2012 Seat Leon 5D child restraint

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 11.
– Adjust the front passenger seat correctly ⇒ page 12.
– Adjust the head restraint correctly ⇒ page 14.
– Use the correct child restraint system to protect children in your
vehicle ⇒ page 47.
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 vehicle occupants as-
sume a correct sitting position while travelling.
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 vehicle 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
children 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. 

37
Airbag system
The airbags deploy extremely rapidly, within thousandths of a second, to
provide additional protection in the event of an accident. A fine dust may
develop when the airbag deploys. This is normal and it is not an indication
of fire in the vehicle. 
Airbag covers when the frontal airbags are triggered
Fig. 20 Airbag covers reacting when the front airbags are triggered The airbag covers fold out of the steering wheel or dash panel when the
driver and front passenger airbags are triggered ⇒ Fig. 20. The airbag cov-
ers remain connected to the steering wheel or the dash panel. Safety notes on the front airbag system
If you use airbags correctly, they can considerably reduce
the risk of injury in many kinds of accident.
WARNING
● 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. If the minimum
distance is not observed then the airbags do not correctly protect the ve-
hicle occupants; risk of fatal injuries! In addition, the front seats and
head restraints must always be positioned correctly for the height of the
occupant.
● 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.
● Never let a child travel on the front seat without an appropriate re-
straint system. If the airbag is triggered in an accident, children can sus-
tain serious or fatal injuries from the airbag as it inflates ⇒ page 47.
● The deployment space between the front passengers and the airbags
must not in any case be occupied by other passenger, pets and objects.
● The airbags provide protection for just one accident; replace them
once they have deployed.
● It is also important not to attach any objects such as cup holders or
telephone mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag units.
● Do not attempt to modify components of the airbag system in any
way.

Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical specifications

47
Child safety
Child safety
Brief introduction Introduction
Statistics show that children are generally safer on the rear
seat than on the front passenger seat.For safety reasons we recommend that children under 12 years of age travel
on the rear seats. Depending on their age, height and weight, children trav-
elling on the rear seat must use a child seat or a seat belt. For safety rea-
sons, the child seat should be installed in the centre of the rear seat or be-
hind the front passenger seat.
The physical laws involved and the forces acting in a collision apply also to
children ⇒ page 21.
But unlike adults, children do not have fully developed muscle and bone
structures. This means that children are subject to a greater risk of injury.
To reduce this risk, children must always use special child restraint systems
when travelling in the vehicle.
We recommend the use of child safety products from the SEAT Original Ac-
cessories Programme, which includes systems for all ages made by
“Peke” 1)
.
These systems have been especially designed and approved, complying
with the ECE-R44. regulation. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and observe any statutory require-
ments when installing and using child seats. Always read and note
⇒ page 47.
We recommend you to always include the manufacturer's Child Seat Instruc-
tion Manual together with the on-board documentation.

Safety notes on using child seats
Proper use of child seats substantially reduces the risk of in-
jury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for any children you transport in your vehi-
cle.
● Protect your children by properly using the appropriate child seats
⇒  page 49.
● Always ensure that the seat belt is properly positioned according to the
instructions provided by the manufacturer of the child seat.
● When travelling, do not allow children to distract you from traffic.
● Take breaks regularly during long trips. Take a break at least every two
hours. 
1)
Not for all countries
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical specifications

48Child safety
WARNING
● Never install a child seat facing backwards on the front passenger
seat unless the front passenger front airbag has been disabled. Risk of
potentially fatal injuries to the child! However, if it is necessary, in excep-
tional cases, to transport a child in the front passenger seat, the front
passenger front airbag must always be disabled ⇒ page 44. If the pas-
senger seat has a height adjustment option, move it to the highest, most
upright position. If you have a fixed seat, do not install any child restraint
system in this location.
● For those vehicles that do not include a key lock switch to deactivate
the airbag, the vehicle must be taken to a Technical Service.
● All vehicle occupants, especially children, must assume the proper
sitting position and be properly belted in while travelling.
● Never hold children or babies on your lap, this can result in potential-
ly fatal injuries to the child!
● Never allow a child to be transported in a vehicle without being prop-
erly secured, or to stand up or kneel on a seat while travelling. In an acci-
dent, the child could be flung through the vehicle, causing possibly fatal
injuries to themselves and to the other vehicle occupants.
● If children assume an improper sitting position when the vehicle is
moving, they expose themselves to greater risk of injury in the event of a
sudden braking manoeuvre or in an accident. This is particularly impor-
tant if the child is travelling on the front passenger seat and the airbag
system is triggered in an accident; as this could cause serious injury or
even death.
● A suitable child seat can protect your child!
● Never leave an unsupervised child alone on a child seat or in the vehi-
cle.
● Depending on weather conditions, it may become extremely hot or
cold inside the vehicle. This can be fatal.WARNING (Continued)
● Children who are less than 1.5 metres tall must not wear a normal
seat belt without a child seat, as this could cause injuries to the abdomi-
nal and neck areas during a sudden braking manoeuvre or in an accident.
● Do not allow the seat belt to become twisted or jammed, or to rub on
any sharp edges.
● Incorrectly worn seat belts can cause injuries even in a minor colli-
sion or in sudden braking manoeuvres.
● The seat belt provides maximum protection only when the seat belt is
properly positioned ⇒ page 25, Seat belts.
● Only one child may occupy a child seat ⇒ page 49, Child seats.


51
Child safety
The child seats in groups 2 and 3 must be mounted in the direction of
movement and using the vehicle’s seatbelt.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions and observe any statutory require-
ments when installing and using child seats.
We recommend you to always include the manufacturer's Child Seat Instruc-
tion Manual together with the on-board documentation.
SEAT recommends the use of child seats from the Original Accessories cata-
logue. These child seats have been designed and tested for use in SEAT ve-
hicles. You can find the right child seat for your model and age group at
SEAT dealers.
Group 2 child seats
Children under 7 years of age weighing between 15 and 25 kg are best pro-
tected by group 2 child seats together with properly adjusted seat belts.
Group 3 child seats
Children over 7 years of age weighing between 22 and 36 kg but less than
1.5 metres tall are best protected by child seats with head restraints togeth-
er with properly worn seat belts ⇒ Fig. 30.
WARNING
● The shoulder part of the seat belt must lie approximately on the cen-
tre of the shoulder, never across the neck or the arm. The seat belt must
lie close to the upper part of the body. The lap belt part must lie across
the pelvis, not across the stomach, and always fit closely. Pull the belt
tight if necessary to take up any slack ⇒ page 25, Seat belts.
● Read and always observe information and warnings concerning the
use of child seats ⇒ page 47.

Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical specifications

52Child safety
Securing child seats
Ways to secure a child seat
A child seat can be secured differently on the rear seat and
on the front passenger seat.
Fig. 31 On the rear seats: figure A shows the basic child restraint system mounting
using lower retaining rings and the upper retaining strap figure B shows the child re-
straint system mounting using the vehicle seat belt
You can secure a child seat to the rear seat or front passenger seat in the
following ways:
● Child seats in groups 0 to 3 can be secured with a seat belt.
● Child seats in groups 0, 0+ and 1 with the ISOFIX and Top Tether* sys-
tems can be secured without using the seatbelt, thanks to the ISOFIX and
Top Tether* securing rings ⇒ page 54.
● During installation of some models of group I, II and III car seats in the
rear seat, difficulty may arise in mounting the seat given that it comes into
contact with the head restraint. In this case adjust the height of the head restraint or remove it from the seat following the instructions in the corre-
sponding chapter ⇒ 
page 127. Once you remove the car seat, replace the
head restraint in its original position. 
Securing the child seat using the seat belt
The seat belt may be used to secure universal type child seats to the vehicle
seats marked with a U in the table below.
● If the front passenger seat lacks a height adjustment, child seats cannot
be mounted is this location.
Mass groupSeating positionFront passenger seatRear side seatRear centralseat
Group 0
to 10 kgU*UU
Group 0+ to 13 kgU*UU
Group I
9 to 18 kgU*UU
Group II
15 to 25 kgU*UU
Group III
22 to 36 kgU*UU
Suitable for universal restraint systems for use in this mass group.
Only compatible for models with adjustable seat height. Place seat in
the backmost highest position possible. 
U:
*:

54Child safety
Child seats fastened with the “ISOFIX” and Top Tether* system
Child seats with the “ISOFIX” and Toptether* system can be secured quickly, easily and safely on the rear outer seats.
Two “ISOFIX” retaining rings are fitted on each rear seat. In some vehicles,
the rings are secured to the seat frame and, in others, they are secured to
the rear floor. The access to the ISOFIX rings is between the rear seat back-
rest and the seat cushioning. The Top Tether* anchors are located at the
rear of the backrests of the rear seats (behind the seat backrest or in the
luggage compartment). To understand the compatibility of the "ISOFIX" systems in the vehicle, con-
sult the table below.
●
The allowed body weight for the child seat or information regarding size
A to F is indicated on the label on the child seat with certification universal
or semi-universal.
Mass groupSize classElectrical equipmentMounting directionVehicle Isofix positionsRear side seats
Baby carrierFISO/L1Backward-facingXGISO/L2Backward-facingXGroup 0 to 10 kgEISO/R1Backward-facingIU
Group 0+ to 13 kgEISO/R1Backward-facingIUDISO/R2Backward-facingIUCISO/R3Backward-facingIU
Group I 9 to 18 kg
DISO/R2Backward-facingIUCISO/R3Backward-facingIUBISO/F2Forward-facingIUB1ISO/F2XForward-facingIUAISO/F3Forward-facingIUGroup II 15 to 25 kg------Forward-facing---Group III 22 to 36 kg------Forward-facing---
Suitable for ISOFIX universal child restraint systems approved for use in
this mass group
ISOFIX position not suitable for ISOFIX child restraint systems for this
mass group or size class 
IU:
X:

55
Child safety
WARNING
● The securing rings are designed only for use with ISOFIX and Top
Tether* child seats.
● Never secure child seats that do not have the ISOFIX and Top Tether*
system, retaining belts or other objects to the securing rings – this could
result in potentially fatal injuries to the child!
● Ensure that the child seat is secured correctly using the “ISOFIX” and
Top Tether* securing rings.

ISOFIX child seat mounting system
Fig. 32 ISOFIX securing
rings
When removing or fitting the child seat, please be sure to follow
the manufacturer's instructions.
– Remove the protective caps of the “ISOFIX” rings by placing a
finger in the hole and pulling up ⇒ 
Fig. 32. –
Press the child seat onto the ISOFIX retaining rings until the
child seat can be heard to engage securely. If the child seat is
equipped with Toptether* anchor points, secure it to the corre-
spondent ring. Observe the manufacturer's instructions.
– Do a test by pulling both sides of the car seat to ensure that it is
properly anchored.
Child seats with the ISOFIX and Top Tether* attachment system are available
from Technical Services. 
Top Tether retainer straps*
Some child restraint seats have a third Top Tether anchoring
point, apart from both “ISOFIX” anchoring points, which al-
low better child retention.
Fig. 33 Position of the
Top Tether rings on the
back of the rear seat 
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