2011 SKODA FABIA airbag

Visibility
Rear window heater Fig. 30 Switch for rear window heater
– You can switch the rear window heater on or off by pressing the switch ⇒ 
fig. 30 - the indicator light in the switch comes on or goes out.
The rear window heater only operates when the engine is running.
The rear window heater switches off automatically after 7 minutes.
If the on-board voltage drops, the rear window heater is switched off automatical-
ly, the warning light flashes in the button. For the sake of the environment
As soon as the window is de-iced or free from mist, the heating should be switch-
ed off. The reduced current consumption will have a favourable effect on fuel
economy ⇒ page 139, Saving electricity. Sun visors Fig. 31 Sun visor: swivelling out
You can pull the sun visor for the driver or front passenger out of the fixture and
swivel it toward the door in the direction of the arrow 1 ⇒
 fig. 31 .
The vanity mirrors in the sun visors are provided with covers. Push the cover in di-
rection of arrow 2 .
WARNING
The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deploy-
ment area of the head airbags if any objects, such as ball-point pens etc. are
attached to them. This might result in injuries to the occupants if the head air-
bag is deployed. 47
Lights and Visibility Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Seats and Stowage
Front seats
Basic information The front seats have a wide range of different settings and can thus be matched
to the physical characteristics of the driver and front passenger.
Correct adjustment of the seats is particularly important for:
●
safely and quickly reaching the controls;
● a relaxed, fatigue-free body position;
● achieving the maximum protection offered by the seat belts and the airbag
system.
The chapters which follow describe the procedure which you should adopt for ad-
justing the seats. WARNING
● Never transport more occupants than the maximum seating in the vehicle.
● Each occupant must correctly fasten the seat belt belonging to the seat.
Children must be fastened ⇒ 
page 121, Transporting children safely with a
suitable restraint system.
● 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.
● Always keep your feet in the footwell when the car is being driven - never
place your feet on the instrument panel, out of the window or on the surfaces
of the seats. This is particularly important for the front seat passenger. You
will be exposed to increased risk of injury if it becomes necessary to apply the
brake or in the event of an accident. If an airbag is deployed, you may suffer
fatal injuries when adopting an incorrect seated position! WARNING (Continued)
● It is important for the driver and front passenger to maintain a distance of
at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dash panel. Not maintaining this
minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to proper-
ly protect you - hazard! The front seats and the head restraints must always
also be correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occupant.
● Ensure that there are no objects in the footwell as any objects may get be-
hind the pedals during a driving or braking manoeuvre. You would then no
longer be able to operate the clutch, to brake or accelerate.
● Do not transport any objects on the front passenger seat except objects
(e.g. child safety seat) provided for this purpose - risk of accident! 
Adjusting the front seats - Variant 1 Fig. 37 Controls at seat
Adjusting a seat in a forward/back direction
– Pull the lever 1 ⇒
 fig. 37
up and push the seat into the desired position.
– Release the lever 1 and push the seat further until the lock is heard to en-
gage.
Adjusting height of seat
– Lift the seat if required by pulling or pumping lever 2 upwards.
– Lower the seat if required by pushing or pumping lever 2 downwards.
£52
Seats and Stowage

Adjust the angle of the seat backrest
–
Relieve any pressure on the seat backrest (do not lean on it) and turn the
handwheel 3 to adjust the angle of the backrest.
The driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the pedals can be fully
pressed to the floor with slightly bent legs.
The seat backrest on the driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the
upper point of the steering wheel can be easily reached with slightly bent arms. WARNING
● Only adjust the driver seat when the vehicle is stationary - risk of injury!
● Take care when adjusting the seat! Adjusting the seat without care can
lead to bruises or injuries.
● The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving other-
wise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag sys-
tem - risk of injury! 
Adjusting the front seats - Variant 2 Fig. 38 Controls at seat
This front seat variant is only available in some countries.
Adjusting a seat in a forward/back direction
– Pull the lever (in the middle section) 1 ⇒ fig. 38
up and push the seat into the
desired position.
– Release the lever 1 and push the seat further until the lock is heard to en-
gage. Adjusting height of seat
–
Lift the seat if required by pulling or pumping lever 2 upwards.
– Lower the seat if required by pushing or pumping lever 2 downwards.
Adjust the angle of the seat backrest
– Remove the pressure of the backrest (do not lean on it), pull the lever 3 to-
wards the rear and set the desired angle of the seat backrest with the back
– After releasing the lever 3 , the seat backrest will remain in the set position.
The driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the pedals can be fully
pressed to the floor with slightly bent legs.
The seat backrest on the driver's seat should be adjusted in such a way that the
upper point of the steering wheel can be easily reached with slightly bent arms. WARNING
● Only adjust the driver seat when the vehicle is stationary - risk of injury!
● Take care when adjusting the seat! Adjusting the seat without care can
lead to bruises or injuries.
● The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving other-
wise this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag sys-
tem - risk of injury! 
Head restraints Fig. 39 Head restraint: Adjusting/pulling out
Best protection is achieved if the top edge of the head restraint is at the same
level as the upper part of your head.
£ 53
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

WARNING
● Store the objects in the luggage compartment and attach them to the
lashing eyes.
● Loose objects in the passenger compartment can be thrown forward dur-
ing a sudden manoeuvre or in case of an accident and can injure the occupants
or other oncoming traffic. This risk is still increased, if the objects which are
flying around are hit by a deployed airbag. In this case, the objects which are
thrown back can injure the occupants - hazard.
● Please note that the handling properties of your vehicle may be affected
when transporting heavy objects as a result of the displacement of the centre
of gravity. The speed and style of driving must be adjusted accordingly.
● The items carried in the luggage compartment should be stored in such a
way that no objects are able to slip forward if there are any sudden driving or
braking manoeuvres undertaken - risk of injury!
● When transporting fastened objects which are sharp and dangerous in the
luggage compartment enlarged by folding the rear seats forward or removing
the rear seats, ensure the safety of the passengers transported on the other
rear seats ⇒  page 107, Correct seated position for the occupants on the rear
seats.
● If the rear seats next to the folded forward seat are occupied, ensure max-
imum safety, e.g. by placing the goods to be transported in such a way that a
folding back of the seat is prevented in case of a rear collision.
● Never drive with the boot lid fully opened or slightly ajar otherwise ex-
haust gases may get into the interior of the vehicle - risk of poisoning!
● On no account exceed the permissible axle loads and the permissible gross
weight of the vehicle - risk of accident!
● Never transport occupants in the luggage compartment. CAUTION
Please ensure that the heating elements of the rear window heater are not dam-
aged as a result of objects sliding in this area. Note
Tyre pressure must be adjusted to the load ⇒  fig. 135. Vehicles of category N1 On vehicles of the category N1, which are not fitted with a protective grille, a lash-
ing set which complies with the standard EN
12195 (1 - 4) must be used for fasten-
ing the load. 
Fastening elements Fig. 44 Luggage compartment: Lashing eyes and fastening elements (Fabia)/(Combi)
Fastening eyelets and fastening elements are located on the sides of the luggage
compartment for securing the items of luggage
⇒ fig. 44

.
You can also attach fixing nets to these fastening eyelets and fastening elements
for holding small objects. WARNING
● The load to be transported must be fixed in place in such a way that it can-
not move during the journey and when braking.
● If the items of luggage or objects are attached to the lashing eyes with un-
suitable or damaged lashing straps, injuries can occur in the event of braking
manoeuvres or accidents. In order to prevent the items of luggage being
thrown forward, always use suitable lashing straps which are firmly attached
to the lashing eyes. 57
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Front seat armrest with storage compartment
Fig. 73 Armrest: Storage compartment/open storage compartment
Fold the armrest
–
Press the bottom button on the face end of the armrest ⇒ fig. 73 on the left.
Fold the armrest forwards and release the button.
Opening stowage compartment
– Press the top button and fold up the cover of the storage compartment
⇒ fig. 73 on the right. Note
The moving space of the arms can be restricted if the armrest is folded down. In
city traffic the armrest should not be folded down. 
Storage compartment in the front doors Fig. 74 Stowage compartment in door
panelA bottle holder is located in the area
B of the storage compartment for the front
doors. WARNING
Use the area A ⇒ fig. 74
of the storage compartment only for storing objects
which do not project so that the effectiveness of the side airbag is not im-
paired. 
Removeable storage compartments in the luggage compartment Fig. 75 Removeable storage compart-
ments
A storage box is located on both sides in the side trim panel of the luggage com-
partment. ⇒ fig. 75 CAUTION
The removeable storage boxes are intended for storing small objects of up to
2.5 kg in weight.  71
Seats and Stowage Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Flexible storage compartment
Fig. 76 Flexible storage compartment
A flexible storage compartment is located on the right side of the luggage com-
partment.
Removing
– Take hold of the flexible storage compartment at both upper corners.
– Press the upper corners to the inside and release the storage compartment by
pulling upwards.
– Take it out by pulling towards the middle of the vehicle.
Install
– Insert both ends of the flexible storage compartment into the openings of the
right side trim panel of the luggage compartment and push it downwards until
it locks. CAUTION
The flexible storage compartment is foreseen for storing small objects of up to 8
kg. in weight. Note
If the variable loading floor is installed in the luggage compartment ⇒  page 60, no
flexible storage box can be installed. 
Clothes hooks The clothes hooks are located on the handle of the headliner above each of the
rear doors. WARNING
● Ensure that any clothes hanging from the hooks do not impair your vision
to the rear.
● Use the hooks for hanging only light items of clothing and ensure that
there are no heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets.
● The maximum permissible load of the hooks is 2 kg.
● Do not use clothes hangers for hanging up items of clothing otherwise this
will interfere with the protection offered by the head airbag. 72
Seats and Stowage

Starting-off and Driving
Setting steering wheel position Fig. 81 Adjustable steering wheel: Lever below the steering column/Safe distance to steering
wheel
You can set the height and the forward/back position of the steering wheel to the
desired position.
–
Adjust the driver seat ⇒ page 52.
– Pull the lever below the steering wheel down ⇒ fig. 81 - left ⇒  .
– Set the steering wheel to the desired position (concerning height and forward/
back position).
– Then push the lever up against the steering column until it locks into place. WARNING
● You must not adjust the steering wheel when the vehicle is moving!
● The driver must maintain a distance of at least 25 cm to the steering wheel
⇒ fig. 81 - right. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the air-
bag system will not be able to properly protect you - hazard!
● For safety reasons the lever must always be firmly pushed up to avoid the
steering wheel altering its position unintentionally when driving - risk of acci-
dent! WARNING (Continued)
● If you adjust the steering wheel further towards the head, you will reduce
the protection offered by the driver airbag in the event of an accident. Check
that the steering wheel is aligned to the chest.
● When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer
edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. 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 de-
ployed. 
Ignition lock Fig. 82 Ignition lock positions
Petrol engines 1 - ignition switched off, engine off, the steering can be locked.
2 - ignition switched on
3 - start engine
Diesel engines 1 - interruption of fuel supply, ignition switched off, engine off, the steering can
be locked.
2 - heating glow plugs on, ignition switched on
● You should not switch on any major electrical components during the heating
period otherwise the vehicle battery will be drained unnecessarily. £82
Starting-off and Driving

Mobile phones and two-way radio systems
The installation of a mobile phone and two-way radio system in a vehicle should
be carried out by a specialist garage.
ŠKOSA permits the operation of mobile phones and two-way radio systems with a
professionally installed external aerial and a maximum transmission power of up
to 10 watts.
It is essential that you inform a specialist garage about the possibilites to assem-
ble and operate mobile phones and two-way radio sets which have a power out-
put of more than 10 W. The garage will inform you which technical possibilities ex-
ist for retrofitting mobile phones.
When using a mobile phone inside the vehicle, which is not inserted into the
phone adapter, and thus has no connection to the external aerial, the electromag-
netic radiation can exceed the current limit value. If a suitable adapter is available
for your mobile phone, use your mobile phone exclusively in the adapter so that
the radiation in the vehicle drops to a minimum. This also improves the quality of
the connection.
Operation of mobile phones or two-way radio systems may interfere with func-
tioning of the electronic systems of your vehicle.
The reasons for this may be:
●
no external aerial,
● external aerial incorrectly installed,
● transmission power greater than 10 watts. WARNING
● If a mobile phone or a two-way radio system is operated in the vehicle
without using an external aerial or an external aerial which has been incor-
rectly installed, this can increase the strength of the electromagnetic field in
the interior of the vehicle.
● Please concentrate fully at all times on your driving!
● You must not install two-way radio systems, mobile phones or mounts on
the covers of the airbags or within the immediate deployment range of air-
bags. This might result in injuries to the occupants in the event of an accident.
● Never leave a mobile phone on a seat, on the dash panel or in another
area, from which it can be thrown during a sudden braking manoeuvre, an ac-
cident or a collision. In this case, the occupants of the vehicle might be injured. Note
Observe the country-specific regulations for the use of mobile phones in vehicles. 
Universal telephone preinstallation GSM II Introduction The universal telephone preinstallation GSM II is a built-in “hands-free system”, it
provides a voice operated convenience mode via the multifunction steering wheel or the radio navigation system.
All communication between a telephone and the hands-free system of your vehi-
cle can only be established with the help of the Bluetooth ®
technology. The
adapter serves only for charging the telephone and for transmitting the signal to
the external aerial of the vehicle.
To ensure an optimum signal transmission, always leave the telephone with the
adapter in the telephone mount.
Furthermore the volume can be changed individually during the call at any time
with the button for setting the radio or radio navigation system or with the but-
tons on the multifunction steering wheel. WARNING
Pay attention primarily to the traffic situation! As the driver you are fully re-
sponsible for road safety. Use the telephone system only to such an extent
that you are in full control of your vehicle at any time. Note
● Please refer to the following guidelines ⇒ page 98, Mobile phones and two-
way radio systems.
● Should you have any questions, please contact an authorised ŠKODA Service
Partner. 
Phone Phonebook A phone phonebook is part of the mobile phone preinstallation with voice control.
In the phone phonebook there are 2,500 free memory locations available. Each
contact can contain up to 4 telephone numbers. This phone phonebook can be
used in line with the mobile telephone.
£98
Communication