2010 SKODA FABIA deactivate passenger airbag

Instruments and warning lights
33
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
WARNING

Pay attention to the following instruct
ions before checking the brake fluid
level and opening the bonnet
page 166, “Working in the engine compart-
ment”.
If the brake system warning light
 does not go out a few seconds after
switching on the ignition or comes on when driving, stop immediately and check the brake fluid in the reservoir
page 171, “Brake fluid”. If the fluid level
has dropped below the MIN marking, do no
t drive any further - risk of accident!
Obtain professional assistance.Cruise control system*

The warning light
 lights up, when operating the speed regulating system.
Airbag system

Monitoring the airbag system The warning light
 comes on for a few seconds when the ignition is switched on.
There is a fault in the system if the warning
light does not go out or comes on or flashes
while driving

. This also applies if the warning
light does not come on after the
ignition is switched on. The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
Airbag fault!
The functionality of the airbag system is also monitored electronically when one airbag has been switched off. The following situation applies if the fr
ont, side and head airbags or belt
tensioner have been switched off
using the vehicle system tester:

The warning light
 lights up for 3 seconds after switching on the ignition and then
flashes for 12 seconds afterwards in 2 second intervals. The following text will be displayed in the information display*:
Airbag/belt tensioner deactivated!
If the passenger front airbag has been
switched off using the switch (for
switching off airbags)* in the end face of
the dash panel on the front passenger
side:
The warning light
 comes on for 4 seconds after the ignition has been switched
on.
switching off the airbag is indicated in the middle of the dash panel by the lighting
up of the yellow indicator light in display

 
  page 129.
WARNING
Have the airbag system checked immediat
ely by a specialist
garage if a fault
exists. Otherwise, there is a
risk of the airbag not bein
g activated in the event of
an accident.
Note
Further information about switching off airbags
page 128, “Deactivating airbags”.
Diesel particle filter*

(diesel engine)
If the warning light

comes on, this means that soot
has accumulated in the diesel
particle filter because of the frequent short distances. In order to clean the diesel particle filter, the vehicle should be driven at an even speed of at least 60 km/h at engine speeds of 1
800 - 2 500 rpm for at least 15 minutes or until
the warning light goes out with the 4th or
5th gear engaged (automatic gearbox: posi-
tion S) when the traffic situation permits it. This increases the exhaust temperature and the soot deposited in the diesel particle filter is burnt. Always pay attention to the valid speed limits

.
The warning light

goes out after the successful cleaning of the diesel particle filter.
If the filter is not properly
cleaned, the warning light

does not go out and the
warning light
 begins to flash. In the in
formation display* appears
Diesel-particle
filter! Owner's manual
. Afterwards the engine control unit shifts the engine into the
emergency mode, which only has a reduced po
wer output. After switching the ignition
off and on again the warning light
 comes on.
Have the vehicle inspected without
delay by your specialist garage.
s3j8.a.book Page 33 Tuesday, April 20, 2010 1:10 PM

Passive Safety
115
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data
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 114, fig. 108
. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that
the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!
When driving, hold the st
eering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer
edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock po
sition. 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.

Ensure that there are no objects in
the footwell as an
y 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 f ro n t p as s en ger mus t mai n tai n a d i s tan ce of a t l ea s t 25 c m f rom th e dash panel so that the airbag offers him the greatest possible safety it is deployed.For the safety of the front pass
enger 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 ed
ge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper pa
rt of your head
page 114, fig. 108
- right.

Fasten the seat belt correctly
page 119, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
In exceptional cases the front pass
enger airbag can be deactivated
page 128,
“Deactivating airbags”. Adjusting the passenger seat
page 59, “Adjusting the front seats”.
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 footwel
l when the vehicle 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 ev
ent of an accident. If an airbag is
deployed, you may suffer fatal injuries wh
en adopting an incorrect seated posi-
tion!
The seat backrests must not be angled
too far back when driving otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the se
at 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 foot- well 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 accident,
the occupants on the rear seats must observe the following.
Adjust the head restraints so that the top edge of the head restraints is at the same
level as the upper part of your head
page 114, fig. 108
.

Fasten the seat belt correctly
page 119, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.

If you are transporting
page 130, “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.
WARNING (continued)
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Airbag system
125
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data

It is essential to always switch off
page 128, “Deactivating airbags” 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 also
when the child is facing the direction of travel). If
this is not done, there is a risk of the ch
ild suffering severe or even fatal injuries
if the front passenger airbag is deploy
ed. In certain countries national legal
provisions also require that the side or
head passenger airbags be deactivated.
When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regu
lations 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 th
e 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 imme- diate 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 wo
rk (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.

Never place any objects on the surface of the dash panel on the front
passenger side.
Side airbags*Description of side airbags The side airbag increases protection
of the passenger concerned in the
case of a side impact.The side airbags are housed in the upholstery of the seat backrests of the front seats and are marked with the lettering “AIRBAG”
fig. 117
on the middle part.
The side airbag system in combination with the three-point seat belts, offers additional protection for the upper area of the body
(chest, stomach and pelvis) in the event of
severe side collisions

in “Important safety information on the side airbag” on
page 126. Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the
seat belts
is to also
hold the driver and front pass
enger in a correct seated position in the event of a side
collision so as to enable the side ai
rbags to offer the maximum protection.
You should therefore always fasten the seat belts, not only because this is required by law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection
page 117, “Why seat
belts?”.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 117 Driver seat: Installation posi- tion of airbag
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Airbag system
126
Function of the side airbags Risk of injury to the upper part of the body is reduced by fully inflated side airbags.In the case of a
violent side crash
, the side airbag in the front seat and the head airbag
on the side on which the collision occurs are deployed
fig. 118
.
In certain accident situations, the front, side and head airbag are simultaneously deployed. If an airbag is deployed, the airbag is filled with gas. The airbags inflate in fractions of a second and at a high speed in order to be able
to offer that additional protection in the
event of an accident. A grey white, non harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is perfectly normal and is not an indicati
on of a fire in the vehicle.
The load of the occupants is cushioned when
plunging into the fully inflated airbag and
the risk of injury to the entire upper body
(chest, stomach and pelvis) is reduced on the
side facing the door.Important safety information on the side airbag Correct use of the airbag system cons
iderably reduces the risk of injury!
WARNING

It is essential to always switch off
page 128, “Deactivating airbags” the
front passenger airbag when attachin
g 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 also when the chil
d is facing the direct
ion of travel). If
this is not done, there is a risk of the ch
ild suffering severe or even fatal injuries
if the front passenger airbag is deploy
ed. In certain countries national legal
provisions also require that the side passenger airbags be deactivated. When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please comply with the appro- priate national regulations regarding the use of child safety seats.
Your head should never be positioned in the deployment area of the side
airbag. You might suffer severe injuries in
the event of an accident. This applies
in particular to children who are transported without using a suitable child safety seat
page 132, “Child safety and side airbag*”.

If children adopt an incorrect seated position when travelling, they may be
exposed to an increased risk of injury in
the event of an accident. This can result
in serious injuries
page 130, “What you should know about transporting
children!”.
There must not be any further persons,
animals as well as objects posi-
tioned between the occupants and the
deployment area of the airbag. No
accessories, such as a can holder, should be attached to the doors.
Only hang light items of clothing on
the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Never
leave any heavy or sharp-ed
ged objects in the pockets
of the items of clothing.

Ensure that there are no excessive forc
es, such as violent knocks, kicks etc.,
impact on the backrests of the seats
otherwise the system may be damaged.
The side airbags would not be deployed in such a case!
Any seat or protective covers which you fit to the driver or front passenger
seats must only be of the type expressly authorised by Škoda Auto. In view of the fact that the airbag inflates out of the backrest of the seat, use of non-approved seat or protective covers would considerably impair the protective function of the side airbag.
Any damage to the original seat covers in
the area of the side airbag module
must be repaired without delay by your specialist garage.
The airbag modules in the front seats
must not display any damage, cracks
or deep scratches. It is not permissible to use force in order to open the modules.
Fig. 118 Side airbags deployed
WARNING (continued)
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Airbag system
128
Important safety information on the head airbag Correct use of the airbag system cons
iderably reduces the risk of injury!
WARNING

It is essential to always switch off
page 128 the front passenger airbag
when attaching a child safety seat on th
e front passenger seat where the child is
seated with its back facing in direction of travel (in some countries also 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 inju
ries if the front passenger airbag is
deployed. In certain countries national legal provisions also require that the side or head passenger airbags be deac
tivated. When transporting a child on
the front passenger seat, pl
ease comply with the appropriate national regula-
tions regarding the use of child safety seats.
There must not be any objects in the deployment area of the head airbags
which might prevent the airbag
s from inflating properly.

Only hang light items of clothing on the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Never
leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in
the pockets of the
items of clothing.
In addition, it is not permitted to use clothes hangers for hanging up items of clothing.
There must not be any other persons (e
.g. children) or animals between the
car occupant and the deployment area of the head airbag. In addition, none of the occupants should lean their head out of the window when driving, or extend their arms and hands out of the window.
The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deploy-
ment area of the head airbags if any ob
jects, such as ball-point pens etc. are
attached to them. This might result in
injuries to the occupants if the head
airbag is deployed.
Installing impermissible accessories in the area of the head airbags may
considerably impair the protection offered
by the head airbag in the event of it
being deployed. When the deployed head
airbag is inflated, parts of the acces-
sories fitted may in certain circumstances be thrown into the interior of the car and cause injuries to the occupants
page 184.

Any work on the head airbag system
including installing and removing
system components because
of other repair work (e.g. removing headliner)
must only be carried out by a specialist garage.
Deactivating airbagsDeactivating airbags If any airbags have been deactivated, switch them on again as soon as possible so that they are able to ag
ain provide their proper protection.
There is the technical means installed within your vehicle to switch off the front, side* or head* airbag (take out of commission). This is why you should have the deactivation
of the airbags carried out by a specialist
garage. On vehicles equipped with the switch for deactivation of the airbags, you can deacti- vate the front passenger airbag
by means of this switch
page 129.
Deactivation of the airbag is envisaged only for particular instances, such as if:
in exceptional circumstances
, it is necessary to use a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat, where the child is seated with
its back facing in
direction of travel
 page 130, “Important safety information re
garding the use of child safety seats”;

you are not able to maintain the distance of at least 25 cm between middle of
steering wheel and chest, despite the
driver seat being correctly adjusted;

special attachments are required in the area of the steering wheel because of a
physical disability;
you have installed other seats (e.g. orthopaedic seats without side airbags).
Monitoring the airbag system The functionality of the airbag system is al
so monitored electronically when one airbag
has been switched off. If the airbag was switched off using diagnostic equipment:
The airbag indicator light lights up for 3 seconds each time the ignition is switched
on and then flashes after that for about 12 seconds. If the airbag was switched off using the airbag switch* on the side of the dash panel:
the airbag indicator light in the instrume
nt cluster comes on for about 3 seconds
each time the igniti
on is switched on;
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Airbag system
129
Using the system
Safety
Driving Tips
General Maintenance
Breakdown assistance
Technical Data

switching off the airbag is indicated by the
lighting up of the indicator light in the
display

 
  in the middle of the dash panel
fig. 121
- right.
Note
A specialist garage will provide you with in
formation on whether na
tional legislation in
your country allows airbags in your vehi
cle to be deactivated, and which ones.
Switch for the front passenger airbag*Fig. 121 Switch for the front passenger airbag
/ indicator light for a switched off front seat
passenger airbagOnly the front passenger airbag is deactivated with the switch.Deactivating an airbag– Switch off the ignition. – Turn the slot of the airbag switch using the ignition key in the direction of the arrow
to the position
OFF
fig. 121
- left.
– Check whether the airbag indicator light in the display

 
  in
the middle of the dash panel lights up when the ignition is switched on
fig. 121

- right.
Switching on an airbag– Switch off the ignition. – Turn the slot of the airbag switch using the ignition key in the opposite direction of
the arrow to the position
ON
fig. 121
- left.
– Check whether the airbag indicator light in the display

 
  in
the middle of the dash panel does not light up when the ignition is switched on  fig. 121
- right.
The airbag should only be switched
off under exceptional circumstances
page 128.
Indicator light in display

 
  (airbag switched off)
The airbag indicator light is located in the middle of the dash panel
fig. 121
- right.
If the airbag is
switched on
, the airbag indicator light comes on for a few seconds after
switching on the ignition. In cases where the front passenger airbag is
switched off
the airbag in
dicator light
comes on for a few seconds after switching on the ignition, goes out for about a second and then comes on again. There is a system fault present in the airbag switch off

if the indicator light
flashes.
WARNING

The driver is responsible for whethe
r the airbags are switched on or
switched off.
Only switch off the airbag when the ignition is switched off! Otherwise a
fault can occur in the system for the airbag deactivation.
If the warning light
  (airbag switched off) flashes:
 Front passenger airbag is not deployed in the event of an accident!  It is also important to have the system inspected without delay by a specialist garage.
s3j8.a.book Page 129 Tuesday, April 20, 2010 1:10 PM