2014 Seat Ibiza ST light

Safe driving
Safety
Safe driving Safety first! This chapter contains important information,
tips, suggestions and warnings that you
should read and consider for both your own
safety and for your passengers' safety.
WARNING
● This manual contains important informa-
tion about the operation of the vehicle, both
for the driver and the passengers. The other
sections of the on-board documentation also
contain further information that you should
be aware of for your own safety and for the
safety of your passengers.
● Ensure that the on-board documentation is
kept in the vehicle at all times. This is espe-
cially important when lending or selling the
vehicle to another person. Advice about driving
Before setting off For your own safety and the safety of your
passengers, always note the following points
before every trip: –
Make sure that the vehicle's lights and turn
signals are working properly.
– Check tyre pressure.
– Ensure that all windows provide a clear and
good view of the surroundings.
– Ensure that all luggage is correctly secured
››› page 108.
– Make sure that no objects can interfere
with the pedals.
– Adjust front seat, head restraint and rear vi-
sion mirrors properly according to your
size.
– Ensure that the passenger in the central
rear seat always has the head restraint in
the correct position for use.
– Instruct passengers to adjust the head re-
straints according to their height.
– Protect children with appropriate child
seats and properly applied seat belts
››› page 46 .
– As s
ume the correct sitting position. Instruct
your passengers also to assume a proper
sitting position. ››› page 30.
– Fasten your seat belt securely. Instruct your
passengers also to fasten their seat belts
properly. ›››
page 34. What
affects driving safety? As a driver, you are responsible for yourself
and your passengers. When your concentra-
tion or driving safety is affected by any cir-
cumstance, you endanger yourself as well as
others on the road
››› , for this reason:
– Always pay attention to traffic and do not
get distracted by passengers or telephone calls.
– Never drive when your driving ability is im-
paired (e.g. by medication, alcohol, drugs).
– Observe traffic laws and speed limits.
– Always reduce your speed as appropriate
for road, traffic and weather conditions.
– When travelling long distances, take
breaks regularly - at least every two hours.
– If possible, avoid driving when you are tired
or stressed. WARNING
When driving safety is impaired during a trip,
the risk of injury and accidents increases. Safety equipment
Never put your safety or the safety of your
passengers in danger. In the event of an acci-
dent, the safety equipment may reduce the
»
29
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
risk of injury. The following list includes most
of the safety equipment in your SEAT:
● Three-point seat belts
● Belt tension limiter for the front and rear
side seats
● Belt tensioners for the front seats
● Front airbags
● Side airbags in the front seat backrests,
with chest and head protection
● “ISOFIX” anchor points for “ISOFIX” rear
child seat system
● Height-adjustable front head restraints
● Rear-centre head restraints with in-use po-
sition and non-use position
● Adjustable steering column
The safety equipment mentioned above
works together to provide you and your pas-
sengers with the best possible protection in
the event of an accident. However, these
safety systems can only be effective if you
and your passengers are sitting in a correct
position and use this equipment properly.
Safety is everyone's business! Proper sitting position for
occupants
Correct sitting position for driver Fig. 46
The proper distance between driver
and steering wheel Fig. 47
Correct head restraint position for the
driver. For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom-mend the following adjustments for the driv-
er:
– Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 25 cm between the
steering wheel and the centre of your chest
››› Fig. 46 .
– Mo v
e the driver seat forwards or backwards
so that you are able to press the accelera-
tor, brake and clutch pedals to the floor
with your knees still slightly angled ››› .
– Ensure that you can reach the highest point
of the steering wheel.
– Adjust the head restraint so that its upper
edge is at the same level as the top of your
head, or as close as possible to the same
level as the top of your head ››› Fig. 47 .
– Mo v

e the seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion so that your back rests completely
against it.
– Fasten your seat belt securely ››› page 34.
– Keep both feet in the footwell so that you
have the vehicle under control at all times.
Adjustment of the driver seat ››› page 100. WARNING
● An incorrect sitting position of the driver
can lead to severe injuries.
● Adjust the driver seat so that there is at
least 25 cm distance between the centre of 30

Seat belts
Seat belt control lamp* Fig. 50
Warning lamp on the instrument pan-
el. The control lamp illuminates to remind the
driver to fasten his seat belt.
Before starting the vehicle:
– Fasten your seat belt securely.
– Instruct your passengers to fasten their
seat belts properly before driving off.
– Protect children by using a child seat ac-
cording to the child's height and weight.
When the ignition is switched on, the control
lamp  in the instrument panel lights up* if
the driver or passenger* have not fastened
their seat belts.
An audible warning signal will sound for a
few seconds if the seat belts are not fastened
as the vehicle drives off and reaches a speed
of more than approximately 25 km/h (15 mph) or if the seat belts are unfastened
while the vehicle is in motion. The warning
lamp will also flash
.
The 
l
amp goes out when the driver and
p
assenger seat belts are fastened with the ig-
nition switched on.
Seat belt protection Fig. 51
Drivers with properly worn seat belts
will not be thrown forward in the event of sud-
den braking Properly worn seat belts hold the occupants
in the proper position. These also help pre-
vent uncontrolled movements that may result
in serious injury and reduce the risk of being
thrown out of the vehicle.
Vehicle occupants wearing their seat belts
correctly benefit greatly from the ability of the
belts to absorb kinetic energy. In addition,
the front part of your vehicle and other pas-sive safety features (such as the airbag sys-
tem) are designed to absorb the kinetic ener-
gy released in a collision. Taken together, all
these features reduce the releasing kinetic
energy and consequently, the risk of injury.
This is why it is so important to fasten seat
belts before every trip, even when "just driv-
ing 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 when
involved in a serious accident. Furthermore,
properly worn seat belts improve the protec-
tion 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 air-
bags, the seat belts must be fastened and
worn. The front airbags, for example, are only
triggered in some cases of head-on collision.
The front airbags will not be triggered during
minor frontal or side collisions, rear-end colli-
sions, rollovers or accidents in which the air-
bag 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!
35
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Seat belts
Belt pretensioners* How the seat belt tensioner works During a frontal collision, the seat belts on
the front seats are retracted automatically.
The seat belts for the occupants in the front
seats are equipped with belt tensioners. Sen-
sors will trigger the belt pretensioners during
severe head-on, lateral and rear collisions
only if the seat belt is being worn. This re-
tracts and tightens the seat belts, reducing
the forward motion of the occupants.
The seat belt tensioner can be triggered only
once.
The belt tensioners will not be triggered in
the event of light frontal and side collisions,
if the vehicle overturns, or in situations
where no large forces act on the front, side or
rear of the vehicle.
Note
● If the seat belt tensioners are triggered, a
fine dust is produced. This is normal and it is
not an indication of fire in the vehicle.
● The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components of
the system are scrapped. Specialised work-
shops are familiar with these regulations,
which are also available to you. Service and disposal of belt
tensioners
The belt tensioners are components of the
seat belts that are installed in the seats of
your vehicle. If you work on the belt tension-
ers or remove and install parts of the system
when performing other repair work, the seat
belt may be damaged. The consequence may
be that, in the event of an accident, the belt
tensioners function incorrectly or may not
function at all.
So that the effectiveness of the seat belt ten-
sioner is not reduced and that removed parts
do not cause any injuries or environmental
pollution, regulations, which are known to
the specialised workshops, must be ob-
served.
WARNING
● Improper use or repairs not carried out by
qualified mechanics increase the risk of se-
vere or fatal injuries. The belt tensioners may
fail to trigger or may trigger in the wrong cir-
cumstances.
● Never attempt to repair, adjust, remove or
install parts of the belt tensioners or seat
belts.
● The seat belt tensioner, seat belt and auto-
matic retractor cannot be repaired.
● Any work on the belt tensioners and seat
belts, including the removal and refitting of
system parts in conjunction with other repair work, must be performed by a specialised
workshop only.
●
The belt tensioners will only provide pro-
tection for one accident and must be changed
if they have been activated. 39Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Airbag system
The airbag system operation is monitored
electronically. The airbag control lamp will il-
luminate for a few seconds every time the ig-
nition is switched on (self-diagnosis).
