
Safety
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!
Safety instructions on using seat
belts –
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. WARNING
● If seat belts are worn incorrectly or not at
all, the risk of severe injuries increases. The
optimal protection from seat belts can be
achieved only if you use them properly.
● Fasten your seat belt before every trip -
even when driving in town. Other vehicle oc-
cupants must also wear the seat belts at all
times, otherwise they run the risk of being in-
jured.
● The seat belt cannot offer its full protection
if the seat belt is not positioned correctly.
● Never allow two passengers (even children)
to share the same seat belt.
● Always keep both feet in the footwell in
front of your seat as long as the vehicle is in
motion.
● Never unbuckle a seat belt while the vehi-
cle is in motion. Risk of fatal injury.
● The seat belt must never be twisted while it
is being worn.
● The seat belt should never lie on hard or
fragile objects (such as glasses or pens, etc.)
because this can cause injuries.
● Do not allow the seat belt to be damaged or
jammed, or to rub on any sharp edges.
● Never wear the seat belt under the arm or
in any other incorrect position. ●
Loose, bulky clothing (such as an overcoat
over a jacket) impairs the proper fit and func-
tion of the seat belts, reducing their capacity
to protect.
● 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
››› page 128.12

Safety
How to properly adjust your
seatbelt Fastening and unfastening your seat
belt Fig. 9
Positioning and removing the seat belt
buckle. Fig. 10
Placing the seat belt in the shoulder
and pelvis area for pregnant women. Fasten your seat belt
The seat belt cannot offer its full protection if
the seat belt is not positioned correctly.
● Adjust the seat and head restraint correctly.
● To fasten the belt, take hold of the latch
plate and pull it slowly across your chest and
lap.
● Insert the latch plate into the buckle for the
appropriate seat and push it down until it is securely locked with an audible click
››› Fig. 9
A .
● Pu
ll the belt to ensure that the latch plate is
securely engaged in the buckle.
The seat belts are equipped with an automat-
ic retractor on the shoulder strap. Full free-
dom of movement is permitted when the
shoulder belt is pulled slowly. However, dur-
ing sudden braking, during travel in steep
areas or bends and during acceleration, the
automatic retractor on the shoulder belt is
locked.
The automatic belt retractors on the front
seats are fitted with seat belt tensioners
››› page 15.
Seat
belt release
● Press the red button on the belt buckle
››› Fig. 9 B
. The latch plate is released and
springs out ››› .
● Guide the belt back by hand so that it rolls
up easily and the trim is not damaged.
Positioning seat belts
Seat belts offer their maximum protection on-
ly when they are properly positioned.
The following features are available to adjust
the seat belt in the shoulder region:
● belt height adjustment for the front seats.
● front seat height adjustment*.
14

Seat belts
WARNING
● The seat belts offer best protection only
when the backrests are in an upright position
and the seat belts have been fastened prop-
erly.
● Never put the latch plate in the buckle of
another seat. If you do this, the seat belt will
not protect you properly and the risk of injury
is increased.
● Never unbuckle a seat belt while the vehi-
cle is in motion. If you do, you increase the
risk of sustaining severe or fatal injuries.
● An incorrectly worn seat belt can cause se-
vere injuries in the event of an accident.
● The shoulder part of the seat belt must lie
on the centre of the shoulder, never across
the neck. The seat belt must lie flat and snug-
ly on the torso ››› Fig. 10.
● The l ap p
art of the seat belt must lie across
the pelvis, never across the stomach. The
seat belt must lie flat and snugly on the pel-
vis ››› Fig. 10. Pull the belt tight if necessary
to t
ake up any slack.
● For pregnant women, the lap part of the
seat belt must lie as low as possible over the
pelvis, never across the stomach, and always
lie flat so that no pressure is exerted on the
abdomen.
● Always engage the retractor lock when you
are securing a child seat in group 0, 0+ or 1
››› page 24.
● Re
ad and observe the warnings ››› page 12. Adjusting the seat belt height
Fig. 11
Location of the belt height adjuster. The seat belt adjuster for the front seats can
be used to adjust the proper belt position at
the shoulder.
– Press the upper part of the shoulder belt
guide and hold it in this position ››› Fig. 11 .
– Mo v
e the shoulder belt guide up or down
until you have adjusted the seat belt
››› page 14.
– Aft
er adjusting, pull the shoulder belt
sharply to check that the catch on the
shoulder belt guide is engaged securely. Seat belt tensioners
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 tensioners only dur-
ing severe head-on, lateral and rear-end colli-
sions and only if the seat belt is worn. This
retracts and tightens the seat belts, reducing
the forward motion of the occupants.
The seat belt tensioner can be triggered only
once.
The seat belt tensioners will not be triggered
in the event of a light frontal, side or rear col-
lision, 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. 15
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Safety
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. Airbag system
Brief introduction Why wear a seat belt and assume the
correct sitting position? For the inflating airbags to achieve the best
protection, the seat belt must always be worn
properly and the correct sitting position must
be assumed.
The airbag system is not a substitute for seat
belts, but it is an integral part of the vehicle's
overall passive safety system. Please bear in
mind that the airbag system can only work ef-
fectively when the vehicle occupants are
wearing their seat belts correctly and have
adjusted the head restraints properly. There-
fore, it is most important to wear the seat
belts at all times, not only because this is re-
quired by law in most countries, but also for
your safety
›››
page 11, The reasons why we
should wear seat belts .
The airbag inflates in a matter of seconds, so
if you are not properly seated when the air-
bag is triggered, you may sustain fatal inju-
ries. Therefore, it is essential that all vehicle
occupants assume a correct sitting position
while travelling.
Sharp braking before an accident may cause
a passenger not wearing a seat belt to be
thrown forward into the area of the deploying
16

Airbag system
airbag. In this case, the inflating airbag may
inflict critical or fatal injuries on the occu-
pant. This also applies to children.
Always maintain the greatest possible dis-
tance between yourself and the front airbag.
This way, the front airbags can completely
deploy when triggered, providing their maxi-
mum protection.
The most important factors that will trigger
an airbag are: the type of accident, the angle
of collision and the speed of the vehicle.
Whether or not the airbags are triggered de-
pends primarily on the vehicle deceleration
rate resulting from the collision and detected
by the control unit. If the vehicle deceleration
occurring during the collision and measured
by the control unit remains below the speci-
fied reference values, the front, side and/or
curtain airbags will not be triggered. Take in-
to account that the visible damage in a vehi-
cle involved in an accident, no matter how
serious, is not a determining factor for the
airbags to have been triggered. WARNING
● Wearing the seat belt incorrectly or assum-
ing an incorrect sitting position can lead to
critical or fatal injuries.
● All vehicle occupants, including children,
who are not properly belted can sustain criti-
cal or fatal injuries if the airbag is triggered.
Children up to 12 years old should always travel on the rear seat. Never transport chil-
dren in the vehicle if they are not restrained
or the restraint system is not appropriate for
their age, size or weight.
●
If you are not wearing a seat belt, or if you
lean forward or to the side while travelling or
assume an incorrect sitting position, there is
a substantially increased risk of injury. This
increased risk of injury will be further in-
creased if you are struck by an inflating air-
bag.
● To reduce the risk of injury from an inflating
airbag, always wear the seat belt properly
››› page 11.
● Alw
ays adjust the front seats properly. Description of airbag system
The airbag system mainly comprises (as per
vehicle equipment):
●
an electronic control and monitoring sys-
tem (control unit)
● frontal airbags for driver and passenger,
● side airbags,
● curtain airbags,
● a control lamp on the dash panel
››› page 18 .
● key
-operated switch for front passenger air-
bag,
● a control lamp for disabling/enabling the
front passenger airbag. 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
:
● does not light up when the ignition is
switched on ››› page 18
,
● 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 6, Sitting position
for vehicle occupants .
● If a fault has occurred in the airbag system,
have the system checked immediately by a
specialised workshop. Otherwise, during a » 17
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Safety
connected to the steering wheel or the dash
panel.
In conjunction with the seat belts, the front
airbag system gives the driver and the front
passenger additional protection for the head
and chest in the event of a severe frontal col-
lision.
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. Side airbags*
Fig. 14
Side airbag in driver seat. Fig. 15
Illustration of completely inflated side
airbags on the left side of the vehicle. The side airbags are located in the backrest
cushions of the driver seat
››› Fig. 14 and the
fr ont
passenger seat as well as in the back-
rest of the side rear seats. The locations are
identified by the text “AIRBAG” in the upper
region of the backrests. 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 their normal function of
protecting the occupants in a collision, seat
belts also hold the passengers on the front
and rear side seats in a position where the
side airbags can provide maximum protec-
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for seat
belts, but it is an integral part of the vehicle's
overall passive safety system. Please bear in
mind that the airbag system can only work ef-
fectively when the occupants are wearing
their seat belts. Therefore, it is most impor-
tant to properly wear the seat belts at all
times, not only because this is required by
law in most countries, but also for your safety
››› page 11, The reasons why we should wear
seat belts . 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. 20

Safety
and upper body in the event of a severe side
collision ››› page 20 . WARNING
● In order for the head-protection airbags to
provide their maximum protection, the pre-
scribed sitting position must always be main-
tained with seat belts fastened while travel-
ling.
● For safety reasons, the curtain airbag must
be disabled in those vehicles fitted with a
screen dividing the interior of the vehicle.
See your technical service to make this ad-
justment.
● There must be no other persons, animals or
objects between the occupants of the rear
seats and the deployment space of the head-
protection airbags so that the head-protec-
tion airbag can deploy without restriction and
provide the greatest possible protection.
Therefore, sun blinds which have not been
expressly approved for use in your vehicle
may not be attached to the side windows
● The built-in coat hooks should be used only
for lightweight clothing. Do not leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets.
Please, do not hang the clothes on coat hang-
ers.
● The airbags provide protection for just one
accident; replace them once they have de-
ployed.
● Any work on the head-protection airbag
system or removal and installation of the air-
bag components for other repairs (such as re- moval of the roof lining) should only be per-
formed by a specialised workshop. Other-
wise, faults may occur during the airbag sys-
tem 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 airbags neither the
doors nor the door panels should be modified
in any way (e.g. fitting loudspeakers). If the
front door is damaged, the airbag system
may not work correctly. All work carried out
on the front door must be done in a special-
ised workshop. Deactivating airbags
Disabling the front airbag The disabling of airbags is only carried out in
certain cases, i.e. if:
● a child seat is required in the front passen-
ger seat with the child facing in the opposite
direction to the direction of travel (in some
countries, due to divergent legal require-
ments, facing in the direction of travel)
››› page 26 ;
● 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 23.
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,
22

Safety
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 illuminate 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 disa-
bling 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 13 . 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. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and
observe any statutory requirements when in-
stalling and using child seats. Always read
and note
››› page 25.
We r
ecommend you always carry the manu-
facturer's Child Seat Instruction Manual to-
gether with the on-board documentation.
24