2012 Seat Alhambra steering

Table of Contents
Manual structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Safety First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Dear SEAT Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Tips for driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Adjusting the seat position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Transporting objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Why wear seat belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Child seats (accessories) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Integrated child seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Operating instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Instrument panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
SEAT information system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Unlocking and locking
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Vehicle key set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Central locking and locking system . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Sliding doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Panorama sliding sunroof* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Lights and visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Sun blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Windscreen wiper and washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Rear vision mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Seats and storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . 114
Seat adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Seat functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Centre armrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Loading luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Roof carrier system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Cup holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Ashtray and cigarette lighter* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Electrical sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Climate Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Auxiliary heater* (additional heater) . . . . . . . . . . 165
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Stopping and starting the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Changing gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Braking, stopping and parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Start assist systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Parking sensor system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 Park Assist system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Rear Assist system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
Cruise control system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Lane Assist system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Sign Assist* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Tiredness detection (recommendation to take a
break) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Tyre monitoring systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Practical tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Driving and the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Running-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Ecological driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Engine management and exhaust gas
purification system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning . . . . . . . . . 246
Care and cleaning the vehicle exterior . . . . . . . . 246
Caring for and cleaning the vehicle interior . . . . 253
Notes for the user . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Accessories, parts replacement and
modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Accessories, replacement of parts and
modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Checking and refilling levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Filling the tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Selective Catalytic Reduction* (AdBlue) . . . . . . . 275
Working in the engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . 279
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
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Table of Contents

10Safe driving
Adjusting the seat position
Introduction
Number of seats
Depending on the equipment, your vehicle has a total of five or seven seats.
Each seat is equipped with a seat belt.
EquipmentSeats in the frontSeats in the sec- ond rowSeats in thethird row
5 seats23–7 seats232
Additional information and warnings:
● Seat functions ⇒ page 117
● Seat belts ⇒ page 21
● Airbag system ⇒ page 31
● Child seats (accessories) ⇒ page 39
WARNING
An incorrect sitting position in the vehicle can lead to severe injuries or
death in the event of sudden braking or manoeuvres, collision or acci-
dents or if the airbag deploys.
● Before the vehicle moves, assume the proper sitting position and
maintain it throughout the trip. This also includes fastening the seat
belt.
● Never transport more people than there are seats with a seat belt
available in the vehicle.
WARNING (Continued)
● Children must always be protected with an approved child restraint
system suited to their height and weight ⇒ page 39, ⇒ page 31.
● Always keep your feet in the footwell while the vehicle is in motion.
Never, for example, put your feet on the surface of a seat or on the dash
panel and never put them out of a window. Otherwise the airbag and seat
belt offer insufficient protection and the risk of injury in the event of an
accident is increased.
WARNING
Before every trip, adjust the seat, the seat belt and the head restraints
and instruct your passengers to fasten their seat belts properly.
● Move the front passenger seat back as far as possible.
● Adjust the driver's seat so that there is a distance of at least 25 cm
(10 inches) between the centre of your chest and the hub of the steering
wheel. Adjust the driver's seat so that you are able to press the accelera-
tor, brake and clutch pedals to the floor with your knees slightly angled
and that the distance between your knees and the dash panel is at least
10 cm (4 inches). If you physical constitution prevents you from meeting
these requirements, contact a Technical Service to make any modifica-
tions required.
● Never drive with the backrest tilted far back. The further the backrests
are tilted to the rear, the greater the risk of injury due to incorrect posi-
tioning of the belt web or to the incorrect sitting position.
● Never drive with the backrest tilted forwards. Should a front airbag
deploy, it could throw the backrest backwards and injure the passengers
of the rear seats.
● Sit as far away as possible from the steering wheel and the dash pan-
el. 

12Safe driving
Correct sitting position
Fig. 1 The correct dis-
tance between the driver
and the steering wheel
must be at least 25 cm
(10 inches).
Fig. 2 Correct belt web
and head restraint posi-
tions.
The correct sitting positions for the driver and passengers are shown below.
If you physical constitution prevents you from maintaining the correct sitting
position, contact a Technical Service for help with any special devices. The seat belt and airbag can only provide optimum protection if a correct sitting
position is adopted. SEAT recommends visiting a Technical Service.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the event of an acci-
dent or sudden braking or manoeuvre, SEAT recommend the following posi-
tions:
Valid for all vehicle occupants:
●
Adjust the head restraint so that its upper edge is at the same level as
the top of your head, or as close as possible to the same level as the top of
your head and under no circumstances below eye level. Keep the back of
your neck as close as possible to the head restraint ⇒ fig. 1 and ⇒ fig. 2.
● Short people must lower the head restraint completely, even if your
head is below its upper edge.
● Tall people must raise the head restraint completely.
● Adjust the backrest to an upright position so that your back rests com-
pletely against it.
● Always keep your feet in the footwell while the vehicle is in motion.
● Adjust and fasten your seat belt correctly ⇒ page 21.
Also valid for the driver:
● Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a distance of at least 25 cm
(10 inches) between it and your chest ⇒ fig. 1 and so that you can hold the
steering wheel with both hands on the outside of the ring at the 9 o'clock
and 3 o'clock positions with your arms slightly bent.
● The adjusted steering wheel must face your chest and not your face.
● Adjust the driver's seat forwards or backwards so that you are able to
press the accelerator, brake and clutch pedals to the floor with your knees
slightly angled and the distance between your knees and the dash panel is
at least 10 cm (4 inches) ⇒ fig. 1.
● Adjust the height of the driver's seat so that you can easily reach the top
of the steering wheel.
● Keep both feet in the footwell so that you have the vehicle under control
at all times. 

20Seat belts
Dangers of not using the seat belt
Fig. 7 A driver not wear-
ing a seat belt is thrown
forward violently.
Fig. 8 The unbelted rear
passenger is thrown for-
ward violently, hitting the
driver wearing a seat
belt.
Many people believe that the occupants can protect themselves with their
hands in a minor collision. This is false! Even at low speeds, the forces acting on the body in a collision are so great
that it is not possible to brace oneself with just one's arms and hands. In a
frontal collision, unbelted passengers are thrown forward and will make vio-
lent contact with the steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen or whatever
else is in the way
⇒ fig. 7.
The airbag system is not a substitute for seat belts. When triggered, airbags
provide only additional protection. Airbags do not deploy in all types of ac-
cident. All occupants (including the driver) must be wearing seat belts prop-
erly during the trip, even if the vehicle is equipped with airbag systems.
This will reduce the risk of critical or fatal injuries in the event of an accident
– regardless of whether an airbag is fitted for the seat.
The airbag is only deployed once. To achieve the best possible protection,
the seat belt must always be worn properly so that you will be protected in
accidents in which no airbag is deployed. Vehicle occupants not wearing
belts could be thrown from the vehicle and sustain even more severe or fa-
tal injuries.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear seat belts properly, as
they could otherwise be thrown forward violently in an accident. Rear pas-
sengers who do not use seat belts endanger not only themselves but also
the driver and other occupants ⇒ fig. 8. 

28Airbag system
Airbag system
Brief introduction Introduction
Front airbags have been installed for both driver and passenger. The front
airbags can also protect the chest and head of driver and passenger if the
seats, seat belts head restraints and, for the driver, the steering wheel are
correctly adjusted and used. Airbags are considered as additional safety
equipment. An airbag cannot replace the safety belt, which must be worn at
all times, even in front seats where front airbags have been installed.
Additional information and warnings:
● Driving tips ⇒ page 7
● Correct sitting positions ⇒ page 10
● Seat belts ⇒ page 21
● Child seats (accessories) ⇒ page 39
● Care and cleaning of the vehicle interior ⇒ page 253
● Accessories, parts replacement, repairs and modifications ⇒ page 261
● Notes for the user ⇒ page 259
WARNING
Never exclusively trust the airbag system as a means of protection.
● Even when triggered, airbag protection is only auxiliary.
WARNING (Continued)
● The airbags provide the best protection when the seat belts are prop-
erly fastened, thus reducing the risk of sustaining injuries ⇒ page 21,
Seat belts.
● Before each trip, every occupant must sit properly, correctly fasten
the seat belt belonging to his or her seat and keeping it fastened
throughout the trip. This rule is valid for all occupants.
WARNING
Occupants sitting in the front of the vehicle must never carry any objects
in the deployment space between them and the airbags, as this increa-
ses the risk of sustaining injuries if the airbag is triggered. This modifies
the airbag deployment space or the objects may fly uncontrollably and
hit your body.
● Never carry objects in your hand or on your lap while the vehicle is in
motion.
● Never transport objects on the front passenger seat. In the event of
sudden braking and manoeuvres, the objects may end up in the airbag
deployment space and fly uncontrollably around the vehicle interior if the
airbag is activated.
● Occupants of the front and outer rear seats must never carry any oth-
er people, pets or objects in the deployment space between them and
the airbags. Make sure children and other passengers also respect this
recommendation. 

32Airbag system
● Control units and sensors.
● Height-adjustable head restraint optimised for rear collisions.
● Adjustable steering column.
● Where applicable, mountings for child seats on the rear seats and on
the front passenger's seat.
● Where applicable, mountings for the child seat upper retaining strap.
Situations in which the frontal, knee, side and curtain airbag does not
deploy:
● If the ignition is switched off during the collision.
● In frontal collisions when the deceleration measured by the control unit
is too low. ●
In minor side collisions.
● In rear collisions.
● In the event of the vehicle overturning.
● When the impact speed is lower than the reference value set in the con-
trol unit. 

34Airbag system
The front airbag for the driver is located in the steering wheel ⇒ fig. 17 and
the airbag for the front passenger is located in the dash panel ⇒ fig. 18. Air-
bags are identified by the word “AIRBAG”.
When the front airbags are triggered they fill the zones marked in red (de-
ployment area) ⇒ fig. 17. Therefore, objects should never be placed or
mounted in these areas ⇒ 
, Factory-fitted accessories are outside the
range of the front airbag for the driver and the front passenger, e.g. the
baseplate for the mobile phone support.
The airbag covers fold out of the steering wheel or dash panel when the
driver and front passenger airbags are triggered ⇒ fig. 18. The airbag covers
remain connected to the steering wheel or the dash panel.
WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in fractions of a second.
● Always keep the deployment areas of the front airbags free.
● Never secure objects to the covers or in the deployment area of the
airbag modules, e.g. cup holders or phone supports.
● The deployment space between the front passengers and the airbags
must not in any case be occupied by other passenger, pets and objects.
● Never fix any object to the windscreen above the front airbag on the
front passenger side.
● Do not alter, cover or stick anything to the steering wheel hub or the
surface of the airbag module on the passenger side of the dash panel.
WARNING
Front airbags are deployed in front of the steering wheel ⇒ fig. 17 and
the dash panel ⇒ fig. 18.
● When driving, always hold the steering wheel on the outer edge of
the ring with both hands: 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position.
WARNING (Continued)
● Adjust the driver seat so that there is at least 25 cm distance between
your chest and the hub of the steering wheel. If you physical constitution
prevents you from meeting these requirements, make sure you contact a
specialised workshop.
● Adjust the front passenger's seat so there is as much distance as pos-
sible between the front passenger and the dash panel.

Types of front passenger airbag systems
There are two different SEAT front passenger airbag systems:
ABCharacteristics of the front passen-
ger airbag that can only be disabled
in a specialised workshop.Characteristics of the front passen-
ger airbag that can be disabled
manually ⇒ page 35.
 Name: airbag system Name: airbag system with front
passenger airbag disabling.
 Warning lamp  on the instru-
ment panel. Warning lamp  on the instru-
ment panel.
 Front passenger airbag located in
the dash panel.
 Front passenger airbag located in
the dash panel.
 PASSENGER AIR BAG   warning
lamp on the instrument panel.
 Key switch in the glove compart-
ment on the front passenger side of
the dash panel.


53
Cockpit
Operating instructions Cockpit
Overview Overview of the dash panel
This overview will help you to familiarise yourself with the
controls and displays. Door release lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Central locking button    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Switch for adjusting the exterior mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
– Exterior mirror adjustment     
– Heated exterior mirrors 
– Folding exterior mirrors 
Instrument panel controls and lighting control  . . . . . . . . . . .95
Headlamp range adjustment  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Light switch  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
– Light off - -
– Automatic headlight control - -
– Side/dipped lights  
– Fog lights  
Controls on the multi-function steering wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
– Volume control for radio, navigation system and phone
conversations  – 
– Radio mute or voice control activation 
1
23
456
7
–
Activate telephone main menu or accept an incoming call

– SEAT information system control buttons , , OK, 
Lever for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
– Main beam headlights 
– Headlight flasher 
– Turn signals 
– Parking lights 
Instrument panel:
– Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
– Digital display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
– Indicator lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Horn (works only when the ignition is on)/Front driver airbag 31
Windscreen wiper/ windscreen wash lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
– Windscreen wipers  – 
– Intermittent wipe 
– “Brief wipe”  x
– Windscreen wipers 
– Automatic windscreen wash/wipe 
– Rear window wiper 
– Automatic rear window wash/wipe 
– Lever with buttons for controlling the SEAT information
system - ,  / . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Left seat heating controls  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
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Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical tipsTechnical Specifications