2014 SKODA FABIA collision

AbbreviationsAbbreviationDefinitionrpmEngine revolutions per minuteABSAnti-lock brake systemAGMVehicle battery typeTCSTraction controlCO2Carbon dioxideDSGAutomatic double clutch gearboxEDLElectronic differential lockECEEconomic Commission for EuropeEPCEPC fault lightESCElectronic Stability ControlDRim depthEUEuropean UnionHBAHydraulic brake assistHHCUphill start assistKESSYKeyless unlocking, starting and lockingkWKilowatt, measuring unit for the engine outputMCBMulti-collision brakeMGManual gearboxMPIGasoline engine with a multi-point fuel injectionN1Panel van intended exclusively or mainly for the transporta-
tion of goodsNmNewton meter, measuring unit for the engine torqueTDI CRDiesel engine with turbocharger and common rail injection
systemTSIPetrol engine with turbocharging and direct injectionVINVehicle identification numberWi-Fiwireless data networkXDSFunctional extension of the electronic differential lock7Abbreviations

Seat belts
Wearing seat belts
Introduction
Fig. 3
Driver wearing seat belt
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
The physical principle of a frontal collision
13
Fastening and unfastening seat belts
14
Belt height adjustment on the front seats
15
Seat belts that are fastened correctly offer good protection in the event of an
accident. 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
position » Fig. 3.
The seat belts reduce the kinetic energy (energy of motion) to a considerable
extent. They also prevent uncontrolled movements which, in turn, may well re-
sult in severe injuries.
The occupants of a vehicle who have fastened and correctly adjusted their
seat belts benefit greatly from the fact that the kinetic energy is absorbed by
the belts as much as possible.
The structure of the front end of the vehicle and other passive safety meas-
ures, such as the airbag system, also contribute to reducing the kinetic energy
in the best possible way. The energy produced is thus absorbed and there is
less risk of injury.
Particular safety aspects must be observed when transporting children in the
vehicle » page 22 .
WARNING■
Fasten your seat belt before each journey - even when driving in town!
This also applies to the people seated at the rear – there is a 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 14, Fastening
and unfastening seat belts .
■
The maximum protection which seat belts can offer is only achieved if you
are correctly seated » page 9.
■
The seat backrests of the front seats must not be tilted too far to the
rear, otherwise the seatbelts can lose their effectiveness.
WARNINGInformation on the correct routing of the 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 ac-
count across your neck.
■
The belt must not run across solid or fragile objects (e.g. spectacles, ball-
point pens, keys, etc.). Such objects can cause injury.
WARNINGInformation on dealing with the safety belts■The belt webbing must not be jammed in-between at any point or twis-
ted or chafe against any sharp edges.■
Make sure you do not catch the seat belt in the door when closing it.
WARNINGInformation on the proper use of the safety belts■Never use a seatbelt to secure two persons (not even children). Nor may
the seat belt be placed over a child who is sitting on the lap of another pas-
senger.■
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
protect 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. 
12Safety

WARNING (Continued)■Many layers of clothing and loose clothing (e. g. a winter coat over a jack-
et) do not allow you to be correctly seated and impairs proper operation of
the seat belts.■
Do not use clamps or similar items, which prevent the lash-lock function
of the seat from operating. A seat belt which is hanging too loose can re-
sult in injuries, as your body is moved forward by the kinetic energy pro-
duced in an accident and is then abruptly held firm by the belt.
■
The seat belts for the rear seats can only fulfil their function reliably
when the seat backrests are correctly locked into position » page 74.
WARNINGInformation on the care and maintenance of the safety belts■The belt webbing must always be kept clean. Soiled belts may impair
proper operation of the inertia reel » page 147.■
The seat belts must not be removed or changed in any way. Do not at-
tempt 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 seat belt concerned 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 inspec-
ted. The anchorage 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. 4
Driver without a fastened seat belt/rear seat passenger without a
fastened seat belt
Read and observe
on page 12 first.
As soon as the vehicle is moving, so-called kinetic energy (the energy of mo-
tion) 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 notion that it is possible to support your body with your hands in a minor
accident 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 km/h to 50 km/h, the forces that your body is exposed to in the event of an accident can exceed a ton (1,000 kg).
For example, a person's weight of 80 kg “increases” at 50 km/h to 4.8 tons (4,800 kg).
In the event of a frontal collision, occupants of the car not wearing a seat belt
are thrown forward and strike parts of the interior of the car, such as the
steering wheel, dash panel, windscreen in ways which cannot be controlled
» Fig. 4 - 
. In certain circumstances, you could even be thrown out of the ve-
hicle, which could cause life-threatening or even fatal injuries. 
13Seat belts

Belt height adjustment on the front seatsFig. 7
Front seat: Seat belt height ad-
juster
Read and observe on page 12 first.
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 direction
» Fig. 7 .
›
Then pull firmly on the belt to ensure that the seat belt height adjuster has
correctly locked in place.
Inertia reel and belt pre-tensioners
 Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
Inertia reel
15
Belt tensioners
15
Inertia reel
Each seat belt is equipped with an inertia reel.
The seat belt can move freely when it is pulled slowly. The seat belt is locked
by the inertia reel when it is pulled suddenly.
The belts also lock under full braking, under acceleration, when driving down-
hill and when cornering.
WARNINGIf the seat belt does not lock when it is pulled sharply, have it inspected im-
mediately by a specialist garage.Belt tensioners
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 seat belts are automatically tensioned in the event of a collision of a cer-
tain severity.
Belt tensioners are not activated in the event of minor frontal collisions, side
and rear-end collisions, in the case of a roll-over and also not in accidents in
which no major forces are produced.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 acci-
dent. If the belt tensioners have been deployed, it is then necessary to re-
place the entire system.
Note
■ Smoke is generated when the belt tensioners are deployed. This is not an in-
dication of a fire in the vehicle.■
When disposing of the vehicle or parts of the belt tensioner system, it is im-
portant to comply with national legal requirements. ŠKODA service partners
are familiar with these regulations and will be able to provide you with de-
tailed information.
15Seat belts

Airbag system
Description of the airbag system
Introduction
This chapter contains information on the following subjects:
System description
16
Airbag deployment
16
The airbag system as a supplement to the seat belts provides additional occu-
pant protection during severe frontal and side collisions.
WARNING■ An airbag can only offer you optimal protection in combination with a
fastened 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 body size » page 9, Correct and safe 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.
WARNINGInformation on the use of the airbag system■If there is a fault, the airbag system must be checked by a specialist ga-
rage immediately. Otherwise, there is a risk of the airbag not being activa-
ted 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
system 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 tamper with 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 ac-
cident. The airbag system must be replaced if an airbag has been deployed.
System description
Read and observe
on page 16 first.
The functional status of the airbag system is indicated by the 
indicator light
in the instrument cluster » page 36.
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.
The airbag system consists – depending on the vehicle equipment – of the
following modules.
› Electronic control unit.
› Front airbag for the driver and the front passenger
» page 17.
› Side airbags
» page 18.
› Head airbags
» page 19.
› Airbag indicator light in the instrument cluster
» page 36.
› Key switch for the front passenger airbag
» page 21.
› Warning light for front passenger airbag deactivation in dash panel centre
» page 21 .
Note
■
The airbag system needs no maintenance during its working life.■If you sell your vehicle, pass on the complete vehicle documentation to the
new owner. Take care to ensure 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
comply with the national legal requirements.
Airbag deployment
Read and observe
on page 16 first.
The airbags inflate in fractions of a second and at a high speed in order to beable to offer that additional protection in the event of an accident.
The airbag system is only functional when the ignition is switched on.
In certain accident situations, several airbags may be deployed simultaneously. The airbags are not deployed in the case of minor frontal and side collisions,
rear-end collisions, tilting of the vehicle and vehicle roll-over. 
16Safety

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
occurs. The control unit analyses the nature of the collision and activates the
relevant restraint system.
If the vehicle deceleration which occurs and is measured during the collision
remains below the prescribed reference values specified in the control unit,
the airbags are not deployed although the vehicle may well suffer severe dam-
age to the bodywork 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.
When an airbag is deployed, the following events occur.
› The interior lighting comes on (if the switch for the interior light is in the door
contact position).
› The ignition 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
17
Side airbags
18
Head airbags
19Front airbagsFig. 8
Locations of the airbags / gas filled airbags
Fig. 9
Safe distance to steering wheel
In the event of a severe frontal collision, the front airbag system offers addi-
tional protection for the head and chest area of the driver and front passenger.
The driver's front airbag is located in the steering wheel, the front passenger
airbag is located in the instrument panel above the glove compartment » Fig. 8
-  .
When the front airbags » Fig. 8 -
 are triggered, the belt tensioners are also
activated.
The forward movement of the driver and of the front passenger is cushioned
when they make contact with the fully inflated airbag and the risk of injury to
head and chest is thus reduced. 
17Airbag system

WARNINGInformation on correct seating 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. 9 . Not
keeping to this minimum distance will mean that the airbag system will not
be able to properly protect you – risk of death! The front seats and the
head restraints must always also be correctly adjusted to match the body
size of the occupant.
■
The airbag develops enormous forces when triggered, which can lead to
injuries if the sitting position or seated position is not correct.
■
There must not be 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
proper restraint system. If airbags are deployed in the event of an accident,
the child might suffer severe or even fatal injuries!■
It is essential to switch off the front passenger airbag if you are using a
child seat on the front passenger seat in which the child is carried with its
back facing the direction of travel » page 20, 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 re-
garding the use of child safety seats.
WARNINGGeneral information■The steering wheel and the surface of the airbag module in the dash pan-
el on the passenger side must not have stickers attached, be covered or
modified 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 hold-
ers, mobile phone mounts, etc. must be attached to the covers of the air-
bag modules or be located within their immediate vicinity.■
Never place objects on the surface of the front passenger airbag module
in the dash panel.
Note■ In vehicles with head airbags, the lettering  can be seen on the steering
wheel.■
In vehicles with front passenger airbags, the lettering 
is located on the
dash panel on the passenger side.
Side airbags
Fig. 10
Location of the side airbag in the driver's seat / gas-filled side air-
bag
In the event of severe side collisions, the side airbag system provides addition-
al protection for the upper body (chest, stomach and pelvis) of passengers in
the vehicle.
The side airbags are housed in the upholstery of the seat backrests of the
front seats » Fig. 10 - 
.
The head airbag and belt tensioner on the relevant side are also automatically
deployed when the side airbags » Fig. 10 - 
are triggered.
The load of the occupants is cushioned when plunging into the fully inflated
airbag and the risk of injury to the entire upper body (chest, stomach and pel-
vis) is reduced on the side facing the door.
WARNINGInformation on correct seating 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 24, Child safety and side airbag .18Safety

WARNING (Continued)■There must not be any further persons, animals or objects positioned be-
tween the occupants and the deployment area of the airbag. No accesso-
ries, 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 result in serious injuries » page 22, Child seat .
WARNING■
The airbag control unit operates using pressure sensors located in the
front doors. For this reason, no adjustments may be carried out to the
doors or door panels (e.g. installation of additional loudspeakers). Further
information » page 139, Airbags .■
Ensure that there are no excessive forces, such as violent knocks, kicks
etc., which 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 passen-
ger 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-approved seat or protective covers would considerably impair the pro-
tective function of the side airbag.
■
Any damage to the original seat covers in the area of the side airbag mod-
ule must be repaired without delay by your 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 modules.
Note
In vehicles with side airbags, a label with the lettering  is located on the
front seat backrests.Head airbagsFig. 11
Location of the head airbag / gas-filled head airbag
In the event of a severe side collision, the head airbag system offers additional protection for the head and neck area of passengers.
The head airbags are positioned above the doors on both sides in the interior
of the car » Fig. 11 -
 .
In the event of a side collision, the head airbag is deployed together with the
relevant side airbag and the front seat belt tensioner on the side of the car on
which the accident occurs.
The airbag covers the windows of the front and rear doors, as well as the door
pillar when it is deployed » Fig. 11 -
 .
Head impact with interior parts is reduced by the inflated head airbag. The re-
duction in any impact to the head and the resultant minimizing of any move-
ments of the head additionally reduce the risk of injuries to the neck area.
WARNING■ There must not be any objects in the deployment area of the head air-
bags which might prevent the airbags from inflating properly.■
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
clothing. Additionally, clothes hangers must not be used to hang up items
of clothing. 
19Airbag system