2012 Seat Altea Freetrack roof

Table of Contents
Manual structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Safety First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Proper sitting position for occupants . . . . . . . . . 10
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Storing objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Why wear seat belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Side airbags* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Deactivating airbags* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Securing child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Operating Instructions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Digital instrument panel display . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Instrument panel menus* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Steering wheel controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Audio system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Radio navigation system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Unlocking and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Radio frequency remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Anti-theft alarm system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Sliding/tilting sunroof* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Lights and visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Windscreen wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Rear-view mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Seats and storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . 131
The importance of correct seat adjustment . . . . . 131
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Storage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Ashtrays*, cigarette lighter* and electrical
sockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 First-aid kit, warning triangle, fire extinguisher . 149
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Climatic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
2C-Climatronic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Starting and stopping the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Start-Stop function* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Automatic gearbox* / DSG automatic gearbox* . 175
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Parking aid acoustic system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Cruise speed* (Cruise control system) . . . . . . . . 183
Practical Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Anti-lock brake system and traction control M-
ABS (ABS and ASR (TCS)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Electronic Stability Control ESC (ESP) * . . . . . . . . 189
Driving and the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Running-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Exhaust gas purification system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Economical and environmentally friendly driving 197
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
3
Table of Contents

Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Instructions to follow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Ball coupling of towing bracket* . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Driving tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Fitting a towing bracket* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning . . . . . . . . . 205
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Care of the vehicle exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Vehicle interior maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Accessories, parts replacement and
modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Accessories and spare parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Technical modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Roof aerial* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Mobile phones and two-way radios . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Checking and refilling levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Working in the engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . 219
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Washer fluid and windscreen wiper blades . . . . 228
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
If and when . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Tools, tyre repair kit and spare wheel . . . . . . . . . 245
Wheel change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
Tyre repair kit (Tyre Mobility System)* . . . . . . . . . 252
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Bulb change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Towing and tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Technical Specifications
. . . . . . . . . . . 274
Description of specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Information on fuel consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Petrol engine 2.0 155 kW (211 PS) Front-wheel
drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Petrol engine 2.0 155 kW (211 PS) All-wheel
drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Diesel engine 1.6 TDI CR 77 kW (105 PS) DPF
with/without Start-Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Diesel engine 2.0 TDI CR 103 kW (140 PS) DPF
All-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Diesel engine 2.0 TDI CR 125 kW (170 PS) DPF
All-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Dimensions and capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
4Table of Contents

31
Airbag system
WARNING (Continued)
● To reduce the risk of injury from an inflating airbag, always wear the
seat belt properly ⇒ page 19.
● Always adjust the front seats properly.

The danger of fitting a child seat on the front passenger
seat
Rear-facing child seats must never be used on the front pas-
senger seat when the front passenger airbag is enabled. The front passenger airbag is a serious risk for a child if it is activated. The
front passenger seat is life threatening to a child if he/she is transported in
a rear-facing child seat. Children up to 12 years old should always travel on
the rear seat.
If a rear-facing child seat is secured to the front passenger seat, an inflating
airbag can strike it with such force that it can cause critical or fatal injuries.
Therefore we strongly recommend you to transport children on the rear
seats. That is the safest place for children in the vehicle. Alternatively, the
front passenger airbag can be disabled with a key-operated switch
⇒ page 44. When transporting children, use a child seat appropriate to
the age and size of each child ⇒ page 46.
For those vehicles that do not include a key lock switch to turn the airbag
off, an Authorised Service Centre must be consulted.
WARNING
● If a child seat is secured to the front passenger seat, the risk to the
child of sustaining critical or fatal injuries in the event of an accident in-
creases.
● Never secure a rear-facing child seat to the front passenger seat if the
front passenger airbag is enabled. The child can suffer critical or fatal in-
juries if the front passenger airbag is triggered.
● An inflating front passenger airbag can strike the rear-facing child
seat and hurl it with great force against the door, the roof or the back-
rest.
● If, under special circumstances, it is necessary to transport a child in
a rear-facing child seat on the front passenger seat, it is absolutely es-
sential that you observe the following safety measures:
–Deactivate the front passenger airbag ⇒ page 44, Deactivating
airbags*.
– The child seat must be approved by the child seat manufacturer for
use on a front passenger seat with front or side airbag.
– Follow the installation instructions given by the child seat manu-
facturer and observe the safety instructions ⇒ page 46, Child safe-
ty.
– Before properly installing the child seat, push the front passenger
seat completely backwards so that the greatest possible distance to
the front passenger airbag is ensured.
– Ensure that no objects prevent the front passenger seat from being
pushed completely back.
– The backrest of the front passenger seat must be in an upright po-
sition.

Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

43
Airbag system
WARNING (Continued)
not been expressly approved for use in your vehicle may not be attached
to the side windows ⇒ page 214, Accessories, parts replacement and
modifications.
● 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 lin-
ing) should only be performed by a specialised 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 dam-
aged, the airbag system may not work correctly. All work carried out on
the front door must be made in a specialised workshop.

Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

99
Unlocking and locking
Emergency manual locking
This permits mechanical locking of the doors in case of cen-
tral locking system failure.
Fig. 58 Locking the
doors manually
Locking the driver door manually
Insert the key in the door lock cylinder and rotate in a clockwise direction for
the left hand side door and anti-clockwise for the right hand side door.
Once the door has been closed it can no longer be opened from the outside.
Manual (emergency) locking of the remaining doors
Open the door and remove the cap A
⇒ fig. 58 printed with a lock image.
This will expose a circular element with a groove in the centre. Insert the key
into the groove and rotate the element clockwise for the right hand side
doors and anticlockwise for the left hand side doors.
Replace the cap and close the door. Once the door has been closed it can
no longer be opened from the outside. Unlocking the manually (emergency) locked driver door
Insert the key in the door lock cylinder and rotate anti-clockwise for the left
hand side doors and clockwise for the right hand side doors.
The door lock is released and the door may be opened using the exterior
door handle.
Unlocking the remaining manually (emergency) locked doors
First the driver door must be unlocked to gain entry to the vehicle. Operate
the internal door handle for the required door. If the childproof lock is acti-
vated on the rear doors, when the interior door release lever is operated the
door is unlocked but does not open. The door must be opened from the out-
side.
Note
Once the vehicle is open, if you wish to lock it manually (emergency lock-
ing), repeat the previous instructions. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

100Unlocking and locking
Childproof lock
The childproof lock prevents the rear doors from being
opened from the inside. This system prevents minors from
opening a door accidentally while the vehicle is running.
Fig. 59 Childproof lock
on the left hand side door
Fig. 60 Childproof lock
on the right hand side
door This function is independent of the vehicle electronic opening and
locking systems. It only affects rear doors. It can only be activated
and deactivated manually, as described below:
Activating the childproof lock
–
Unlock the vehicle and open the door in which you wish to acti-
vate the childproof lock.
– With the door open, rotate the groove in the door using the igni-
tion key, clockwise for the left hand side doors, and anti-clock-
wise for the right hand side doors ⇒ fig. 59 ⇒ fig. 60.
Deactivating the childproof lock
– Unlock the vehicle and open the door whose childproof lock you
want to deactivate.
– With the door open, rotate the groove in the door using the igni-
tion key, clockwise for the right hand side doors, and anti-clock-
wise for the left hand side doors ⇒ fig. 59 ⇒ fig. 60.
Once the childproof lock is activated, the door can only be opened from the
outside. The childproof lock can be activated and deactivated by inserting
the key in the groove when the door is open, as described above. 

110Unlocking and locking
WARNING
● Incorrect use of the electric windows can result in injury.
● Always take the key with you when leaving the vehicle, even if you
only intend to be gone for a short time. Please ensure that children are
never left alone inside the vehicle.
● The electric windows will work until the key has been removed from
the ignition and one of the front doors has been opened.
● Never close the tailgate without observing and ensuring it is clear, to
do otherwise could cause serious injury to you and third parties. Make
sure that no one is in the path of a window.
● Never allow people to remain in the vehicle when you close the vehi-
cle from the outside. The windows cannot be opened even in an emergen-
cy.
Note
The roll-back function is deactivated if the windows are closed from the out-
side of the vehicle using the ignition key for convenience closing
⇒ page 110. 
Convenience opening and closing*
Using the door lock
– Hold the key in the door lock of the driver door in either the
locking or the unlocking position until all windows are either
opened or closed.
– Release the key to interrupt this function. Using the remote control
–
Push the lock button on the remote control for about 3 seconds.
All windows which function electrically will be either opened or
closed.
– Press the unlock button to interrupt the function.
– Once the windows are completely closed, the turn signals will
flash. 
Sliding/tilting sunroof* Opening and closing the sliding/tilting roof
The sliding/tilting sunroof is opened and closed using the
rotary knob when the ignition is switched on.
Fig. 68 Roof lining de-
scription: sliding/tilting
sunroof rotary knob 

111
Unlocking and locking
Closing the sliding/tilting sunroof
– Turn the rotary button to position A
⇒ fig. 68 ⇒ .
Opening the sliding/tilting sunroof
– Turn the rotary button to position B
. The sunroof opens to the
convenience position where wind noise is reduced.
– To open the roof further, turn the switch to position C
and hold
the switch in this position until the roof opens to the desired
position.
Tilting the sliding/tilting sunroof
– Turn the rotary button to position D
.
Always close the sliding/tilting sunroof fully if you park the vehicle or leave
it unattended ⇒ 
.
The sliding/tilting sunroof can be operated for up to about 10 minutes after
the ignition has been switched off, provided the driver door and the front
passenger door are not opened.
Sun visor
The sun visor is opened together with the sliding/tilting sunroof. If required,
it can be closed by hand when the sunroof is closed.
WARNING
● Incorrect use of the sliding/tilting sunroof can result in injury.
● Never close the sliding/tilting sunroof without checking there are no
obstructions, to do otherwise could cause serious injury to you and oth-
ers. Make sure that no one is in the path of the sliding/tilting sunroof.
● Always take the vehicle key with you when you leave the vehicle.
WARNING (Continued)
● Never leave children or disabled persons in the vehicle, particularly if
they have access to the keys. Unsupervised use of a key could mean that
the engine is started or that electrical equipment is used (e.g. electric
sliding/tilting sunroof). Risk of accident! The doors can be locked using
the remote control key. This could make the aid difficult in an emergency
situation.
● The sliding/tilting sunroof continues to function until one of the front
doors is opened and the key removed from the ignition.

Convenience closing*
Using the door lock
– Hold the key in the door lock of the driver door in the locking
position until the sliding/tilting sunroof is closed.
– Release the key to interrupt this function.
Using the remote control
– Push the lock button on the remote control for about 3 seconds.
The sliding/tilting sunroof is closed.
– Release the unlock button to interrupt the function.
– When the sliding/tilting sunroof has closed completely, the turn
signals flash once.
Note
The sliding/tilting sunroof rotary knob remains in the last position selected
if the roof is closed using convenience closing from outside the vehicle and
will have to be re-positioned the next time you drive. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications