Safe driving
●
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 78. –
Alwa
ys keep both feet in the footwell in
front of the rear seat.
– Fasten your seat belt securely ›››
page 80.
– Use an appropriate child restraint system
when you t
ake children in the vehicle
››› page 91. 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. »
77
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
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 control lamp*
Fig. 89
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.
When starting to drive, if the vehicle's speed
surpasses approx. 25 km/h (15 mph) and the
seat belts are not fastened or are unfastened during the drive, a warning sound will be
heard f
or a few seconds. 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. 89 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).
80
Seat belts
The protective function of seat belts Fig. 90
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. 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, 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!
Important safety instructions for the
use of se
at belts –
Always wear the seat belt as described in
thi s
section.
– En
sure that the seat belts can be fastened
at all
times and are not damaged. WARNING
● If se at
belts are worn incorrectly or not at
all, the risk of severe injuries increases. The
optimal protection from seat belts can be
achieved only if you use them properly.
● Fasten your seat belt before every trip -
even when drivin
g in town. Other vehicle oc-
cupants must also wear the seat belts at all
times, otherwise they run the risk of being in-
jured.
● The seat belt cannot offer its full protection
if the seat
belt is not positioned correctly.
● Never allow two passengers (even children)
to shar
e the same seat belt.
● Always keep both feet in the footwell in
front of
your seat as long as the vehicle is in
motion.
● Never unbuckle a seat belt while the vehi-
cle i
s in motion. Risk of fatal injury.
● The seat belt must never be twisted while it
is bein
g worn.
● The seat belt should never lie on hard or
fragil
e objects (such as glasses or pens, etc.)
because this can cause injuries.
● Do not allow the seat belt to be damaged or
jammed, or to rub on an
y sharp edges.
● Never wear the seat belt under the arm or
in any other inc
orrect position.
● Bulky and unfastened clothing (such as an
over
coat over a sweater) impairs the proper
fit and function of the seat belts, reducing
their capacity to protect. » 81
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
The seat belts are equipped with an automat-
ic r
etr
actor on the shoulder strap. Full free-
dom of movement is permitted when the
shoulder belt is pulled slowly. However, dur-
ing sudden braking, during travel in steep
areas or bends and during acceleration, the
automatic retractor on the shoulder belt is
locked.
The automatic belt retractors on the front
seats are fitted with seat belt tensioners
››› page 84.
Releasing the seat belt ● Press the red button on the belt buckle
›››
Fig. 93 B. The latch plate is released and
springs out ››› .
● Guide the belt back by hand so that it rolls
up e a
s
ily and the trim is not damaged.
Positioning seat belts
Seat belts offer their maximum protection on-
ly when they are properly positioned. WARNING
● The seat belt
s offer best protection only
when the backrests are in an upright position
and the seat belts have been fastened prop-
erly.
● Never put the latch plate in the buckle of
another seat. If
you do this, the seat belt will
not protect you properly and the risk of injury
is increased. ●
Never u nb
uckle a seat belt while the vehi-
cle is in motion. If you do, you increase the
risk of sustaining severe or fatal injuries.
● An incorrectly worn seat belt can cause se-
vere injurie
s in the event of an accident.
● For pregnant women, the lap part of the
seat belt
must lie as low as possible over the
pelvis, never across the stomach, and always
lie flat so that no pressure is exerted on the
abdomen ››› Fig. 94.
● Always engage the retractor lock when you
are securin
g a child seat in group 0, 0+ or 1
››› page 91.
● Read and observe the warnings ›››
page 81. Seat belt tensioners
Ho w the se
at
belt tensioner works Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 21.
The seat belts for the occupants in the front
seats are equipped with belt tensioners. Sen-
sors will trigger the belt tensioners only dur-
ing severe head-on, lateral and rear-end colli-
sions and only if the seat belt is worn. This
retracts and tightens the seat belts, reducing
the forward motion of the occupants.
The belt tensioners will not be triggered in
the event of minor collisions, if the vehicle overturns, or in accidents where no major
forc
es act on the vehicle. Note
● If the se at
belt tensioners are triggered, a
fine dust is produced. This is normal and it is
not an indication of fire in the vehicle.
● The relevant safety requirements must be
obser
ved when the vehicle or components of
the system are scrapped. Specialised work-
shops are familiar with these regulations,
which are also available to you. Maintenance and disposal of belt ten-
s
ioner
s The belt tensioners are components of the
se
at
belts
that are installed in the seats of
your vehicle. If you work on the belt tension-
ers or remove and install parts of the system
when performing other repair work, the seat
belt may be damaged. The consequence may
be that, in the event of an accident, the belt
tensioners function incorrectly or may not
function at all.
So that the effectiveness of the seat belt ten-
sioner is not reduced and that removed parts
do not cause any injuries or environmental
pollution, regulations, which are known to
the specialised workshops, must be ob-
served.
84
Airbag system
WARNING
● Improper u se or r
epairs not carried out by
qualified mechanics increase the risk of se-
vere or fatal injuries. The belt tensioners may
fail to trigger or may trigger in the wrong cir-
cumstances.
● Never attempt to repair, adjust, remove or
inst
all parts of the belt tensioners or seat
belts.
● The seat belt tensioner, seat belt and auto-
matic r
etractor cannot be repaired.
● Any work on the belt tensioners and seat
belts, includin
g the removal and refitting of
system parts in conjunction with other repair
work, must be performed by a specialised
workshop only.
● The belt tensioners will only provide pro-
tection for one ac
cident and must be changed
if they have been activated. Airbag system
Brief intr
oduction
Wh
y is it so important to wear a seat
belt and to sit correctly? For the inflating airbags to achieve the best
prot
ection, the se
at belt must always be worn
properly and the correct sitting position must
be assumed.
The airbag system is not a substitute for seat
belts, but it is an integral part of the vehicle's
overall passive safety system. Please bear in
mind that the airbag system can only work ef-
fectively when the vehicle occupants are
wearing their seat belts correctly and have
adjusted the head restraints properly. There-
fore, it is most important to properly wear the
seat belts at all times, not only because this
is required by law in most countries, but also
for your safety ›››
page 80, Why wear a seat
belt.
The airbag inflates in a matter of seconds, so
if you are not properly seated when the air-
bag is triggered, you may sustain fatal inju-
ries. Therefore, it is essential that all vehicle
occupants assume a correct sitting position
while travelling.
Sharp braking before an accident may cause
a passenger not wearing a seat belt to be
thrown forward into the area of the deploying 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 » 85
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
position must always be maintained with
seat
belt
s fastened while travelling.
● 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 loudspeakers or other equip-
ment are fitted inside the door panels.
● 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
offered by 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 cir c
umstances should protective
covers 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. Head-protection airbags*
Read the additional information carefully
› ›
›
page 24. WARNING
● In order f or the he
ad-protection airbags to
provide their maximum protection, the pre- scribed sitting position must always be main-
tained w
ith se
at belts fastened while travel-
ling.
● For safety reasons, the curtain airbag must
be disab
led in those vehicles fitted with a
screen dividing the interior of the vehicle.
See your technical service to make this ad-
justment.
● There must be no other persons, animals or
obj
ects between the occupants of the outer
seats and the deployment space of the head-
protection airbags so that the head-protec-
tion airbag can deploy completely without re-
striction and provide the greatest possible
protection. Therefore, sun blinds which have
not been expressly approved for use in your
vehicle may not be attached to the side win-
dows
● The built-in coat hooks should be used only
for lightweight
clothing. Do not leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets.
Please, do not hang the clothes on coat hang-
ers.
● The airbags provide protection for just one
accident; r
eplace them once they have de-
ployed.
● Any work on the head-protection airbag
syst
em or removal and installation of the air-
bag components for other repairs (such as re-
moval of the roof lining) should only be per-
formed by a specialised workshop. Other-
wise, faults may occur during the airbag sys-
tem operation.
● Do not attempt to modify components of
the airbag sys
tem in any way.88
Airbag system
●
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
A ctiv
ation and de
activation of front
passenger airbag* Fig. 95
Switch for activating and deactivating
the fr ont
p
assenger airbag. Fig. 96
Dash panel: control lamp for deactiva-
ted fr ont
passenger airbag in centre console. Deactivate the front passenger front airbag
on
ly
if
you have to use a rear-facing child
seat in the front passenger seat.
SEAT recommends fitting the child seat in the
rear seat to avoid having to deactivate the
front passenger airbag.
Front passenger front airbag switch
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.
Disconnect 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. 95. About 3/4 of the k
ey should enter;
this is as far as it will go.
● Turn the key gently to the position. If
y
ou have difficulty, ensure that you have in-
serted the key as far as it will go.
● Check, with the ignition switched on, that
the contro
l lamp remains lit where it
says in the centre of the
dash panel ››› Fig. 96.
Connect 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. 95. About 3/4 of the key should enter,
as far as it will go.
● Turn the key gently to the position. If
you
have difficulty, ensure that you have inserted
the key as far as it will go.
● Check, with the ignition switched on, that
the contro
l lamp does not remain lit
where it says in the cen-
tre of the dash panel ››› Fig. 96. The con-
trol lamp lights up for 60 seconds and then
goes off. WARNING
● The driver of the
vehicle is responsible for
disabling or switching on the airbag. » 89
Technical data
Advice
Operation
Emergencies
Safety
Safety
●
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 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 for any reason an airbag is deactivated,
reactiv
ate it as soon as possible so that it can
fulfil its protective function. Airbag system control lamps
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
Front passenger
front airbag disa-
bled.Check whether the airbag should
remain disabled
It lights up on the dash panel
Front passenger
front airbag ena-
bled.The control lamp switches off auto-
matically 60 seconds after the igni-
tion is switched on
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 airbag and seat belt tensioner system
control lamp remains on or flashes, it indi-
cates a malfunction in the airbag and seat
belt tensioner system ››› . Have the system
c hec
k
ed immediately by a specialised work-
shop.
If the front passenger airbag is deactivated,
the warning lamp re-
mains lit on the dash panel to remind you
that the airbag is deactivated. If, with the
front passenger airbag deactivated, this lamp
does not remain lit or if it is lit together with
the control lamp on the dash panel, there
is a fault in the airbag system ››› . If the
c ontr
o
l lamp is flashing, there is a fault in the
disabling of the airbag system ››› . Have the
sy s
t
em checked immediately by a specialised
workshop. WARNING
In the event of a fault in the airbag and seat
belt t en
sioner system, the airbags and seat
belts may not trigger correctly, may fail to
trigger or may even trigger unexpectedly.
● The vehicle occupants run the risk of sus-
taining sev
ere or fatal injuries. Have the sys-
tem checked immediately by a specialised
workshop.
● Do not mount a child seat in the front pas-
senger se
at or remove the mounted child seat! The front passenger front airbag may
deplo
y
during an accident in spite of the
fault. CAUTION
Always pay attention to any lit control lamps
and t o the c orr
esponding descriptions and in-
structions to avoid damage to the vehicle or
harm to the occupants. 90