Safety
Safety
Saf e driv
in
g
Safety first! This chapter contains important information,
tips, s
ug
gestions and warnings that you
should read and consider for both your own
safety and for your passengers' safety. WARNING
● This m
anual 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
B ef or
e setting off For your own safety and the safety of your
p
a
s
sengers, always note the following points
before every trip: –
Make s
ure that the vehicle's lights and turn
signals are working properly.
– Check tyre pressure.
– Ensure that all windows provide a clear and
good v
iew of the surroundings.
– Ensure that all luggage is correctly secured
›››
page 139.
– Make sure that no objects can interfere
with the pedal
s.
– Adjust front seat, head restraint and rear vi-
sion mirror
s properly according to your
size.
– Ensure that the passenger in the central
rear se
at 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 pr
operly applied seat belts
››› page 72.
– Assume the correct sitting position. Instruct
your pa
ssengers also to assume a proper
sitting position. ››› page 57.
– Fasten your seat belt securely. Instruct your
pas
sengers also to fasten their seat belts
properly. ›››
page 61. What affects driving safety? As a driver, you are responsible for yourself
and y
our p
assengers. 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 di
stracted 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 r o
ad, traffic and weather conditions.
– When travelling long distances, take
break
s regularly - at least every two hours.
– If possible, avoid driving when you are tired
or stre
ssed. 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
p
a
s
sengers in danger. In the event of an acci-
dent, the safety equipment may reduce the
56
Safe driving
risk of injury. The following list includes most
of the s
af
ety equipment in your SEAT:
● Three-point seat belts
● Belt tension limiter for the front and rear
side seats
● B
elt tensioners for the front seats
● Front airbags
● Side airbags in the front seat backrests,
with che
st and head protection
● “ISOFIX” anchor points for “ISOFIX” rear
chil
d seat system
● Height-adjustable front head restraints
● Rear-centre head restraints with in-use po-
sition and non-use po
sition
● 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! Correct position for passengers
Correct
sitting position for driver Fig. 75
The proper distance between driver
and s t
eerin
g wheel Fig. 76
Correct head restraint position for the
driv er
. For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injur
y
in the ev
ent of an accident, we recom- mend the following adjustments for the driv-
er:
– Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
dist
ance of at least 25 cm between the
steering wheel and the centre of your chest
››› Fig. 75.
– Move 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 s
t
eering 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. 76.
– Move the seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion so that
your back rests completely
against it.
– Fasten your seat belt securely ›››
page 61.
– Keep both feet in the footwell so that you
have the
vehicle under control at all times.
Adjustment of the driver seat ››› page 132. WARNING
● An incorr ect
sitting position of the driver
can lead to severe injuries.
● Adjust the driver seat so that there is at
lea
st 25 cm distance between the centre of » 57
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
Seat belt lamp* Fig. 79
Warning lamp on the instrument pan-
el . The control lamp illuminates to remind the
driv
er t
o f
asten 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-
cordin
g 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 lamp goes out when the driver and
passenger seat belts are fastened with the ig-
nition switched on.
The protective function of seat belts Fig. 80
Drivers with properly worn seat belts
w i
l
l not be thrown forward in the event of sud-
den braking Properly worn seat belts hold the occupants
in the pr
oper po
s
ition. 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 de
signed 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!
62
Airbag system
airbag. In this case, the inflating airbag may
inflict c
ritic
al 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
● We arin
g 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 pr
operly 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
v
ehicle 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 f
orward 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, alw
ays wear the seat belt properly.
● Always adjust the front seats properly. Description of airbag system
The airbag system mainly comprises (as per
v
ehic
l
e equipment):
● an electronic control and monitoring sys-
tem (contr
ol unit)
● frontal airbags for driver and passenger,
● side airbags,
● curtain airbags,
● a control lamp on the dash p
anel
››› page 68.
● key-operated switch for front passenger air-
bag,
● a contr
ol lamp for disabling/enabling the
front p
assenger airbag. The airbag system operation is monitored
electronic
ally. 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
switc
hed on ››› page 68,
● turns off after 4 seconds after the ignition
is sw
itched on
● turns off and then lights up again after the
ignition is sw
itched on
● illuminates or flashes while the vehicle is
movin
g.
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 belt
s and airbags can only provide
maximum protection if the occupants are
seated correctly ››› page 57, Correct position
for passengers.
● If a fault has occurred in the airbag system,
have the sy
stem checked immediately by a
specialised workshop. Otherwise, during a » 67
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
frontal collision the system might not trigger
corr
ectly
or may fail to trigger at all. Airbag activation
The airbags deploy extremely rapidly, within
thous
andths
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-
tor
y
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 seri-
ous head-on collisions
● Driver airbag.
