2011 Seat Altea technical specifications

Airbag system35
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
The front airbag system will not be triggered if:
•the ignition is switched off•there is a minor frontal collision,•there is a side collision,•there is a rear-end collision•the vehicle turns overWARNING
•The seat belts and airbags can only provide maximum protection if the
occupants are seated correctly ⇒page 10, “Proper sitting position for
occupants”.•If a fault has occurred in the airbag system, have the system checked
immediately by a specialised workshop. Otherwise, during a frontal colli-
sion the system may fail to trigger, or not trigger correctly.
Operation of front airbags
Inflated airbags reduce the risk of head or chest injury.The airbag system is designed so that the airbags for the driver and front
passenger are triggered in a severe frontal collision.
In certain types of accident the front, curtain and side airbags may be trig-
gered together.
When the system is triggered, the airbags fill with a propellant gas and
deploy in front of the driver and front passenger ⇒ fig. 20. The fully deployed
airbags cushion the forward movement of the front occupants and help to
reduce the risk of injury to the head and the upper part of the body.
The special design of the airbag allows the controlled escape of the propel-
lant gas when an occupant puts pressure on the bag. Thus, the head and
chest are surrounded and protected by the airbag. After the collision, the
airbag deflates sufficiently to allow visibility.
The airbags deploy extremely rapidly, within thousandths of a second, to
provide additional protection in the event of an accident. A fine dust may
Fig. 20 Inflated front
airbags
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Airbag system37
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Safety notes on the front airbag system
If you use airbags correctly, they can considerably reduce the
risk of injury in many kinds of accident.
WARNING
•It is important for the driver and front passenger to keep a distance of
at least 25cm from the steering wheel or dash panel. If the minimum
distance is not observed then the airbags do not correctly protect the
vehicle occupants; risk of fatal injuries! In addition, the front seats and
head restraints must always be positioned correctly for the height of the
occupant.•If you are not wearing a seat belt, if you lean forward or to the side while
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.•Never let a child travel on the front seat without an appropriate restraint
system. If the airbag is triggered in an accident, children can sustain
serious or fatal injuries from the airbag as it inflates ⇒page 46, “Child
safety”.•The deployment space between the front passengers and the airbags
must not in any case be occupied by other passenger, pets and objects.•The airbags provide protection for just one accident; replace them once
they have deployed.•It is also important not to attach any objects such as cup holders or
telephone mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag units.•Do not attempt to modify components of the airbag system in any
way.
Side airbags*Description of side airbags
The airbag system is not a substitute for the seat belts.The front side airbags are located in the driver seat and front passenger seat
backrests ⇒fig. 22. The rear side airbags are located in the rear wheel
housing lining. The locations are identified by the text “AIRBAG” in the upper
region of the backrests and in the rear wheel housing lining.
Together with the seat belts, the side airbag system gives the front seat occu-
pants additional protection for the upper body in the event of a severe side
collision ⇒page 40, “Safety notes on the operation of the side airbag
system”.
In a side collision, the side airbags reduce the risk of injury to passengers on
the front seats to the areas of the body facing the impact. In addition to their
normal function of protecting the occupants in a collision, the seat belts also
Fig. 22 Side airbag in
driver seat
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Airbag system39
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Operation of side airbags
Inflated airbags can reduce the risk of head or chest injury in
many side impact collisions.In some side collisions , the side airbag is triggered on the impact side of the
vehicle ⇒fig. 23 .
In certain types of accident the front, curtain and side airbags may be trig-
gered together.
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled with propellant gas.
The airbags deploy extremely rapidly, within thousandths of a second, to
provide additional protection in the event of an accident. A fine dust may
develop when the airbag deploys. This is normal and it is not an indication of
fire in the vehicle.
The fully deployed airbags cushion the movement of the occupants of the
front seats and the outer rear seats and help to reduce the risk of injury to the
upper body. The special design of the airbag allows the controlled escape of the propel-
lant gas when an occupant puts pressure on the bag. Thus, the head and
chest are surrounded and protected by the airbag.
Fig. 23 Inflated side
airbag on left side of
vehicle
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Airbag system41
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Curtain airbagsDescription of curtain airbags
The airbag system is not a substitute for the seat belts.The curtain airbags are located on both sides in the interior above the doors
⇒fig. 24 and are identified with the text “AIRBAG”.
In conjunction with the seat belts, the curtain airbag system gives the occu-
pants additional protection for the head and upper body in the event of a
severe side collision ⇒ page 42, “Safety notes on the operation of the
curtain airbag system”.
The airbag system is not a substitute for seat belts, but it is an integral part
of the vehicle’s overall passive safety system. Please bear in mind that the
airbag system can only work effectively when the occupants are wearing their
seat belts correctly and have adjusted the head restraints properly. Therefore,
it is most important to wear the seat belts at all times, not only because this is required by law in most countries, but also for your safety
⇒page 19,
“Brief introduction”.
The main parts of the curtain airbag system are:
•an electronic control and monitoring system (control unit)•the curtain airbags (airbags with ga s generator) for the driver, front
passenger and passengers on the rear seats,•a warning lamp
T on the instrument panel ⇒page 31
The airbag system operation is monitored electronically.
The curtain airbag system will not be triggered if:
•the ignition is switched off
Fig. 24 Location of head airbags on the left side of the
vehicle
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Airbag system43
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
•There must be no other persons, animals or objects between the occu-
pants of the outer seats and the deployment space of the curtain airbags
so that the curtain airbag can deploy without restriction and provide the
greatest possible protection. Therefore, sun blinds which have not been
expressly approved for use in your vehicle may not be attached to the side
windows ⇒page 224, “Accessories, parts replacement and modifica-
tions”.•The built-in coat hooks should be used only for lightweight clothing. Do
not leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets. Please, do not
hang the clothes on coat hangers.•The airbags provide protection for just one accident; replace them once
they have deployed.•Any work on the curtain airbag system or removal and installation of
the airbag components for other repairs (such as removal of the roof lining)
should only be performed by a spec ialised workshop. Otherwise, faults
may occur during the airbag system operation.•Do not attempt to modify components of the airbag system in any way.•The side and head airbags are managed through sensors located in the
interior of the front doors. To ensure the correct functioning of the side and
head airbags neither the doors nor the door panels should be modified in
any way (e.g. fitting loudspeakers). If the front door is damaged, the airbag
system may not work correctly. All work carried out on the front door must
be made in a specialised workshop.WARNING (continued)
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Airbag system45
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
– Check that the warning lamp on the instrument panel
⇒page 44, fig. 27 does not light up when the ignition is
switched on ⇒ .
WARNING
•The driver is responsible for the proper position of the key-operated
switch. •You should only deactivate the front passenger airbag when, in excep-
tional cases, you have to use a rear-facing child seat on the front passenger
seat ⇒page 46, “Child safety”.•Never install a child seat facing backwards on the front passenger seat
unless the front passenger airbag has been disabled. Otherwise, there is a
risk of death. If under exceptional circumstances it is necessary to trans-
port a child in a rear-facing child seat on the front passenger seat, you must
always disable the front passenger airbag.•As soon as the child seat is no longer needed on the front passenger
seat, enable the front passenger airbag again.•Only deactivate the passenger airbag when the ignition is off, other-
wise a fault may occur in the airbag system, which could cause the airbag
to not deploy properly or not deploy at all.•When the passenger airbag is deactivated, if the warning lamp AIRBAG
OFF is not continuously lit up, there may be a fault in the airbag system:
−Have the airbag system inspected immediately by a specialised
workshop.
− Do not use a child seat on the front passenger seat! The front
passenger airbag could be triggered despite the fact that there is a fault
in the system and, as a result, a child could sustain serious or fatal inju-
ries.
− It is unpredictable whether the front passenger airbag will deploy in
the event of an accident. Warn all your passengers of this.
•When using the ignition key to activate/deactivate the front passenger
airbag, only the front passenger airbag will be activated/deactivated. The
side airbag and head airbag on the passenger side will remain active.WARNING (continued)
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Child safety47
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
airbags*”. If the passenger seat has a height adjustment option, move it to
the highest position.
•For those vehicles that do not include a key lock switch to disconnect
the airbag, the vehicle must be taken to a Technical Service.•All passengers, especially children, must assume the proper sitting
position and be properly belted in while travelling.•Never hold children or babies on your lap, this can result in potentially
fatal injuries to the child!•Never allow a child to be transported in a vehicle without being properly
secured, or to stand up or kneel on a seat while travelling. In an accident,
the child could be flung through the vehicle, causing possibly fatal injuries
to themselves and to the other passengers.•If children assume an improper sitting position when the vehicle is
moving, they expose themselves to greater risk of injury in the event of a
sudden braking manoeuvre or in an accident. This is particularly important
if the child is travelling on the front passenger seat and the airbag system
is t riggered in an accid ent ; as this could caus e s erious inj ur y or eve n deat h.•A suitable child seat can protect your child!•Never leave an unsupervised child alone on a child seat or in the
vehicle.•Depending on weather conditions, it may become extremely hot or cold
inside the vehicle. This can be fatal.•Children who are less than 1.5 metres tall must not wear a normal seat
belt without a child seat, as this could cause injuries to the abdominal and
neck areas during a sudden braking manoeuvre or in an accident.•Do not allow the seat belt to become twisted or jammed, or to rub on
any sharp edges.•Incorrectly worn seat belts can cause injuries even in a minor collision
or in sudden braking manoeuvres.
•The seat belt provides maximum protection only when the seat belt is
properly positioned ⇒page 24, “Seat belts”.•Only one child may occupy a child seat ⇒page 48, “Child seats”.
WARNING (continued)
WARNING (continued)
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Child safety49
Safety First
Operating Instructions
Practical Tips
Technical Specifications
Group 1 child seats
A suitable child seat and a correctly adjusted seat belt can
help you to protect your child.Child seats using the ISOFIX system or seats in which the child faces the rear
of the vehicle are most appropriate for babies and small children weighing
between 9 and 18 kg.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions and observe any statutory require-
ments when installing and using child seats.
We recommend you to include the manufacturer's Child Seat instruction
manual together with the on-board documentation.
WARNING
Read and always observe information and warnings concerning the use of
child seats ⇒ in “Safety notes on using child seats” on page 46.
Group 2 and 3 child seats
A suitable child seat and a correctly adjusted seat belt can
help you to protect your child.Follow the manufacturer's instructions and observe any statutory require-
ments when installing and using child seats.
We recommend you to include the manufacturer's Child Seat instruction
manual together with the on-board documentation.
Group 2 child seats
Children under 7 years of age weighing between 15 and 25 kg are best
protected by group 2 child seats together with properly adjusted seat belts.
Group 3 child seats
Children over 7 years of age weighing between 22 and 36 kg but less than 1.5
metres tall are best protected by seat cushions with head restraints together
with properly worn seat belts ⇒fig. 30 .
Fig. 29 A category 1
forward-facing child seat
fitted on the rear seat.
Fig. 30 Forward-facing
child seat installed on rear
seat.
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