The essentials
Driving style
T o
w
ing requires some experience, especially
when using a tow rope. Both drivers should
realise how difficult it is to tow a vehicle. In-
experienced drivers should not attempt to
tow.
Do not pull too hard with the towing vehicle
and take care to avoid jerking the tow rope.
When towing on an unpaved road, there is al-
ways a risk of overloading and damaging the
anchorage points.
Switch on the ignition so that the turn sig-
nals, windscreen wipers and windscreen
washer can work. Ensure that the steering
wheel is unlocked and moves freely.
Place the gear lever in neutral on vehicles
with a manual gearbox. With an automatic
gearbox, place the lever in N.
To brake, press the brake pedal firmly. The
brake servo does not work when the engine
is switched off.
The power steering only works when the igni-
tion is switched on and the vehicle is moving,
provided that the battery is sufficiently charg-
ed. Otherwise, it will need more force.
Ensure that the tow rope remains taut at all
times. ››› in Instructions for tow-starting on
page 75
››› page 74 Tow-starting
In general, the vehicle should not be started
by
t
owing. Jump-starting is much more pref-
erable ››› page 42.
For technical reasons, the following vehicles
can not be tow started:
● Vehicles with an automatic gearbox.
● If the vehicle battery is flat, it is possible
that the en
gine control unit does not operate
correctly.
However, if your vehicle must absolutely be
tow-started (manual gearbox):
● Put it into second or third gear.
● Keep the clutch pressed down.
● Switch on the ignition and the hazard warn-
ing lights.
● Rel
ease the clutch when both vehicles are
movin
g.
● As soon as the engine starts, press the
clutc
h and move the gear lever into neutral.
This helps to prevent a collision with the tow-
ing vehicle. How to jump start
Jump lea
ds If the engine fails to start because of a dis-
ch
ar
ged battery, the battery of another vehi-
cle can be used to start the engine. Before
starting, check the magic eye on the battery
››› page 193.
For starting assistance, jump lead cables con-
forming to the standard DIN 72553 are re-
quired (see the cable manufacturer instruc-
tions). The cable section in vehicles with pet-
rol engine must be at least 25 mm 2
. WARNING
Incorrect use of jump leads and incorrectly
jump st ar
ting could cause the battery to ex-
plode resulting in serious injury. Please ob-
serve the following rules to minimise the risk
of a battery explosion:
● The battery providing current must have
the same v
oltage (12V) and approximately
the same capacity (see markings on battery)
as the flat battery.
● Never charge a frozen or recently thawed
batter
y. A flat battery can also freeze at tem-
peratures close to 0 °C (+32 °F).
● If a battery is frozen and/or has been frozen
then it mus
t be replaced.
● A highly explosive mixture of gases is re-
lea
sed when the battery is being charged. Al-
ways keep lit cigarettes, flames, sparks and 42
Safe driving
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
pa
s
sengers in danger. In the event of an acci-
dent, the safety equipment may reduce the
risk of injury. The following list includes most
of the safety equipment in your SEAT:
● Three-point seat belts
● belt tension limiters for the front and rear
side se ats,
● B
elt tensioners for the front seats
● Belt height adjustment for the front seats
● Front airbags
● Side airbags in the front seat backrests
● Side airbags in the rear seat backrests*
● Head-protection airbags
● Active front head restraints*
● “ISOFIX” anchor points for child seats in
the rear s
ide seats with the “ISOFIX” system,
● Height-adjustable front head restraints
● Rear head restraints with in-use position
and non-use pos
ition
● 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 of the vehicle
occup
ants
Correct sitting position Fig. 64
The proper distance between driver
and s t
eerin
g wheel Fig. 65
Correct belt web and head restraint
pos ition
s The correct sitting positions for the driver and
p
a
s
sengers are shown below.
If your physical constitution prevents you
from maintaining the correct sitting position,
contact a specialised workshop for help with
any special devices. The seat belt and airbag
can only provide optimum protection if a cor-
rect sitting position is adopted. SEAT recom-
mends taking your car in for technical serv-
ice.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident or sudden
braking or manoeuvre, SEAT recommend the
following positions:
Valid for the driver:
● Adjust the seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion so that
your back rests completely
against it. »
47
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
● Adju s
t
the seat so that there is a distance
of at least 25 cm between the steering wheel
and your chest ››› Fig. 64 and so that you can
hold the steering wheel with both hands on
the outside of the ring at the 9 o'clock and 3
o'clock positions with your arms slightly
bent.
● The adjusted steering wheel must face your
ches
t and not your face.
● Adjust the driver seat forwards or back-
ward
s so that you are able to press the accel-
erator, brake and clutch pedals to the floor
with your knees slightly angled and the dis-
tance between your knees and the dash pan-
el is at least 10 cm ››› Fig. 64.
● Adjust the height of the driver seat so that
you can e
asily reach the top of the steering
wheel.
● Keep both feet in the footwell so that you
have the
vehicle under control at all times.
● Adjust and fasten your seat belt correctly
›››
page 51.
Valid for the passenger:
● Adjust the seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion so that
your back rests completely
against it.
● Move the front passenger seat back as far
as po
ssible for optimum protection should
the airbag deploy.
● Always keep your feet in the footwell while
the vehic
le is in motion. ●
Adjust
and fasten your seat belt correctly
››› page 51.
Valid for the passengers in the rear section:
● 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 lev-
el as the top of your head and under no cir-
cumstances below eye level. Keep the back
of your neck as close as possible to the head
restraint ››› Fig. 64 and ››› Fig. 65.
● Short people must lower the head restraint
to the firs
t anchorage position, even if your
head is below its upper edge.
● Tall people must raise the head restraint
compl
etely.
● Always keep your feet in the footwell while
the vehic
le is in motion.
● Adjust and fasten your seat belt correctly
›››
page 51.
Adjusting the steering wheel position Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 14.
Adjust the steering wheel before your trip
and only when the vehicle is stationary.
Adjust the correct distance between the driv-
er and the steering wheel ›››
Fig. 64 using the
controls on the driver seat ›››
page 12. WARNING
Incorrect use of the steering wheel adjust-
ment f u
nction and an incorrect adjustment of
the steering wheel can result in severe or fa-
tal injury.
● After adjusting the steering column, push
the lever firm
ly upwards to ensure the steer-
ing wheel does not accidentally change posi-
tion while driving.
● Never adjust the steering wheel while the
vehicl
e is in motion. If you need to adjust the
steering wheel while the vehicle is in motion,
stop safely and make the proper adjustment.
● The adjusted steering wheel should be fac-
ing y
our chest and not your face so as not to
hinder the driver's front airbag protection in
the event of an accident.
● When driving, always hold the steering
wheel with both h
ands on the outside of the
ring at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions
to reduce injuries when the driver's front air-
bag deploys.
● 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 driver's airbag deploys, you may
sustain injuries to your arms, hands and
head. 48
Safe driving
Danger of injuries due to an incorrect
s ittin
g po
sitionNumber of seats
The v
ehic
le has a total of 4 seats: 2 front
seats and 2 rear seats. Each seat is equipped
with a seat belt.
If the seat belts are worn incorrectly or not at
all, the risk of severe injuries increases. Seat
belts can provide optimal protection only if
the belt web is properly worn. Being seated
in an incorrect position means the seat belt
cannot offer its full protection. This could re-
sult in severe and even fatal injuries. The risk
of severe or fatal injuries is especially height-
ened when a deploying airbag strikes a vehi-
cle occupant who has assumed an incorrect
sitting position. The driver is responsible for
all passengers in the vehicle, particularly
children.
The following list shows just some examples
of incorrect sitting positions which can be
dangerous to all vehicle occupants.
When 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 too far to the
re ar
.
● Never lean against the dash panel. ●
Never lie on the re
ar seats.
● 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
or seat b
ackrest.
● Never travel in a footwell.
● Never travel on a seat without wearing the
seat belt
.
● Never carry any person in the luggage com-
partment
. WARNING
An incorrect sitting position in the vehicle
can l e
ad to severe injuries or death in the
event of sudden braking or manoeuvres, colli-
sion or accidents or if the airbag deploys.
● Before the vehicle moves, assume the prop-
er sitting po
sition and maintain it throughout
the trip. This also includes fastening the seat
belt.
● Never transport more people than there are
seats
with a seat belt available in the vehicle.
● Children must always be protected with an
appro
ved child restraint system suited to
their height and weight ››› page 63,
››› page 58.
● Always keep your feet in the footwell while
the vehic
le is in motion. Never, for example, put your feet on the surface of a seat or on
the da
sh p
anel and never put them out of a
window. Otherwise the airbag and seat belt
offer insufficient protection and the risk of in-
jury in the event of an accident is increased. WARNING
Before every trip, adjust the seat, the seat
belt and the he a
d restraints and instruct your
passengers to fasten their seat belts proper-
ly.
● Move the front passenger seat back as far
as po
ssible.
● Adjust the driver seat so that there is at
lea
st 25 cm distance between your chest and
the hub of the steering wheel. Adjust the
driver seat so that you are able to press the
accelerator, brake and clutch pedals to the
floor with your knees slightly angled and that
the distance between your knees and the
dash panel is at least 10 cm. If your physical
constitution prevents you from meeting these
requirements, contact a specialised work-
shop to make any modifications required.
● Never drive with the seat backrest tilted far
back.
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 position!
● Never drive with the seat backrest tilted
forw
ards. Should a front airbag deploy, it
could throw the seat backrest backwards and
injure the passengers of the rear seats. » 49
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Seat belts
Even at low speeds the forces acting on the
body in a c
o
llision 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. 70.
It is also important for 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. 71. How to properly adjust your
seat belt
F
astening and unfastening seat belt Fig. 72
Positioning and removing the seat
belt b
uc
kle. Fig. 73
Position of seat belt during pregnan-
cy . Properly worn seat belts hold the vehicle oc-
c
up
ants
in the position that most protects
them in the event of an accident or sudden
braking ››› .
F a
s
tening the seat belt
Fasten your seat belt before each trip.
● Correctly adjust the front seat ›››
page 47.
● Engage the seat backrest in the upright po-
sition and corr
ectly adjust the hear restraint
››› .
● Pull the latch plate and place the belt web-
b in
g ev
enly across your chest and lap. Do not
twist the seat belt when doing so ››› .
● Engage the latch plate in the buckle of the
c orr
e
sponding seat ›››
Fig. 72 A. »
55
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
Airbag system
Brief intr
oduction
Intr
oduction Front airbags have been installed for both
driver and p
a
ssenger. The front airbags can
also protect the chest and head of driver and
passenger if the seats, seat belts head re-
straints and, for the driver, the steering
wheel are correctly adjusted and used. Air-
bags are considered as additional safety
equipment. An airbag cannot replace the
seat belt, which must be worn at all times,
even in front seats where front airbags have
been installed.
The airbag can protect vehicle occupants in
the event of an accidents, cushioning the
movement of the occupants in the direction
of the collision in frontal and side accidents.
Deployed airbags fill with a propellant gas.
This causes the airbag covers to break and
the airbags to deploy extremely quickly in
their entire deployment space within frac-
tions of a second. When an occupant with the
seat belt properly fastened puts pressure on
the inflated airbag, the propellant gas es-
capes to absorb the force of the impact and
slow the movement. This reduces the risk of
severe or fatal injuries. Airbag deployment
does not mean that other types of injury such as swelling, bruising and skin injuries can be
rul
ed out
. Upon deployment of the airbag,
friction can cause the generation of heat.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower
part of the body.
The most important factors for triggering the
airbag are the type of accident, the angle of
impact, the vehicle speed and the character-
istics of the object the vehicle hits. Therefore,
airbags are not triggered every time the vehi-
cle is visibly damaged.
The activation of the airbag system depends
on the magnitude of the deceleration of the
vehicle caused by a collision, which registers
through an electronic control unit. If the de-
celeration magnitude value is below the ref-
erence value programmed in the control unit,
the airbags will not deploy even though seri-
ous damage might be caused to the vehicle
as the result of an accident. Damage suffered
by the vehicle, reparation costs or absence of
damage suffered from the accident are not
indications of whether an airbag should have
been deployed. Due to the varying nature of
collision situations, it is impossible to define
a speed range of the vehicle and reference
values. For this reason, it is not possible to
cover all types of collisions and collision an-
gles resulting in the deployment of the air-
bag. Factors necessary for the airbag to be
deployed can be, the characteristics of the
object (hard or soft) against which the vehi- cle collides, the collision angle and the vehi-
cle s
peed.
Airbags act in conjunction with the three-
point seat belts in certain accident situa-
tions, when the vehicle deceleration rate is
severe enough to trigger the airbags. Airbags
only deploy once and only under certain cir-
cumstances. Seat belts remain present to of-
fer protection in situations where airbags are
not triggered or where they have already de-
ployed. For example, when a vehicle hits an-
other after an initial collision or is hit by an-
other vehicle. The airbag system is an integral part of the
car's passive safety system. The airbag sys-
tem can only work effectively when the vehi-
cle occupants are wearing their seat belts
correctly and have adjusted the head re-
straints properly ››› page 47. WARNING
Never exclusively trust the airbag system as a
mean s
of protection.
● Even when triggered, airbag protection is
only aux
iliary.
● The airbags provide the best protection
when the seat belt
s are properly fastened,
thus reducing the risk of sustaining injuries
››› page 51, Why wear a seat belt? .58
Safety
● He a
d r
estraints optimised for rear-end colli-
sion.
● Adjustable steering column.
● If necessary, anchor points for child seats
for the re
ar seats.
● Where applicable, mountings for the child
seat up
per retaining strap.
Situations in which the front and side air-
bags do not deploy:
● If the ignition is switched off during the col-
lision.
● In fr
ontal collisions, when the deceleration
meas
ured by the control unit is too low.
● In minor side collisions.
● In rear collisions.
● In the event of the vehicle overturning.
● When the impact speed is lower than the
refer
ence value set in the control unit.
There is a fault in the system if the control
lamp :
● does not light up when the ignition is
switc
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. WARNING
● The seat belt
s and airbags can only provide
maximum protection if the occupants are
seated correctly ››› page 47.
● If a fault has occurred in the airbag system,
have the sy
stem checked immediately by a
specialised workshop. Otherwise, during a
frontal collision the system might not trigger
correctly or may fail to trigger at all. Airbag activation
The airbags deploy extremely rapidly, within
thou
s
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-
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 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.
In an acc
ident 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;
60
Airbag system
● the f uel
s
upply to the engine is cut.
Airbag safety instructions Front airb
agsRead the additional information carefully
›› ›
page 14. WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in frac-
tions of
a second.
● Always keep the deployment areas of the
front airb
ags vacant.
● Never secure objects to the covers or in the
deployment
area of the airbag modules, e.g.
drink holders or phone supports.
● The deployment space between the front
pas
sengers and the airbags must not in any
case be occupied by other passenger, pets
and objects.
● Never fix any object to the windscreen
above the fr
ont airbag on the front passenger
side.
● Do not alter, cover or stick anything to the
steerin
g wheel hub or the surface of the air-
bag module on the passenger side of the
dash panel. WARNING
Front airbags are deployed in front of the
st eerin
g wheel and the instrument panel.
● When driving, always hold the steering
wheel on the outer edg
e of the ring with both
hands: 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position.
● Adjust the driver seat so that there is a dis-
tance of
at least 25 cm (10 inches) between
the centre of your chest and the hub of the
steering wheel. If your physical constitution
prevents you from meeting these require-
ments, make sure you contact a specialised
workshop.
● Adjust the front passenger seat so there is
as muc
h distance as possible between the
front passenger and the dash panel. Side airbags*
Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 16. WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in frac-
tions of
a second.
● Always keep the deployment areas of the
side airbag
s vacant.
● The deployment space between the front
pas
sengers and the airbags must not in any
case be occupied by other passenger, pets
and objects. ●
Do not mou nt
accessories on the doors.
● Only used protective covers for the seats
that ar
e approved for the vehicle. Otherwise,
the side airbag would be obstructed when de-
ployed. WARNING
Incorrect handling of the driver's and front
p as
senger seat could prevent the side airbag
from deploying properly and cause severe in-
juries.
● Never remove the front seats of the vehicle
or modify an
y of their components.
● Great forces must not be exerted on the
seat b
ackrest bolsters because the side air-
bags might not deploy correctly, might not
deploy at all or might deploy unexpectedly.
● 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. 61
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety