2012 Seat Exeo ESP

Foreword
This Instruction Manual and its corresponding supplements should be read carefully to familiarise yourself
with your vehicle.
Besides the regular care and maintenance of the vehicle, its correct handling will help preserve its value.
For safety reasons, note the information concerning accessories, modifications and part replacements.
If selling the vehicle, give all of the onboard documentation to the new owner, as it should be kept with the
vehicle.

7
Safe driving
Safety First
Safe driving
Brief introduction
Dear SEAT Driver
Safety first! This chapter contains important information, tips, suggestions and
warnings that you should read and consider for both your own
safety and for your passengers' safety.
WARNING
● This manual contains important information about the operation of
the vehicle, both for the driver and the passengers. The other sections of
the owner's manual also contain further information that you should be
aware of for your own safety and for the safety of your passengers.
● Ensure that the onboard documentation is kept in the vehicle at all
times. This is especially important when lending or selling the vehicle to
another person.
 Safety equipment
The safety equipment listed here are part of the vehicle's
passenger restraint system. They work together to help re-
duce the risk of injury in a wide variety of accident situa-
tions.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers should not be left to chance.
In the event of an accident, the safety features incorporated in your vehicle
are capable of reducing the risk of injury. These are just a few of the safety
features in your SEAT:
● Three-point seat belts optimised for all seats
● Belt force limiters for the seats
● Belt tension devices for the front seat belts
● Front airbags
● Side airbags in the front and rear seat backrests*
● Head-protection airbags*
● Knee airbag for left-hand drive only
● ISOFIX anchor points* for ISOFIX child safety seats on the outer rear
seats
● Height-adjustable head restraints
● Adjustable steering column
These individual safety features are harmonised to provide you and your
passengers with the best possible protection in case of an accident. Howev-
er, they can only be effective if you and your passengers sit in the correct
position and adjust and use the safety equipment properly. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

8Safe driving
Therefore, this chapter explains why these safety features are so important,
how they can protect you, what you need to remember when using them
and how you and your passengers can gain the most benefit from them.
There are also a number of important safety warnings that you and your
passengers should always observe in order to minimise the risk of injury.
Safety is everyone's responsibility! 
Before setting off
The driver is responsible for the safety of the passengers
and the safe operation of the vehicle at all times. For your own safety and the safety of your passengers, always note
the following points before setting off:
– Make sure that all lights and indicators are working properly.
– Check tyre pressure.
– Make sure that all windows are clean and give good visibility to
the outside.
– Secure all luggage and other items carefully ⇒ page 16.
– Make sure that no objects can interfere with the pedals.
– Adjust the front seat, head restraint and mirrors correctly.
– Make sure that the head restraints for all passengers are adjus-
ted to the correct position.
– Make sure that children are protected with suitable safety seats
and properly worn seat belts ⇒ page 46. –
Sit in a correct position. Inform your passengers as to how they
should sit ⇒ page 10.
– Fasten your seat belt correctly. Make sure that your passengers
do the same ⇒ page 18. 
What affects safe driving?
Safety on the road is directly related to how you drive, and
can also be affected by the passengers in the vehicle. The driver is responsible for the safety of the vehicle and all its oc-
cupants. If your ability to drive is impaired in any way, you endan-
ger yourself and other road users ⇒ 
. Therefore:
– Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers or by using a
mobile phone, etc.
– Never drive when your driving ability is impaired (by medica-
tion, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
– Obey all traffic regulations and speed limits and always main-
tain a safe distance to the vehicle in front.
– Always adjust your speed to suit the road, traffic and weather
conditions.
– Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive for more than
two hours without a stop.
– If possible, avoid driving when you are tired or stressed. 

9
Safe driving
WARNING
When driving safety is impaired during a trip, the risk of injury and acci-
dents increases.

What affects driving safety?
Driving safety is largely determined by your driving style
and the personal behaviour of all occupants. As a driver, you are responsible for yourself and your passengers.
When your concentration or driving safety is affected by any cir-
cumstance, you endanger yourself as well as others on the road
⇒ 
, for this reason:
– Always pay attention to traffic and do not get distracted by pas-
sengers or telephone calls.
– Never drive when your driving ability is impaired (e.g. by medi-
cation, alcohol, drugs).
– Observe traffic laws and speed limits.
– Always reduce your speed as appropriate for road, traffic and
weather conditions.
– When travelling long distances, take breaks regularly - at least
every two hours.
– If possible, avoid driving when you are tired or stressed.
WARNING
When driving safety is impaired during a trip, the risk of injury and acci-
dents increases.

Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

14Safe driving
Correct adjustment of rear seat head restraints
Properly adjusted head restraints are an important part of
the passenger protection and can reduce the risk of injuries
in most accident situations
Fig. 5 Outer rear seats:
Head restraints
Raising the head restraint
– Take hold of the sides of the head restraint with both hands.
– Pull the head restraint up as far as it will go.
Lowering the head restraint
– Press button A
⇒ Fig. 5 and lower the head restraint.
Removing the head restraint
– Pull the head restraint up as far as it will go.
– Press button A
⇒ Fig. 5 and pull out the head restraint. Fitting the head restraint
–
Insert the head restraint in its guides until it clicks into place.
Press button A
and lower the head restraint.
WARNING
● Under no circumstances should the rear passengers travel while the
head restraints are in the non-use position.
● Do not swap the centre rear head restraint with either of the outer
seat rear head restraints.
● Risk of injury in case of an accident!
CAUTION
Note the instructions on the adjustment of the head restraints ⇒ page 13. 
Examples of incorrect sitting positions
An incorrect sitting position can lead to severe injuries to oc-
cupants.
Seat belts can provide optimal protection only when the belt webs
are properly positioned. Incorrect sitting positions substantially re-
duce the protective function of seat belts and increase the risk of
injury due to incorrect seat belt position. As the driver, you are re-
sponsible for all vehicle occupants, especially children.
– Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect sitting position in
the vehicle while travelling ⇒ 
. 

