2014 Seat Altea XL ABS

Table of Contents
About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Safety First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Proper sitting position for occupants . . . . . . . . . 10
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Storing objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Why wear seat belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Side airbags* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Deactivating airbags* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Securing child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Operating instructions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
LPG system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Digital instrument panel display . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Instrument panel menus* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Steering wheel controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Audio system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Radio navigation system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Radio frequency remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Anti-theft alarm system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Rear lid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Sliding/tilting sunroof* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Lights and visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Windscreen wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Rear vision mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Seats and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
The importance of correct seat adjustment . . . . . 134
Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Front seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Storage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Multi-purpose mobile storage compartment* . . 148 Ashtray*, cigarette lighter* and power sockets . 150
First-aid kit, warning triangle, fire extinguisher . 154
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Climatic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
2C-Climatronic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Starting and stopping the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Start-Stop function* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Automatic gearbox/DSG automatic gearbox* . . . 183
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Parking aid acoustic system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Cruise speed* (Cruise control system) . . . . . . . . 193
Practical Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Anti-lock brake and traction control systems M-
ABS (ABS and ASR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)* . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Driving and the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Running-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Exhaust gas purification system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Economical and environmentally friendly driving 206
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
3
Table of Contents

21
Seat belts
Why wear seat belts? Physical principles of frontal collisions
In the event of a frontal collision, a large amount of kinetic
energy must be absorbed.
Fig. 7 Vehicle about to
hit a wall: the occupants
are not wearing seat
belts
Fig. 8 The vehicle hits
the wall: the occupants
are not wearing seat
belts
It is easy to explain how the laws of physics work in the case of a head-on
collision: When a vehicle starts moving ⇒ Fig. 7, a certain amount of energy
known as kinetic energy is produced in the vehicle and its occupants.
The amount of kinetic energy depends on the speed of the vehicle and the
weight of the vehicle and its passengers. The higher the speed and the
greater the weight, the more energy there is to be released in an accident.
The most significant factor, however, is the speed of the vehicle. If the
speed doubles from 25 km/h (15 mph) to 50 km/h (30 mph), for example,
the corresponding kinetic energy is multiplied by four.
Because the vehicle occupants in our example are not restrained by seat
belts, all of the occupants' kinetic energy has to be absorbed at the point of
impact ⇒ Fig. 8.
Even at speeds of 30 km/h (15 mph) to 50 km/h (30 mph), the forces acting
on bodies in a collision can easily exceed one tonne (1000 kg). At greater
speed these forces are even higher. 
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23
Seat belts
Seat belt protection
Passengers not wearing seat belts risk severe injuries in the
event of an accident.
Fig. 11 A driver wearing
the seat belt properly is
secured by the belt in
sharp braking
Properly worn seat belts hold the vehicle occupants in the correct sitting po-
sitions and substantially reduce the kinetic energy in the event of an acci-
dent. Seat belts also help to prevent uncontrolled movements that could
lead to severe injuries. In addition, properly worn seat belts reduce the dan-
ger of being thrown from the vehicle.
Vehicle occupants wearing their seat belts correctly benefit greatly from the
ability of the belts to absorb kinetic energy. The front part of your vehicle
and other passive safety features (such as the airbag system) are also de-
signed to absorb the kinetic energy released in a collision. Taken together,
all these features reduce the releasing kinetic energy and consequently, 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 that wearing seat belts is an effective means of substantially
reducing the risk of injury and improving the chances of survival in a seri-
ous accident. Furthermore, properly worn seat belts improve the protection
provided by 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, the seat belts must be fas-
tened and worn. The front airbags, for example, are only triggered in some
frontal accidents. The front airbags will not be triggered during minor frontal
collisions, minor side collisions, rear collisions, overturns 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 all vehicle
occupants have fastened their seat belts properly before you drive off!

Safety instructions on using seat belts
If seat belts are used correctly, they can considerably reduce
the risk of injury in an accident.
– Always wear the seat belt as described in this section.
– Ensure that the seat belts can be fastened at all times and are
not damaged. 
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31
Airbag system
WARNING (Continued)
● To reduce the risk of injury from an inflating airbag, always wear the
seat belt properly ⇒ page 19.
● Always adjust the front seats properly.

The danger of fitting a child seat on the front passenger
seat
Rear-facing child seats must never be used on the front pas-
senger seat when the front passenger airbag is enabled. The front passenger front airbag is a serious risk for a child if it is activated.
The front passenger seat is life threatening to a child if he/she is transpor-
ted in a rear-facing child seat. Children up to 12 years old should always
travel on the rear seat.
If a rear-facing child seat is secured to the front passenger seat, an inflating
airbag can strike it with such force that it can cause critical or fatal injuries.
Therefore we strongly recommend you to transport children on the rear
seats. That is the safest place for children in the vehicle. Alternatively, the
front passenger airbag can be disabled with a key-operated switch
⇒ page 44. When transporting children, use a child seat suitable for the
age and size of each child ⇒ page 46.
For those vehicles that do not include a key lock switch to deactivate the air-
bag, the vehicle must be taken to a Technical Service.
WARNING
● If a child seat is secured to the front passenger seat, the risk to the
child of sustaining critical or fatal injuries in the event of an accident in-
creases.
● Never secure a rear-facing child seat to the front passenger seat if the
front passenger airbag is enabled. The child can suffer critical or fatal in-
juries if the front passenger airbag is triggered.
● An inflating front passenger airbag can strike the rear-facing child
seat and project it with great force against the door, the roof or the back-
rest.
● If, under special circumstances, it is necessary to transport a child in
a rear-facing child seat on the front passenger seat, it is absolutely es-
sential that you observe the following safety measures:
–Deactivate the front passenger airbag ⇒ page 44, Deactivating
airbags*.
– Child seats must be approved by the child seat manufacturer for
use on a front passenger seat with front or side airbag.
– Follow the installation instructions given by the child seat manu-
facturer and observe the safety instructions ⇒ page 46, Child safe-
ty.
– Before properly installing the child seat, push the front passenger
seat completely backwards so that the greatest possible distance to
the front passenger airbag is ensured.
– Ensure that no objects prevent the front passenger seat from being
pushed completely back.
– The backrest of the front passenger seat must be in an upright po-
sition.

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77
Cockpit
ItemSymbolMeaning of control and warning lampsFurther infor-
mation
1Fuel level / reserve⇒ page 80
2Coolant level / coolant temperature⇒ page 81
3Rear fog light switched on⇒ page 82
4
Turn signals in operation⇒ page 82
5Engine fault (petrol engine)⇒ page 82
Glow plug system (diesel engines)⇒ page 82
6Main beam switched on⇒ page 82
7Soot accumulation in the diesel engine
particulate filter⇒ page 82
8ABS system fault⇒ page 83
9Windscreen washer fluid level⇒ page 83
10Alternator fault⇒ page 84
11Fasten seat belts!⇒ page 19
12Brake pad worn⇒ page 84
13Tyre pressure⇒ page 84
ItemSymbolMeaning of control and warning lampsFurther infor- mation
14Airbag or belt tensioner system fault or
airbag disabled⇒ page 29
⇒ page 32
15Bulb defective⇒ page 86
16Brake fluid required or
brake system fault⇒ page 85
17
Red:
Engine oil pressure
⇒ page 86Yellow:
If flashing: engine oil sensor faulty
If it remains lit: insufficient engine oil
18Handbrake on⇒ page 188
19Cruise speed activated (Cruise control)⇒ page 87
20Door open indicator⇒ page 87
21If it stays lit: ASR switched off⇒ page 88
⇒ page 88
⇒ page 172
22Electromechanical steering⇒ page 87
23Fault in the emission control system⇒ page 87
24If flashing: the Electronic Stability Con-
trol (ESC) is working or the ASR is work-
ing
If the following remain lit: ESC or ASR
faulty⇒ page 88
⇒ page 88
⇒ page 172

25Selector lever lock (automatic gearbox)⇒ page 89 
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83
Cockpit
To do this, drive about 15 minutes in fourth or fifth gear (automatic gear-
box: S gear range) at a speed of 60 km/h (37 mph), with the engine running
at approximately 2000 rpm. In this way, the pollen build up in the filter is
burned. When cleaning is successful, the lamp turns off.
If the lamp  does not turn off, or the three lamps turn on (particulate filter
, emission control system fault  and glow plugs ), take the vehicle to
a specialised workshop to repair the fault.
WARNING
● Always drive according to the road weather conditions, the terrain
and traffic. Driving recommendations should never lead to illegal ma-
noeuvres in surrounding traffic.
● The diesel engine particulate filter may reach extremely high temper-
atures; it should not enter into contact with flammable materials under-
neath the vehicle. Otherwise there is a risk of fire.

Anti-lock brake system (ABS)* 
A control lamp monitors the ABS.
The control lamp  should light up for a few seconds when the ignition is
switched on. It goes out again after the system has run through an automat-
ic test sequence.
There is a fault in the ABS if:
● The control lamp  does not light up when the ignition is switched on.
● The control lamp does not go out again after a few seconds.
● The control lamp lights up when the vehicle is moving.
The vehicle can still be braked in the normal way, without the ABS function.
Take the vehicle to a specialised workshop as soon as possible. For further
information on the ABS go to ⇒ page 196. If a fault occurs in the ABS, the ESC* control lamp will also light up.
Brake system fault
If the ABS warning lamp
 lights up together with the brake warning lamp
 , this indicates not only a fault in the ABS function, but also a possible
fault in the brake system ⇒ 
.
WARNING
● Before opening the bonnet, read and observe the warnings on
⇒ page 235, Working in the engine compartment.
● If the brake system warning lamp  should light up together with the
ABS warning lamp , stop the vehicle immediately and check the brake
fluid level in the reservoir ⇒ page 249, Brake fluid. If the brake fluid lev-
el has dropped below the “MIN” mark you must not drive on. Risk of acci-
dent. Obtain technical assistance.
● If the brake fluid level is correct, the fault in the brake system may
have been caused by a failure of the ABS system. This could cause the
rear wheels to lock quickly when you brake. This could cause the rear to
break away. Risk of skidding. Stop the vehicle and seek technical assis-
tance.

Washer fluid* 
This warning lamp lights up to indicate that the windscreen
washer level is too low. This serves as a reminder to fill up the reservoir at the earliest opportunity
⇒ page 244. 
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84Cockpit
The following message is shown on the instrument panel display* 1)
: REFILL
WINDSCREEN WASHER FLUID . 
Alternator 
This warning lamp signals a fault in the alternator.
The warning lamp  lights up when the ignition is switched on. It should
go out when the engine has started running.
If the warning lamp  lights up while driving, the alternator is no longer
charging the battery. You should immediately drive to the nearest special-
ised workshop.
You should avoid using electrical equipment that is not absolutely necessa-
ry because this will drain the battery. 
Worn brake pads 
If the  symbol lights up, have the front brake pads (and, for safety rea-
sons, the rear pads as well) inspected by a specialised workshop. Tyre pressure 
The tyre pressure control system controls the tyre speed and
the frequency spectrum of each tyre.
Fig. 50 Centre console:
tyre monitor system but-
ton
The tyre control lamp 2)
compares wheel revolutions and with it, the wheel
diameter of each wheel using the ESC. If the diameter of a wheel changes,
the tyre control lamp  lights up. The wheel diameter changes when:
● Tyre pressure is insufficient.
● The tyre structure is damaged.
● The vehicle is unbalanced because of a load.
● The wheels of one axle are under more pressure (for example, driving
with a trailer or on extreme slopes).
● The vehicle is fitted with snow chains. 
1)
Depending on the version of the model.
2) Depending on the model version

85
Cockpit
● The temporary spare wheel is fitted.
● The wheel on one axle is changed.
Tyre pressure adjustment
Following the modification to tyre pressure or after changing one or more
wheels, the button ⇒ Fig. 50 must be kept pressed while the ignition is on
until an audible warning is heard and the warning lamp goes out.
If the wheels are under excessive load (for example, driving with a trailer or
heavy load), the tyre pressure must be increased to the recommended value
for a full load (see the sticker on the inside of the fuel flap). If the tyre moni-
tor system button is pressed down, the new tyre pressures are confirmed.
The tyre pressure control lamp  lights up
If the tyre pressure of one or more wheels is much lower than the value set
by the driver, the tyre control warning lamp lights up ⇒ 
.
The tyre pressure control lamp  flashes
If the tyre pressure control lamp flashes, this indicates a fault. Go to the
nearest specialised workshop.
WARNING
● When the tyre pressure control lamp lights up, reduce speed immedi-
ately and avoid any sudden manoeuvre or braking. Stop when possible,
and check the tyre pressure and status.
● The driver is responsible for maintaining correct tyre pressures. For
this reason, tyre pressure must be regularly checked.
● Under certain circumstances (for example, when driving in a sports-
like manner, in winter conditions or on a dirt track) the tyre control lamp
may light up or function incorrectly.
Note
If the battery is disconnected, the yellow warning lamp  lights up after
turning the ignition on. This should turn off after a brief journey. 
Brake system* 
This warning lamp lights up if the brake fluid level is too low
or if there is a fault in the system.
This warning lamp  lights up if
● the brake fluid level is too low ⇒ page 249.
The instrument panel displays the following message 1)
: STOP BRAKE FLUID
INSTRUCTION MANUAL.
● there is a fault in the brake system.
The instrument panel displays the following message 1)
: BRAKE SYSTEM
FAULT INSTRUCTION MANUAL.
This warning lamp can light up together with the ABS system warning lamp. 
1)
Depending on the version of the model.
Safety FirstOperating instructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications