Seat Altea XL 2015 User Guide

Safe driving
Correct adjustment of front seat head
restraints Fig. 4
Correctly adjusted head restraint as
viewed from the front and the side. Properly adjusted head restraints are an im-
portant part of passenger protection and can
reduce the risk of injuries in most accident
situations.
– Adjust the head restraint so that its upper
edge is, as far as possible, at the same lev-
el as the top of your head, or at the very
least, at eye level ››› Fig. 4 .
Adju s
ting the head restraints ››› page 88
Active head restraints*
Vehicle occupants are pressed into their
seats during a rear-end collision. The result-
ing body pressure on the seat backrest acti-
vates the active head restraint* on the front
seat, which moves rapidly forward and up- ward at the same time. This movement re-
duces the distance between the occupant's
head and the head restraint, thus reducing
the risk of injuries such as whiplash.
WARNING
● Travelling with the head restraints removed
or improperly adjusted increases the risk of
severe injuries. Improper adjustment of the
head restraints may cause death in an acci-
dent and increase the risk of suffering inju-
ries during abrupt breaking actions or unex-
pected manoeuvres.
● The head restraints must always be adjus-
ted according to the height of the passenger. Note
The active head restraints* could also be trig-
gered if a vehicle occupant applies a high lev-
el of pressure to the seat backrest (e.g. by
“falling” back into the seat when entering the
vehicle) or if pressure is applied to a front
seat head restraint from the rear. This acci-
dental activation is, however, not dangerous,
as the active head restraints will return to the
original position immediately and are thus
once again ready. Examples of incorrect sitting
positions
Seat belts can provide optimal protection on-
ly when the belt webs 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 allow anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while travel-
ling ››› .
The following list contains examples of sit-
ting positions that could be dangerous for ve-
hicle occupants. The list is not complete, but
we would like to make you aware of this is-
sue.
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. »
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Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Safety
● 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 compartment. WARNING
● Any incorrect sitting position increases the
risk of severe injuries.
● Sitting in an incorrect position exposes the
vehicle occupants to severe injuries if airbags
are triggered, by striking a vehicle occupant
who has assumed an incorrect sitting posi-
tion.
● Before the vehicle moves, assume the prop-
er sitting position and maintain it throughout
the trip. Before every trip, instruct your pas-
sengers to sit properly and to stay in this po-
sition during the trip ››› page 6, Proper sitting
position for occupants. Correct adjustment of rear seat head
restraints
Fig. 5
Head restraints in the correct position. Fig. 6
Head restraint position warning label. Properly adjusted head restraints are an im-
portant part of passenger protection and can
reduce the risk of injuries in most accident
situations.Rear outer seat head restraints
– The rear outer seat head restraints have 3
positions.
– Two positions for use
›
›› Fig. 5. In these po-
sitions, the head restraints are used nor-
mally, and along with the rear seat belts,
protect passengers in the rear seats.
– And one position for non-use.
– T

o fit the head restraints in position for use,
pull on the edges with both hands in the
direction of the arrow.
Centre rear head restraint
– The centre head restraint only has two posi-
tions, in-use (head restraint up) and non-
u

se (head restraint down). WARNING
● Under no circumstances should the rear
passengers travel while the head restraints
are in the non-use position. See the warning
label located on the rear side fixed window
››› Fig. 6.
● Do not sw

ap the centre rear head restraint
with either of the outer seat rear head re-
straints. Risk of injury in case of an accident! CAUTION
Note the instructions on the adjustment of
the head restraints ››› page 90.10

Seat belts
Pedal area Pedals –
Ensure that you can always press the accel-
erator, brake and clutch pedals unimpaired
to the floor.
– Ensure that the pedals can return unim-
paired to their initial positions.
– Ensure that the floor mats are securely fas-
tened during the trip and do not obstruct
the pedals ››› .
Only use floor mats which leave the pedals
clear and which are secured to prevent them
from slipping. You can obtain suitable floor
mats from a specialised dealership. Fasten-
ers* for floor mats are fitted in the footwells.
If a brake circuit fails, the brake pedal must
be pressed down thoroughly in order to stop
the vehicle.
Wearing suitable shoes
Always wear shoes which support your feet
properly and give you a good feeling for the
pedals. WARNING
● If the pedals are obstructed, an accident
may occur. Risk of serious injuries. ●
Never lay or fit floor mats or other floor cov-
erings over the original floor mats. This
would reduce the pedal area and could ob-
struct the pedals, leading to a risk of acci-
dent.
● Never place objects in the driver footwell.
An object could move into the pedal area and
impair pedal operation. In the event of a sud-
den driving or braking manoeuvre, you will
not be able to operate the brake, clutch or ac-
celerator pedal. Risk of accident! Seat belts
The reason why we should
wear seat belts Number of seats Your vehicle has
five seats, two in the front
and thr ee in the r
ear. 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
r e

ar seats. WARNING
● Never transport more than the permitted
amount of people in your vehicle.
● Every vehicle occupant must properly fas-
ten and wear the seat belt belonging to his or
her seat. Children must be protected with an
appropriate child restraint system. Seat belt warning lamp* 
The control lamp illuminates to remind the
driver to fasten his or her seat belt.
Before starting the vehicle:
– Fasten your seat belt securely.
»
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Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
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Safety
– Instruct your passengers to fasten their
seat belts properly before driving off.
– Protect children by using a child seat ac-
cording to the child's height and weight.
The control lamp  on the instrument panel
lights up 1)
if the driver's seat belt is not fas-
tened when the ignition is switched on.
If, when starting to drive, the speed surpass-
es 25 km/h (15 mph) approx. and no seat
belt is worn or it is unfastened during the
drive, a warning sound will be heard for a few
seconds. The warning light will also flash .
The  lamp goes out when the seat belt is
fastened with the ignition switched on. Seat belt protection Fig. 7
Drivers with properly worn seat belts
will not be thrown forward in the event of sud-
den braking Properly worn seat belts hold the occupants
in the proper position. 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. The front part
of your vehicle and other passive safety fea-
tures (such as the airbag system) are also de-
signed to absorb the kinetic energy released
in a collision. Taken together, all these fea-
tures reduce the releasing kinetic energy and
consequently, the risk of injury. This is why itis so important to fasten seat belts before ev-
ery trip, even when "just driving 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 serious
injury and improving the chances of survival
when involved in an 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!
1)
Depending on the model version
12

Seat belts
Safety instructions on using seat
belts –
Always wear the seat belt as described in
this section.
– Ensure that the seat belts can be fastened
at all times and are not damaged. WARNING
● If the seat belts are worn incorrectly or not
at all, the risk of severe or fatal injuries in-
creases. The optimal protection from seat
belts can be achieved only if you use them
properly.
● Fasten your seat belt before every trip -
even when driving in town. The other vehicle
occupants 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 share 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 is in motion. Risk of fatal injury.
● The seat belt must never be twisted while it
is being worn.
● The seat belt should never lie on hard or
fragile objects (such as glasses or pens, etc.) because this could cause injuries in the case
of an accident.
●
Do not allow the seat belt to be damaged or
jammed, or to rub on any sharp edges.
● Never wear the seat belt under the arm or
in any other incorrect position.
● Loose, bulky clothing (such as an overcoat
over a jacket) impairs the proper fit and func-
tion of the seat belts, reducing their capacity
to protect.
● The slot in the seat 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
similar 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 stretched 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 yourself. The seat belts must not be re-
moved or modified in any way.
● The belts must be kept clean, otherwise the
retractors may not work properly
››› page 157. Head-on collisions and the laws of
physics
Fig. 8
A driver not wearing a seat belt is
thrown forward violently Fig. 9
The unbelted passenger in the rear
seat is thrown forward violently, hitting the
driver wearing a seat belt. It is easy to explain how the laws of physics
work in the case of a head-on collision: When
a vehicle starts moving, a type of energy
»
13Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Safety
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
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 the
body 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
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. 8 .
It i
s also important for the 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. 9. How t
o properly adjust your
seatbelt
Fastening and unfastening your seat
belt Fig. 10
Positioning and removing the seat
belt buckle. 14

Seat belts
Fig. 11
Placing the seat belt in the shoulder
and pelvis area for pregnant women. Fastening the seat belt
The seat belt cannot offer its full protection if
the seat belt is not positioned correctly.
● Adjust the seat and head restraint correctly.
● To fasten the belt, take hold of the latch
plate and pull it slowly across your chest and
lap.
● Insert the latch plate into the buckle for the
appropriate seat and push it down until it is securely locked with an audible click
››› Fig. 10
A.
● Pull the belt to ensure that the latch plate is
securely engaged in the buckle.
The seat belts are equipped with an automat-
ic retractor 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 16.
Seat

belt release
● Press the red button on the belt buckle
››› Fig. 10 B
. The latch plate is released and
springs out ››› .
● Guide the belt back by hand so that it rolls
up easily and the trim is not damaged.
Seat belt position
Seat belts offer their maximum protection on-
ly when they are properly positioned.
The following features are available to adjust
the seat belt in the shoulder region:
● belt height adjustment for the front seats.
● front seat height adjustment*. WARNING
● The seat belts 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 unbuckle 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 injuries in the event of an accident.
● The shoulder part of the seat belt must lie
on the centre of the shoulder, never across
the neck. The seat belt must lie flat and snug-
ly on the torso ››› Fig. 11.
● The l ap p

art of the seat belt must lie across
the pelvis, never across the stomach. The
seat belt must lie flat and snugly on the pel-
vis ››› Fig. 11. Pull the belt tight if necessary
to t

ake up any slack.
● 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.
● Always engage the retractor lock when you
are securing a child seat in group 0, 0+ or 1
››› page 24.
● Re

ad and observe the warnings ››› page 13. 15
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Safety
Adjusting the seat belt height Fig. 12
Location of the belt height adjuster. Seat belt height adjusters can be used to ad-
just the position of the seat belt in the front
seats at the shoulder depending on a per-
son's height.
– Press the upper part of the shoulder belt
guide and hold it in this position ››› Fig. 12 .
– Mo v
e the shoulder belt guide up or down
until you have adjusted the seat belt
››› page 14.
– Aft

er adjusting, pull the shoulder belt
sharply to check that the catch on the
shoulder belt guide is engaged securely. Seat belt tensioners
How the seat belt tensioner works During a frontal collision, the seat belts on
the front seats are retracted automatically.
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. The
tensioners retract and tighten the seat belts,
reducing the forward motion of the occu-
pants.
The seat belt tensioner can be triggered only
once.
The seat belt tensioners will not be triggered
in the event of a light frontal, side or rear col-
lision, if the vehicle overturns or in situations
where no large forces act on the front, side or
rear of the vehicle.
Note
● If the seat 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
observed when the vehicle or components of
the system are scrapped. Specialised work-
shops are familiar with these regulations,
which are also available to you. Service and disposal of belt
tensioners
The belt tensioners are components of the
seat 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 not 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.
WARNING
● Improper use or repairs 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
install parts of the belt tensioners or seat
belts.
● The seat belt tensioner, seat belt and auto-
matic retractor cannot be repaired.
● Any work on the belt tensioners and seat
belts, including the removal and refitting of
system parts in conjunction with other repair 16

Airbag system
work, must be performed by a specialised
workshop only.
●
The belt tensioners will only provide pro-
tection for one accident and must be changed
if they have been activated. Airbag system
Brief introduction Why wear a seat belt and assume the
correct sitting position? For the inflating airbags to achieve the best
protection, the seat 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 wear the seat
belts at all times, not only because this is re-
quired by law in most countries, but also for
your safety
›››
page 11, The reason why we
should wear seat belts .
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 critical 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
● Wearing 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 properly belted can sustain criti-
cal or fatal injuries if the airbag is triggered. » 17Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Safety
Children up to 12 years old should always
travel on the rear seat. Never transport chil-
dren in the vehicle if they are not restrained
or the restraint system is not appropriate for
their age, size or weight.
●
If you are not wearing a seat belt, or if you
lean forward or to the side while travelling or
assume an incorrect sitting position, there is
a substantially increased risk of injury. This
increased risk of injury will be further in-
creased if you are struck by an inflating air-
bag.
● To reduce the risk of injury from an inflating
airbag, always wear the seat belt properly
››› page 11.
● Alw
ays adjust the front seats properly. Description of airbag system
The airbag system mainly comprises (as per
vehicle equipment):
●
an electronic control and monitoring sys-
tem (control unit)
● frontal airbags for driver and passenger,
● side airbags,
● curtain (head) airbags,
● a control lamp  on the dash panel
››› page 19 .
● a k ey

-operated switch for front passenger
airbag, ●
a control lamp for disabling/enabling the
front passenger airbag.
The airbag system operation is monitored
electronically. The airbag control lamp will il-
luminate for a few seconds every time the ig-
nition is switched on (self-diagnosis).
There is a fault in the system if the control
lamp  :
● does

not light up when the ignition is
switched on ››› page 19,
● turn

s off after 4 seconds after the ignition
is switched on
● turns off and then lights up again after the
ignition is switched on
● illuminates or flashes while the vehicle is
moving.
The airbag system is not triggered if:
● the ignition is switched off
● there is a minor frontal collision
● there is a minor side collision
● there is a rear-end collision
● the vehicle turns over. WARNING
● The seat belts and airbags can only provide
maximum protection if the occupants are
seated correctly ››› page 6, Proper sitting po-
sition for occupants. ●
If a fault has occurred in the airbag system,
have the system 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
thousandths 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 cases of an accident, 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. There are some factors that play an
important role, such as the properties of the
object the vehicle hits (hard/soft), angle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc.
The deceleration trajectory is key for airbag
activation.
18