17
Safe driving
– Distribute the load evenly in the luggage compartment.
– Place heavy objects as far forward as possible in the luggage
compartment.
– Place the heavy objects first.
WARNING
● Loose luggage and other objects in the luggage compartment could
cause serious injuries.
● Use suitable straps to secure heavy objects.
● During sudden manoeuvres or accidents, loose objects can be thrown
forward, injuring vehicle occupants or passers-by. This increased risk of
injury will be further increased if a loose object is struck by an inflating
airbag. If this happens, objects can be transformed into “missiles”. Risk
of fatal injury.
● Please note that the centre of gravity may shift when transporting
heavy objects; this may affect the vehicle's handling and lead to an acci-
dent. Therefore, it is essential to adjust your speed and driving style ac-
cordingly, to avoid accidents.
● Never exceed the allowed axle weights or allowed maximum weight.
If the allowed axle load or the allowed total weight is exceeded, the driv-
ing characteristics of the vehicle may change, leading to accidents, inju-
ries and damage to the vehicle.
● Never leave your vehicle unattended, especially when the rear lid is
open. Children could climb into the luggage compartment, closing the
door behind them; they will be trapped and run the risk of death.
● Never allow children to play in or around the vehicle. Close and lock
all the doors and rear lid when you leave the vehicle. Before you lock the
vehicle, make sure that there are no adults or children in the vehicle.
● Never transport passengers in the luggage compartment. All passen-
gers must have their seat belt fastened ⇒ page 18.
Note
● Air circulation in the vehicle helps reduce fogging of the windows. Used
air escapes through ventilation slits in the side trim of the luggage compart-
ment. Ensure that the ventilation slits are never covered. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

26Seat belts
–Guide the belt back by hand so that it rolls up easily and the
trim is not damaged
WARNING
Never unbuckle a seat belt while the vehicle is in motion. If you do, you
increase the risk of sustaining severe or fatal injuries.

Seat belt height adjustment
Seat belt height adjusters can be used to adjust the height
of the shoulder area of the seat belt.
Fig. 16 Belt height ad-
juster
The belt height adjuster can be lowered by keeping the button
pressed down at the same time.
– Press button ⇒ 
Fig. 16 1
to adjust the belt height. –
Take hold of the top guide fitting and slide it up or down so that
the shoulder part of the seat belt is positioned roughly midway
over the shoulder, although it must never rest against the neck
⇒ Fig. 16 2
⇒  in Seat belt position on page 24.
– After adjusting, pull the belt sharply to check that the catch on
the guide fitting is engaged securely.
Note
It is also possible to adjust the height of the front seats to obtain the best
position for the front seat belts. 
Incorrectly fastened seat belts
Incorrectly worn seat belts can cause severe or even mortal
injuries. Seat belts can provide optimal protection only if the belt web is
properly worn. The seat belts must be fastened exactly in the order
described in this chapter. An incorrect sitting position impairs sub-
stantially the protection a seat belt offers and can lead to severe or
fatal injuries. The risk of severe or fatal injuries is especially in-
creased when a deploying airbag strikes an occupant who has as-
sumed an incorrect sitting position. As the driver, you are responsi-
ble for all vehicle occupants, especially children. Therefore:
– Never allow anyone to wear the seat belt incorrectly while the
vehicle is moving ⇒ 
. 

45
Airbag system
WARNING
● The driver is responsible for the proper position of the key-operated
switch.
● You should only deactivate the front passenger airbag when, in ex-
ceptional cases, you have to use a rear-facing child seat on the front pas-
senger seat ⇒ page 46, Child safety.
● Never install a child seat facing backwards on the front passenger
seat unless the front passenger airbag has been disabled. Otherwise,
there is a risk of death. If under exceptional circumstances it is necessary
to transport a child in a rear-facing child seat on the front passenger
seat, you must always disable the front passenger airbag.
● As soon as the child seat is no longer needed on the front passenger
seat, enable the front passenger airbag again.
● Only deactivate the passenger airbag when the ignition is off, other-
wise a fault may occur in the airbag system, which could cause the airbag
to not deploy properly or not deploy at all.
● When the passenger airbag is deactivated, if the warning lamp AIR-
BAG OFF is not continuously lit up, there may be a fault in the airbag sys-
tem:
–Have the airbag system inspected immediately by a specialised
workshop.
– Do not use a child seat on the front passenger seat! The front pas-
senger airbag could be triggered despite the fact that there is a fault
in the system and, as a result, a child could sustain serious or fatal
injuries.
– It is unpredictable whether the front passenger airbag will deploy
in the event of an accident. Warn all your passengers of this.
● When using the ignition key to activate/deactivate the front passen-
ger airbag, only the front passenger airbag will be activated/deactivated.
The side airbag and head airbag on the passenger side will remain ac-
tive.

Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications