The essentials
● Grip the end of the bo
x
spanner and turn
the wheel bolt about one turn anti-clockwise
››› Fig. 62.
Tightening wheel bolts ● Insert the box spanner onto the wheel bolt
as f
ar as it will go 1)
.
● Grip the box spanner as close to the end as
poss
ible and tighten the bolt firmly by turn-
ing clockwise. WARNING
The wheel bolts should only be loosened
slightly (about
one turn) before raising the
vehicle with the jack. Risk of accident! Lifting the vehicle
Fig. 63
Changing a wheel: jack position
points. Fig. 64
Fitting the jack. To place the jack, locate the jacking point un-
der the door s
i
l
l closest to the wheel to be
changed ››› Fig. 63. The jacking point is un-
derneath the stamp on the door sill.
● Raise the jack, turning the crank handle to
wind it up u
nder the jacking point until its
claw is directly below the jacking point of the
door sill. 1)
The corresponding adapter is required to unscrew
or tighten the anti-thef t
wheel bolts ››› page 47. 48
The essentials
Notes for the driver of the towing vehicle
● The tow rope must be taut before you drive
off .
● Rel
ease the clutch very carefully when start-
ing the v
ehicle (manual gearbox), or acceler-
ate gently (automatic gearbox).
Driving style
Towing 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.
The towline anchorages are located under
the floor panel in the luggage compartment.
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 sw
itched 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.
››› page 78 Tow-starting
If the engine will not start, first try starting it
u
s
in
g the battery of another vehicle
››› page 51. You should only attempt to tow-
start a vehicle if charging the battery does
not work. This is done by leveraging wheel
movement.
When tow-starting a vehicle with a petrol en-
gine, do not tow it more than a short dis-
tance, otherwise unburned fuel can enter the
catalytic converter.
● Engage 2nd or 3rd gear before moving off.
● Press the clutch and hold the pedal down.
● Switch the ignition on.
● Once both vehicles are moving, release the
clutc
h.
● As soon as the engine has started, press
the clutc
h and move the gear lever to neutral. How to jump start
Jump lea
ds The jump lead must have a sufficient wire
cr
o
ss section.
If the engine fails to start because of a dis-
charged battery, the battery can be connec-
ted to the battery of another vehicle to start
the engine.
Both batteries need to have nominal voltage
of 12 V. The capacity (Ah) of the back-up bat-
tery should not be notably less than the
drained battery.
Jump leads must comply with standard DIN
72553 (see cable manufacturer's instruc-
tions). The wire cross section must be at least
25 mm 2
for petrol engines and at least
35 mm 2
for diesel engines.
Jump leads
Positive cable – usually red
Negative cable – usually black WARNING
● A flat b
attery can also freeze at tempera-
tures slightly below to 0°C (32°F). Do not at-
tempt to start the vehicle with a frozen bat-
tery. Risk of explosion! » 51
Safe driving
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 starting every trip 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.
– Make sure all luggage is secured
›››
page 141.
– 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 passengers in the rear
seats alw
ays have the head restraints in
the in-use position ››› page 59.
– 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 56.
– Fasten your seat belt securely. Instruct your
pas
sengers also to fasten their seat belts
properly. ›››
page 61. Factors influencing 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 »
55
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
dash panel, out the window or on the seat. An
incorr
ect
sitting position exposes you to an
increased risk of injury in case of a sudden
braking or an accident. If the airbag is trig-
gered, you could sustain severe injuries due
to an incorrect sitting position.
● To reduce the risk of injury to the front pas-
senger in ev
ents such as sudden braking ma-
noeuvres or an accident, never travel with the
backrest tilted far back! The airbag system
and seat belts can only provide optimal pro-
tection when the backrest is in an upright po-
sition and the front passenger is wearing his
or her seat belt properly. 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 po-
sition!
● Adjust the head restraint correctly in order
to achiev
e maximum protection. Correct sitting position for rear seat
p
as
sengers To reduce the risk of injury in the event of a
s
ud
den br
aking manoeuvre or an accident,
passengers on the rear seat bench must con-
sider the following:
– Sit up straight.
– Adjust the head restraint to the correct po-
sition ››
› page 59. –
Alwa
ys keep both feet in the footwell in
front of the rear seat.
– Fasten your seat belt securely ›››
page 61.
– Use an appropriate child restraint system
when you t
ake children in the vehicle
››› page 72. WARNING
● If the p a
ssengers in the rear seats are not
sitting properly, they could sustain severe in-
juries.
● Adjust the head restraint correctly in order
to achiev
e maximum protection.
● Seat belts can only provide optimal protec-
tion when seat b
ackrests are in an upright
position and the vehicle occupants are wear-
ing their seat belts correctly. If passengers In
the rear seats are not sitting in an upright po-
sition, the risk of injury due to incorrect posi-
tioning of the seat belt increases. Examples of incorrect sitting posi-
tion
s Seat belts can provide optimal protection on-
ly
when the belt
w
ebs are properly posi-
tioned. Incorrect sitting positions substan-
tially reduce the protective function of seat
belts and increase the risk of injury due to in-
correct seat belt position. As the driver, you
are responsible for all passengers, especially
children. –
Never allo
w anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while travel-
ling ››› .
The f o
l
lowing list contains examples of sit-
ting positions that could be dangerous for all
vehicle occupants. The list is not complete,
but we would like to make you aware of this
issue.
Therefore, whenever 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 far to the rear.
● Never lean against the dash panel.
● Never lie on the rear bench.
● 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.
● Do not allow anyone to travel in the foot-
well
.
● Never travel without wearing the seat belt.
● Do not allow anyone to travel in the lug-
gage c
ompartment.
58
Seat belts
Physical principles of a frontal colli-
s ion Fig. 76
A driver not wearing a seat belt is
thr o
wn f
orward violently Fig. 77
The unbelted passenger in the rear
se at
i
s thrown forward violently, hitting the
driver wearing a seat belt It is easy to explain how the laws of physics
w
ork
in the c
ase of a head-on collision: when
a vehicle starts moving, a type of energy called “kinetic energy” is created both in the
pas
sengers 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 bod-
ies 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 co
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. 76.
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. 77.
63
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 and seat belt tensioner control
lamp 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. Each time the ignition is switched on,
the control lamp illuminates for several
seconds (self-diagnosis) and the instrument
panel display* shows AIRBAG/TENSIONER.
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 stays on continuously. In addition, de-
pending on the malfunction, a fault message
appears on the instrument panel display for
approximately 10 seconds and a short audi-
ble warning is given. In this event, you
68
Airbag system
Deactivating airbags D e
activ
ation of the front airbagThe disabling of airbags is only carried out in
cer
t
ain 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 74;
● despite the driver seat being in the correct
pos ition, a minimum di
stance 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 steerin
g 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 71.
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
syst
em:
● the airbag system warning lamp illumi-
n
ates 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 wil
l illuminate
for about 4 seconds after the ignition is
switched on,
● the airbag is disabled, signalled with the
warning l
amp which lights up with the
word placed in the cen-
tre part of the dash panel ››› Fig. 81 3 .
Note
● Fo l
low the current legislation in your coun-
try regarding the disabling of airbags.
● At your authorised SEAT dealer you can find
information on whic
h vehicle airbags can be
disabled. Front passenger front airbag switch
Fig. 81
Front passenger front airbag
sw it
c
h/warning lamp for disabling the front
passenger airbag. Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 14.
The switch disables only the front passenger
front airbag.
Switching on the airbag
– Switch the ignition off. »
71
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
– Open the p a
s
senger side storage compart-
ment.
– Insert the key into the slot of the switch for
deactivatin
g the front passenger airbag
››› Fig. 81. 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.
– Close the passenger side storage compart-
ment.
– Check, w
ith the ignition switched on, that
the contro
l lamp does not illuminate,
with the words in the
centre of the dash panel.
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 ››› .
Pl e
a
se go immediately to an Official Service. WARNING
● The driver of the
vehicle is responsible for
disabling or switching on the airbag. ●
Alw a
ys 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
switc
h as it could get damaged or enable or
disable the airbag during driving.
● If the (airbag dis
abled) control lamp
flashes, 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 safely
Saf ety
f
or children
Introduction For safety reasons, as we have learned from
acc
ident
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 63. But unlike adults, children do not
have 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.
72