2011 SKODA OCTAVIA sensor

WARNING
● The parking aid is not a substitute for the driver paying proper attention
and it is always the driver's responsibility to take care when reversing the ve-
hicle or carrying out similar manoeuvres.
● You should therefore satisfy yourself, before reversing, that there is no
small obstacle, such as a rock, thin post, trailer drawbar etc., in front or behind
your vehicle. Such an obstacle might not be within the range detected by the
sensors.
● Under certain circumstances, surfaces of certain objects and types of
clothing cannot reflect the signal of the parking aid. Thus, these objects or
people who wear such clothing are not recognised by the sensors of the park-
ing aid. Note
● Only the front parking aid operates if you are towing a trailer (applies only to
models which feature a factory-fitted towing device).
● If a warning signal sounds for about 3 seconds after activating the system and
there is no obstacle close to your car, this indicates a system fault. The fault is
confirmed additionally when the symbol  flashes in the button ⇒ fig. 103 - left.
Have the fault rectified by a specialist workshop.
● The sensors must be kept clean and free of ice to enable the parking aid to
operate properly.
● If the parking aid is activated and the selector lever of the automatic gearbox
is in the position P , warning signal indicates interruption (vehicle can no longer
move). 
Cruise control system (CCS) Introduction The cruise control system (CCS) maintains a constant speed, more than 30 km/h
(20 mph), once it has been set, without you having to depress the accelerator
pedal. This is only possible within the range which is permitted by the power out-
put and braking power of the engine. The cruise control system makes it possible
- particularly on long journeys - for you to rest your
“accelerator foot”. WARNING
● For safety reasons, the cruise control system must not be used in dense
traffic or on unfavourable road surfaces (such as icy roads, slippery roads,
loose gravel) - risk of accident!
● In order to prevent unintentional use of the cruise control system, always
switch off the system after use. Note
● Models fitted with a manual gearbox: Always depress the clutch pedal if you
switch on the cruise control system when the gearbox is in Neutral! Otherwise the
engine can rev up unintentionally.
● The cruise control system is not able to maintain a constant speed when driv-
ing on steep downhill sections. The weight of the vehicle increases the speed at
which it travels. One should shift down in good time to a lower gear or slow the
vehicle down by applying the foot brake.
● It is not possible on vehicles fitted with an automatic gearbox to switch on the
cruise control system if the selector lever is in the position P, N or R. 
Storing a speed Fig. 104 Operating lever: Rocker button
and switch of the cruise control system
The cruise control system is operated by means of the switch A
⇒  fig. 104 and
the rocker button B in the left lever of the multi-functional switch.
– Press the switch A into the position ON.
– After the desired speed has been reached, press the rocker button B into the
SET position. £104
Starting-off and Driving

Important safety information on the side airbag
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk of
injury! WARNING
● It is essential to always switch off ⇒ page 145 , Deactivating an airbag the
front passenger airbag when attaching a child safety seat on the front pas-
senger 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 injuries if
the front passenger airbag is deployed. When transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations re-
garding 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 ap-
plies in particular to children who are transported without using a suitable
child safety seat ⇒ page 149

, 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 re-
sult in serious injuries ⇒ page 147

, 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 ac-
cessories, 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
installation of loudspeakers). Resulting damages 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. WARNING (Continued)
● In the event of a side collision, the side airbags will not function properly, if
the sensors cannot measure the increasing air pressure inside the doors, be-
cause the air can escape through large, non-sealed openings in the door pan-
el.
–Never drive with removed inner door panels.
– Never drive, if parts of the inner door 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 parts are installed in the inner door pan-
els.
– Always work with an authorised ŠKODA Service Partner or have it car-
ried out by a competent specialist workshop.
● Only hang light items of clothing on the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Nev-
er leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of cloth-
ing.
● Ensure that there are no excessive forces, such as violent knocks, kicks
etc., impact on the backrests of the seats otherwise the system may be dam-
aged. 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 authorized by
ŠKODA. In view of the
fact that the airbag inflates out of the backrest of the seat, use of non-ap-
proved 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 mod-
ule 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 mod-
ules.
● Any work on the side airbag system including removing and installing sys-
tem components because of other repair work (e.g. removing seats) must only
be carried out by a specialist garage. 143
Airbag system Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Important safety information on the head airbag
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk of
injury! WARNING
● It is essential to always switch off ⇒ page 145 , Deactivating an airbag the
front passenger airbag when attaching a child safety seat on the front pas-
senger 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 injuries if
the front passenger airbag is deployed. When transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations re-
garding the use of child safety seats.
● There must not be any objects in the deployment area of the head airbags
which might prevent the airbags from inflating properly.
● Only hang light items of clothing on the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Nev-
er leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of cloth-
ing. In addition, it is not permitted to use clothes hangers for hanging up
items of clothing.
● The airbag control unit operates together with the sensors, which are at-
tached 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 installation
of loudspeakers). Resulting damages can have a negative affect on the opera-
tion of the airbag system. All work on the front doors and their panels must
only be carried out by a specialist garage.
● 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 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.
● 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- WARNING (Continued)
sories fitted may in certain circumstances be thrown into the interior of the
car and cause injuries to the occupants ⇒

 page 197, Accessories, changes and
replacement of parts.
● Any work on the head airbag system including installing and removing sys-
tem components because of other repair work (e.g. removing headliner) must
only be carried out by a specialist garage. 
Deactivating an airbag Deactivating airbags If any airbags have been deactivated, switch them on again as
soon as possible so that they are able to again 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 spe-
cialist garage.
On vehicles equipped with the switch for deactivation of the airbags, you can de-
activate the front passenger airbag by means of this switch ⇒

 page 146.
Deactivation of airbags is envisaged only for particular instances, such as if:
● You must in 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 147,

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 also monitored electronically when one
airbag has been switched off. £ 145
Airbag system Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data

Driving Tips
Intelligent Technology General information WARNING
Lack of fuel can cause irregular engine running or lead to shut down the en-
gine. Consequently, the systems described in this chapter may to lose their ef-
fectiveness, resulting in loss of vehicle control – risk of accident! 
Electronic stability programme (ESP)
General Fig. 138 ESP system: Switch for TCS
The ESP aids you in maintaining control of your vehicle in situations in which the
vehicle is driving at its dynamic limits, such as entering a curve fast. The risk of
skidding is reduced and your car thus offers greater driving stability depending on
the conditions of the road surface. The system operates at all speeds.
The following systems are integrated into the electronic stability programme:
● Electronic Differential Lock (EDL),
● Traction control system (TCS),
● active driver-steering recommendation (DSR),
● Antilock brake system (ABS), ●
Brake Assist,
● Uphill Start Assist.
The ESP system cannot be switched off with the  ⇒ 
fig. 138 button; only the TCS
system is switched off, the warning light  instrument cluster lights up.
Operating principle
The ESP switches on automatically when the engine is started and then conducts
a self-test. The ESP control unit processes data from the individual systems. It al-
so processes additional measurement data which are supplied by highly sensitive
sensors: the rotational velocity of the vehicle about its vertical axis, the lateral ac-
celeration of the vehicle, the braking pressure and the steering angle.
The direction which the driver wishes to take is determined based on the steering
angle and the speed of the vehicle and is constantly compared with the actual be-
haviour of the vehicle. If differences exist, such as the car beginning to skid, the
ESP will automatically brake the appropriate wheel.
The car is stabilised again by the forces which take effect when the wheel is
braked. Intervention into the brake system takes place primarily on the outer front
wheel of a vehicle which tends to oversteer (tendency for the rear of the vehicle
to break away) while occurs this is on the inner rear wheel of a vehicle which
tends to understeer (tendency to shift out of the curve). This braking control cycle
is accompanied by noises.
During an intervention of the system, the warning light  flashes in the instru-
ment cluster ⇒ page 26.
The ESP operates in combination with the ABS ⇒ page 158, Antilock brake system
(ABS). If there is a fault in the ABS system, the ESP also does not operate.
The ESP warning light lights up in the instrument cluster when there is a fault on
the ESP  ⇒  page 26. £154
Intelligent Technology

Traction control system (TCS)
The traction control system prevents the driven wheels from spin-
ning when accelerating.
Fig. 139 TCS switch
General
The TCS makes it much easier, and sometimes at all possible, to start off, acceler-
ate and climb a steep hill when the conditions of the road surface are unfavoura-
ble.
Operating principle
The TCS switches on automatically when the engine is started and then conducts
a self-test. The system monitors the speeds of the driven wheels with the aid of
the ABS sensors. If the wheels are spinning, the force transmitted to the road sur-
face is automatically adapted by reducing the engine speed. The system operates
at all speeds.
The TCS operates in combination with the ABS ⇒ page 158, Antilock brake system
(ABS)
. The TCS will not function if a fault exists in the ABS system.
The TCS warning light lights up in the instrument cluster when there is a fault on
the TCS 
⇒  page 26.
During an intervention of the system, the TCS warning light flashes  in the in-
strument cluster ⇒ page 26.
Switching off
You can also switch off the TCS system by pressing the ⇒ fig. 139 button, or, in ve-
hicles with ESP, by pressing the ⇒ fig. 138 button. The TCS warning light lights up
in the instrument cluster when the TCS is switched off . The TCS should normally always be switched on. It may be good practice in certain
exceptional cases, such as when you wish to have wheel slip, to switch off the
system.
Examples:
● when driving with snow chains,
● when driving in deep snow or on a loose surface,
● when it is necessary to rock a car free when it has become stuck.
then you should switch on the TCS again. WARNING
You should always adjust your style of driving to the conditions of the road
surface and the traffic situation. The increased safety offered must not tempt
you to take greater risks than otherwise - risk of an accident! Note
● All four wheels must be fitted with the same tyres in order to achieve prob-
lem-free operation of the TCS. Differing rolling circumferences of the tyres can
lead to an undesirable reduction in the engine output.
● Changes to vehicle (e.g. on engine, on the brakes, on chassis or another combi-
nation of tyres and wheels) can influence the function of the TCS ⇒

 page 197, Ac-
cessories, changes and replacement of parts. 
Active driver-steering recommendation (DSR) This function indicates to the driver in critical situations a steering recommenda-
tion in order to stabilise the vehicle. The active driver-steering recommendation is
activated, for example, on the right and left vehicle side when braking sharply on
different road surfaces. WARNING
Even with this function the vehicle cannot steer itself! The driver is further-
more responsible for the steering of the vehicle! 156
Intelligent Technology

The Brake Assist is able to help you achieve a shorter braking distance in emer-
gency situations by rapidly producing the pressure required in the brake system. It
fully exploits the attributes of the ABS. After you release the brake pedal, the
function of the Brake Assist is automatically switched off and the brakes operate
in the normal way.
The Brake Assist is part of the ESP system. If a fault occurs in the ESP, the Brake
Assist function is also not available. Further information on the ESP
⇒ page 154.WARNING
● The Brake Assist is also not able to overcome the physical limits of your car
in terms of the braking distance required.
● Adapt your speed to the conditions of the road surface and to the traffic
situation.
● The increased safety offered by the Brake Assist must not tempt you to
take a greater safety risk than otherwise. 
Uphill Start Assist The uphill start assist makes it easier to start off on steep hills. The system assists
a start off by holding the brake pressure produced by the brake pedal actuation
for approx. 2 seconds after releasing the brake pedal. The driver can therefore
move his foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal and start off on the
slope, without having to actuate the handbrake. The brake pressure drops gradu-
ally the more you operate the accelerator pedal. If the vehicle does not start off
within 2 seconds, it starts to roll back.
The uphill start assist is active as of a 5 % slope, if the driver door is closed. It is
always active on slopes when in forward or reverse start off. When driving down-
hill, it is inactive. 
Electromechanical power steering The power steering enables you to steer the vehicle with less physical force.
With the electromechanical power steering, the steering assist is automatically
adapted to the speed and to the steering angle.
It is still possible to fully steer the vehicle if the power steering fails or if the en-
gine is not running (vehicle being towed in). The only difference is that greater
physical effort is required. If there is a fault in the power steering, the warning light
 or  lights up in the
instrument cluster ⇒
 page 24. WARNING
Contact your specialist garage if the power steering is defective. 
Tyre pressure monitoring system Fig. 140 Button for setting the tyre in-
flation pressure control value
The tyre pressure monitoring system compares with the aid of the ABS sensors
the speed and also the rolling circumference of the individual wheels. If the rolling
circumference of a wheel is changed, the warning light
 in the instrument clus-
ter ⇒ page 27 and an acoustic signal sounds.
The rolling circumference of the tyre can change if:
● the tyre inflation pressure is too low,
● the structure of the tyre is damaged,
● the vehicle is loaded on one side,
● the wheels of an axle are loaded heavily (e.g. when towing a trailer or when
driving uphill or downhill),
● snow chains are mounted,
● the temporary spare wheel is mounted,
● one wheel per axle was changed.
Basic setting of the system
After changing the tyre inflation pressures, after changing one or several wheels,
the position of a wheel on the vehicle (e.g. exchanging the wheels between the
axles) or when the warning light lights up while driving, a basic setting of the sys-
tem must be carried out as follows. £ 159
Intelligent Technology Using the system Safety Driving Tips General Maintenance Breakdown assistance Technical data