2010 SKODA SUPERB technical data

Passive Safety161
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SafetyPassive SafetyBasic informationDriving the safe way
Passive safety measures reduce the risk of injury in accident situations.In this section you will find important info rmation, tips and notes on the subject of
passive safety in your vehicle. We have combined everything here which you should
be familiar with, for example, regarding seat belts, airbags, child seats and safety of
children. It is therefore important, in partic ular, to comply with the notes and warnings
in this section for your own interest and in the interest of those travelling with you.
WARNING

This chapter contains important information on how to use the vehicle for
the driver and his occupants. You will find further information on safety, which
concerns you and those travelling with you, in the following chapters of this
Owner's Manual.

The complete on-board literature should always be in the vehicle. This
applies in particular, if you rent out or sell the vehicle.
Safety equipment
The safety equipment is part of the occupant protection and it can
reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations.“Do not put at risk” your safety and the safety of those travelling with you . In the event
of an accident, the safety equipment can redu ce the risk of injuries. The following list
contains part of the safety equipment in your vehicle:
Three-point seat belts for all the seats,

belt force limiter for front and outer rear seats*,

belt tensioner for front and outer rear seats*,

seat belt height adjuster for front seats,

front airbag for the driver and front passenger,

driver's knee airbag*,

front side airbags,

rear side airbags*,

head airbags*,

anchoring points for child seat using the “ISOFIX” system,

anchoring points for child seat using the “Top Tether” system,

head restraint adjustable for height,

adjustable steering column.
The specified safety equipment works togeth er, in order to optimally protect you and
those travelling with you in accident situat ions. The safety equipment does not protect
you or the people travelling with you, if you or your occupants adopt an incorrect
seated position or the equipment is not correctly adjusted or used.
For this reason you will be provided with information on why this equipment is very
important, how it protects you and the occupants, what should be observed when
using the equipment and how you and the peop le travelling with you can make full use
of the existing safety equipment. This Owner's Manual contains important warning
notes, which you and those travelling with you should pay attention to in order to
reduce a risk of injury.
Safety concerns everybody!
Before setting off
The driver is always fully responsibl e for his occupants and for the oper-
ating safety of the vehicle.For your own safety and the safety of the pe ople travelling with you, please pay atten-
tion to the following points before setting off.
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Passive Safety163
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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 driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the steering wheel
 page 162, fig. 147 - left. 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 162, fig. 147 - right.

Fasten the seat belt correctly page 167, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.
In exceptional cases the front pass enger airbag can be deactivated page 178,
“Deactivating an airbag”. Manual front passenger adjustment
page 80, “Adjusting the front seats”.
Electrical front passenger seat adjustment page 81, “Adjusting front seats electri-
cally*”.
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 162, fig. 147 .

Fasten the seat belt correctly page 167, “How are seat belts correctly fastened?”.

If you are transporting page 180, “Transporting children safely” children in the
vehicle, please use a suitable child restraint system.
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Seat belts165
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Seat beltsWhy seat belts?It is a proven fact that seat belt s offer good protection in accidents fig. 148 . Thus
wearing a seat belt is a legal requirement in most countries.
Seat belts which have been correctly fasten ed and adjusted hold the occupants of the
car in the correct seated position fig. 148 . The belts reduce the kinetic energy
(energy of motion) to a considerable exte nt. They also prevent uncontrolled move-
ments which, in turn, may well result in severe injuries.
The occupants of a vehicle who have fastened and correctly adjusted their seat belt,
profit to a major extent from the fact that the kinetic energy is optimally absorbed by
the belts. The structure of the front end of the vehicle and other passive safety meas-
ures, such as the airbag system, also cont ribute to reducing the kinetic energy. The
energy produced is thus absorbed and there is less risk of injury.
Accident statistics prove that seat belts which are fastened and properly adjusted
reduce the risk of an injury and enhance the chance of survival in a major accident
 page 166.
It is important that you pay attention to safety measures, particularly when trans-
porting children in the vehicle page 180, “What you should know about trans-
porting children!”.
WARNING

Fasten your seat belt each time before setting off, also when driving in town!
This also applies to the people seated at the rear - risk of injury!

Expectant women must also always wear a seat belt. This is the only way of
ensuring optimal protection for the unborn child page 167, “Fastening
three-point seat belts”.

It is important for the belt webbing to be properly routed if the seat belts are
to offer the maximum protection. You can see a description of how safety belts
should be fitted properly on the next pages.Note
Please comply with any differing legal requirements when using the seat belts.The physical principle of a frontal collisionFig. 149 The driver is catapulted forward if not wearing a belt / The rear seat occupant is cata-
pulted forward if not wearing a beltThe physical principle of a frontal a ccident can be explained quite simply:
Motion energy, so-called kinetic energy, is produced as soon as the vehicle is moving,
both for the vehicle and its occupants. The magnitude of this kinetic energy depends
essentially on the speed at which the vehicl e is travelling and on the weight of the
Fig. 148 Driver wearing seat belt
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Seat belts167
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How are seat belts correctly fastened?Fastening three-point seat belts
Fasten your seat belt before starting!Fig. 150 Routing of belt webbing over the sh oulders and the lap belt / Routing of belt
webbing for an expectant mother– Correctly adjust the front seat and the head restraint before fastening your seat belt
 page 84.
– Slowly pull the belt webbing at the tongue of the lock over your chest and pelvis
 .
– Insert the tongue of the lock into the seat belt buckle belonging to the seat until it is heard to lock in place.
– Pull on the belt to check that it has also reliably engaged in the lock.
Each three-point seat belt is equipped with an inertia reel. This inertia reel offers you
complete freedom of movement if the belt is unreeled slowly. If the brakes are applied
suddenly, the inertia reel will block. It also blocks the belts when the car accelerates,
when driving uphill and when cornering.
Expectant mothers must also wear the seat belt .
WARNING

The shoulder part of the seat belt must never run across your neck but must
run approximately over the middle of the shoulder and fit snugly against the chest. The lap part of the belt must r
un across the hip and must never be routed
across the stomach. It must always fit snugly fig. 150 - left. Adjust the belt
webbing as required.

The lap part of the belt should be posi tioned as low as possible at the pelvis
of an expectant mother in order to avoid exerting any pressure on the lower
abdomen fig. 150 - right.

Always ensure that the webbing of the seat belts is properly routed. Seat
belts which are not correctl y adjusted can themselves cause injuries even in
minor accidents.

A seat belt which is hanging too loose can result in injuries as your body is
moved forward by the kinetic energy pr oduced in an accident and is then
suddenly held firm by the belt.

Only insert the lock tongue into the lock which is the correct one for your
seat. This will affect the protection which the belt offers and increase the risk of
an injury.
Seat belt height adjusterThe seat belt height adjuster makes it possible for you to adapt the routing of the three-
point seat belt in the area of the shoulder to match your body size.
– Move the height adjuster in the desired direction up or down fig. 151 .
– Then pull firmly on the belt to ensure that the seat belt height adjuster has correctly
locked in place.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 151 Front seat: Seat belt height
adjuster
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Seat belts169
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
It is essential to pay attent ion to relevant safety regulations if the vehicle or indi-
vidual parts of the system are scrapped. Specialist garages are familiar with these regu-
lations and will be able to provide you with detailed information in this respect.

When disposing of vehicle or parts of the system, it is important to comply with the
national legal requirements.
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Airbag system171
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When are the airbags deployed?The airbag system is designed in such a wa y that the driver and front passenger airbag
are deployed in the event of a violent frontal collision.
In the case of a violent side crash , the front side airbag* on the side of the car at which
the collision occurs, is depl oyed together with the rear side airbag and the head
airbag*.
In special cases, the front as well as th e relevant side and head airbags may be
deployed together.
The airbags are not deployed in the case of minor frontal and side collisions, in the
case of rear-end collisi ons and vehicle rollover.
Deployment factors
It is not possible to state globally which deployment conditions apply to the airbag
system in every situation as the circumstances which exist in the case of accidents vary
greatly. An important role in this case is played by factors such as the type of object
against which the vehicle impacts (hard, soft ), the angle of impact, the relative speed
during the accident etc.
A decisive factor for the deployment of the airbags is the deceleration which occurs
during a collision. The control unit analyses the nature of the collision and activates the
relevant restraint system. If the vehicle deceleration which occurs and is measured
during the collision remains below the prescribed reference values specified in the
control unit, the airbags are no t deployed although the vehicle may well suffer severe
damage to the bodywork as a consequence of the accident.
The airbags are not deployed if:
ignition off,

