2012 Seat Mii airbag off

61
Ensuring you are correctly and safely seated
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 seat
passengers who do not use seat belts endanger not only themselves but al-
so the driver and other occupants ⇒ Fig. 40. 
Seat belt protection
Fig. 41 Drivers with
properly worn seat belts
will not be thrown for-
ward in the event of sud-
den braking
Wearing a correctly fastened seat belt can significantly change the situa-
tion. Properly worn seat belts hold the vehicle occupants in the correct sit-
ting positions and substantially reduce the kinetic energy in the event of an
accident. Seat belts also help to prevent uncontrolled movements that
could lead to severe injuries. In addition, properly worn seat belts reduce
the danger of being thrown from the vehicle ⇒ Fig. 41.
Vehicle occupants wearing their seat belts correctly benefit greatly from the
ability of the belts to absorb kinetic energy. The front crumple zones and
other passive safety features (such as the airbag system) are also designed
to absorb the kinetic energy generated in a collision. Taken together, all
these features reduce the energy released and decrease the risk of injury. Our examples describe frontal collisions. Of course, properly worn seat belts
substantially reduce the risk of injury in all other types of accidents. This is
why it is so important to fasten seat belts before every trip, even when just
driving “around the corner”. Ensure that your passengers wear their seat
belts as well.
Accident statistics have shown properly worn seat belts to be an effective
means of considerably reducing the risk of severe injury and improving the
chances of survival in a serious accident. Furthermore, properly worn seat
belts improve the protection provided by deployed airbags in the event of
an accident. For this reason, wearing a seat belt is required by law in most
countries.
Although your vehicle is equipped with airbags, fasten and wear the seat
belts. The front airbags, for example, are only triggered in some frontal acci-
dents. The front airbags will not be triggered during minor frontal collisions,
minor side collisions, rear collisions, rolls or accidents in which the airbag
trigger threshold value in the control unit is not exceeded.
Therefore, you should always wear your seat belt and ensure that vehicle
occupants have fastened their seat belts properly before you drive off!

Using seat belts
Checklist
Use of the seat belt ⇒ 
:
¥ Check the condition of all the seat belts at regular intervals.
¥ Keep the seat belts clean.
¥ Keep the seat belt web, the latch plate and the buckle free of foreign
bodies and liquids.
¥ Do not jam or damage the seat belt or the latch plate when closing
the door, for example.

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69
Ensuring you are correctly and safely seated
Types of front passenger airbag systems
There are 2 different SEAT front passenger airbag systems:ABCharacteristics of the passenger
front airbag without disabling.Characteristics of the front passen-
ger front airbag that can be disabled
manually ⇒ page 73.
- * Control lamp  on the instru-
ment panel.– Control lamp  on the instrument
panel.
- Front passenger airbag located in
dash panel.- PASSENGER AIR BAG   control
lamp on the dash panel.
- Key switch in the glove compart-
ment on the front passenger side of
the dash panel.
- Front passenger airbag located in
dash panel.
- Description: airbag system- Description: airbag system with
front passenger airbag disabling.
- Description: airbag system without
disabling.* Control lamps
Fig. 46 Control lamp for
disabling the front pas-
senger airbag on the
dash panel
lights
upLocationPossible causeSolution
Instrument
panelFault in airbag system
and seat belt tension-
ers.Have the system checked
immediately by a Special-
ised workshop.

Dash panel.
Fault in the airbag
system.Have the system checked
immediately by a Special-
ised workshop.
Front passenger air-
bag disabled.Check whether the airbag
should remain disabled.
Several warning and control lamps light up for a few seconds when the igni-
tion is switched on while a test of the function is being carried out. They will
switch off after a few seconds.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG   warning lamp does not remain lit or if it is
lit together with the control lamp  on the instrument panel and the front
passenger airbag is disabled, there may be a fault in the airbag system
⇒ 
. 
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70Ensuring you are correctly and safely seated
WARNING
In the event of a fault in the airbag system, the airbag may not trigger
correctly, may fail to trigger or may even trigger unexpectedly, leading to
severe or fatal injuries.
● Have the airbag system checked immediately by a Specialised work-
shop.
● Never mount a child seat in the front passenger seat or remove the
mounted child seat! The front passenger airbag may deploy during an ac-
cident in spite of the fault.
CAUTION
Always pay attention to any lit lamps and to the corresponding descriptions
and instructions to avoid damage to the vehicle. 
Description and function of the airbag
The airbag can protect vehicle occupants in the event of an accidents, cush-
ioning the movement of the occupants in the direction of the collision in
frontal and side accidents.
Deployed airbags fill with a propellant gas. This causes the airbag covers to
break and the airbags to deploy extremely quickly in their entire deploy-
ment space within fractions of a second. When an occupant with the seat
belt properly fastened puts pressure on the inflated airbag, the propellant
gas escapes to absorb the force of the impact and slow the movement. This
reduces the risk of severe or fatal injuries. Airbag deployment does not
mean that other types of injury such as swelling, bruising and skin injuries
can be ruled out. Upon deployment of the airbag, friction can cause the
generation of heat.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower part of the body. The most important factors for triggering the airbag are the type of accident,
the angle of impact, the vehicle speed and the characteristics of the object
the vehicle hits. Therefore, airbags are not triggered every time the vehicle
is visibly damaged.
The activation of the airbag system depends on the magnitude of the decel-
eration of the vehicle caused by a collision, which registers through an elec-
tronic control unit. If the deceleration magnitude value is below the refer-
ence value programmed in the control unit, the airbags will not deploy de-
spite serious damage being caused to the vehicle by the accident. Damage
suffered by the vehicle, reparation costs or absence of damage suffered
from the accident are not indications of whether an airbag should have
been deployed. Due to the varying nature of collision situations, it is impos-
sible to define a speed range of the vehicle and reference values. For this
reason, it is not possible to cover all types of collisions and collision angles
resulting in the deployment of the airbag. Factors necessary for the airbag
to be deployed can be, the characteristics of the object (hard or soft)
against which the vehicle collides, the collision angle and the vehicle
speed.
Airbags act in conjunction with three-point seat belts in the event of certain
accidents, when the vehicle deceleration rate is severe enough to trigger
the airbags. Airbags only deploy once and only under certain circumstan-
ces. Seat belts remain present to offer protection in situations where air-
bags are not triggered or where they have already deployed. For example,
when a vehicle hits another after an initial collision or is hit by another vehi-
cle.
The airbag system is an integral part of the vehicle's passive safety system.
The airbag system can only work effectively when the occupants are wear-
ing their seat belts correctly and have adjusted the head restraints properly

⇒ page 48.
Vehicle safety components
The following safety equipment makes up the vehicle safety design to re-
duce the risk of severe and fatal injuries. Depending on the vehicle equip-
ment, some equipment may not be fitted in the vehicle or may not be avail-
able in some markets. 

71
Ensuring you are correctly and safely seated
● Optimised seat belts for all seats.
● Seat belt tension devices for driver and passenger.
● Seat belt force limiters for driver and passenger.
● Seat belt warning lamp.
● Frontal airbags for driver and passenger.
● Side airbags for driver and passenger.
● Airbag control lamp .
● Control units and sensors.
● Head restraints optimised for rear-end collision.
● Adjustable steering column.
● If necessary, anchor points for child seats for the rear seats.
● Where applicable, mountings for the child seat upper retaining strap. Situations when the front and side airbags do 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. 
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Ensuring you are correctly and safely seated
When the front airbags are triggered they fill the zones marked in
red ⇒ Fig. 47 and ⇒ Fig. 48 (radius of action). 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 passen-
ger, e.g. the baseplate for the mobile telephone support.
The airbag covers fold out of the steering wheel ⇒ Fig. 47 or dash panel
⇒ Fig. 48 when the driver and front passenger airbags are triggered. The air-
bag 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 vacant.
● Never secure objects to the covers or in the deployment area of the
airbag modules, e.g. drink 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. 47 and
the dash panel ⇒ Fig. 48.
● 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 a distance of at least
25 cm(10 inches) between the centre of 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 seat so there is as much distance as possi-
ble between the front passenger and the dash panel.

Deactivating and activating the front passenger airbag
using the key switch
Fig. 49 On front passen-
ger side: key switch for
disabling and enabling
the front passenger air-
bag
Disable the front passenger airbag when a rear-facing child seat is moun-
ted.
Deactivating the front passenger airbag
● Switch the ignition off.
● Open the door on the front passenger side.
● Unfold the key shaft ⇒ page 28. 
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74Ensuring you are correctly and safely seated
● Using the vehicle key, turn the key switch to OFF ⇒ Fig. 49.
● Close the door on the front passenger side.
● The PASSENGER AIR BAG   control lamp on the dash panel will re-
main lit while the ignition is switched on ⇒ page 69.
Activating the front passenger airbag
● Switch the ignition off.
● Open the door on the front passenger side.
● Unfold the key shaft ⇒ page 28.
● Using the vehicle key, turn the key switch to ON ⇒ Fig. 49.
● Close the door on the front passenger side.
● Check that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF  control lamp on the dash
panel does not light up ⇒ page 69 while the ignition is switched on.
How to know whether the front passenger airbag is disabled
Disabling of the front passenger airbag is only indicated by the PASSENGER
AIR BAG   control lamp that remains lit on the dash panel (   re-
mains yellow) ⇒ page 69.
If the control lamp   on the dash panel does not remain lit or is lit in
combination with the control lamp  on the instrument panel, a child re-
straint system cannot be mounted on the front passenger seat for safety
reasons. The front passenger airbag may deploy during an accident.
WARNING
Only disconnect the front passenger airbag in special cases.
● Disconnect and connect the front passenger airbag when the ignition
is switched off to avoid damage to the airbag system.
● It is the driver's responsibility to ensure that the key operated switch
is set to the correct position.
WARNING (Continued)
● Only disconnect the front passenger airbag when a child seat is to be
mounted under exceptional circumstances.
● As soon as the child seat is no longer needed on the front passenger
seat, reconnect the front passenger seat airbag.


97
Transporting
Transporting
Driving tips Introduction
Always transport heavy loads in the luggage compartment and place the
seat backs in a vertical position. Never overload the vehicle. Both the carry-
ing capacity as well as the distribution of the load in the vehicle have ef-
fects on the driving behaviour and braking ability ⇒ 
.
Additional information and warnings:
● Rear lid ⇒ page 40
● To lower the front passenger seat backrest ⇒ page 55
● Light ⇒ page 84
● Luggage compartment ⇒ page 100
● Roof carrier ⇒ page 104
● Wheels and tyres ⇒ page 210
WARNING
Unsecured or incorrectly secured objects can cause serious injury in case
of a sudden manoeuvring or breaking or in case of an accident. This is es-
pecially true when objects are struck by a detonating airbag and fired
through the vehicle interior. To reduce the risks, please note the follow-
ing:
● Secure all objects in the vehicle. Always keep equipment and heavy
objects in the luggage compartment.
WARNING (Continued)
● Always secure objects with suitable rope or slings so that they cannot
enter the deployment areas around the frontal or side airbags in case of
sudden braking or an accident.
● Always ensure that objects inside the vehicle cannot move into the
deployment area of the bags while driving.
● While driving, always keep object compartments closed.
● Remove all objects from the front passenger seat when this is fol-
lowed down. When the seat backrest is folded down, it presses on small
and light objects and these are detected by the weight sensor on the
seat; this sends false information to the airbag control unit.
● While the backrest of the front passenger seat is folded, the frontal
airbag must remain disconnected and the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF 
light on.
● Objects secured in the vehicle should never be placed in such a way
as to make passengers sit in an incorrect position.
● If secured objects occupy a seat then this should not be occupied or
used by anybody.
WARNING
The driving behaviour and braking ability change when transporting
heavy and large objects.
● Adjust your speed and driving style to visibility, road, traffic and
weather conditions.
● Accelerate gently and carefully.
● Avoid sudden braking and manoeuvres.
● Brake early.

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Starting, changing gears, parking
While driving
Starting, changing gears, parking
Stopping and starting the engine Introduction
Immobilizer display
When an invalid key is used or in the event of a system fault,  is dis-
played on the instrument panel. The engine cannot be started.
Pushing or towing
For technical reasons, the vehicle must not be push- or tow-started. Jump
starting is preferable.
Additional information and warnings:
● Vehicle key set ⇒ page 28
● Changing gear ⇒  page 124
● Braking, stopping and parking ⇒  page 134
● Steering ⇒  page 147
● Refuelling ⇒  page 171
● Fuel ⇒ page 177
● Emergency locking and unlocking ⇒ page 243
● Jump starting ⇒  page 273
● Tow-starting and towing away ⇒ page 276
WARNING
Switching off the engine while driving makes stopping the vehicle diffi-
cult. As a consequence you may lose control of the vehicle and there is a
risk of serious accident.
● The assisted braking and steering systems, the airbag system, safety
belts and certain safety equipment are only active while the engine is
running.
● The engine should only be switched off when the vehicle is at a
standstill.
WARNING
While the engine is running or starting it could help reduce the risk of se-
rious injury.
● Never start or leave the engine running in poorly ventilated or closed
spaces. Exhaust gas contains carbon monoxide, a toxic, colourless and
odourless gas. Carbon monoxide can cause people to lose conscious-
ness. It can also cause death.
● Never leave the vehicle unattended if the engine is running. The vehi-
cle could move off suddenly or something unexpected could happen re-
sulting in damage and serious injury.
● Never use start boosters. Cold start sprays could explode or increase
the engine speed unexpectedly. 
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