● Front passenger front airbag
The fol
lowing airbags are triggered in seri-
ous side-on collisions
● Front side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Re
ar side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Cur
tain (head) airbag on the side of the ac-
cident.
In an ac
cident with airbag activation:
● the interior lights switch on (if the interior
light swit
ch 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 control lamp and seat belt ten-
sioner 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 sys-
tem
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 con-
trol lamp :
● does not light up when the ignition is
swit c
hed on,
● turns off after 4 seconds after the ignition
is sw
itched on
● turns off and then lights up again after the
ignition is sw
itched on
● illuminates or flashes while the vehicle is
movin
g.
In the event of a malfunction, the warning
lamp remains on continuously. Have the air-
bag system inspected immediately by a spe-
cialised workshop.
68
Airbag system
If any of the airbags are disabled by a Techni-
c al
Service, the warning lamp flashes for sev-
eral more seconds after verification and will
turn off if there is no fault. WARNING
● If ther e i
s a malfunction, the airbag and
belt tensioner system cannot properly per-
form its protective function.
● If a malfunction occurs, have the system
check
ed 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 safety instructions
Fr ont
airb
agsRead the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 14. WARNING
● The seat belt
s and airbags can only provide
maximum protection if the occupants are
seated correctly ››› page 57, Correct position
for passengers.
● The deployment space between the front
pas
sengers and the airbags must not in any
case be occupied by other passenger, pets
and objects. ●
The airbag s
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 sys
tem in any way. Side airbags*
Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 15. WARNING
● If y
ou 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 pr
otection, 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
offer
ed b
y 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
cov
ers 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 se
ams of the side airbag units
must be repaired immediately by a special-
ised workshop.
● The airbags provide protection for just one
accident; r
eplace them once they have de-
ployed.
● Any work on the side airbag system or re-
mova
l 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 sys
tem in any way. » 69
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
●
The side and he a
d 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 remov
ed 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 cov
ered if additional loudspeakers or other
equipment are fitted inside the door panels.
● Any work carried out to the doors should be
made in an authori
sed specialised workshop.Curtain airbags*
Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 15. 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 co
ver 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 artic
les 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-
pres
sly 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
D e
activ
ation of front passenger front
airbag* Fig. 85
In the glove compartment: Switch for
activ atin
g and de
activating the front passen-
ger airbag Fig. 86
Centre side of dash panel: control
l amp f
or de
activated front passenger airbag
in centre console 70
Airbag system
Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 14
If you fit a rear-facing child seat to the front
passenger seat, the front passenger front air-
bag must be de-activated.
When the front passenger airbag is deactiva-
ted, this means that only the front passenger
front airbag is deactivated. All the other air-
bags in the vehicle remain activated.
Activating the front passenger front airbag
– Switch the ignition off.
– Open the glove compartment on the front
pas
senger side.
– Insert the key into the slot of the switch for
deactivatin
g the front passenger airbag
››› Fig. 85. About 3/4 of the key should en-
ter, as far as it will go.
– Then turn the key gently to the position.
Do not
force it if you feel resistance, and
make sure you have inserted the key fully.
– When the ignition is switched on, check
whether the contro
l lamp
on the dash panel does ››› Fig. 86 not
light up ››› .
WARNING
● It i s
the driver's responsibility to ensure
that the key-operated switch is set to the cor-
rect position. ●
You shou l
d deactivate the front passenger
front airbag only if you have to use a rear-fac-
ing child seat in exceptional cases
››› page 72, Transporting children safely.
● Never install a child seat facing backwards
on the front p
assenger seat unless the front
passenger front airbag has been disabled.
Otherwise, there is a risk of death.
● As soon as the child seat is no longer nee-
ded on the front p
assenger seat, enable the
front passenger front airbag again.
● Only deactivate the front passenger front
airbag when the ignition is
off, otherwise a
fault may occur in the airbag system, which
could cause the airbag to not deploy properly
or not deploy at all in case of an accident.
● Never leave the key in the airbag disabling
switc
h as it could get damaged or enable or
disable the airbag during driving.
● When the passenger airbag is deactivated,
if the contr
ol lamp is not
continuously lit up when the front passenger
airbag is disabled, there may be a fault in the
airbag system:
–Have the airbag system inspected imme-
diately by a specialised workshop.
– Do not use a child seat on the front pas-
senger seat! The front passenger front
airbag could be triggered in the event of
an accident, even if there is a fault in the
system and, as a result, a child could sus-
tain serious or fatal injuries.
– It is unpredictable whether the front pas-
senger airbag will deploy in the event of an accident. Warn all your passengers of
this.
71
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety