technical specifications Seat Altea XL 2015 Owner's Guide

Opening and closing
Opening and closing Central locking Basic functions The central locking system enables you to
lock and unlock all doors and the rear lid by
just pushing the button.
Description
Central locking can be activated by using any
of the following options:
● the key , by inserting it into the driver door
cylinder and r ot
ating it manually,
● the central lock button in the vehicle interi-
or ›››
page 65
.
● the radio frequency remote control , using
the buttons on the key ›››
page 67.
Various functions are available to improve
the vehicle safety: “Safe” locking system
Selective unlocking system*
Automatic speed-dependent locking and
unlocking system*
Self-locking system to prevent involunta-
ry unlocking
Emergency unlocking system
–
–
–
–
– Unlocking the vehicle*
Press button 
››› Fig. 50 on remote
c ontr

ol to unlock all the doors and rear
lid.
Locking the vehicle* Press button 
››› Fig. 50 on the remote
c ontr

ol to lock all doors and the rear lid
or turn the key in the door to lock all
doors and the rear lid. WARNING
● Never leave children or disabled persons in
the vehicle. In case of emergency, they may
not be able to leave the vehicle or manage on
their own.
● Never allow children to play in or around
the vehicle. A locked vehicle can be subjected
to extremely high and low temperatures, de-
pending on the time of year, thus causing se-
rious injuries/illness. It could even have fatal
consequences. Close and lock both the rear
lid and all the other doors when you are not
using the vehicle.
● Always take you car keys with you when
you leave the vehicle. Misuse of the keys, for
example, by children, may result in serious
damage and accident.
– The engine may accidentally be started
and be out of control.
– If the ignition is switched on, the electric
equipment could be activated with risk of –
– injury, for example, in the electric win-
dows.
– The doors can be locked using the remote
control key. This could become an obsta-
cle for assistance in an emergency situa-
tion.
– Always take the key with you when you
leave the vehicle.
● Never remove the key from the ignition if
the vehicle is in motion. The steering lock
could suddenly engage, and you would not be
able to steer the vehicle. Note
● While the driver door is open, the vehicle
cannot be locked with the remote control.
This avoids the user from forgetting his key
inside the vehicle.
● If the driver door is unlocked with the key
shaft, only the driver door is unlocked, the
rest of the doors remain locked. When the ig-
nition is switched on, the door “deadlock”
function is deactivated (although the doors
remain locked) and the central lock button is
activated. See ››› page 68.
● If the c

entral locking or anti-theft alarm are
faulty, the driver door control lamp remains
lit for approx. 30 seconds after the vehicle
locks.
● For anti-theft security, only the driver door
is fitted with a lock cylinder. 63
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Opening and closing
Automatic locking system for
involuntary unlocking* It is an anti-theft system and prevents the un-
intentional unlocking of the vehicle.
If the vehicle is unlocked and none of the
doors (including the boot) are opened within
30 seconds, it re-locks automatically. This
function prevents the vehicle from remaining
unlocked if the unlock button is pressed by
mistake.
Emergency unlocking system If the airbags are triggered during an acci-
dent, the vehicle is unlocked, except for the
luggage compartment. It is possible to lock
the vehicle from inside with the central lock-
ing, after turning the ignition off and back on
again.
If the doors must be locked from the outside,
see “Emergency locking of the doors”.
Unlocking and locking - Manual
personalisation Activating selective unlocking
With the driver door open, turn the key to un-
lock for approx. 3 seconds. Deactivating selective unlocking
With the driver door open, turn the key to
lock for approx. 3 seconds.
The turn signal lamps flash to confirm activa-
tion or deactivation.
Activation of automatic locking
Press the lock button
 on the central lock-
ing button for 3 seconds.
Deactivation of automatic locking
Press the unlock button  on the central
locking button for 3 seconds.
The lock button lamp flashes to confirm acti-
vation or deactivation.
Central lock button Fig. 47
Detailed view of the centre console:
central locking button. The central lock button allows you to lock and
unlock the vehicle from the inside.
Locking the vehicle
– Press the button 
››› .
Unlocking the doors
– Press button  .
The central lock button also works with the
ignition switched off, except when the “safe”
system is activated.
Please note the following if you lock your ve-
hicle with the central lock button: ● Locking the doors and rear lid prevents ac-
cess from the outside (for safety reasons, e.g.
when s t
opped at a traffic light).
● The driver door and/or front passenger
door cannot be locked if any of the vehicle
doors (except the boot) are open. This avoids
the user from forgetting his key inside the ve-
hicle.
● Repeated operation of the central locking
will deactivate the central lock button for 30
seconds. Once this time has passed, the but-
ton if operative again.
● There is a danger of leaving the key inside
the vehicle if the vehicle is locked by the cen-
tral locking button when the driver door is
closed and any of the rear doors open. On
closing any of the rear doors, the vehicle
locks and the keys remain inside it. »
65
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Opening and closing
The set of keys belonging to your vehicle con-
sists of the following items:
● one remote control key ››› Fig. 49 A with
folding key bit,
● one key without remote control B ,
● a plastic key tab* C .
Duplicate keys
If you need a replacement key, go to a Techni-
cal Service with your vehicle identification
number. WARNING
● An incorrect use of the keys can cause seri-
ous injuries.
● Never leave children or disabled persons in
the vehicle. In case of emergency, they may
not be able to leave the vehicle or manage on
their own.
● An uncontrolled use of the key could start
the engine or activate any electric equipment
(e.g. electric windows), causing risk of acci-
dent. The doors can be locked using the re-
mote control key. This could become an ob-
stacle for assistance in an emergency situa-
tion.
● Never forget the keys inside the vehicle. An
unauthorised use of your vehicle could result
in injury, damage or theft. Always take the
key with you when you leave the vehicle.
● Never remove the key from the ignition if
the vehicle is in motion. Otherwise, the steer- ing could suddenly block and it would be im-
possible to steer the vehicle.
CAUTION
There are electronic components in the re-
mote control key. Avoid wetting and hitting
the keys. Radio frequency remote control
Locking and unlocking the vehicle Fig. 50
Assignment of buttons on the remote
control key. Fig. 51
Range of the radio frequency remote
control. The radio frequency remote control key is
used to lock and unlock the vehicle from a
distance.
By using button
4
››› Fig. 50 on the control,
the k ey
shaft is released.
Unlocking the vehicle 
››› Fig. 50 1 .
Locking the vehicle 
››› Fig. 50 2 .
Unlocking the rear lid. Press button  ›››
Fig. 50 3 until all the turn signals on the
vehicle flash briefly. When the unlocking but-
ton 
3 is pressed, you have 2 minutes to
open the door. Once this time has passed, it
will lock again.
Moreover, the battery indicator on the key
››› Fig. 50 (arrow), will flash.
The r emot

e control transmitter and the bat-
teries are integrated in the key. The receiver »
67
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Opening and closing
● The turn signal light will flash once on clos-
ing and activating the alarm.
When does the system trigger an alarm?
The system triggers an alarm if the following
unauthorised actions are carried out when
the vehicle is locked:
● Opening the vehicle mechanically using
the key and with the ignition off.
● A door is opened.
● Opening the bonnet.
● The rear lid is opened.
● Ignition switched on with a non-validated
key.
● Movements in the driving compartment
(vehicles with interior monitoring).
● Undue manipulation of the alarm.
● Battery handling.
The acoustic signals sound and the turn sig-
nals flash for approx. 30 seconds. This cycle
may be repeated up to 10 times depending
on the country.
Opening the doors mechanically (emergency
opening)
If the radio frequency remote control function
fails, you will have to use the key to unlock
the vehicle. This is done as follows: ●
Use the lock on the driver door to unlock
the vehicle. The anti-theft alarm system re-
mains active, but an alarm is not triggered
immediately.
● Switch on the ignition within 15 seconds.
When the ignition is switched on, the elec-
tronic immobiliser recognises a valid vehicle
key and deactivates the anti-theft alarm sys-
tem. If you do not switch on the ignition with-
in 15 seconds, the alarm is triggered (in cer-
tain markets, such as the Netherlands, there
is no 15-second waiting time and the alarm
is activated immediately after opening the
door).
Opening all the doors in manual mode
In vehicles without an alarm, when opening
the driver door manually, all doors are
opened.
How to switch the alarm off
When the vehicle is unlocked via the unlock-
ing button of the radio frequency remote con-
trol or when the key is inserted in the ignition
lock. Note
● After 28 days, the indicator light will be
switched off to prevent the battery from
draining if the vehicle has been left parked
for a long period of time. The alarm system
remains activated. ●
If, after the audible warning turns off, an-
other monitored area is accessed (e.g. the
boot hatch is opened after a door has been
opened), the alarm is triggered again.
● The anti-theft alarm is not activated when
the vehicle is locked from within using the
central locking button  .
● If the vehicle battery is run down or flat
then the anti-theft alarm will not operate cor-
rectly.
● Vehicle monitoring remains active even if
the battery is disconnected or not working for
any reason.
● The alarm is triggered immediately if one of
the battery cables is disconnected while the
alarm system is active. Interior monitoring*
This is a monitoring or control function incor-
porated in the anti-theft alarm* which de-
tects unauthorized vehicle entry by means of
ultrasound.
The system consists of 3 sensors, 2 emitters
and a receptor.
Activation
– It is automatically turned on with the anti-
theft alarm, when the vehicle is locked me-
chanically with the key and when the but-
ton  on the remote control is used.
»
69Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Opening and closing
Boot hatch Unlocking and locking Fig. 53
Rear lid: opening from the outside. Fig. 54
Close-up of the inside trim of the rear
lid: hand grip The rear lid opening system operates electri-
cally. It is activated by using the handle on
the rear boot lid. Opening the rear lid
– Pull on the release lever and lift the rear lid
››› Fig. 53 . The rear lid will automatically
open.
C lo
sing the rear lid
– Hold the rear lid by one of the two handles
on the interior lining and close it, pushing
slightly.
This system may or may not be operative, de-
pending on the situation of the vehicle.
If the rear lid is locked then it cannot be
opened, however if it is unlocked then the
opening system is operative and the rear lid
may be opened.
To lock/unlock, press the button  or the
button 1 on the remote control key.
A warning appears on the instrument panel
display if the rear lid is open or not properly
closed.* An audible warning is also given if it
is opened while the vehicle is moving faster
than 6 km/h (4 mph)*. WARNING
● Always close the rear lid properly. Risk of
accident or injury.
● Do not close the rear lid by pushing it down
with your hand on the rear window. The glass
could smash. Risk of injury! ●
Ensure the rear lid is locked after closing it.
If not, it may open unexpectedly while driv-
ing.
● Never allow children to play in or around
the vehicle. A locked vehicle can be subjected
to extremely high and low temperatures, de-
pending on the time of year, thus causing se-
rious injuries/illness. It could even have fatal
consequences. Close and lock both the rear
lid and all the other doors when you are not
using the vehicle.
● Closing the rear lid without observing and
ensuring it is clear could cause serious injury
to you and to third parties. Make sure that no
one is in the path of the rear lid.
● Never drive with the rear lid open or half-
closed, exhaust gases may penetrate into the
interior of the vehicle. Danger of poisoning!
● If you only open the rear lid, do not leave
the key inside. The vehicle cannot be opened
if the key is left inside. 71
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Opening and closing
One-touch closing
– Pull up the window button briefly up to the
second position. The window closes fully.
One-touch opening
– Push down the window button briefly up to
the second position. The window opens
fully.
Restoring one-touch opening and closing
– Close all windows.
– Use the key to lock the vehicle from outside
and hold the key in the lock position for at
least one second. The one-touch function is
now ready for operation.
The buttons ››› Fig. 55 1 and
2 have two
levels for opening the window and two for
closing it. This makes it easier to open and
close windows to the desired position.
One-touch closing does not work when the
ignition has been switched off, even if the
key is in the ignition.
The automatic open and close function will
not work if the battery has been temporarily
disconnected, or if the battery is flat. The
function then has to be reactivated.
The one-touch function and roll-back function
will not work if there is a malfunction in the
electric windows. Contact a specialised work-
shop. Roll-back function The roll-back function reduces the risk of in-
jury when the electric windows close.
● If a window is obstructed when closing au-
tomatically, the window stops at this point
and lowers immediately ››› .
● If this happens, check immediately (within
10 seconds) why the window could not be
closed before attempting to close it again. Af-
ter 10 seconds the normal automatic func-
tion resumes.
● If the window is still obstructed, the win-
dow will stop at this point.
● If there is no obvious reason why the win-
dow cannot be closed, try to close it again
within 5 seconds.
If you wait longer than 10 seconds, the win-
dow will open again fully when you operate
one of the buttons. One-touch closing is reac-
tivated.
The one-touch function and roll-back function
will not work if there is a malfunction in the
electric windows. Contact a specialised work-
shop. WARNING
● Incorrect use of the electric windows can
result in injury.
● Always take the ignition key with you when
leaving the vehicle, even if you only intend to be gone for a short time. Please ensure that
children are never left alone inside the vehi-
cle.
●
The electric windows will work until the key
has been removed from the ignition and one
of the front doors has been opened.
● Never close the rear lid without observing
and ensuring it is clear, to do otherwise could
cause serious injury to you and third parties.
Make sure that no one is in the path of a win-
dow.
● Never allow people to remain in the vehicle
when you close the vehicle from the outside.
The windows cannot be opened even in an
emergency. Note
The roll-back function is deactivated if the
windows are closed from the outside of the
vehicle using the ignition key for convenience
closing ››› page 73. Convenience opening and closing*
Using the door lock
– Hold the key in the door lock of the driver
door in either the locking or the unlocking
position until all windows are either
opened or closed.
– Release the key to interrupt this function.
»
73Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Lights and visibility
Using the remote control
– Push the lock button on the remote control
for approximately 3 seconds. The slid-
ing/tilting sunroof is closed.
– Release the unlock button to interrupt the
function.
– When the sliding/tilting sunroof has closed
completely, the turn signals flash once. Note
The sliding/tilting sunroof rotary knob re-
mains in the last position selected if the roof
is closed using convenience closing from out-
side the vehicle and will have to be re-posi-
tioned the next time you drive. Roll-back function of the
sliding/tilting sunroof*
Fig. 57
Roof lining description: sliding/tilting
sunroof rotary knob. The sliding/tilting sunroof has a
roll-back
function which prevents larger objects get-
tin g tr
apped when the roof is closed. The roll-
back function does not prevent fingers get-
ting pinched against the roof opening. The
sliding/tilting sunroof stops and opens again
immediately if it is obstructed when closing.
If the sliding/tilting sunroof has been
opened again by the roll-back function, it can
be closed only by pressing the rotary button
at the front in position A
››› Fig. 57 until the
s lidin

g/tilting sunroof has closed fully.
Please note that the sunroof will now close
without the roll-back function. Lights and visibility
Lights Switching lights on and off Fig. 58
Detailed view of the dash panel:
lights, front fog lights and rear fog light
switch. Switching on the side lights
– Turn the light switch ››› Fig. 58 to position
.
Sw it

ching on dipped beam headlights
– Turn the light switch to position .
Switching off the lights – Turn the light switch to position 0.
»
75
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Lights and visibility
When the automatic dipped beam headlight
control is on but the dipped beam headlights
are off, the warning lamp  lights up on
the light control ››› Fig. 59. If the automatic
control switches on the dipped lights, the in-
strument and control lighting is also switch-
ed on. WARNING
● Even if the automatic headlight control is
switched on, the dipped beam headlights will
not be switched on with fog. Therefore, the
dipped beam must be switched on manually. Note
● For those vehicles with the automatic head-
light system, when the key is removed from
the ignition, the audible warning will only
sound if the light control is in the position 
or  if the vehicle is not fitted with the com-
in g home f
unction.
● If the daylight driving automatic light func-
tion is switched on, the front fog lights or
rear fog light cannot be switched on in addi-
tion.
● The use of the lighting described here is
subject to the relevant statutory require-
ments.
● Do not put stickers on the windscreen in
front of the sensor. This may cause disrup-
tions or faults in the automatic lighting sys-
tem. ●
To avoid damage to the tail lights, the
lights mounted on the rear lid go off when the
rear lid is opened (depending on the country). Turn signal and main beam headlight
lever
Fig. 60
Turn signal and main beam lever The turn signal and main beam headlight lev-
er has the following functions:
Switching on the turn signals
– Move the lever all the way up ››› Fig. 60 1 to indicate
right
, and all the way down 2 to indicate
left
.
Sign

alling a lane change
– Push the lever up 1 or down
2 to the
point where you incur resistance and then
release it. The turn signal will flash several times. The corresponding control lamp will
also flash.
Switching main beam on and off – If the dipped lights are on, push the lever
forward ››› Fig. 60 3 to switch on the main
beam headlights.
– Push the lever towards the steering wheel
››› Fig. 60 4 to switch off the main beam.
Headlight flashers
– Pull the lever towards the steering wheel
4 to operate the flasher.
Switching on parking lights 
– Switch the ignition off and remove the key
from the lock.
– Move the turn signal lever up or down to
turn the right or left-hand parking lights on,
respectively. WARNING
The main beam can dazzle other drivers. Risk
of accident! Never use the main beam head-
lights or the headlight flasher if they could
dazzle other drivers. Note
● The turn signals only
work when the igni-
tion is switched on. The corresponding warn-
ing lamp  or  flashes in the instrument
» 77
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Lights and visibility
Deactivation of the Nordic country solution
● Remove the key from the ignition, press the
turn signal lever down (left turn signal), press
it back to flash position and hold it here.
● Insert the key and switch on the ignition,
holding it in this position for 3 seconds.
Then, switch off the ignition. The Nordic
country solution is now deactivated and the
corresponding lights will not come on.
Coming Home/Leaving Home
function* The Coming Home function is controlled man-
ually. The Leaving Home function is control-
led with a photosensor.
If the Coming Home or Leaving Home func-
tion is connected, the front side and dipped
lights, the tail lights and the number plate
light will light up to provide assistance.
Coming home function
The Coming Home function is activated by
switching off the ignition and briefly flashing
the lights. When the driver door is opened,
the Coming Home lighting comes on. If the
driver door is already open when the lights
are flashed briefly, the Coming Home lighting
comes on
immediately .
When the l a
st door of the vehicle or the rear
lid is closed, the Coming Home function starts and the switching off the headlights is
delayed.
The Coming Home lighting switches off in the
following cases:
● On completion of the time period establish-
ed for the delay in switching off the lights af-
ter all the vehicle doors and the rear lid have
been closed.
● If, 30 seconds after being connected, any
doors or the rear lid remain open.
● If the light switch is turned to position 
.
● If the ignition is switched on.
Leaving home function
The Leaving Home function is activated when
the vehicle is unlocked if:
● the light control is in position  and
● the photosensor detects “darkness”.
The Leaving Home lighting switches off in the
following cases:
● If the time period for the delay in switching
off the headlights has ended
● If the vehicle is locked again.
● If the light switch is turned to position .
● If the ignition is switched on. Note
The setting for the delay in switching off the
headlights in the Coming Home and Leaving
Home function can be changed or the func-
tion can be connected or disconnected in the
menu Lights and visibility › ›
› page 56.
● If the ignition key is removed while the
lights are on, the lights flash briefly and the
driver door opens, no audible warning is
heard, since with the Coming Home function
on, the lights are automatically switched off
after a period of time (except when the light
switch is in position  or  . Instrument and switch lighting /
Headlight range control
Fig. 61
Dash panel: Instrument panel and
control dimmers and headlight range control. » 79
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety

Lights and visibility
correct use of lights in all situations. “Auto-
matic headlight control” is merely a system
to support the driver. Where necessary,
switch on the lights manually using the light
switch.
Fog lights with cornering function*
3 Applies to the model: ALTEA / ALTEA XL
When the t urn s
ignal is switched on to turn or
on very tight bends, the right or left fog light
automatically comes on to function as a cor-
nering light. The cornering light only oper-
at e

s if the dipped beam lights are on. WARNING
Read and observe the relevant warnings ››› in Adaptive headlights* (for driving round
bends) on page 80 Hazard warning lights
 Fig. 63
Dash panel: switch for hazard warn-
ing lights. The hazard warning lights are used to draw
the attention of other road users to your vehi-
cle in emergencies.
If your vehicle breaks down:
1. Park your vehicle at a safe distance from
moving traffic.
2. Press the button to switch on the hazard warning lights ››› .
3. Switch the ignition off.
4. Apply the handbrake.
5. For a manual gearbox, engage 1st gear; for an automatic gearbox, move the gear
lever to P
.
6.

Use the warning triangle to draw the atten-
tion of other road users to your vehicle. 7. Always take the vehicle key with you when
you leave the vehicle.
Switch on the hazard warning lights to warn
other road users, for example:
● reaching the tail end of a traffic jam,
● there is an emergency
● your vehicle breaks down due to a techni-
cal fault,
● you are towing another vehicle or your vehi-
cle is being towed.
All turn signals flash simultaneously when
the hazard warning lights are switched on.
The two turn signal turn signal lamps  
and the turn signal lamp in the switch  will
flash at the same time. The hazard warning
lights also work when the ignition is switch-
ed off.
Emergency braking warning
If the vehicle brakes suddenly and continu-
ously at a speed of more than 80 km/h (50
mph), the brake light flashes several times
per second to warn the vehicles driving be-
hind. If you continue braking, the hazard
warning lights will come on automatically
when the vehicle comes to a standstill. They
switch off automatically when the vehicle
starts to move again. »
81
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety