2012 Seat Alhambra gas type

31
Airbag system
CAUTION
Always pay attention to any lit lamps and to the corresponding descriptions
and instructions to avoid damage to the vehicle. 
Airbag system Description and function of the airbag
The airbag can protect vehicle occupants in the event of an accidents, cush-
ioning the movement of the occupants in the direction of the collision in
frontal and side accidents.
Deployed airbags fill with a propellant gas. This causes the airbag covers to
break and the airbags to deploy extremely quickly in their entire deploy-
ment space within fractions of a second. When an occupant with the seat
belt properly fastened puts pressure on the inflated airbag, the propellant
gas escapes to absorb the force of the impact and slow the movement. This
reduces the risk of severe or fatal injuries. Airbag deployment does not
mean that other types of injury such as swelling, bruising, burns and skin
injuries can be ruled out.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower part of the body.
The most important factors for triggering the airbag are the type of accident,
the angle of impact, the vehicle speed and the characteristics of the object
the vehicle hits. Therefore, airbags are not triggered every time the vehicle
is visibly damaged.
The airbag system is designed to be triggered in collisions with a severe im-
pact. The front, curtain, side and knee airbags may be triggered under spe-
cial circumstances. The scope of any visible damage to the vehicle is not an
indication of airbag deployment. Airbags act in conjunction with three-point seat belts in the event of certain
accidents, when the vehicle deceleration rate is severe enough to trigger
the airbags. Airbags only deploy once and only under certain circumstan-
ces. Seat belts remain present to offer protection in situations where air-
bags are not triggered or where they have already deployed. For example,
when a vehicle hits another after an initial collision or is hit by another vehi-
cle.
The airbag system is an integral part of the car's passive safety system. The
airbag system can only work effectively when the occupants are wearing
their seat belts correctly and have adjusted the head restraints properly

⇒  page 10.
Vehicle safety components
The following safety equipment makes up the vehicle safety design to re-
duce the risk of severe and fatal injuries. Depending on the vehicle equip-
ment, some equipment may not be fitted in the vehicle or may not be avail-
able in some markets.
● Optimised seat belts for all seats.
● Belt tension devices for the driver and front passenger and, where appli-
cable, on the outer seats of the second row of seats in combination with the
side airbags.
● Furthermore, belt tension limiters for the driver's and front passenger's
seat belt.
● Belt height adjustment for the front seats and, where applicable, the
outer seats of the second row of seats.
● Seat belt warning lamp
● Frontal airbags for driver and passenger.
● Side airbags for the driver, front passenger and, where applicable, the
outer seats of the second row of seats.
● Left and right curtain airbags.
● One airbag for the driver's knees.
● Airbag control lamp .
● PASSENGER AIR BAG   control lamp. 
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTechnical Specifications

273
Checking and refilling levels
● If, in exceptional circumstances, petrol with a lower octane rating to that
recommended is used, only use moderate engine speeds and a light throt-
tle. Avoid using full throttle and overloading the engine. Otherwise you may
damage the engine. Fill up with fuel of a suitable octane rating as soon as
possible.
● Do not refuel if the filler indicates that the fuel contains metal. LRP (lead
replacement petrol) fuels also contain high concentrations of metal addi-
tives. This could damage the engine!
● Just one full tank of leaded fuel would seriously impair the efficiency of
the catalytic converter and could damage it. 
Diesel
Diesel fuel
Diesel fuel must correspond to European standard EN 590 (In Germany,
EN 590 or DIN 51628).
The use of diesel fuel with a high sulphur percentage requires shorter serv-
ice intervals ⇒ Booklet Maintenance Programme ⇒ 
. Your Technical Serv-
ice will be able to tell you which countries have diesel with a high sulphur
content.
Do not mix fuel additives (thinners, or similar additives) with diesel fuel.
Winter-grade diesel
When using “summer-grade diesel fuel”, difficulties may be experienced at
temperatures below 0 °C (+32 °F) because the fuel thickens due to wax sep-
aration. For this reason, “winter-grade diesel fuel” is available in Germany,
for example, during the cold months. It can be used at temperatures as low
as -20 °C (-4 °F).
In countries with different climatic conditions, other types of diesel fuel are
available that are suitable to local temperatures. Technical Services and fill-
ing stations in the country concerned will inform you on the type of diesel
fuels available. A cold diesel engine makes more noise during winter temperatures than
summer temperatures. Furthermore, the exhaust fumes may turn slightly
bluish while the engine is heating. The quantity of exhaust gases will de-
pend on the outside temperature.
Filter pre-heater
Vehicles with a diesel engine are fitted with a fuel filter pre-heater. This en-
sures that the fuel system remains operational to approx. -24 °C (-11.2 °F),
provided you use winter-grade diesel which is safe to -15 °C (+5 °F).
However, if the fuel has waxed to such an extent that the engine will not
start at temperatures of under -24 °C (-11,2 °F), simply place the vehicle in a
warm garage or workshop for a while to heat up.
Auxiliary heater
Vehicles with a diesel engine may be fitted with an auxiliary heater. The
heater runs off the fuel from the fuel tank. On doing so, smells and steam
may be noticed outside the vehicle for a short period. This is normal and it
is not an indication of a fault in the vehicle.
Whenever there is little fuel in the tank (reserve), the auxiliary heater auto-
matically switches off.
WARNING
Never use start boosters. An aerosol start booster could explode or cause
a sudden rise in engine speed leading to engine damage and serious in-
jury. 
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTechnical Specifications

274Checking and refilling levels
CAUTION
● The vehicle is not prepared for the use of biodiesel. Never, under any
circumstances refuel with biodiesel. It could damage the fuel system and
subsequently lead to engine faults!
● The addition of biodiesel to diesel by the diesel producer according to
Standard EN 590 or other equivalent (DIN 51628 in Germany, for example)
is authorised and causes no type of damage to the engine or the fuel
system.
● The diesel engine has been designed for to use diesel fuel exclusively.
Therefore, never use petrol, fuel oil or other unsuitable fuels. The composi-
tion of these fuels may significantly damage the fuel system and the en-
gine.
● The use of diesel fuels with a high sulphur percentage could considera-
bly reduce the service life of the diesel particulate filter. Your Technical Serv-
ice will be able to tell you which countries have diesel with a high sulphur
content. 
Information on fuel consumption
The consumption and emission values indicated do not refer to one specific
vehicle. They are only to be used to compare the values of the different ve-
hicle versions. The fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions of a vehicle not on-
ly depend on the effective use of fuel. They also depend on your driving
style and other non-technical factors.
Calculation of fuel consumption
Fuel consumption and emission values are determined according to the cur-
rent version of the 715/2007/EC or 80/1268/EEC regulation and are valid
for the vehicle kerb weight. The specifications do not refer to an individual
vehicle. Two measuring cycles are carried out on a rolling road test bed. The
test criteria are as follows:
Urban cycleMeasurement of the urban cycle starts with an engine cold
start. City driving is then simulated at between 0 and 50 km/
h.
Road cycleIn the road cycle simulation, the car undergoes frequent ac-
celeration and braking in all gears, as in normal everyday
driving. The road speed ranges from 0 to 120 km/h.
CombinedThe average combined consumption is calculated with a
weighting of around 37 % for the urban cycle and 63 % for
the road cycle.
CO 2 emis-
sions of the
combinationThe exhaust gases are collected during both driving cycles
to calculate carbon dioxide emissions (urban and road). The
gas composition is then analysed to evaluate the CO 2 con-
tent and other emissions.
Note
● The kerb weight may vary according to the vehicle equipment. This
could raise consumption and the CO 2 emissions slightly.
● In practice, consumption values could be different to the values calcula-
ted based on the 715/2007/EC or 80/1268/EEC regulations. 

G 12 plus-plus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Refilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Engine fault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 changing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Checking the oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Filler opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Topping up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
ESC See "Assisted braking systems" . . . . . . . . 191
Event Data Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Exhaust gas purification system . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Warning lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Exterior aerial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Automatically folding exterior mirrors . . . 112
Controlling function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Synchronised mirror adjustment . . . . . . . . 112
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Extinguisher Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
F
Fastening rings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134 Fault
Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Park assist system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Parking sensor system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Rear assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Fault memory Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Faults Air conditioner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Panorama sliding sunroof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Filling capacity AdBlue tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Filling the tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Refilling precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Filter pre-heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Fire extinguisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Fire extinguishers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
First-aid kit Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
First aid kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
Fitting Tow hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Floor mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Fog light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Folding down rear seats Load space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Folding in exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Folding table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Folding the backrest of the front passenger
seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Four-wheel-drive Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Front airbags See "Airbag system" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Front passenger airbag Deactivating using the key switch . . . . . . . . 35
See "Airbag system" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Depending on the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Filling the tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Information on consumption . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Type of fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
Fuel consumption Economic driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Why does fuel consumption increase? . . . 233
Fuel gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Control lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Fuel tank flap Closure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Function control Tow hitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326 Fuse box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Identification using colours . . . . . . . . . . . . 327
Identifying blown fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
375
Index