a minor frontal collision,

a minor side collision,

a rear-end collision,

Rollover of the vehicle.
Note

A grey white, non harmful gas is released wh en airbag is inflated. This is perfectly
normal and is not an indicati on of a fire in the vehicle.

The dash panel must be replaced afte r the front passenger airbag has been
deployed.

In the event of an accident in which the airbags are deployed:
 The interior lighting comes on (if the switch for the interior light is in the door
contact position),
 The hazard warning light is switched on,
 All the doors are unlocked,
 the battery in the luggage compartment* is switched off,
 the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted.
Front airbagsDescription of the front airbags
The airbag system is not a su bstitute for the seat belt!Fig. 153 Driver airbag in th e steering wheel / front passenger airbag in the dash panelThe front airbag for the driver is housed in the steering wheel fig. 153 - left. The front
airbag for the front passenger is housed in the dash panel above the storage compart-
ment fig. 153 - right. The installation positions are each marked with the “AIRBAG”
logo.
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Airbag system173
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
For the driver and front passenger it is important to maintain a distance of
at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel page 172, fig. 155 . Not
maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not
be able to properly protect you - hazard! The front seats and the head restraints
must always also be correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.

It is essential to always switch off page 178, “Deactivating an airbag” 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 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 front passenger airbag module
in the dash panel.
Driver's knee airbag*Description of the driver's knee airbags
The knee airbag reduces the risk of injury to the legs.The driver's knee airbag is located in th e lower part of the dash panel below the
steering column fig. 156 . The fitting position is show n in a picture on the side
surface of the dash panel on the driver's side.
The driver's knee airbag is complementary to the three-point seat belt and offers
adequate protection to the knees of the driver. Please note that an airbag can only
offer you optimal protection in combination with a seat belt which is fastened .
Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the seat belt is to also
hold the driver in a correct seated position in the event of a frontal collision so as to
enable the knee airbag 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 165, “Why seat
belts?”.Function of the driver's knee airbagsThe airbag system is designed in such a way that the driver's knee airbag is deployed
together with the belt tensioner in the even t of a frontal collision of major severity.
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.
WARNING (continued)
Fig. 156 Driver's knee airbag below the
steering column
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Airbag system175
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Function of the side airbags
Risk of injury to the upper part of the body is reduced by fully inflated
side airbags.When the side airbags are deployed, the head airbag and the belt tensioner are also
automatically deployed on the relevant side fig. 158 .
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 ri sk of i njur y to the entire uppe r 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 178, “Deactivating an airbag” 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 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 182, “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 180, “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.

The airbag control unit operates together with the pressure sensors, which
are attached in the front doors. For this reason no adjustments must be carried
out at the doors as well as at the door panels (for example additional installa-
tion of loudspeakers). Resulting damage s can have a negative affect on the
operation of the airbag system. All work on the front doors and their panels
must only be carried out by a specialist garage.

In the event of a side collision, the side airbags will not function properly, if
the sensors cannot measure the increasi ng air pressure inside the doors,
because the air can escape through lar ge, non-sealed openings in the door
panel.
Never drive with removed inner door panels.
 Never drive, if parts of the inner do or panel have been removed and the
remaining openings have not been properly sealed.
 Never drive, if the loudspeakers in the doors have been removed, only if
the loudspeaker openings have been properly sealed.
 Always make sure that the openings are covered or filled, if additional
loudspeakers or other equipment part s are installed in the inner door
panels.
Fig. 158 Inflated side airbag
WARNING (continued)
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