There is a fault in the system if the control
lamp 
:
● doe
s not light up when the ignition is
switched on ››› page 42
,
● turns off after 4 seconds after the ignition
is switched on
● turns off and then lights up again after the
ignition is switched on
● illuminates or flashes while the vehicle is
moving.
The airbag system is not triggered if:
● the ignition is switched off
● there is a minor frontal collision
● there is a minor side collision
● there is a rear-end collision
● the vehicle turns over. WARNING
● The seat belts and airbags can only provide
maximum protection if the occupants are
seated correctly ››› page 30, Proper sitting
position for occupants.
● If a fault has occurred in the airbag system,
have the system checked immediately by a
specialised workshop. Otherwise, during a frontal collision the system might not trigger
correctly or may fail to trigger at all.
Airbag activation
The airbags deploy extremely rapidly, within
thousandths of a second, to provide addi-
tional protection in the event of an accident.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de-
ploys. This is normal and it is not an indica-
tion of fire in the vehicle.
The airbag system is only ready to function
when the ignition is on.
In special accidents instances, several air-
bags may activate at the same time.
In the event of minor head-on and side colli-
sions, rear-end collisions, overturning or roll-
over of the vehicle, airbags
do not activate.
Activation factors
The conditions that lead to the airbag system
activating in each situation cannot be gener-
alised. Some factors play an important role,
such as the properties of the object the vehi-
cle hits (hard/soft), angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
Deceleration trajectory is key for airbag acti-
vation. The control unit analyses the collision trajec-
tory and activates the respective restraint
system.
If the deceleration rate is below the prede-
fined reference value in the control unit the
airbags will not be triggered, even though
the accident may cause extensive damage to
the car.
The following airbags are triggered in
serious head-on collisions
● Driver airbag.
● Front passenger front airbag
The following airbags are triggered in
serious side-on collisions
● Front side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Rear side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Curtain (head) airbag on the side of the ac-
cident.
In an accident with airbag activation:
● the interior lights switch on (if the interior
light switch is in the courtesy light position);
● the hazard warning lights switch on;
● all doors are unlocked;
● the fuel supply to the engine is cut.
41
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
Control lamp for airbag and seat belt
tensioner The control lamp monitors all airbags and
seat belt tensioners in the vehicle, including
control units and wiring connections.
Monitoring of airbag and belt tensioner
system
Both the airbag and belt tensioner systems
operation is constantly monitored electroni-
cally. The control lamp
 will light up for a
few seconds every time the ignition is switch-
ed on (self-diagnosis).
The system must be checked when the
control lamp  :
● does not light up when the ignition is
switched on,
● turns off after 4 seconds after the ignition
is switched on
● turns off and then lights up again after the
ignition is switched on
● illuminates or flashes while the vehicle is
moving.
In the event of a malfunction, the warning
lamp remains on continuously. Have the air-
bag system inspected immediately by a spe-
cialised workshop.
If any of the airbags are disabled by a Techni-
cal Service, the warning lamp flashes for sev- eral more seconds after verification and will
turn off if there is no fault. WARNING
● If there is a malfunction, the airbag and
belt tensioner system cannot properly per-
form its protective function.
● If a malfunction occurs, have the system
checked immediately by a specialised work-
shop. Otherwise, in the event of an accident,
the airbag system and belt tensioners may
not be triggered, or may not be triggered cor-
rectly. Airbag overview
Front airbags Fig. 56
Driver airbag located in steering
wheel. 42

Safety
In conjunction with the seat belts, the side
airbag system gives the front seat occupants
additional protection for the upper body in
the event of a severe side collision.
In a side collision, the side airbags reduce
the risk of injury to passengers on the front
seats to the areas of the body facing the im-
pact. In addition to the normal protection
they offer, the seat belts on the front seats al-
so hold the passengers' bodies in place in
the event of a side collision so that the side
airbags can provide maximum protection. WARNING
● If you do not wear a seat belt, if you lean
forward, or are not seated correctly while the
vehicle is in motion, you are at a greater risk
of injury if the side airbag system is triggered
in an accident.
● In order for the side airbags to provide their
maximum protection, the prescribed sitting
position must always be maintained with
seat belts fastened while travelling.
● Occupants of the outer seats must never
carry any objects or pets in the deployment
space between them and the airbags, or al-
low children or other passengers to travel in
this position. It is also important not to at-
tach any accessories (such as cup holders) to
the doors. This would impair the protection
offered by the side airbags. ●
The built-in coat hooks should be used only
for lightweight clothing. Do not leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets.
● Great forces, such as hard blows or kicks,
must not be exerted upon the backrest bol-
ster because the system may be damaged. In
this case, the side airbags would not be trig-
gered.
● Under no circumstances should protective
covers be fitted over seats with side airbags
unless the covers have been approved for use
in your vehicle. Because the airbag deploys
from the side of the backrest, the use of con-
ventional seat covers would obstruct the side
airbag, seriously reducing the airbag's effec-
tiveness.
● Any damage to the original seat upholstery
or around the seams of the side airbag units
must be repaired immediately by a special-
ised workshop.
● The airbags provide protection for just one
accident; replace them once they have de-
ployed.
● Any work on the side airbag system or re-
moval and installation of the airbag compo-
nents for other repairs (such as removal of
the front seat) should only be performed by a
specialised workshop. Otherwise, faults may
occur during the airbag system operation.
● Do not attempt to modify components of
the airbag system in any way.
● The side and head airbags are managed
through sensors located in the interior of the
front doors. To ensure the correct operation of
the side and curtain (head) airbags neither the doors nor the door panels should be
modified in any way (e.g. fitting loudspeak-
ers). If the front door is damaged, the airbag
system may not work correctly. All work car-
ried out on the front door must be done in a
specialised workshop.
●
In a side-on collision the side airbags will
not work if the sensors do not correctly meas-
ure the pressure increase on the interior of
the doors, due to air escaping through the
areas with holes or openings in the door pan-
el.
● Never drive if the interior door panels have
been removed or if the panels have not been
correctly fitted.
● Never drive the vehicle if the loudspeakers
in the door panels have been removed, un-
less the holes left by the loudspeakers have
been closed properly.
● Always check that the openings are closed
or covered if additional loudspeakers or other
equipment are fitted inside the door panels.
● Any work carried out to the doors should be
made in an authorised specialised workshop. 44

Airbag system
Head-protection airbags* Fig. 60
Location and deployment area of the
head-protection airbag. There is a head airbag on each side of the in-
terior above the doors
››› Fig. 60 . Airbags are
identified b y
the word “AIRBAG”.
The area framed in red is covered by the head
protection airbag when it is deployed
››› Fig. 60 (deployment area). Therefore, ob-
jects

should never be placed or mounted in
this area ››› .
In the event of a side collision the curtain air-
bag is triggered on the impact side of the ve-
hicle.
In side collisions, the head-protection air-
bags reduce the risk of injury to passengers
in the front and rear side seats facing the im-
pact. WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in frac-
tions of a second.
● Do not obstruct the head-protection airbag
deployment areas.
● Never secure objects over the curtain air-
bag cover or in its deployment area.
● Occupants of the front seats and rear side
seats must never carry any other people, ani-
mals or objects in the deployment space be-
tween them and the airbags. Make sure that
all the vehicle occupants, including children,
observe this.
● The clothes hangers are intended only for
light articles of clothing. Do not leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets.
● Do not mount accessories on the doors.
● Use only sun blinds which have been ex-
pressly approved for use in your vehicle.
● Do not turn the sun blinds towards the win-
dows if there are objects, e.g. pens or garage
remote controls, secured to them. Deactivating airbags
Front passenger airbag deactivation* Fig. 61
In the glove compartment: Switch for
activating and deactivating the front passen-
ger airbag Fig. 62
Centre side of dash panel: control
lamp for deactivated front passenger airbag
in centre console Read the additional information carefully
›››  page 11
»
45
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials