
WARNING■Never use the safety eye to tow a vehicle!■Adapt your speed to the conditions of the road surface and to the traffic sit-
uation.■
Improper or incorrectly connected electric cables can energise the trailer and
cause functional faults to the vehicle's entire electrical system as well as acci-
dents and severe injuries.
■
Work on the electrical system must only be carried out by specialist garages.
■
Never directly connect the trailer's electrical system with the electrical con-
nections for the tail lights or other current sources.
Note
■ After coupling the trailer and connecting up the power socket, check the rear
lights on the trailer to ensure they work.■
If there is an error in the trailer lighting system, check the fuses in the fuse box
in the dashboard » page 253.
■
Contact between the breakaway cable and the safety eye can result in mechan-
ical wear on the protective surface of the eye. Such wear does not impair the
functioning of the safety eye and is not a fault. It is excluded from the warranty
coverage.
■
If you tow a trailer frequently, have your car inspected between service inter-
vals too.
■
The handbrake on the towing vehicle must be put on when coupling and decou-
pling the trailer.
Trailer stabilisation
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 172.
The trailer stabilisation is an extension of the stabilisation control that works in
conjunction with the counter-steering assistance to reduce the amount the trail-
er "sways".
After turning on the ignition, the ESC warning light
in the instrument cluster
lights up for about 2 seconds longer than the ABS warning light.
Function requirements for trailer stabilisation.
The trailer was shipped from the factory or purchased from the ŠKODA genu-
ine accessories.
The ESC system is active. (The warning light is lit up in the instrument clus-
ter or not ).
The trailer is electrically connected to the towing vehicle by means of the
trailer socket.
The speed is higher than approx. 60 km/h.
The trailer has a rigid drawbar.WARNINGThe increased safety offered by the trailer stabilisation must not tempt you to take greater risks than otherwise.
CAUTION
■ The trailer stabilisation need not be able to correctly detect all of driving situa-
tions.■
Trailers that sway slightly may not always be detected by the trailer stabilisa-
tion and are thus not stabilised accordingly.
■
Release the pressure on the accelerator pedal if the system is being regulated.
■
Avoid abrupt and sudden driving/braking manoeuvres.
Note
The trailer stabilisation works for both braked and unbraked trailers.
Anti-theft alarm system
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 172.
If the vehicle is locked, the alarm is activated when the electrical connection to
the trailer is interrupted.
Always switch off the anti-theft alarm system before a trailer is coupled or uncou- pled » page 42 .
174Driving

Conditions for including a trailer in the anti-theft alarm system.The vehicle is factory-fitted with an anti-theft alarm system and a towing de-
vice.
The trailer is electrically connected to the towing vehicle by means of the
trailer socket.
The electrical system of the vehicle and trailer is functional.
the vehicle is locked with the vehicle key and the anti-theft alarm system is
activated.
Note
For technical reasons, trailers with rear LED lights cannot be connected to the an-
ti-theft alarm system.175Towing a trailer

›Secure all items of luggage
» page 91, Luggage compartment .
› Ensure that no objects can obstruct the pedals.
› Adjust the mirrors, the front seat and head restraint to your body size.
› Advise your passengers to adjust the head restraints to their body size.
› Protect children in suitable child seats with correctly fastened seat
belts » page 193 , Transporting children safely .
› Adopt the correct seated position
» page 177, Correct seated position . Tell your
passengers to assume the correct seated position.
› Correctly fasten the seat belt. Also inform passengers to fasten the seat belt
correctly » page 180 , Using seat belts .
What influences driving safety?
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 176.
The driver is fully responsible for himself and his occupants. If your driving safety
is effected, you place yourself and the oncoming traffic at risk.
The following guidelines must therefore be observed. › Do not get distracted from concentrating on the traffic situation, e.g. by your
passengers or mobile phone calls.
› Never drive when your driving ability is impaired, e.g. through medication, alco-
hol or drugs.
› Keep to the traffic regulations and the permissible speed limit.
› Always adjust the driving speed to the road, traffic and weather conditions.
› Take regular breaks on long journeys – at least every two hours.
Correct seated position
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Correct seated position for the driver
178
Correct seated position for the front passenger
178
Correct seated position for the passengers in the rear seats
178
Examples of an incorrect seated position
179WARNINGGeneral information■At all times, the front seats and head restraints must be adjusted to match
the person's body size and the seat belt must be attached properly to provide
the most effective levels of protection to passengers.■
If the occupant adopts an incorrect seated position, he is exposed to life-
threatening injuries, in case he is hit by a deployed airbag.
■
If the occupants on the rear seats are not sitting upright, the risk of injury is
increased due to incorrect routing of the seat belt.
■
The seat backrests must not be angled too far back when driving otherwise
this will affect proper operation of the seat belts and of the airbag system –
risk of injury!
WARNINGInformation for the driver■Always assume the correct seated position before setting off and do not
change this position while driving. Also advise your passengers to adopt the
correct seated position and not to change this position while the car is mov-
ing.■
Maintain a distance of at least 25 cm from the steering wheel, and a dis-
tance of at least 10 cm between the legs and the dash panel at the height of
the knee airbag. Not maintaining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be able to properly protect you – hazard!
■
When driving, hold the steering wheel with both hands firmly on the outer
edge in the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position. Never hold the steering wheel in
the 12 o'clock position or in any other way (e.g. in the middle or inner edge of the steering wheel). In such cases, you could severely injure the arms, handsand head when the driver airbag is deployed.
■
Ensure that there are no objects in the driver's footwell as they may get
caught behind the pedals when driving or applying the braking. You would
then no longer be able to operate the clutch, brake or accelerate.
177Passive Safety

WARNINGObserve the following instructions for the proper use of the seat belts.■Never use one seat belt to secure two people (including children). The seat-
belt must not be placed over a child who is sitting on the lap of another pas-
senger.■
The lock tongue should only be inserted into the lock which is the correct
one for your seat. Wrong use of the safety belt will reduce its capacity to pro-
tect and the risk of injury increases.
■
The slot of the belt tongue must not be blocked otherwise the belt tongue
will not lock in place properly.
■
Many layers of clothing and loose clothing (e. g. a winter coat over a jacket)
do not allow you to be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of the
seat belts.
■
It is prohibited to use clamps or other objects to adjust seat belts (e. g. for
shortening the belts for smaller persons).
■
The seat belts for the rear seats can only fulfil their function reliably when
the seat backrests are correctly locked into position » page 78.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for proper use of the seat belts.■The belt webbing must always be kept clean. Soiled belt webbing may im-
pair proper operation of the inertia reel » page 211.■
The seat belts must not be removed or changed in any way. Do not attempt
to repair the seat belts yourself.
■
Check the condition of all the seat belts on a regular basis. If any damage to
the seat belts, seat belt connections, inertia reel or the lock is detected, the
relevant seat belt must be replaced by a specialist garage.
■
Damaged seat belts which have been subjected to stress in an accident and
were therefore stretched, must be replaced – this is best done by a specialist
garage. The anchorage points for the belts should also be checked.
Note
The national legal requirements must be observed when using seat belts.
The physical principle of a head-on collisionFig. 160
Driver without a fastened seat belt/rear seat passenger without a
fastened seat belt
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 180.
As soon as the vehicle is moving, so-called kinetic energy (the energy of motion)
is produced both in terms of the car as well as in terms of the occupants.
The magnitude of this kinetic energy depends essentially on the speed at which
the vehicle is travelling and on the weight of the vehicle including the occupants.
The greater the speed and weight increase, the greater the amount of energy
which has to be absorbed in the event of an accident.
The speed of the vehicle is the most important factor. Doubling the speed of the
vehicle from 25 km/h up to 50 km/hour increases the kinetic energy four times.
The opinion that it is possible to support your body in a minor accident with your
hands, is incorrect. Even in a collision at only a low speed, the forces acting on the body are such that it is no longer possible to support your body.
Even if you only drive at a speed of 30 km/h to 50 km/h, the forces that your body is exposed to in the event of an accident can exceed a metric ton (1000 kg).
For example, a person's weight of 80 kg “increases” at 50 km/h to 4.8 tons
(4800 kg).
In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt are thrown forward and strike parts of the vehicle interior in an uncontrolled manner, such as the steering wheel, dash panel or windscreen » Fig. 160 -
. In certain
circumstances you could even be thrown out of the vehicle, which could cause life
threatening or even fatal injuries.
181Seat belts

It is also important that rear seat occupants fasten their seat belts as they willotherwise be thrown through the vehicle in an uncontrolled manner in the eventof an accident.
Rear seat passengers who have not fastened their seat belts are a danger not only to themselves but also to those seated at the front » Fig. 160 – .
Fastening and unfastening seat belts
Fig. 161
Fastening/unfastening the seat belt
Fig. 162
Routing of belt webbing over the shoulders and the lap belt/Rout-
ing of belt webbing for an expectant mother
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 180.
Fasten
›
Correctly adjust the front seat and head restraint 1)
before fastening the seat
belt » page 177 .
›
Use the lock tongue to slowly pull the webbing over your chest and pelvis.
›
Insert the lock tongue into the belt buckle for the seat » Fig. 161 - until it au-
dibly clicks into place.
›
Pull on the belt to check that it has engaged correctly in the lock.
A plastic knob in the belt webbing holds the belt tongue in a position which is
easy to get hold of.
It is important that the belt is properly routed to ensure seat belts offer the maxi- mum protection.
The shoulder part of the seat belt must never run across the neck but must
roughly run over the middle of the shoulder and fit snugly against the chest. The
lap part of the belt must run across the pelvis, must not be positioned across the
stomach and must always fit snugly » Fig. 162 -
.
Expectant women must also always wear a seat belt. This is the only way of en-
suring optimal protection for the unborn child.
With pregnant women, the lap part of the belt must be positioned as low as pos-sible on the pelvis to avoid exerting any pressure on the lower abdomen » Fig. 162
-
.
Release
Release the seat belt only when the vehicle is stationary.
›
Press the red button in the belt buckle » Fig. 161 -
; the lock tongue pops out.
›
Manually guide the belt back so that it is easier to fully roll up the webbing, the
seat belt does not twist.
CAUTION
When releasing the seatbelt ensure that the tongue of the lock does not damage
the door trim or other parts of the interior.
1)
Not valid for sport seats.
182Safety

Belt height adjustment on the front seatsFig. 163
Front seat: Seat belt height ad-
juster
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 180.
The seat belt height adjuster makes it possible to adjust the routing of the front
seat belts in the area of the shoulder to the body size.
›
Press the seat belt height adjuster and move up or down in the desired direc- tion » Fig. 163 .
›
Then pull firmly on the belt to ensure that the seat belt height adjuster has cor-
rectly locked in place.
Inertia reel and belt pretensioners
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Intertia reel
183
Belt tensioners
183
Intertia reel
First read and observe the introductory information given on page 183.
Each seat belt is equipped with an inertia reel.
When pulling slowly on the seat belt, the belt can move freely. When pulling
sharply on the seat belt, the movement is locked by the inertia reel.
The belts also block when during full braking, when the car accelerates, when
driving downhill and when cornering.WARNINGIf the seat belt does not lock when pulling sharply on it, have it inspected im-
mediately by a specialist garage.
Belt tensioners
First read and observe the introductory information given on page 183.
Safety for the driver and front passenger wearing their seat belts is enhanced by
the belt tensioners fitted to the inertia reels of the front three-point seat belts.
The three-point seat belts are automatically tensioned in the event of a frontal
collision of a certain severity. The belt tensioners can also be deployed if the seat
belts are not fastened.
The fastened three-point seat belts are automatically tensioned in the event of a frontal or side collision of a certain severity.
Belt tensioners are not activated in the event of minor frontal collisions, side andrear-end collisions, in the case of a rollover and also not in accidents in which no
major forces are produced from the front.
WARNING■ Any work on the belt tensioner system, including removal and installation of
system components because of other repair work, must only be carried out by
a specialist garage.■
The protective function of the system is only adequate for a single accident.
If the belt tensioners have been deployed, it is then necessary to replace the
entire system.
183Seat belts

In certain accident situations, the several airbags may be deployed simultaneous-
ly.
The airbags are not deployed in the case of minor frontal and side collisions, rear-
end collisions, tilting of the vehicle and vehicle rollover.
Deployment factors
It is not possible to generally determine which deployment conditions apply to the airbag system in every situation. An important role is played by factors such as the type of object that the vehicle hits (hard/soft), the impact angle, vehicle
speed, etc.
A decisive factor for the deployment of the airbags is the deceleration which oc- curs. The control unit analyses the nature of the collision and activates the rele-
vant restraint system.
If the vehicle deceleration which occurs and is measured during the collision re-
mains below the prescribed reference values specified in the control unit, the air-
bags are not deployed although the vehicle may well suffer severe damage to thebodywork as a consequence of the accident.
The following airbags will be deployed in the event of a severe frontal collision.
› Driver’s front airbag.
› Front passenger airbag.
› Driver’s knee airbag.
The following airbags will be deployed in the event of a severe side collision.
› Front side airbag on the side of the accident.
› Rear side airbag on the side of the accident.
› Head airbags on the side of the accident.
In the event of an accident in which the airbags are deployed:
› the interior lighting comes on (if the switch for the interior light is in the door
contact position),
› the hazard warning light is switched on;
› all the doors are unlocked;
› the fuel supply to the engine is interrupted.
Airbag overview
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Front airbags
187
Driver’s knee airbag
188
Side airbags
188
Head airbags
189
186Safety

Fastening elements
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
eyes belonging to the lISOFIX system
196
Use of child seats with the ISOFIX system
196
Locking eyes of the TOP TETHER system
197
eyes belonging to the lISOFIX system
Fig. 174
Rear seat: ISOFIX
First read and observe the introductory information given on page 196.
There are two locking eyes between the seat backrest and the seat cushion of
the outer rear seats and front passenger seat for fixing the ISOFIXsystem child seat in place » Fig. 174.
First remove the caps to access the locking eyes.
After removing the child seat, replace he caps.
WARNING■ Always refer to the instructions from the manufacturer of the child seat
when installing and removing a child seat with the ISOFIX system.■
Never attach other child seats, belts or objects to the locking eyes intended
for the installation of a child seat with the ISOFIX system – risk of death!
Note
■ A child seat fitted with the ISOFIX system can only be mounted in a vehicle with
the help of the ISOFIX system if the child seat in question has been approved for this type of vehicle. Further information is available from a ŠKODA Partner.■
Child seats with the ISOFIX system can be purchased from ŠKODA Original Ac-
cessories.
Use of child seats with the ISOFIX system
First read and observe the introductory information given on page 196.
Overview of the usefulness of child seats fastened with the ISOFIX system on
each of the seats in accordance with the ECE-R 16 standard.
GroupSize class of
the child seat a)Front passenger seat b)Rear seats outsideRear seat middle0
up to 10 kgEXIL-SUX0+
up to 13 kgE
XIL-SUX
DC 196Safety