2012 Seat Altea XL wheel size

30Airbag system
Airbag system
Brief introduction Why wear a seat belt and assume the correct sitting
position?
For the inflating airbags to achieve the best protection, the
seat belt must always be worn properly and the correct sit-
ting position must be assumed.For your own safety and the safety of the passengers, please en-
sure the following before driving:
– Always wear the seat belt properly ⇒ page 19.
– Adjust the driver seat and the steering wheel correctly
⇒ page 10.
– Adjust the front passenger seat correctly ⇒ page 11.
– Adjust the head restraint correctly ⇒ page 13.
– Use the correct child restraint system to protect children in your
vehicle ⇒ page 46.
The airbag is deployed at high speed in fractions of a second. If you have an
incorrect seating position at the time the airbag is deployed, it could cause
you critical injuries. Therefore, it is essential that all passengers in the vehi-
cle assume a correct sitting position while travelling.
A sharp braking before an accident may cause a passenger not wearing a
seat belt to be thrown forward into the area of the deploying airbag. In this case, the inflating airbag may inflict critical or fatal injuries on the occupant.
This also applies to children.
Always maintain the greatest possible distance between yourself and the
front airbag. This way, the front airbags can completely deploy when trig-
gered, providing their maximum protection.
The most important factors that will trigger an airbag are: the type of acci-
dent, the angle of collision and the speed of the vehicle.
Whether the airbags are triggered depends primarily on the vehicle deceler-
ation rate resulting from the collision and detected by the control unit. If the
vehicle deceleration occurring during the collision and measured by the
control unit remains below the specified reference values, the front, side
and/or curtain airbag will not be triggered. Take into account that the visible
damage in a vehicle involved in an accident, no matter how serious, is not a
determining factor for the airbags to have been triggered.
WARNING
● Wearing the seat belt incorrectly or assuming an incorrect sitting po-
sition can lead to critical or fatal injuries.
● All occupants, including children, who are not properly belted can
sustain critical or fatal injuries if the airbag is triggered. Children up to
12 years old should always travel on the rear seat. Never transport chil-
dren in the vehicle if they are not restrained or the restraint system is not
appropriate for their age, size or weight.
● If you are not wearing a seat belt, if you lean forward or to the side
while travelling or assume an incorrect sitting position, there is a sub-
stantially increased risk of injury. This increased risk of injury will be fur-
ther increased if you are struck by an inflating airbag. 

134Seats and storage compartments
Seats and storage compartments
The importance of correct seat adjustment
Proper seat adjustment optimises the level of protection of-
fered by seat belts and airbags.
Your vehicle has five seats, two in the front and three in the rear. Each seat
is equipped with a three-point seat belt.
The driver seat and the front passenger seat can be adjusted in many ways
to suit the physical requirements of the vehicle occupants. The correct seat
position is very important for:
● a fast and easy operation of all controls on the instrument panel,
● a relaxed posture which does not cause drowsiness,
● a safe driving ⇒ page 7,
● ensuring that the seat belts and airbag system provide maximum pro-
tection ⇒  page 19.
WARNING
● If the driver and passengers assume improper sitting positions, they
may sustain critical injuries.
● More people than available seats must never be transported in your
vehicle.
● Every passenger in the vehicle must properly fasten and wear the
seat belt belonging to his or her seat. Children must be protected with an
appropriate child restraint system ⇒ page 46, Child safety.
● The front seats and all head restraints must always be adjusted to
body size and the seat belt must always be properly adjusted to provide
you and your passengers with optimum protection.
WARNING (Continued)
● Always keep your feet on the footwell when the vehicle is moving;
never rest them on the dash panel, out of the window or on the seat. This
is also applied to passengers. An incorrect sitting position exposes you
to an increased risk of injury in case of a sudden braking or an accident.
If the airbag is triggered, you could sustain severe injuries due to an in-
correct sitting position.
● It is important for the driver and front passenger to keep a distance of
at least 25 cm from the steering wheel and dash panel. Failure to respect
the minimum distance means that the airbag will not protect you. Risk of
fatal injury. The distance between the driver and the steering wheel or
between the front passenger and the dash panel should always be as
great as possible.
● Adjust the driver or front passenger seat only when the vehicle is sta-
tionary. This also applies to the forwards/backwards adjustment of the
rear seats. Otherwise, your seat could move unexpectedly while the vehi-
cle is moving. This could increase the risk of an accident and therefore,
injury. In addition, while adjusting your seat, you will assume an incor-
rect sitting position. Risk of fatal accidents.
● Special guidelines apply to installing a child seat on the front passen-
ger seat. When installing a child seat, please observe the warnings de-
scribed in ⇒ page 46, Child safety.


144Seats and storage compartments
–Lift the luggage compartment floor and fold it back all the way
⇒ fig. 107.
– Fit the separator A
⇒ fig. 108, into the side grooves depending
on the size of the objects to be transported. The on-board tool
kit and the spare wheel are located underneath the luggage
compartment.
– Secure objects in the luggage compartment with suitable straps
on the fastening rings.
Note
● Do not exceed the maximum authorised weight for the vehicle
⇒ page 289. Luggage compartment net*
There is a storage net in the luggage compartment for secur-
ing objects.
Fig. 109 Luggage com-
partment net
– Use the fastening rings located on the side of the luggage com-
partment to attach the storage net ⇒ fig. 109.
Note
● Do not exceed the maximum authorised weight for the vehicle
⇒ page 289. 
Other storage compartments
Other storage compartments can be found:
● in the centre console,
● in the door trims (front and rear), 

253
Wheels and tyres
WARNING
● We recommend that you use only wheels and tyres which have been
approved by SEAT for your model. Failure to do so could impair vehicle
handling. Risk of accident.
● Avoid running the vehicle on tyres that are more than 6 years old. If
you have no alternative, you should drive slowly and with extra care at all
times.
● Never use old tyres or those with an unknown history of use.
● If wheel trims are retrofitted, you must ensure that the flow of air to
the brakes is not restricted. This could cause them to overheat.
● All four wheels must be fitted with radial tyres of the same type, size
(rolling circumference) and the same tread pattern.
For the sake of the environment
Old tyres must be disposed of according to the laws in the country con-
cerned.
Note
● For technical reasons, it is not generally possible to use the wheels from
other vehicles. This can also apply to wheels of the same model. The use of
wheels or tyres which have not been approved by SEAT for use with your
model may invalidate the vehicle's type approval for use on public roads.
● If the spare tyre is not the same as the tyres that are mounted on the
vehicle (e.g. winter tyres) you should only use the spare tyre for a short peri-
od of time and drive with extra care. Refit the normal road wheel as soon as
possible. Wheel bolts
Wheel bolts must be tightened to the correct torque.
The design of wheel bolts is matched to the rims. If different wheel rims are
fitted, the correct wheel bolts with the right length and correctly shaped
bolt heads must be used. This ensures that wheels are fitted securely and
that the brake system functions correctly.
In certain circumstances, you should not use wheel bolts from a different
vehicle, even if it is the same model ⇒ page 221.
After the wheels have been changed, the tightening torque of the wheel
bolts should be checked as soon as possible with a torque wrench ⇒ 
.
The tightening torque for steel and alloy wheels is 120 Nm.
WARNING
If the wheel bolts are not tightened correctly, the wheel could become
loose while driving. Risk of accident.
● The wheel bolts must be clean and turn easily. Never apply grease or
oil to them.
● Use only wheel bolts which belong to the wheel.
● If the torque of the wheel bolts is too low, they could loosen whilst
the vehicle is in motion. Risk of accident! If the tightening torque is too
high, the wheel bolts and threads can be damaged.
CAUTION
The prescribed torque for wheel bolts for steel and alloy wheels is 120 Nm. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

254Wheels and tyres
Winter tyres
Winter tyres will improve the vehicles handling on snow and
ice.
In winter conditions winter tyres will considerably improve the vehicle's han-
dling. The design of summer tyres (width, rubber compound, tread pattern)
gives less grip on ice and snow.
Winter tyres must be inflated to a pressure 0.2 bar higher than the pres-
sures specified for summer tyres (see sticker on tank flap).
Winter tyres must be fitted on all four wheels.
Information on permitted winter tyre sizes can be found in the vehicle's reg-
istration documents. Use only radial winter tyres. All tyre sizes listed in the
vehicle documentation also apply to winter tyres.
Winter tyres lose their effectiveness when the tread is worn down to a depth
of 4 mm.
The speed rating code ⇒  page 252, New tyres and wheels determines the
following speed limits for winter tyres: ⇒ 
max. 160 km/h
max. 180 km/h
max. 190 km/h
max. 210 km/h
In some countries, vehicles which can exceed the speed rating of the fitted
tyre must have an appropriate sticker in the driver's field of view. These
stickers are available from your Authorised Service Centre. The legal require-
ments of each country must be followed.
Do not have winter tyres fitted for unnecessarily long periods. Vehicles with
summer tyres handle better when the roads are free of snow and ice. Q
S
T
H If you have a flat tyre, please refer to the notes on the spare wheel
⇒ page 252, New tyres and wheels.
WARNING
The maximum speed for the winter tyres must not be exceeded. Other-
wise, this could lead to tyre damage and risk of accident.
For the sake of the environment
Fit your summer tyres again as soon as possible. They are quieter, do not
wear so quickly and reduce fuel consumption. 
Snow chains
Snow chains are only permitted on front wheels and only for tyres
195/65R15 and 205/55R16. These tyres may only be fitted with fine-pitch
link chains which do not protrude more than 15 mm ⇒ page 252.
Other tyres may use fine-pitch links which do not protrude more than 9 mm,
including tension device.
Remove wheel hub covers and trim rings before fitting snow chains. For
safety reasons cover caps, available in any Authorised Service Centre, must
then be fitted over the wheel bolts.
All-wheel drive : Where snow chains are compulsory on certain roads, this
normally also applies to cars with all-wheel drive. Snow chains may only be
fitted to the front wheels (also on vehicles with all-wheel drive).
WARNING
Snow chains should be correctly tightened in accordance with the manu-
facturer's instructions. This will prevent the chains coming into contact
with the wheel housing. 

255
Wheels and tyres
CAUTION
Remove the snow chains to drive on roads without snow. Otherwise they
will impair handling, damage the tyres and wear out very quickly.
Note
● In some countries, the speed limit for using snow chains is 50 km/h.
The legal requirements of the country should be followed.
● We recommend that you ask your Authorised Service Centre for informa-
tion about appropriate wheel, tyre and snow chain size. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

257
If and when
How to use the temporary spare wheel
Should you ever have a punctured tyre, the temporary spare wheel is only
intended for temporary use until you can reach a workshop. The standard-
size road wheel should be replaced as soon as possible.
Please note the following restrictions when using the temporary spare
wheel. This spare wheel has been specially designed for your vehicle, thus,
it cannot be changed with the spare wheel from another vehicle.
No other type of tyre (normal summer or winter tyre) may be fitted on the
compact temporary spare wheel rim.
Snow chains
For technical reasons, snow chains must not be used on the compact tem-
porary spare wheel.
If you have a puncture on one of the front wheels when using snow chains,
fit the compact temporary spare in place of one of the rear wheels. You can
then attach the snow chains to the wheel taken from the rear and use this
wheel to replace the punctured front wheel.
WARNING
● The tyre pressures must be checked and corrected as soon as possi-
ble. The emergency tyre pressure for dimensions 125/70R16 125/70R18
135/90R16 is 4.2 bar; for all other tyre dimensions please refer to the la-
bel on the fuel cap. Failure to do so could result in an accident.
● Do not drive faster than 80 km/h. Higher speeds can cause an acci-
dent.
● Avoid heavy acceleration, hard braking and fast cornering. Risk of ac-
cident.
● Never use two or more compact spare tyres at the same time, risk of
accident.
● No other type of tyre (normal summer or winter tyre) may be fitted on
the compact temporary spare wheel rim.
 Tyre repair kit
The tyre repair kit (for vehicles not including a spare wheel)
is stored under the floor panel in the luggage compartment.
In the event of a punctured tyre, your vehicle is equipped with the Tyre Mo-
bility System.
The tyre repair kit consists of a container with sealing compound to repair
the puncture and a compressor to generate the required tyre pressure. The
kit will reliably seal punctures up to a size of about 4 mm caused by the
penetration of a foreign body into the tyre.
Note
● Seek professional assistance if the repair of a tyre puncture is not possi-
ble with the sealing compound. 
Wheel change Preparation work
What you must do before changing a wheel.
– If you have a flat tyre or puncture, park the vehicle as far away
from the flow of traffic as possible. Choose a location that is as
level as possible.
– All passengers should leave the vehicle. They should wait in a
safe area (for instance behind the roadside crash barrier).
– Switch off the engine. Switch on the hazard warning lights.
– Apply the handbrake firmly. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications