tailgate Seat Exeo ST 2011 Owner's manual

Table of Contents
Manual structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Safety First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Safe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Proper sitting position for occupants . . . . . . . . . 10
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Storing objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Why wear seat belts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Knee airbag* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Side airbags* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Deactivating airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Securing child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Operating Instructions
. . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Cockpit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Warning and indicator lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Driver information system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Auto-check system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Speed warning*  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Onboard computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Menu display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Tyre pressure monitoring* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Steering wheel controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Multifunction steering wheel* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Unlocking and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Remote control keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Central locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Tailgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Childproof lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Remote control key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Anti-theft alarm system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Sliding/tilting sunroof* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Lights and visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Interior lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Windscreen wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Rear view mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Seats and storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . 133
Manual adjustment of the front seats . . . . . . . . . 133
Electric adjustment of front seats* . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Lumbar support* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Driver seat memory* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Armrests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Luggage compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Roof rack / roof rails* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Drink holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Ashtray*, cigarette lighter* and electric sockets* . .153
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
2C-Climatronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Starting and stopping the engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Handbrake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Parking aid acoustic system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Cruise speed* (Cruise control system) . . . . . . . . 179
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Automatic gearbox* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Practical Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) . . . . . . . . . 190
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Power steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Servotronic* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Driving and the environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Running-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Exhaust gas purification system . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Economical and environmentally friendly driving 198
Driving abroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
3
Table of Contents

Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Removable towing bracket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Vehicle maintenance and cleaning . . . . . . . . . 211
General notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Care of the vehicle exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Vehicle interior maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Accessories, parts replacement and
modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Accessories and spare parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Technical modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Mobile phones and two-way radios . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Athermic windscreen* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Checking and refilling levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Petrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Washer fluid and windscreen wiper blades . . . . 233
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Vehicle battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
If and when . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Tools, tyre repair kit and spare wheel . . . . . . . . . 251
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Tyre repair* (Tyre-Mobility-System) . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Changing bulbs. Halogen headlights . . . . . . . . . 265
Changing bulbs. Bi-Xenon AFS headlights . . . . . 271
Changing tail light bulbs (on side panel) . . . . . . 275
Changing tail light bulbs (on tailgate) . . . . . . . . . 280
Side turn signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Luggage compartment lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Registration light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Sun visor light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Jump-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Towing and tow-starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Description of specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Information on fuel consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Towing a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
Technical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Engine specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Dimensions and capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
4Table of Contents

17
Safe driving
– Distribute the load evenly in the luggage compartment.
– Place heavy objects as far forward as possible in the luggage
compartment.
– Place the heavy objects first.
– Secure heavy objects to the fitted fastening rings ⇒ page 17.
WARNING
● Loose luggage and other objects in the luggage compartment could
cause serious injuries.
● Always stow objects in the luggage compartment and secure them on
the fastening rings.
● Use suitable straps to secure heavy objects.
● During sudden manoeuvres or accidents, loose objects can be thrown
forward, injuring vehicle occupants or passers-by. This increased risk of
injury will be further increased if a loose object is struck by an inflating
airbag. If this happens, objects can be transformed into “missiles”. Risk
of fatal injury.
● Please note that the centre of gravity may shift when transporting
heavy objects; this may affect the vehicle's handling and lead to an acci-
dent. Therefore, it is essential to adjust your speed and driving style ac-
cordingly, to avoid accidents.
● Never exceed the allowed axle weights or allowed maximum weight.
If the allowed axle load or the allowed total weight is exceeded, the driv-
ing characteristics of the vehicle may change, leading to accidents, inju-
ries and damage to the vehicle.
● Never leave your vehicle unattended, especially when the tailgate is
open. Children could climb into the luggage compartment, closing the
door behind them; they will be trapped and run the risk of death.
WARNING (Continued)
● Never allow children to play in or around the vehicle. Close and lock
all the doors and tailgate when you leave the vehicle. Before you lock the
vehicle, make sure that there are no adults or children in the vehicle.
● Never transport passengers in the luggage compartment. All passen-
gers must have their seat belt fastened ⇒ page 19.
Note
● Air circulation in the vehicle helps reduce fogging of the windows. Used
air escapes through ventilation slits in the side trim of the luggage compart-
ment. Ensure that the ventilation slits are never covered.
● Straps for securing the load to the fastening rings are commercially
available. 
Fastening rings
There can be four fastening rings in the luggage compart-
ment for fastening luggage and other objects.
– Always use suitable and undamaged straps to secure luggage
and other objects to the fastening rings ⇒ 
in Loading the lug-
gage compartment on page 17.
– Pull up the fastening rings to attach the straps.
During a collision or an accident, even small and light objects can build up
so much energy that they can cause very severe injuries. The amount of ki-
netic energy depends on the speed of the vehicle and the weight of the ob-
ject. The most significant factor, however, is the speed of the vehicle.
Example: An object weighing 4.5 kg is lying unsecured in the vehicle. Dur-
ing a frontal collision at a speed of 50 km/h, this object generates a force
corresponding to 20 times its weight. That means that the effective weight 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

71
Cockpit
Driver information system
General notes
The driver information system in the instrument panel
shows the status of various on-board systems at a glance.
Fig. 47 Cockpit: Digital
instrument panel display
The display for the driver information system is in the centre of the instru-
ment panel.
The system runs a check on certain components and functions when the ig-
nition is switched on and while the vehicle is moving. The DIS system gives
an audible warning if a fault should occur or if servicing is required, and a
red or yellow warning symbol (in some cases with a corresponding driver
message) appears in the instrument panel display.
The driver is informed on the audio system.
The driver information system includes the following functions:
CD player, radio and telephone display*⇒ page 72Outside temperature display⇒ page 72Gear indicator*⇒ page 73Selector lever positions for the 7-speed automatic
gearbox*⇒ page 188
Selector lever positions with multitronic ®
*⇒ page 184Distance to empty⇒ page 73Door and tailgate warning⇒ page 74Service indicator⇒ page 74auto-check control⇒ page 75Driving tips⇒ page 76Handbrake warning⇒ page 76Bulb monitor*⇒ page 82Onboard computer*⇒ page 85Tyre pressure monitoring*⇒ page 89Navigation information*Separate Instruc-
tion Manual
Note
● If a fault should occur, the display will show a red or yellow warning
symbol. A red warning symbol indicates a serious malfunction ⇒ page 77.
A yellow warning symbol indicates a less serious malfunction ⇒ page 79.
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

74Cockpit
Door and tailgate warning
Fig. 51 Display: Door
and tailgate warning
The door and tailgate warning symbol lights up if one or more of the doors,
or the bonnet or tailgate are not properly closed when the ignition is on. The
symbol also indicates which of these is not properly closed. The display in
the illustration ⇒ fig. 51 shows that the driver door is open.
The corresponding part of the pictogram will flash if either the bonnet or
tailgate are open. The warning symbol goes out when the bonnet, tailgate
and all the doors are closed.
In vehicles with a driver information system and an onboard computer* the
door catches/tailgate warning symbol can be switched off by briefly press-
ing one of the control switches for the onboard computer ⇒ page 86. How-
ever, the warning symbol will appear again if any of the doors or the bonnet
or tailgate is opened or closed. Service indicator
This display reminds the driver when the next routine serv-
ice is due.
Fig. 52 Detailed view of
the instrument panel:
Service indicator
Displaying distance to next service
When you press the service button 1
briefly with the ignition switched on,
the display will show how far the vehicle can be driven before the next serv-
ice is due. This check can be carried out with the engine stopped or running
up to 5 km/h. Before the first 500 km and after the ignition cycle, the kilo-
metres and days before the service inspection are not displayed.
If the service button 1
is pressed before the first 500 km the following indi-
cation appears on screen:
Service in ----- km --- days
This is only valid for vehicles with “LongLife Service Intervals”*. 

99
Unlocking and locking
Central locking Description
The central locking system enables you to lock and unlock
all the doors, the tailgate and the tank flap together.
The central locking system on your vehicle locks and unlocks all the doors
and the tank flap simultaneously. The tailgate is unlocked when the vehicle
is opened. However, the handle must be used to open it. The vehicle can be
locked and unlocked using the remote control ⇒ page 105 or by turning the
key in the lock in the driver door.
The windows can also be centrally opened or closed using the central lock-
ing system ⇒  page 111. The sunroof* can be closed but not opened using
the central locking system.
The central locking system is combined with an anti-theft security system.
If the vehicle is locked with the key from the outside, the interior opening
levers stop working, which prevents unauthorised persons from entering
the vehicle.
Should the central locking system fail to work, you can activate all the locks
individually.
Automatic locking function (Auto Lock)*
The Auto Lock* function automatically locks all doors and the tailgate when
the vehicle exceeds a speed of about 15 km/h.
The vehicle is unlocked again automatically when the ignition key is re-
moved. Alternatively, the driver can also unlock the vehicle using the central
locking switch  or by opening one of the doors.
WARNING
Do not leave anyone (especially children) in the vehicle if it is locked from
the outside and the anti-theft security system is enabled, as the doors
and windows cannot then be opened from the inside. Locked doors could
delay assistance in an emergency, potentially putting lives at risk.
Note
● Should the central locking system fail to work, you can still lock and un-
lock the driver door and the tailgate using the key. Locking the doors man-
ually if central locking fails to work ⇒ page 102.
● The anti-theft mechanism and the anti-theft alarm* cannot be enabled if
the central locking is not working.
● Never leave any valuable items in the vehicle unattended. Even a locked
vehicle is not a safe. 
Unlocking the vehicle with the key
Fig. 70 Turning the key
to enable the open and
close functions 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

100Unlocking and locking
–To unlock the vehicle, turn the key in the driver door to position
A
⇒ fig. 70.
– Pull the handle to open the door.
● This will unlock all the doors, the tailgate and the tank flap simultane-
ously.
● The anti-theft security system will be disabled. 
Locking with the key
– To lock the vehicle, turn the key in the driver door to position B⇒ fig. 70 ⇒ .
● This will lock all the doors and the tailgate.
● The interior lights are switched off, provided the light switch is in the
courtesy light position.
● The windows and the sunroof* will close as the key is held in the locking
position.
● The anti-theft security system will be enabled immediately.
Locking the vehicle without activating the anti-theft security system
With the anti-theft security system enabled, it is more difficult to break into
the vehicle. If the anti-theft security system has been enabled, the inside
door handles and the central locking switch will not work ⇒ 
.
If you are leaving passengers in the vehicle while it is parked, it is possible
to lock the vehicle without activating the anti-theft security system.
To do so, turn the key in the driver door twice in quick succession to posi-
tion B
⇒ fig. 70.
WARNING
Do not leave anyone (especially children) in the vehicle if it is locked from
the outside and the anti-theft security system is enabled, as the doors
and windows cannot then be opened from the inside. Locked doors could
delay assistance in an emergency, potentially putting lives at risk.
CAUTION
If the driver door is locked using the key while open, the vehicle will be au-
tomatically immobilised and the alarm triggered.
Note
● Please note that when the vehicle is locked without activating the anti-
theft mechanism, the anti-theft alarm* remains operative. You should there-
fore switch off the interior monitoring* before locking the vehicle, as other-
wise the alarm* could be triggered unintentionally.
● The driver door cannot be locked using the central locking system when
it is still open. The door must be locked separately after it has been closed.
This helps to prevent you from being locked out of the vehicle. 

101
Unlocking and locking
Central locking switch
The central locking system can be enabled from inside the
vehicle using the central locking switch on the driver door.
Fig. 71 Detail of the
driver door: Central lock-
ing switch
Locking the vehicle
– Press button 
⇒ 
fig. 71 ⇒ .
Unlocking the vehicle
– Press button 
.
Please note the following when using the central locking switch to lock your
vehicle:
● The doors and the tailgate cannot be opened from the outside (for se-
curity reasons, e.g. when stopped at traffic lights).
● You can open the doors individually from the inside by pulling the inside
door handle.
● When the driver door is open, it cannot be locked by pressing the central
locking switch and then closing the door. This helps to prevent you from be- ing locked out of the vehicle. The door has to be locked separately after it
has been closed.
●
In the event of an accident in which the airbags inflate, doors locked
from the inside will be automatically unlocked to facilitate access and assis-
tance.
WARNING
The central locking switch is still operative when the ignition is switched
off. This switch can be used to automatically lock all the doors and the
tailgate. However, since this makes it difficult to enter the vehicle from
the outside, you should never leave children unattended in the vehicle.
Locked doors could delay assistance in an emergency, potentially putting
lives at risk.
Note
The central locking switch inside the vehicle will not be operative if the anti-
theft mechanism has been enabled. 
Security central locking*
The security central locking feature allows you to only unlock
the driver door and the tank flap. All other doors and the
tailgate remain locked.
Unlocking the driver door and tank flap
– Turn the key once to the unlock position, or press the unlock
button on the remote control once. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications

102Unlocking and locking
Unlocking all the doors, the tailgate and the tank flap
simultaneously.
–Turn the key twice within five seconds, or press the unlock but-
ton on the remote control twice within five seconds.
The security system and the anti-theft alarm* are immediately disabled if
you unlock only the driver door, without unlocking the other doors
⇒  page 107. 
Locking the doors manually if the central locking fails to
work
Should the central locking system fail to work at any time
(for instance if there is no electrical power supply), each
door will have to be locked separately.
Fig. 72 Manual lock-
ing device
Fig. 73 Activating
manual locking
A manual locking device is provided on the front passenger door
and the rear doors (only visible when the door is open).
– Open the door.
– Use the key ⇒ fig. 72 to turn the cap slightly and then fold it
downwards.
– Insert the key into the slot inside ⇒ fig. 73 and turn it as far as
the stop, i.e. about 90 degrees to the right (doors on right side)
or to the left (door on the left side).
Once the door has been closed it can no longer be opened from the outside.
The door can be opened from the inside by pulling the door handle. If the
childproof lock is engaged on one of the rear doors, the door can be opened
by pulling the inside door handle once and then opening the door from the
outside. 

103
Unlocking and locking
Tailgate Tailgate: opening and closing
Fig. 74 Luggage com-
partment: opening from
the outside
Opening the tailgate
– Pull on the release lever ⇒ fig. 74 and lift the tailgate at the
same time.
– Then lift up the tailgate. If your vehicle is equipped accordingly,
the tailgate will open automatically*.
Closing the tailgate
– Pull down the tailgate and let it drop into the latch ⇒ 
.
Use the recessed handle in the interior trim to make it easier to pull down
the tailgate.
WARNING
● After closing the tailgate, always check that the catch has engaged
properly. If not, the tailgate could open while driving, even if it has been
locked. Risk of accident!
● The tailgate must always be completely closed when the vehicle is
moving, otherwise toxic exhaust fumes may be drawn into the vehicle.
Danger of poisoning!
Note
● The door/tailgate warning symbol lights up on the instrument panel dis-
play if the tailgate is not properly closed when the ignition is switched on
⇒ page 74. 
Safety FirstOperating InstructionsPractical TipsTechnical Specifications