2014 Seat Leon 5D ESP

Safety
dash panel, out the window or on the seat. An
incorrect sitting position exposes you to an
increased risk of injury in case of a sudden
braking or an accident. If the airbag is trig-
gered, you could sustain severe injuries due
to an incorrect sitting position.
●
To reduce the risk of injury to the front pas-
senger in events such as sudden braking ma-
noeuvres or an accident, never travel with the
backrest tilted far back! The airbag system
and seat belts can only provide optimal pro-
tection when the backrest is in an upright po-
sition and the front passenger is wearing his
or her seat belt properly. The further the seat
backrests are tilted to the rear, the greater
the risk of injury due to incorrect positioning
of the belt web or to the incorrect sitting po-
sition!
● Adjust the head restraint correctly in order
to achieve maximum protection. Correct sitting position for passengers
in the rear seats
To reduce the risk of injury in the event of a
sudden braking manoeuvre or an accident,
passengers on the rear seat bench must con-
sider the following:
–
Sit up straight.
– Adjust the head restraint to the correct po-
sition ››› page 41 . –
Alw ays keep both feet in the footwell in
front of the rear seat.
– Fasten your seat belt securely ››› page 43.
– Use an appropriate child restraint system
when you take children in the vehicle
››› page 56. WARNING
● If the passengers in the rear seats are not
sitting properly, they could sustain severe in-
juries.
● Adjust the head restraint correctly in order
to achieve maximum protection.
● Seat belts can only provide optimal protec-
tion when seat backrests are in an upright
position and the vehicle occupants are wear-
ing their seat belts correctly. If passengers In
the rear seats are not sitting in an upright po-
sition, the risk of injury due to incorrect posi-
tioning of the seat belt increases. Examples of incorrect sitting
positions
Seat belts can provide optimal protection on-
ly when the belt webs are properly posi-
tioned. Incorrect sitting positions substan-
tially reduce the protective function of seat
belts and increase the risk of injury due to in-
correct seat belt position. As the driver, you
are responsible for all passengers, especially
children.–
Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while travel-
ling ››› .
The following list contains examples of sit-
ting positions that could be dangerous for all
vehicle occupants. The list is not complete,
but we would like to make you aware of this
issue.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is in motion:
● Never stand in the vehicle.
● Never stand on the seats.
● Never kneel on the seats.
● Never tilt your seat backrest far to the rear.
● Never lean against the dash panel.
● Never lie on the rear bench.
● Never sit on the front edge of a seat.
● Never sit sideways.
● Never lean out of a window.
● Never put your feet out of a window.
● Never put your feet on the dash panel.
● Never put your feet on the surface of a seat.
● Do not allow anyone to travel in the foot-
well.
● Never travel without wearing the seat belt.
● Do not allow anyone to travel in the lug-
gage compartment.
40

Seat belts
Seat belts
The reasons why we should
wear seat belts Number of seats Your vehicle has
five seats, two in the front
and thr ee in the r
ear. Each seat is equipped
with a three-point seat belt.
In some versions, your vehicle is approved
only for four seats. Two front seats and two
r e

ar seats. WARNING
● Never transport more than the permitted
amount of people in your vehicle.
● Every vehicle occupant must properly fas-
ten and wear the seat belt belonging to his or
her seat. Children must be protected with an
appropriate child restraint system. Seat belt warning lamp*
 Fig. 60
Instrument panel: right rear seat oc-
cupied and corresponding seat belt fastened
display. 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 (de-
pending on the model version) 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
light will also flash
.
The 
l
amp goes out when the driver and
p

assenger seat belts are fastened with the ig-
nition switched on.
Rear seat belts fastened display.*
Depending on the model version, when the
ignition is switched on, the seat belt status
display ››› Fig. 60 on the instrument panel in-
forms

the driver whether the passengers in
the rear seats have fastened their seat belts.
The  symbol indicates that the passenger in
this seat has fastened “his or her” seat belt.
When a seat belt in the rear seats is fastened
or unfastened, the seat belt status is dis-
played for approximately 30 seconds. The in-
dication can be hidden by pressing the 0.0/SET button on the dash panel.
The seat belt status flashes for a maximum of
30 seconds when a seat belt in the rear seats
is unfastened while the vehicle is in motion.
An audible warning will also be heard if the
vehicle is travelling at over 25 km/h
(15 mph).
43
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Seat belts
●
The slot in the seat belt buckle must not be
blocked with paper or other objects, as this
can prevent the latch plate from engaging se-
curely.
● Never use seat belt clips, fastening rings or
similar items to alter the position of the belt
webbing.
● Frayed or torn seat belts or damage to the
connections, belt retractors or parts of the
buckle could cause severe injuries in the
event of an accident. Therefore, you must
check the condition of all seat belts at regular
intervals.
● Seat belts which have been worn in an acci-
dent and stretched must be replaced by a
specialised workshop. Renewal may be nec-
essary even if there is no apparent damage.
The belt anchorage should also be checked.
● Do not attempt to repair a damaged seat
belt yourself. The seat belts must not be re-
moved or modified in any way.
● The belts must be kept clean, otherwise the
retractors may not work properly. Head-on collisions and the laws of
physics
Fig. 62
A driver not wearing a seat belt is
thrown forward violently Fig. 63
The unbelted passenger in the rear
seat is thrown forward violently, hitting the
driver who is wearing a seat belt. It is easy to explain how the laws of physics
work in the case of a head-on collision: when
a vehicle starts moving, a type of energycalled “kinetic energy” is created both in the
passengers and inside the vehicle.
The amount of “kinetic energy” depends on
the speed of the vehicle and the weight of
the vehicle and its passengers. The higher
they are, the more energy there is to be “ab-
sorbed” in the event of 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 ki-
netic energy is multiplied by four.
Given that the passengers of the vehicle in
our example do not have their seat belts fas-
tened, in the event of a collision the entire
amount of the passengers' kinetic energy will
be only absorbed by the mentioned impact.
Even at speeds of 30 km/h (19 mph) to
50 km/h (30 mph), the forces acting on bod-
ies in a collision can easily exceed one tonne
(1000 kg). At greater speed these forces are
even higher.
Vehicle occupants not wearing seat belts are
not “attached” to the vehicle. In a head-on
collision, they will move forward at the same
speed their vehicle was travelling just before
the impact. This example applies not only to
head-on collisions, but to all accidents and
collisions.
Even at low speeds the forces acting on the
body in a collision are so great that it is not
»
45Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
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
● Knee airbag for the driver.
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. Airbag overview
Front airbags Fig. 66
Driver airbag located in steering
wheel. 50

Airbag system
Fig. 67
Front passenger airbag located in
dash panel. The front airbag for the driver is located in
the steering wheel
››› Fig. 66 and the airbag
f or the fr
ont passenger is located in the dash
panel ››› Fig. 67. Airbags are identified by the
wor

d “AIRBAG”.
The airbag covers fold out of the steering
wheel and dashboard respectively when the
driver and front passenger airbags are de-
ployed ››› Fig. 66 ››› Fig. 67
. The airbag covers
rem
ain connected to the steering wheel or
the dash panel. In conjunction with the seat belts, the front
airbag system gives the front occupants ad-
ditional protection for the head and chest in
the event of a severe frontal collision
››› .
The special design of the airbag allows the
controlled escape of the propellant gas when
an occupant puts pressure on the bag. Thus,
the head and chest are surrounded and pro-
tected by the airbag. After the collision, the
airbag deflates sufficiently to allow visibility. WARNING
● The deployment space between the front
passengers and the airbags must not in any
case be occupied by other passenger, pets
and objects.
● The airbags provide protection for just one
accident; replace them once they have de-
ployed.
● It is also important not to attach any ob-
jects such as cup holders or telephone
mountings to the surfaces covering the air-
bag units.
● Do not attempt to modify components of
the airbag system in any way. Types of front passenger front airbag
systems
There are two different SEAT front passenger
front airbag systems:
A
Characteristics of the front passenger front airbag that
can only be disabled in a specialised workshop
.
– Control lamp  on the instrument panel.
– Front passenger front airbag on the dash panel.
Name: airbag system.
B
Characteristics of the front passenger front airbag that
can be disabled manually ››› page 55.
– Control lamp  on the instrument panel.
– Control lamp on the instrument panel  
  .
– Control lamp on the instrument panel  
  .
– Key-operated switch in the glove compartment on the
front passenger side of the dashboard.
– Front passenger front airbag in the dashboard.
Name: airbag system with front passenger front airbag
disabling. 51
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Airbag system
countries, due to divergent legal require-
ments, facing in the direction of travel)
››› page 58 ;
● de s
pite the driver seat being in the correct
position, a minimum distance of 25 cm can-
not be maintained between the centre of the
steering wheel and the driver's torso,
● installation of special devices is required in
the steering wheel area due to a physical dis-
ability,
● if you have special seats installed (e.g. an
orthopaedic seat without side airbags).
The front passenger front airbag can be disa-
bled using the switch ››› page 55.
We recommend that you contact an author-
ised SEAT dealer for the disabling of other air-
bags.
Airbag system control
The airbag system availability is controlled
electronically, regardless of whether an air-
bag is disabled.
If an airbag was disabled using a diagnostics
system:
● the airbag system warning lamp  illumi-
nates after switching on the ignition for
about 4 seconds, and then flashes for about
12 seconds. If the airbag has been disabled with the air-
bag switch on the side of the dash panel:
●
the airbag control lamp  will illuminate
for about
4 seconds after the ignition is
switched on,
● The airbag is disabled, signalled with the
warning lamp
  which lights up with the
word      placed in the cen-
tre part of the dash panel ››› Fig. 74. 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 immedi-
ately by a specialised workshop.
● Never mount a child seat in the front pas-
senger seat or remove the mounted child
seat! The front passenger front airbag may
deploy during an accident in spite of the
fault. CAUTION
Always pay attention to any lit control lamps
and to the corresponding descriptions and in-
structions to avoid damage to the vehicle. Note
● Follow the current legislation in your coun-
try regarding the disabling of airbags. ●
At your authorised SEAT dealer you can find
information on which vehicle airbags can be
disabled. Front passenger front airbag switch
Fig. 74
Front passenger front airbag switch. Fig. 75
Warning lamp for disabling the front
passenger airbag. » 55
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
Read the additional information carefully
›››  page 11
.
The sw it
ch disables only the front passenger
front airbag.
Switching on the airbag
– Switch the ignition off.
– Open the glove compartment on the front
passenger side.
– Insert the key into the slot of the switch for
deactivating the front passenger airbag
››› Fig. 74. About 3/4 of the key should en-
ter

, as far as it will go.
– Then turn the key gently to the ON position.
Do not f

orce it if you feel resistance, and
make sure you have inserted the key fully.
– Close the passenger side storage compart-
ment.
– Check, with the ignition switched on, that
the control lamp   ››› Fig. 75 does not
light up

, with the word    
 in the centre part of the dash panel.
– The warning lamp   is illuminated for
60 seconds in the centre part of the dash
panel.
Control lamp with the word   
  (front passenger airbag disabled)
If the front passenger front airbag is disa-
bled
, after switching on the ignition, the con- trol lamp will light up for several seconds,
then it will switch off for about 1 s and then
switch on again.
If the control lamp is flashing, there is a fault
in the disabling of the airbag system
››› .
Please go immediately to an Official Service. WARNING
● The driver of the vehicle is responsible for
disabling or switching on the airbag.
● Always switch off the ignition before disa-
bling the front passenger airbag! Failure to do
so could result in a fault in the airbag deacti-
vation system.
● Never leave the key in the airbag disabling
switch as it could get damaged or enable or
disable the airbag during driving.
● If the   (airbag disabled) control lamp
fl a

shes, the front passenger front airbag will
not trigger in the event of an accident! Have
the system immediately checked by an Offi-
cial Service. Transporting children safety
Safety for children Introduction For safety reasons, as we have learned from
accident statistics, we recommend that chil-
dren under 12 years of age travel in the rear
seats. Depending on their age, height and
weight, children travelling in rear seats must
use a child seat or a seat belt. For safety rea-
sons, the child seat should be installed in the
rear seat, behind the front passenger seat or
in the centre back seat.
The physical laws involved and the forces
acting in a collision apply also to children
››› page 45 . But unlike adults, children do not
h av
e fully developed muscle and bone struc-
tures. This means that children are subject to
a greater risk of injury.
To reduce the risk of injuries, children must
always use special child restraint systems
when travelling in the vehicle.
We recommend the use of child safety prod-
ucts from the SEAT Original Accessories Pro-
gramme, which includes systems for all ages
made by “Peke” (not for all countries).
These systems have been especially de-
signed and approved, complying with the
ECE-R44. regulation.
56

Transporting children safety
Follow the manufacturer's instructions and
observe any statutory requirements when in-
stalling and using child seats. Always read
and note ››› page 57 .
W e r
ecommend you always carry the manu-
facturer's Child Seat Instruction Manual to-
gether with the on-board documentation.
Important information regarding the
front passenger's airbag Fig. 76
Passenger's side sun visor: airbag
sticker. Fig. 77
On the rear frame of the passenger
side door: airbag sticker. A sticker with important information about
the passenger airbag is located on the pas-
senger's sun visor and/or on the passenger
side door frame. Read and always observe
the safety information included in the follow-
ing chapters:
● Safety distance with respect to the passen-
ger airbag ››› page 48 .
● Ob

jects between the passenger and the
passenger side airbag ››› in Front airbags
on page 51 .
The p a

ssenger side front airbag, when ena-
bled, is a serious risk for a child that is facing
backward since the airbag can strike the seat
with such force that it can cause serious or
fatal injuries. Children up to 12 years old
should always travel on the rear seat.
Therefore we strongly recommend you to
transport children on the rear seats. This is the safest location in the vehicle. Alternative-
ly, the front passenger airbag can be disa-
bled with a key-operated switch
››› page 55.
When transporting children, use a child seat
suitable for the age and size of each child
››› page 58. WARNING
● If a child seat is secured to the front pas-
senger seat, the risk to the child of sustain-
ing critical or fatal injuries in the event of an
accident increases.
● 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 backrest.
● Never install a child seat facing backwards
on the front passenger seat unless the front
passenger front airbag has been disabled.
Risk of potentially fatal injuries to the child!
However, if it is necessary, in exceptional ca-
ses, to transport a child in the front passen-
ger seat, the front passenger front airbag
must always be disabled ››› page 54. If the
passenger seat has a height adjustment op-
tion, move it to the highest, most upright po-
sition. If you have a fixed seat, do not install
any child restraint system in this location.
● For those vehicles that do not include a key
lock switch to deactivate the airbag, the vehi-
cle must be taken to a technical service.
● All vehicle occupants, especially children,
must assume the proper sitting position and
be properly belted in while travelling. » 57
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials