressures of warm tyres must not be reduced. ⇒
Snow chains
Snow chains may be fitted only to the front wheels, and only for the following
tyres: Wheel bolts
After the wheels have been changed, the tightening torque
of the wheel bolts
s ho uld b e che cke d as s o on as p ossible wit h a to rqu e w re nch ⇒ . The tight-
ening torque for steel and alloy wheels is 120 Nm.
WARNING
•Check the tyre pressure at least once per month. Checking the tyre
pressure is very important. If the tyre pressure is too high or too low, there
is an increased danger of accidents, particularly at high speeds.•If the torque of the wheel bolts is too low, they could loosen while the
vehicle is in motion. Risk of accident! If the tightening torque is too high,
the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged.Note
We recommend that you ask your Authorised Service Centre for information
about appropriate wheel, tyre and snow chain size.175/70R14
185/60R15
Chains with links not exceeding 15 mm (including the
chain closure)
215/45R16
Chains with links not exceeding 9 mm (including the
chain closure)
215/40R17
Chains with links not exceeding 7mm (including the
chain closure)
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