SEAT S.A. is permanently concerned about continuous development of its t\
ypes and models. For this reason we ask you to under-
stand, that at any given time, changes regarding shape, equipment and te\
chnique may take place on the car delivered. For this reason
no right at all may derive based on the data, drawings and descriptions \
in this current handbook.
All texts, illustrations and standards in this handbook are based on the\
status of information at the time of printing. Except for error
or omission, the information included in the current handbook is valid a\
s of the date of closing print.
Re-printing, copying or translating, whether total or partial is not all\
owed unless SEAT allows it in written form.
SEAT reserves all rights in accordance with the “Copyright” Act.
All rights on changes are reserved.
❀This paper has been manufactured using bleached non-chlorine cellulose.
© SEAT S.A. - Reprint: 15.11.14
About this manual
This manual contains a description of the
equipment supplied with the vehicle at the
time this manual was published. Some of the
units described herein will not be available
until a later date or are only available in cer -
tain markets.
Because this is a general manual for the
ALTEA range, some of the equipment and
functions that are described in this manual
are not included in all types or variants of the
model; they may vary or be modi ed depend -
ing on the technical requirements and on the
market; this is in no way deceptive advertis-
ing.
The illustrations are intended as a general
guide and may vary from the equipment tted
in your vehicle in some details.
The steering indications (left, right, forward,
reverse) appearing in this manual refer to the
normal driving movements of the vehicle ex -
cept when otherwise indicated.
* The equipment marked with an aster -
isk* is tted as standard only in certain
versions, and is only supplied as op -
tional extras for some versions, or are
only offered in certain countries. ®
All registered marks are indicated with
®. Although the copyright symbol does
not appear, it is a copyrighted mark.
>> The section is continued on the follow -
ing page.
WARNING
Texts preceded by this symbol contain infor -
mation on safety. They warn you about possi -
ble dangers of accident or injury.
CAUTION
Texts with this symbol draw your attention to
potential sources of damage to your vehicle.
For the sake of the environment
Texts preceded by this symbol contain rele-
vant information concerning environmental
protection.
Note
Texts preceded by this symbol contain additio -
nal information.
This manual is divided into ve large parts,
which are:
1. Safety
2. Operation
3. Tips
4. Technical data
5. Alphabetical index
At the end of this manual, there is a detailed
alphabetical index that will help you quickly
nd the information you require.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Safe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Safety first! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Advice about driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Proper sitting position for occupants . . . . . . . . 6
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
The reason why we should wear seat belts . . . 11
How to properly adjust your seatbelt . . . . . . . . 14
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Airbag overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Deactivating airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Transporting children safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Safety for children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Dash panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Digital instrument panel display . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Instrument panel menus* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Steering wheel controls* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Audio system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Radio navigation system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Radio frequency remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Anti-theft alarm system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Boot hatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Sliding/tilting sunroof* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Lights and visibility
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Windscreen wiper and rear window wiper
systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Rear vision mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Seats and head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Adjusting the seat and head restraints . . . . . . 88
Seat functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Rear seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Transport and practical equipment . . . . . . . . . 93
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Multi-purpose mobile storage compartment* . 96
Ashtray*, cigarette lighter* and power sockets 98
First-aid kit, warning triangle, fire extinguisher 100
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Roof carrier/rack system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Heating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Climatic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
2C-Climatronic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Power steering (servotronic*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
All-wheel drive* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Driving with LPG* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Journeys abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Braking and parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Automatic gearbox/DSG automatic gearbox* . 127
Run-in and economical driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Driver assistance systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Braking and stability systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Start-Stop System* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Parking aid acoustic system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Cruise speed* (cruise control system - CCS) . . . 142
Towing bracket device
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Care and maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Accessories and technical modifications . . . . . 147
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Care of the vehicle exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Caring for the vehicle interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Checking and refilling levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
LPG system (Liquefied petroleum gas)* . . . . . . 160
Working in the engine compartment . . . . . . . . 163
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Windscreen washer reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Winter service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Emergencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Vehicle tools, spare wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Wheel change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Tyre repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Towing and tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Emergency locking and unlocking . . . . . . . . . . 193
Changing the wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Changing the lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
3
Safety
● Belt tensioners for the front seats
● Belt height adjustment for the front seats
● Front airbags
● Side airbags in the front seat backrests
● Head-protection airbags
● Active front head restraints*
● “ISOFIX” anchorage points for child seats
in the rear side seats with the “ISOFIX” sys-
tem,
● height-adjustable front head restraints,
● rear head restraints with in-use position
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. 1
The proper distance between driver
and steering wheel Fig. 2
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. 1 .
– 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. 2 .
– 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 11.
– Keep both feet in the footwell so that you
have the vehicle under control at all times.
Adjustment of the driver seat ››› page 88. 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 6
Safe driving
the chest and the centre of the steering
wheel
››› Fig. 1. If you are sitting closer than
25 c m, the airb
ag system cannot protect you
properly.
● If your physical constitution prevents you
from maintaining the minimum distance of 25
cm, contact a specialised workshop. The
workshop will help you decide if special spe-
cific modifications are necessary.
● When driving, always hold the steering
wheel with both hands on the outside of the
ring at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions.
This reduces the risk of injury when the driver
airbag is triggered.
● Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position, or in any other manner (e.g.
in the centre of the steering wheel). In such
cases, if the airbag is triggered, you may sus-
tain injuries to the arms, hands and head.
● To reduce the risk of injury to the driver
during sudden braking manoeuvres or an ac-
cident, never drive with the backrest tilted far
back! The airbag system and seat belts can
only provide optimal protection when the
backrest is in an upright position and the
driver is wearing his or her seat belt correct-
ly.
● Adjust the head restraint properly to ach-
ieve optimal protection. Adjusting the steering wheel position
Fig. 3
Adjusting the steering wheel position. The height and reach of the steering wheel
can be freely adjusted to suit the driver.
– Adjust the driver seat to the correct posi-
tion.
– Push the lever under the steering column
››› Fig. 3 down
›
›› .
– Adjust the steering wheel until the correct
position is set ››› Fig. 1.
– Then push the lever up again firmly ››› .
WARNING
● Incorrect use of the steering column adjust-
ment function and an incorrect seating posi-
tion can result in serious injury. ●
To avoid accidents, the steering column
should be adjusted only when the vehicle is
stationary.
● Adjust the driver seat or steering wheel so
that there is a distance of at least 25 cm be-
tween the steering wheel and your chest
››› Fig. 1. If you fail to observe the minimum
di s
tance, the airbag will not protect you. Risk
of fatal injury.
● If your physical constitution does not allow
you to maintain the minimum distance of
25 cm, contact a Technical Service. The Tech-
nical Service will help you to decide if certain
specific modifications are necessary.
● If you adjust the steering wheel so that it
points towards your face, the driver airbag
will not protect you properly in the event of
an accident. Make sure that the steering
wheel points towards your chest.
● When driving, always hold the steering
wheel with both hands on the outside of the
ring at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions.
Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position, or in any other manner (e.g.
in the centre of the steering wheel, or on the
inside of the rim). In such cases, if the airbag
is triggered, you may sustain injuries to your
arms, hands and head. 7Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Safety
called “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
the speed and the greater the weight, the
more energy there is to be “absorbed” 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 ki-
netic energy is multiplied by four.
Because the vehicle occupants in our exam-
ple are not restrained by seat belts, in the
event of crashing against a wall, all of the oc-
cupants' kinetic energy will be absorbed
solely by said impact.
Even at speeds of 30 km/h (19 mph) to
50 km/h (30 mph), the forces acting on the
body 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
possible to brace oneself with one's hands.
In a frontal collision, unbelted passengers
are thrown forward and will make violent con-
tact with the steering wheel, dash panel,
windscreen or whatever else is in the way
››› Fig. 8 .
It i
s also important for the rear passengers to
wear seat belts properly, as they could other-
wise be thrown forward violently through the
vehicle interior in an accident. Passengers in
the rear seats who do not use seat belts en-
danger not only themselves but also the front
occupants ››› Fig. 9. How t
o properly adjust your
seatbelt
Fastening and unfastening your seat
belt Fig. 10
Positioning and removing the seat
belt buckle. 14
Safety
Airbag overview Front airbags Fig. 13
Driver airbag in the steering wheel. Fig. 14
Front passenger airbag in the dash
panel. The front airbag for the driver is located in
the steering wheel
››› Fig. 13 and the airbag
f or the fr
ont passenger is located in the dash
panel ››› Fig. 13. Airbags are identified by the
word “AIRBAG”.
The airbag covers fold out of the steering
wheel and dash panel respectively when the
driver and front passenger airbags are trig-
gered ››› Fig. 14. The airbag covers remain
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 seat belts and airbags can only provide
maximum protection if the occupants are
seated correctly ››› page 6, Proper sitting po-
sition for occupants.
● The dep lo
yment 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. 20
Dash panel
Operation
Dash panel Overview Overview of the dash panel Door release lever
Light switch
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Lighting control for instrument and
switch lighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Headlight range control . . . . . . . . . . .79
Air vents
Turn signal and main beam lever
and cruise control system* . . . . . . . .77, 142
Controls on the steering wheel . . . .57
Instrument panel:
– Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
– Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
– Control and warning lamps . . . . . .35
1 2
3
4
5
6
7
8 Horn (works only when the ignition
is on)/ Driver front airbag
. . . . . . . . .17
Windscreen wiper lever and opera-
tion of the multi-function display* .84, 52
Left seat heating button . . . . . . . . . .91
Controls for
– Heating* and ventilation . . . . . . . .107
– Climatic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
– Climatronic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Radio/Navigator*
Right seat heating button . . . . . . . . .91
Control lamp for front passenger
airbag deactivated warning lamp . .23
Front passenger front airbag . . . . . .17
Glove compartment lever . . . . . . . . .93
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Cup holder compartment . . . . . . . . .95
Controls in the centre console: – Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
– ESC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
9 10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 –
Tyre pressure control* . . . . . . . . . . .43
– Park Pilot* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
– Cigarette lighter/Power socket . .98
– Exterior mirror adjustment . . . . . .87
– Start-Stop* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Hazard warning lights switch . . . . . .81
Pedals
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Steering column control lever* . . . .7
Handle for releasing the bonnet . . .163
Button for opening and closing the
front windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Safety switch* for the rear windows . . .72
Control* for opening and closing
the rear windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Note
Some of the items of equipment listed here
are fitted only on certain model versions or
are optional extras. 21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
31Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
Dash panelItemSymbolMeaning of control and warning lampsFurther information
19
Cruise speed activated (Cruise control)›››
page 45
20 Door open indicator›››
page 45
21 If it stays lit:
ASR switched off››› page 45 ››› page 46 ››› page 134
22 Electromechanical steering›››
page 45
23 Fault in the emission control system›››
page 45
24 If flashing:
the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is working or the ASR is working
If it remains lit: ESC or ASR faulty››› page 45 ››› page 46 ››› page 134
25
Selector lever lock (automatic gearbox)›››
page 46 WARNING
● Failure to observe control lamps and warn-
ing messages can result in serious personal
injury or damage to your vehicle.
● The risk of an accident increases if your ve-
hicle breaks down. Use a warning triangle to
draw the attention of other road users in or-
der to prevent danger to third parties.
● The engine compartment is a dangerous
area. Before you open the bonnet to work on
the engine or in the engine compartment,
switch the engine off and allow it to cool to
reduce the risk of burns or other injuries.
Read and observe the relevant warnings
››› page 163. Note
● The appropriate control lamp for a fault will
light up in vehicles without warning or infor-
mation messages in the display.
● In vehicles with warning or information
messages on the screen, the appropriate con-
trol lamp for a fault will light up and a warn-
ing or information message will also appear
on the screen. 37
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety