2016 Seat Leon 5D ESP

Safety
●
Alw a
ys keep your feet in the footwell when
the vehicle is moving; never rest them on the
dash panel, out the window or on the seat. An
incorrect 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
a
s

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 69. –
Alwa
ys keep both feet in the footwell in
front of the rear seat.
– Fasten your seat belt securely ›››
page 71.
– Use an appropriate child restraint system
when you t

ake children in the vehicle
››› page 82. 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.
68

Seat belts
Seat belts
Wh y
w
ear a seat belt?
Number of seats Your vehicle has
five se
ats, two in the front
and three in the rear. Each seat is equipped
with a three-point seat belt.
In some versions, your vehicle is approved
only for four seats. Two front seats and two
rear seats. WARNING
● Never tr an

sport more than the permitted
amount of people in your vehicle.
● Every vehicle occupant must properly fas-
ten and we
ar the seat belt belonging to his or
her seat. Children must be protected with an
appropriate child restraint system. Seat belt lamp* 
Fig. 87
Instrument panel: right rear seat oc-
c upied and c
orr

esponding seat belt fastened
display. 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 (de-
pending on the model version) 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
light will also flash .
The  lamp goes out when the driver and
passenger seat belts are fastened with the ig-
nition switched on.
Rear seat belts fastened display*
Depending on the model version, when the
ignition is switched on, the seat belt status
display ››› Fig. 87 on the instrument panel in-
forms the driver whether the passengers in
the rear seats have fastened their seat belts.
The  symbol indicates that the passenger in
this seat has fastened “his or her” seat belt.
When a seat belt in the rear seats is fastened
or unfastened, the seat belt status is dis-
played for approximately 30 seconds. The in-
dication can be hidden by pressing the 0.0/SET button on the dash panel.
The se at
belt

status flashes for a maximum of
30 seconds when a seat belt in the rear seats
is unfastened while the vehicle is in motion.
An audible warning will also be heard if the
vehicle is travelling at over 25 km/h
(15 mph).
71
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety

Seat belts
●
The slot in the se
at belt buckle must not be
blocked with paper or other objects, as this
can prevent the latch plate from engaging se-
curely.
● Never use seat belt clips, fastening rings or
simil
ar items to alter the position of the belt
webbing.
● Frayed or torn seat belts or damage to the
connections, belt
retractors or parts of the
buckle could cause severe injuries in the
event of an accident. Therefore, you must
check the condition of all seat belts at regular
intervals.
● Seat belts which have been worn in an acci-
dent and str
etched must be replaced by a
specialised workshop. Renewal may be nec-
essary even if there is no apparent damage.
The belt anchorage should also be checked.
● Do not attempt to repair a damaged seat
belt y
ourself. The seat belts must not be re-
moved or modified in any way.
● The belts must be kept clean, otherwise the
retract
ors may not work properly. Head-on collisions and the laws of
ph
y
s

ics Fig. 89
A driver not wearing a seat belt is
thr o
wn f

orward violently Fig. 90
The unbelted passenger in the rear
se at
i

s thrown forward violently, hitting the
driver who is 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
they are, the more energy there is to be “ab-
sorbed” in the event of 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.
Given that the passengers of the vehicle in
our example do not have their seat belts fas-
tened, in the event of a collision the entire
amount of the passengers' kinetic energy will
be only absorbed by the mentioned 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 collision are so great that it is not »
73
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety

Safety
such as the properties of the object the vehi-
c l
e 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
● Knee airbag for the driver.
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 safety instructions Front airb
ags Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›

 page 16. WARNING
● The deplo 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; r
eplace 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. Knee airbag*
Read the additional information carefully
›› ›

 page 17. WARNING
● The knee airbag i s

deployed in front of the
driver's knees. Always keep the deployment
areas of the knee airbags free.
● Never not fix objects to the cover or in the
deployment
area of the knee airbag.
● Adjust the driver's seat so that there is a
dist
ance of at least 10 cm (4 inches) between
your knees and the location of the this air-
bag. If your physical constitution prevents
you from meeting these requirements, make
sure you contact a specialised workshop. Side airbags*
Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›

 page 18. WARNING
● If you do not wear a seat belt, if you lean
for w

ard, 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 sitting78

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 airbags neither the
doors nor the door panels should be modified
in any way (e.g. fitting loudspeakers). If the
front door is damaged, the airbag system
may not work correctly. All work carried out
on the front door must be done in a special-
ised workshop. Deactivating airbags
D e
activ

ation of front airbag Fig. 93
Control lamp for disabling the front
p a
s

senger front airbag on the dash panel 
It lights up on the combi-in-
strument
Fault in airbag
system and seat belt tensioners.Have the system checked immedi-
ately by a specialised workshop.  
It lights up on the dash panel
Fault in the air-
bag system.Have the system checked immedi-
ately by a specialised workshop.
Front passenger
front airbag dis-
abled.Check whether the airbag should re-
main disabled.


It lights up on the dash panel
Front passenger
front airbag ena-
bled.The control lamp switches off about
60 seconds after the ignition is
turned on or after enabling of the
front passenger front airbag with the
key lock switch. Several warning and control lamps light up
f
or a f
ew sec

onds when the ignition is switch-
ed on, signalling that the function is being
verified. They will switch off after a few sec-
onds.
If the front passenger airbag is deactivated,
the lamp      does not re-
main lit, or if it is lit together with the control
lamp  on the dash panel, there may be a
fault in the airbag system ››› .The disabling of airbags is only carried out in
c
er
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 84;
● despite the driver's seat being in the cor-
rect po
sition, a minimum distance of 25 cm
cannot 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 81.
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.
80

Airbag system
If an airbag was disabled using a diagnostics
sy s
t
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. 94. WARNING
In the event of a fault in the airbag system,
the airbag m a

y not trigger correctly, may fail
to trigger or may even trigger unexpectedly,
leading to severe or fatal injuries.
● Have the airbag system checked immedi-
ately b
y a specialised workshop.
● Never mount a child seat in the front pas-
senger se
at or remove the mounted child
seat! The front passenger front airbag may
deploy during an accident in spite of the
fault. CAUTION
Always pay attention to any lit control lamps
and to the c orr

esponding descriptions and in-
structions to avoid damage to the vehicle. 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. 94
Front passenger front airbag switch. Fig. 95
Warning lamp for disabling the front
pa s
senger airbag. Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›

 page 17.
The switch disables only the front passenger
front airbag.
Switching on the 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. 94. About 3/4 of the key should en-
ter, as far as it will go.
– Then turn the key gently to the ON 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. »
81
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety

Safety
– Chec k, w
ith the ignition sw
itched on, that
the control lamp   ››› Fig. 95 does not
light up, with the word    
 in the centre part of the dash panel.
– The warning lamp 
 is illuminated for
60 seconds in the centre part 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 light up 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.
● Always switch off the ignition before disa-
bling the fr
ont passenger airbag! Failure to do
so could result in a fault in the airbag deacti-
vation 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-
ci
a

l 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 73. 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.
82

Transporting children safely
Follow the manufacturer's instructions and
o b
ser
ve any statutory requirements when in-
stalling and using child seats. Always read
and note ››› page 83.
We recommend you always carry the manu-
facturer's Child Seat Instruction Manual to-
gether with the on-board documentation.
Important information regarding the
front p
assenger's airbag Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›

 page 19.
Read and always observe the safety informa-
tion included in the following chapters:
● Safety distance with respect to the passen-
ger airbag ›

›› page 76.
● Objects between the passenger and the
pas
senger side airbag ››› in Front airbags
on p ag
e 78
.
The passenger side front airbag, when ena-
bled, is a serious risk for a child that is facing
backward since the airbag can strike the seat
with such force that it can cause serious or
fatal injuries. Children up to 12 years old
should always travel on the rear seat.
Therefore we strongly recommend you to
transport children on the rear seats. This is
the safest location in the vehicle. Alternative-
ly, the front passenger airbag can be disa- bled with a key-operated switch
›››
page 81.
When transporting children, use a child seat
suitable for the age and size of each child
››› page 84. WARNING
● If a c hi

ld seat is secured to the front pas-
senger seat, the risk to the child of sustain-
ing critical or fatal injuries in the event of an
accident increases.
● An inflating front passenger airbag can
strike the r
ear-facing child seat and project it
with great force against the door, the roof or
the backrest.
● Never install a child seat facing backwards
on the front p
assenger seat unless the front
passenger front airbag has been disabled.
Risk of potentially fatal injuries to the child!
However, if it is necessary, in exceptional ca-
ses, to transport a child in the front passen-
ger seat, the front passenger front airbag
must always be disabled ››› page 80. If the
passenger seat has a height adjustment op-
tion, move it to the highest, most upright po-
sition. If you have a fixed seat, do not install
any child restraint system in this location.
● For those vehicles that do not include a key
lock sw
itch to deactivate the airbag, the vehi-
cle must be taken to a technical service.
● All vehicle occupants, especially children,
must
assume the proper sitting position and
be properly belted in while travelling. ●
Never ho l

d children or babies on your lap,
this can result in potentially fatal injuries to
the child!
● Never allow a child to be transported in a
vehicl
e without being properly secured, or to
stand up or kneel on a seat while travelling.
In an accident, the child could be flung
through the vehicle, causing possibly fatal in-
juries to themselves and to the other vehicle
occupants.
● If children assume an improper sitting posi-
tion when the vehic
le is moving, they expose
themselves to greater risk of injury in the
event of a sudden braking manoeuvre or in an
accident. This is particularly important if the
child is travelling on the front passenger seat
and the airbag system is triggered in an acci-
dent; as this could cause serious injury or
even death.
● A suitable child seat can protect your child!
● Never leave a child alone in the child seat
or inside the
vehicle because depending on
the season, very high temperatures may be
reached inside a parked vehicle, which could
be fatal.
● Children who are less than 1.5 metres tall
must
not wear a normal seat belt without a
child seat, as this could cause injuries to the
abdominal and neck areas during a sudden
braking manoeuvre or in an accident.
● Do not allow the seat belt to become twis-
ted and the seat
belt should be properly in
place ››› page 71.
● Only one child may occupy a child seat
›››

page 84, Child seats. » 83
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety