Instruments and warning lights
32WARNING
Pay attention to the following instruct ions before checking the brake fluid
level and opening the bonnet page 162, “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 167, “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.
Front, side and head airbags or belt tensioner which 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 th e 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 125.
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 being activated in the event of
an accident.
Note
Further information about switching off airbags page 124, “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 information display* appears Diesel-particle
Owner's manual . Afterwards the engine control unit shifts the engine into the emer-
gency mode, which only has a reduced power output. After switching the ignition off
and on again the warning light
comes on.
Have the vehicle inspected without delay by your specialist garage.
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Driving Tips
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Praktik
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 110, fig. 104 . 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.
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!
Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any 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 fro n t p assen ger must mai n tai n a d i stan ce of a t l ea st 25 c m from th e
dash panel so that the airbag offers him the greatest possible safety it is
deployed.For the safety of the front passenger 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 edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head page 110, fig. 104 on the right.
Fasten the seat belt correctly page 115, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
In exceptional cases the front pass enger airbag can be deactivated page 124,
“Deactivating airbags”.
Adjusting the passenger seat page 57, “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 110, fig. 104 on the right.
Fasten the seat belt correctly page 115, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
If you are transporting page 126, “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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It is essential to always switch off page 124, “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 the 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 including 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. 113 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 122.
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 113, “Why seat
belts?”.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 113 Driver seat : Installation posi-
tion of airbag
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Airbag system
122
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. 114 .
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 124, “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 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 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 128, “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 126, “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. 114 Side airbags deployed
WARNING (continued)
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Airbag system
124
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 124 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 179.
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 125.
Deactivation of airbags is envisaged only for particular instances, such as if:
Yo u m u s t i n exceptional cases use a child seat on the front passenger seat where
the child is seated with its back to the direction of travel (in some countries this must
be in the direction of travel due to other legal regulations applying) page 126,
“Important safety information regarding 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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switching off the airbag is indicated in the middle of the dash panel on the right by
the lighting up of the indicator light in the display
fig. 117 .
Note
A specialist garage will be able to advise you whether national legislation in your
country allows airbags in your vehicl e to be deactivated, and which ones.Switch for the front passenger airbag*Fig. 117 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. 117 .
– Check whether the airbag indicator light in the display
in
the middle of the dash panel on the right lights up when the ignition is switched on
fig. 117 .
Switching on 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 ON fig. 117 . – Check whether the airbag indicator light in the display
in
the middle of the dash panel on the right lights up when the ignition is switched on
fig. 117 .
The airbag should only be switched off under exceptional circumstances page 124.
Indicator light in display
(airbag switched off)
The airbag indicator light is located in the middle of the dash panel fig. 117 on the
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 indicator 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.
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is moving. This particularly applies to children who are transported on the front
passenger seat if the airbag system deploy
s in the event of an accident. This can
result in severe or even fatal injuries.
It is important that the belt webbing is properly routed if the seat belts are
to offer their maximum protection page 115, “How are seat belts correctly
fastened?”. Pay particular attention to the information provided by the manu-
facturer of the child safety seat regarding correct routing of the belt. Seat belts
which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause injuries even in minor
accidents.
Safety belts must be checked to ensure that they are running properly. One
should also ensure that the belt is not damaged by sharp-edged fittings.
It is essential to always switch off th e front passenger airbag when attaching
a child safety seat to the front passenger seat where the child is seated with its
back facing in direction of travel page 124. If this is not done, there is a risk of
the child suffering severe or even fatal in juries if the front passenger airbag is
deployed. When transporting a child on the front passenger seat, please
comply with the appropriate national regulations regarding the use of child
safety seats.
Use of child safety seats on the front passenger seat
Child safety seats should always be attached to the rear seats.We recommend, for safety reasons, that you always mount a child restraint systems on
the rear seats whenever possible. If you still decide, however, to use a child safety seat on the front passenger seat then you must pay attention to the following warnings in
connection with the use of the airbag system on the front passenger seat.
WARNING
Warning - particular hazard! Never use a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat in which the child is seated with its back facing the direction of
travel. This child safety seat is positioned in the deployment area of the front
passenger airbag. The airbag may cause th e child severe, or even fatal injuries,
in the event of it being deployed.
This is also clearly stat ed on the sticker which is located on the centre
column of the body on the front passenger side fig. 118 . The sticker is visible
upon opening the front passenger door. For some countries, the sticker is also
affixed to the sun visor of the front passenger.
It is essential to always switch off the front passenger airbag when a child
safety seat is nevertheless attached to the front passenger seat where the child
is seated with its back facing in direction of travel page 124, “Deactivating
airbags”. If this is not done, there is a ri sk of the child suffering severe or even
fatal injuries if the front passenger ai rbag is deployed. In certain countries
national legal provisions also require that the front passenger side airbag or the
front passenger head airbag be deactivated. When transporting a child on the
front passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations
regarding the use of child safety seats.
If the front passenger airbag has been switched off by a specialist garage
using the vehicle system te ster, the side airbag* or the head airbag* and the
passenger belt tensioner re main switched on. Please comply with any differing
national legal regulations regardin g the use of child safety seats.
If a child safety seat in which the child faces in the direction of travel is used
on the front passenger seat, the front pa ssenger seat must be moved back and
to the top fully. Move the seat backrest into the vertical position.
You should have the front passenger airbag (or airbags) reactivated just as
soon as you no longer use a child safe ty seat on the front passenger seat.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 118 Sticker on the centre column of
the body on the front passenger side.
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