Safe driving
Danger of injuries due to an incorrect
s ittin
g po
sitionNumber of seats
Dependin
g on the equipment,
your vehicle
has a total of five or seven seats. Each seat is
equipped with a seat belt.
5 seats
Seats in the frontSeats in thesecond rowSeats in the third row
23–
7 seats
Seats in the frontSeats in thesecond rowSeats in the third row
232 If the seat belts are worn incorrectly or not at
al
l, the ri
sk
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 incorr
ect sitting positions which can be
dangerous to all vehicle occupants.
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 too 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
or seat b
ackrest.
● Never travel in a footwell.
● Never sit on the armrests.
● 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 ac
c
idents 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 74.
● 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 dash panel 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 a dis-
tance of
at least 25 cm (10 inches) between
the centre of 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 » 59
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Seat belts
Seat belts
Wh y
w
ear a seat belt?
Introduction Check the condition of all the seat belts at
re
gu
lar intervals. If you notice that the belt
webbing, fittings, retractor mechanism or
buckle of any of the belts is damaged, the
belt must be replaced immediately by a spe-
cialised workshop ››› . The specialised
w ork
shop mu
st use the appropriate spare
parts corresponding to the vehicle, the
equipment and the model year. SEAT recom-
mends taking your car in for technical serv-
ice. WARNING
Unbuckled or badly buckled seat belts in-
cr e
ase the risk of severe or even fatal inju-
ries. The seat belt cannot offer its full protec-
tion if it is not fastened and used correctly.
● Seat belts are the most effective way of re-
ducing the ri
sk of sustaining severe or fatal
injuries in the event of an accident. Seat belts
must be correctly fastened when the vehicle
is in motion to protect the driver and all vehi-
cle occupants.
● Before each trip, every occupant in the ve-
hicle oc
cupants must sit properly, correctly
fasten the seat belt belonging to his or her
seat and keep it fastened throughout the trip. This also applies to other vehicle occupants
when drivin
g in t
own.
● When travelling, children must be secured
in the vehic
le with a child restraint system
suitable for their weight and height and with
the seat belts correctly fastened
››› page 74.
● Instruct your passengers to fasten their
seat belt
s properly before driving off.
● Insert the latch plate into the buckle for the
appropri
ate seat and ensure it is engaged.
Using the latch plate in the buckle of another
seat will not protect you properly and may
cause severe injuries.
● Do not allow liquids or foreign bodies to en-
ter the buc
kle fastenings. This could damage
the buckles and seat belts.
● Never unbuckle your seat belt when the ve-
hicle i
s moving.
● Never allow more than one passenger to
share the s
ame seat belt.
● Never hold children or babies on your lap
sharing the s
ame seat belt.
● Loose, bulky clothing (such as a jacket) im-
pairs
the proper fit and function of the seat
belt. WARNING
It is extremely dangerous to drive using dam-
aged se at
belts and could result in serious in-
jury or loss of life. ●
Av oid d
amaging the seat belt by jamming it
in the door or the seat mechanism.
● If the fabric or other parts of the seat belt
are dam
aged, the seat belts could break in
the event of an accident or sudden braking.
● Always have damaged seatbelts replaced
immediately
by seat belts approved for the
vehicle in question by SEAT. Seat belts which
have been worn in an accident and stretched
must be replaced by a specialised workshop.
Renewal may be necessary even if there is no
apparent damage. The belt anchorage should
also be checked.
● Never attempt to repair, modify or remove a
seat belt
yourself. All repairs to seat belts, re-
tractors and buckles must be carried out by a
specialised workshop. 61
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Seat belts
Properly worn seat belts hold the occupants
in the pr oper po
s
ition. They also help prevent
uncontrolled movements that may result in
serious injury and reduce the risk of being
thrown out of the vehicle in case of an acci-
dent.
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 designed 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, r
ollovers 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!
Head-on collisions and the laws of
phys
ics Fig. 85
A driver not wearing a seat belt is
thr own f
orward violently Fig. 86
The unbelted rear passenger is
thro wn f
orward 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
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 »
63
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Airbag system
Airbag safety instructions Fr ont
airb
agsRead the additional information carefully
›› ›
page 17. WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in frac-
tions of
a second.
● Always keep the deployment areas of the
front airb
ags free.
● 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 ›››
Fig. 25 and the dash
panel ›››
Fig. 26. ●
When drivin g, a
lways hold the steering
wheel on the outer edge of the ring with both
hands: 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock position.
● Adjust the driver seat so that there is at
lea
st 25 cm distance between your chest and
the hub of the steering wheel. If your physi-
cal constitution prevents you from meeting
these requirements, 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. Knee airbag*
Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 18. WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in frac-
tions of
a second.
● The knee airbag is deployed in front of the
driver's knee
s. 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 seat so that there is a dis-
tance of
at least 10 cm (4 inches) between
your knees and the location of the knee 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 19. WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in frac-
tions of
a second.
● Always keep the deployment areas of the
side airbag
s free.
● Vehicle occupants of the front and outer
rear se
ats must never carry any other people,
pets or objects in the deployment space be-
tween them and the 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.
● Do not mount 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
pa s
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. » 71
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
●
Gre at
forces must not be exerted on the
seat backrest 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. Curtain airbags*
Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 20. WARNING
The airbag is deployed at high speed in frac-
tions of
a second.
● Always keep the deployment areas of the
head-pr
otection airbags free.
● Do not fix objects to the cover or in the de-
ployment
area of the curtain airbag.
● Vehicle occupants of the front and outer
rear se
ats must never carry any other people,
pets or objects in the deployment space be-
tween them and the 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.
● Do not mount accessories on the doors. ●
Do not fit c
urtains to the windows other
than those expressly approved for use in the
vehicle.
● Only turn the sun blinds towards the win-
dows
if there is no object, e.g. pens or garage
remote controls, secured to the sun blind. Deactivating airbags
Contr o
l lamp Fig. 91
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 disa-
bled.Check whether the airbag should
remain disabled
Several warning and control lamps light up
for 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 ››› .
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 ››› page 78 or remove the
mounted child seat! The front passenger front
airbag may deploy during an accident in spite
of the fault. 72
Safety
Transporting children safely Saf ety
f
or children
Introduction Read the additional information carefully
›› ›
page 21.
Please read the information regarding the air-
bag system fully before transporting babies
and children in a child seat or other child re-
straint system installed on the front passen-
ger seat.
This information is extremely important for
driver and passenger safety, particularly that
of babies and children.
SEAT recommends the use of child seats from
the SEAT accessory programme. These child
seats have been designed and tested for use
in SEAT vehicles. You can purchase child
seats with different mountings from a techni-
cal service centre.
Using child restraint systems with a base or
foot
Some child retention systems are secured to
the seat using a base or support leg. For cer-
tain kinds of equipment the use of an addi-
tional accessory will be necessary (e.g. an ac-
cessory for the footwell) to fit the child reten-
tion system correctly and securely. WARNING
Make sure children are properly belted in and
corr ectly
secured to avoid severe or fatal inju-
ries while the vehicle is in motion.
● If a child seat is secured to the front pas-
senger se
at, 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 72. 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.
● Children up to 12 years old should always
travel
on the rear seat.
● Children must always be protected with an
appro
ved child restraint system suited to
their height and weight. ●
Chil dr
en must assume the proper sitting
position and be properly belted in while trav-
elling.
● Ensure the seat backrest is upright when a
chil
d seat is being used on it.
● Do not allow the child's head or other part
of his
or her body to fall into the deployment
area of the side airbags.
● Make sure the belt webbing is correctly
positioned.
● Nev
er hold children or babies on your lap or
in your arms.
● On
ly one child may occupy a child seat.
● If you are using a child seat with a base or
foot, alw
ays install this base or foot correctly
and safely.
● If the vehicle has a storage compartment in
the footwel
l in front of the last row of seats,
this compartment cannot be used as de-
signed; on the contrary: It must be filled us-
ing the specially designed accessory so that
the base or foot is correctly supported by the
closed compartment and the child seat is se-
cured properly. If this compartment is not
suitably secured when using a child seat with
a base or foot then the compartment cover
could rupture in an accident and the child will
be ejected and suffer serious injury.
● Please read and observe the child seat
manufact
urer's handling instructions.74
Safety
The physical principles and the forces acting
on the v
ehic
le in the event of a collision or
other type of accidents also apply to children
››› page 64. However, unlike adults and
youngsters, children do not have fully devel-
oped muscle and bone structures. In the
event of an accident, children are subject to a
greater risk than adults of sustaining severe
injuries.
Given that children's bodies are not yet fully
developed, child restraint systems must be
used that are especially adapted to their
height, weight and constitution. There are
laws in force in many countries that indicate
the use of approved seat systems for trans-
porting babies and children.
Only used authorised, approved child seats
that are suitable for the vehicle. Always con-
sult with a technical service centre or a speci-
alised workshop should you have any
doubts.
Specific child seat regulations for each coun-
try (selection)
RegulationFurther information
ECE-R 44 a)technical service centre
a)
ECE-R: Economic Comission for Europe Regulation.
Categorisation of child seats according to
ECE-R44
Weight
catego- ryWeight ofthe childInstallation of the child seat
Group 0up to 10 kgRear-facing. On rear seats,
optionally using the ISOFIX system.
Group 0+up to 13 kg
Group 19 to 18 kgForward-facing. On rear
seats, optionally using the ISOFIX system.
Group 215 to 25 kg
Forward-facing. On the outerrear seats or in the centreseat of the second row of
seats and on all seats in the third row. Optionally with ISOFIX system.
Group 322 to 36 kgForward-facing. Not all children fit in the seat of their weight
gr
oup
. Nor do al
l seats adapt to the vehicle.
Therefore, always check whether the child fits
properly in the child seat and whether the
seat can be installed safely in the vehicle.
The rear seats are suitable for child seats
with the ISOFIX system specially designed
for this type of vehicle in accordance with
regulation ECE-R 44. Child seats approved under the ECE-R 44 reg-
ulation ar
e fitted with the corresponding ap-
proval symbol. The sign is an upper-case E in
a circle with the identification number below
it.
Use of the child seat on the front pas-
senger se
at1) Transporting children on the front passenger
seat
i
s not permitted in all countries. Further-
more, not all child seats are approved for use
on the front passenger seat. Your technical
service centre has an updated list of all ap-
proved child seats. Only used child seats that
are approved for each vehicle.
The front airbag on the front passenger side
is highly dangerous for a child. The front pas-
senger seat is life-threatening to a child if he
or she is transported in a rear-facing child
seat.
If a rear-facing child seat is secured to the
front passenger seat, an inflating front airbag
can strike it with such great force that severe
or fatal injuries may result ››› . Therefore,
r e
ar
-facing child seats must never be placed
on the front passenger seat when the front
passenger front airbag is enabled. 1)
Compliance with current national legislation and
the manuf act
urer's instructions is required when us-
ing or installing child seats.
76
Transporting children safely
Only use a rear-facing child seat on the front
p a
s
senger seat if the front passenger front
airbag is disabled. When it is disabled, the
yellow PASSENGER AIR BAG control
lamp on the dash panel will be lit ››› page 72.
If you cannot disable the front passenger
front airbag and it remains activated, it is
forbidden to transport children on the front
passenger seat ››› .
Thin g
s
to note if using a child seat on the
front passenger seat:
● The front passenger front airbag must
be
disabled when using a rear-facing child
seat ››› page 73.
● The seat backrest of the front passenger
seat mu
st be upright.
● The front passenger seat must be moved as
far bac
k as possible.
● The seat backrest of the front passenger
seat mu
st be upright.
● The seat belt height adjustment must be as
high as po
ssible.
Suitable child seats
The child seat must be authorised by the
manufacturer especially for use on a front
passenger seat with a front or side airbag.
If the front passenger seat is equipped with
retaining rings, the child seat can be secured
using an approved retaining system provided
it is approved for this type of vehicle in ac- cordance with current regulations of the
countr
y in question.
Universal seats for children of groups 0, 0+,
1, 2 or 3 according to the standard ECE-R 44
can be mounted on the front passenger seat
and the rear seats. WARNING
If a child seat is mounted on the front passen-
ger se at, the ri
sk of the child sustaining se-
vere or fatal injuries in the event of an acci-
dent increases. Rear-facing child seats must
never be mounted on the front passenger
seat when the front passenger front airbag is
enabled. This is life-threatening to the child
should the front airbag deploy, as the child
seat would be struck by the inflated airbag
and thrown against the seat backrest. WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, a child must
be tran s
ported in a rear-facing child seat on
the front passenger seat, strictly observe the
following:
● Always disable the front passenger front
airbag and le
ave it disabled.
● The child seat must be approved by the
manufact
urer for use on a front passenger
seat with front and side airbag.
● Follow the installation instructions of the
chil
d seat manufacturer and observe the
warnings. ●
Mov e the fr
ont passenger seat as far back
as possible and adjust it to its highest posi-
tion to keep as far away as possible from the
front airbag.
● Move the seat backrest to the upright posi-
tion.
● The seat belt height adjustment must be as
high as po
ssible.
● Children must always be protected with an
appro
ved child restraint system suited to
their height and weight. Use of the child seat on the rear seat
If a child seat is mounted on the rear seat,
a
d
apt
the position of the front passenger
seat so that the child has enough space.
Therefore, adapt the front passenger seat to
the size of the child seat and the height of
the child. Ensure the passenger is in the cor-
rect position ››› page 57.
Move the second and third rows of seats fully
back and lock them. Place the seat backs in a
vertical position and fold the head restraints
down.
ISOFIX child seats approved for rear seats
The rear seats are suitable for child seats
with the ISOFIX system specially designed
for this type of vehicle in accordance with
regulation ECE-R 44. »
77
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety