2013 SKODA ROOMSTER warning

Seat belts
Using seat belts
Introduction
Fig. 110
Driver wearing seat belt
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
The physical principle of a frontal collision
128
Fastening and unfastening seat belts
129
Seat belt height adjuster on the front seats
130
Seat belt for the rear middle seat
130
Seat belts that are fastened correctly offer good protection in the event of an ac-
cident. They reduce the risk of an injury and increase the chance of survival in the
event of a major accident.
Correctly fastened seat belts hold occupants of the car in the correct seated posi-
tion » Fig. 110 .
The seat belts reduce the kinetic energy (energy of motion) to a considerable ex-
tent. They also prevent uncontrolled movements which, in turn, may well result in
severe injuries.
Occupants of a vehicle who have correctly fastened their seat belts have the ma-
jor benefit of the fact that the kinetic energy is absorbed as effectively as possi-
ble by the belts.
The structure of the front end of the vehicle and other passive safety measures,
such as the airbag system, also contribute to the kinetic energy being reduced as
effectively as possible. The energy produced is thus absorbed and there is less
risk of injury.
Particular safety aspects must be observed when transporting children in the ve-
hicle » page 139 , Transporting children safely .WARNING■
Fasten your seat belt before each journey - even when driving in town! This
also applies to the passengers seated at the rear – risk of injury!■
Expectant women must also always wear a seat belt. This is the only way of
ensuring optimal protection for the unborn child » page 129, Fastening and
unfastening seat belts .
■
Maximum seat belt protection is only achieved if you are correctly seat-
ed » page 124 , Correct seated position .
■
The seat backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the rear
otherwise the seatbelts can lose their effectiveness.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for the correct routing of the seat belt.■Always ensure that the webbing of the seat belts is properly routed. Seat
belts which are not correctly adjusted can themselves cause injuries even in
minor accidents.■
Adjust the height of the belt in such a way that the shoulder part of the belt
is roughly positioned across the middle of your shoulder - on no account across your neck.
■
A seat belt which is hanging too loose can result in injuries as your body is
moved forward by the kinetic energy produced in an accident and is then sud-
denly held firm by the belt.
■
The belt webbing must not run across solid or fragile objects (e.g. specta-
cles, ball-point pens, bunches of keys etc.). Such objects can cause injury.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for handling the seat belts.■The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point or twisted,
or chafe against any sharp edges.■
Make sure you do not catch the seat belt when closing the door. 
127Seat belts

WARNINGObserve the following instructions for the proper use of the seat belts.■Never use one seat belt to secure two persons (including children). The
seatbelt must not be placed over a child who is sitting on the lap of another
passenger.■
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 55.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for proper maintenance 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 156.■
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 of the belts must also be inspected. The an-
chorage 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 frontal collisionFig. 111
Driver without a fastened seat belt/rear passenger without a fas-
tened seat belt
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 127.
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 idea that it is possible to support your body with your hands in a minor acci- dent 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 30-50 km/h, the forces that your body is ex-
posed to in the event of an accident can exceed a metric ton (1000 kg).
For example, a person's weight of 80 kg “increases” to 4.8 tons (4800 kg) at
50 km/h.
In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt are thrown forward in an uncontrolled way and strike parts of the interior of the car,
such as the steering wheel, dash panel or windscreen » Fig. 111 - 
. In certain cir-
cumstances you could even be thrown out of the vehicle, which could cause life threatening or even fatal injuries. 
128Safety

Seat belt height adjuster on the front seatsFig. 114
Front seat: Seat belt height ad-
juster
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings on page 127.
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 height adjuster and move up or down in the desired direc- tion » Fig. 114 .
›
Then pull firmly on the belt to ensure that the seat belt height adjuster has cor-
rectly locked in place.

Seat belt for the rear middle seat
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 127.
The seat belt for the rear middle seat is anchored in the area of the boot on the
left side of the headliner.
Fastening
›
Pull the belt with both lock tongues out of the headliner mount.
›
Insert the lock tongue at the end of the belt into the belt buckle on the left side
until it is heard to lock in place.
›
Pull the second lock tongue, which is moveable on the seat belt, over the chest
and insert it into the belt buckle on the right side until it is heard to lock in place.
›
Pull on the seat belt to check that both lock tongues are securely engaged inthe locks.
The belt tongues for the rear middle seat are shaped differently so that they only
fit into the correct belt buckle. If you are not able to insert a lock tongue into the
wrong belt lock you probably tried to put it into the wrong buckle.
Release›
Take off the safety belt in the reverse order to how you fasten it.
›
Guide the belt back by hand so that the webbing rolls up easily, the seat belt is not twisted and the trim panel is not damaged.
WARNING■ After releasing the seat belt, hold it tight and let it slowly reel up until both
locking tongues lock into the headliner mounting and are secured with a mag-
net - risk of injury.■
Never unlock both lock tongues simultaneously.

Inertia reels and belt tensioners
 Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects: Inertia reels
130
Belt tensioners
131
Inertia reels
First read and observe the introductory information given on page 130.
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 lock when full braking, when the car accelerates, when driving downhill and when cornering. 
130Safety

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 130.
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.
Note
■ Smoke is generated when the belt tensioners are deployed. This is not an indi-
cation of a fire in the vehicle.■
When disposing of the vehicle or parts of the belt tensioner system, it is impor-
tant to comply with national legal requirements. ŠKODA Partners are familiar with
these regulations and will be able to provide you with detailed information.

131Seat belts

Airbag system
Description of the airbag system
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
System description
132
Airbag deployment
132WARNING■ An airbag can only offer you optimal protection in combination with a fas-
tened seat belt .■
The airbag is not a substitute for the seat belt, but instead forms part of the
complete passive vehicle safety concept.
■
To ensure passengers are protected with the greatest possible effect when
the airbag is deployed, the front seats must be correctly adjusted to match
the body size » page 124, Correct seated position .
■
If you do not fasten the seat belts when driving, lean too far forward or
adopt an incorrect seated position, you are exposing yourself to increased risk of injury in the event of an accident.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for handling the airbag system.■If there is a fault, the airbag system must be checked by a specialist garage
immediately. Otherwise, there is a risk of the airbag not being activated in the
event of an accident.■
No modifications of any kind must be made to parts of the airbag system.
■
Any work on the airbag system including the installation and removal of sys-
tem components due to other repair work (e.g. removal of the steering wheel) must only be carried out by a specialist garage.
■
Never make any changes to the front bumper or bodywork.
■
It is prohibited to manipulate individual parts of the airbag system as this
might result in the airbag being deployed.
■
The protective function of the airbag system is sufficient for only one acci-
dent. The airbag system must then be replaced if the airbag has been de-
ployed.

System description
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-ings
on page 132.
The functional status of the airbag system is indicated by the indicator light  in
the instrument cluster » page 26.
When the airbags are deployed, they fill with gas and inflate.
A grey white or red, non-harmful gas is released when the airbag is inflated. This
is perfectly normal and is not an indication of a fire in the vehicle.
Depending on the vehicle equipment, the airbag system consists of the
following modules.
› Electronic control unit.
› Front airbag for the driver and the front passenger
» page 134.
› Side airbags
» page 135.
› Head airbags
» page 136.
› Airbag warning light in the instrument cluster
» page 26.
› Key switch for the front passenger airbag
» page 137.
› Warning light for the front passenger airbag deactivation/activation in the mid-
dle of the dash panel » page 137.
Note
■
The airbag system needs no maintenance during its working life.■If you sell your vehicle, provide the complete vehicle documentation to the new
owner. Please note that the information relating to the possibility of deactivating
the front passenger airbag must be included!■
When disposing of vehicle or parts of the airbag system, it is important to com-
ply with the national legal requirements.

Airbag deployment
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warn-
ings
on page 132.
The airbags inflate in fractions of a second and at a high speed in order to be able
to offer additional protection in the event of an accident.
The airbag system is only functional when the ignition is switched on. 
132Safety

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.
The following airbags will be deployed in the event of a severe side collision.
› Front 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
134
Side airbags
135
Head airbags
136
133Airbag system

Front airbagsFig. 115
Driver's airbag in the steering wheel/front passenger airbag in the
dash panel
Fig. 116
Safe distance to steering wheel/inflated airbags
First read and observe the introductory information given on page 133.
In the event of a severe frontal collision, the front airbag system offers additional
protection for the head and chest area of the driver and front passenger.
The front airbag for the driver is housed in the steering wheel » Fig. 115 - 
.
The front airbag for the front seat passenger is located in the dash panel above
the glove compartment » Fig. 115 - 
.
The airbags inflate in front of the driver and front passenger when they are de- ployed » Fig. 116 -
 . The forward movement of the driver and of the front pas-
senger is cushioned when they make contact with the fully inflated airbag and
the risk of injury to head and chest is thus reduced.
WARNINGCorrect seated position■For the driver and front passenger, it is important to maintain a distance of
at least 25 cm from the steering wheel or dashboard A
» Fig. 116 . Not main-
taining this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not be
able to properly protect you - hazard! The front seats and the head restraints
must always also be correctly adjusted to match the body size of the occu-
pant.
■
The airbag develops enormous forces when triggered, which can lead to in-
juries if the sitting position or seated position is not correct.
■
There must not by any further persons, animals or objects positioned be-
tween the front seated occupants and the deployment area of the airbag.
WARNINGFront airbag and transporting children■Never transport children on the front seat of a vehicle without using a prop-
er restraint system. If airbags are deployed in the event of an accident, the
child might suffer severe or even fatal injuries!■
The front passenger airbag must be deactivated if using a rear-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat » page 136, Deactivating airbags . If this is
not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe or even fatal injuries if
the front passenger airbag is deployed. When transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, pay attention to any relevant national regulations regarding
the use of child safety seats.
WARNINGGeneral■The steering wheel and the surface of the airbag module in the dash panel
on the passenger side must not have stickers attached, be covered or modi-
fied in any other way. These parts should only be cleaned with a cloth that is
dry or has been moistened with water. No objects such as cup holders, mobile
phone mounts, etc. must be attached to the covers of the airbag modules or
be located within their immediate vicinity.■
Never place objects on the surface of the front passenger airbag module in
the dash panel.

134Safety

Side airbagsFig. 117
Location of the side airbag in the driver's seat/gas-filled side airbag
First read and observe the introductory information given on page 133.
In the event of severe side collisions, the side airbag system provides additional
protection for the upper body (chest, stomach and pelvis) of passengers in the ve-
hicle.
The side airbags are housed in the upholstery of the seat backrests of the front
seats » Fig. 117 – 
.
The head airbag and belt tensioner on the relevant side are also automatically de-
ployed when the side airbags » Fig. 117 - 
are deployed.
The load of the occupants is cushioned when plunging into the fully inflated air-
bag and the risk of injury to the entire upper body (chest, stomach and pelvis) is
reduced on the side facing the door.
WARNINGObserve the following instructions for the correct seated position.■Your head should never be positioned in the deployment area of the side
airbag. You might suffer severe injuries in the event of an accident. This ap-
plies in particular to children who are transported without using a suitable
child safety seat » page 140, Child safety and side airbag .WARNING (Continued)■
There must not be any further persons, animals as well as objects posi-
tioned between the occupants and the deployment area of the airbag. No ac-
cessories, such as cup holders, should be attached to the doors.■
If children adopt an incorrect seated position when travelling, they may be
exposed to an increased risk of injury in the event of an accident. This can re-
sult in serious injuries » page 139, Child seat .
WARNING■
Only hang light items of clothing on the hooks fitted in the vehicle. Never
leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of cloth-
ing.■
Ensure that there are no excessive forces, such as violent knocks, kicks etc.,
impact on the backrests of the seats otherwise the system may be damaged.
The side airbags would not be deployed in such a case!
■
Any seat or protective covers which you fit to the driver or front passenger
seats must only be of the type expressly authorized by ŠKODA. In view of the
fact that the airbag inflates out of the backrest of the seat, use of non-ap-
proved seat or protective covers would considerably impair the protective
function of the side airbag.
■
Any damage to the original seat covers in the area of the side airbag module
must be repaired immediately by a specialist garage.
■
The airbag modules in the front seats must not display any damage, cracks
or deep scratches. It is not permissible to use force in order to open the mod-
ules.

135Airbag system