belt Seat Ibiza 5D 2014 User Guide

Seat belts
Seat belt control lamp* Fig. 50
Warning lamp on the instrument pan-
el. The control lamp illuminates to remind the
driver to fasten 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-
cording to the child's height and weight.
When the ignition is switched on, the control
lamp  in the instrument panel lights up* if
the driver or passenger* have not fastened
their seat belts.
An audible warning signal will sound for a
few seconds if the seat belts are not fastened
as the vehicle drives off and reaches a speed
of more than approximately 25 km/h (15 mph) or if the seat belts are unfastened
while the vehicle is in motion. The warning
lamp will also flash
.
The 
l
amp goes out when the driver and
p
assenger seat belts are fastened with the ig-
nition switched on.
Seat belt protection Fig. 51
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. These also help pre-
vent uncontrolled movements that may result
in serious injury and reduce the risk of being
thrown out of the vehicle.
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!
35
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
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 seat 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 driving 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 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 can cause injuries. ●
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. Head-on collisions and the laws of
physics
Fig. 52
A driver not wearing a seat belt is
thrown forward violently Fig. 53
The unbelted passenger in the rear
seat is thrown forward violently, hitting the
driver who is 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
36

Seat belts
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 bod-
ies 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. 52 .
It i
s also important for 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. 53. How t
o properly adjust your
seatbelt
Fastening and unfastening your seat
belt Fig. 54
Positioning and removing the seat
belt buckle. » 37
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
Fig. 55
Position of seat belt during pregnan-
cy. Fasten your 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. 54 .
● Pu
ll 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 39.
Seat

belt release
● Press the red button on the belt buckle
››› Fig. 54. The latch plate is released and
sprin

gs 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. 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. 55.
● 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. 55. 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 46.
● Re

ad and observe the warnings ››› page 36.38

Seat belts
Belt pretensioners* 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 pretensioners during
severe head-on, lateral and rear collisions
only if the seat belt is being worn. This re-
tracts and tightens the seat belts, reducing
the forward motion of the occupants.
The seat belt tensioner can be triggered only
once.
The belt tensioners will not be triggered in
the event of light frontal and side collisions,
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 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.
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 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. 39Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
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 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 34, The reasons 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.
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.
● Always adjust the front seats properly. Description of the 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 airbags,
● a control lamp  on the dash panel
››› page 42 .
● key
-operated switch for front passenger air-
bag,
● a control lamp for disabling/enabling the
front passenger airbag.
40

Airbag system
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 
:
● doe
s not light up when the ignition is
switched on ››› page 42
,
● turns 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 30, Proper sitting
position 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 accidents instances, 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. Some factors play an important role,
such as the properties of the object the vehi-
cle hits (hard/soft), angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
Deceleration trajectory is key for airbag acti-
vation. The control unit analyses the collision trajec-
tory and activates the respective restraint
system.
If the deceleration rate is below the prede-
fined reference value in the control unit the
airbags will not be triggered, even though
the accident may cause extensive damage to
the car.
The following airbags are triggered in
serious head-on collisions
● Driver airbag.
● Front passenger front airbag
The following airbags are triggered in
serious side-on collisions
● Front side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Rear side airbag on the side of the acci-
dent.
● Curtain (head) airbag on the side of the ac-
cident.
In an accident with airbag activation:
● the interior lights switch on (if the interior
light switch is in the courtesy light position);
● the hazard warning lights switch on;
● all doors are unlocked;
● the fuel supply to the engine is cut.
41
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
Control lamp for airbag and seat belt
tensioner The control lamp monitors all airbags and
seat belt tensioners in the vehicle, including
control units and wiring connections.
Monitoring of airbag and belt tensioner
system
Both the airbag and belt tensioner systems
operation is constantly monitored electroni-
cally. The control lamp
 will light up for a
few seconds every time the ignition is switch-
ed on (self-diagnosis).
The system must be checked when the
control lamp  :
● does not light up when the ignition is
switched on,
● turns 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.
In the event of a malfunction, the warning
lamp remains on continuously. Have the air-
bag system inspected immediately by a spe-
cialised workshop.
If any of the airbags are disabled by a Techni-
cal Service, the warning lamp flashes for sev- eral more seconds after verification and will
turn off if there is no fault. WARNING
● If there is a malfunction, the airbag and
belt tensioner system cannot properly per-
form its protective function.
● If a malfunction occurs, have the system
checked immediately by a specialised work-
shop. Otherwise, in the event of an accident,
the airbag system and belt tensioners may
not be triggered, or may not be triggered cor-
rectly. Airbag overview
Front airbags Fig. 56
Driver airbag located in steering
wheel. 42

Airbag system
Fig. 57
Front passenger airbag located in
dash panel. The front airbag for the driver is located in
the steering wheel
››› Fig. 56 and the airbag
f or the fr
ont passenger is located in the dash
panel ››› Fig. 57. Airbags are identified by the
wor

d “AIRBAG”.
The airbag covers fold out of the steering
wheel and dashboard respectively when the
driver and front passenger airbags are trig-
gered ››› Fig. 57
. The airbag covers remain connected to the steering wheel or the dash
panel.
In conjunction with the seat belts, the front
airbag system gives the driver and the front
passenger additional protection for the head
and chest in the event of a severe frontal col-
lision.
The special design of the airbag allows the
controlled escape of the propellant gas when
an occupant puts pressure on the bag. Thus,
the head and chest are surrounded and pro-
tected by the airbag. After the collision, the
airbag deflates sufficiently to allow visibility.
WARNING
● The seat belts and airbags can only provide
maximum protection if the occupants are
seated correctly ››› page 30, Proper sitting
position for occupants.
● The deployment space between the front
passengers and the airbags must not in any
case be occupied by other passenger, pets
and objects.
● The airbags provide protection for just one
accident; replace them once they have de-
ployed.
● It is also important not to attach any ob-
jects such as cup holders or telephone
mountings to the surfaces covering the air-
bag units.
● Do not attempt to modify components of
the airbag system in any way. Side airbags*
Fig. 58
Side airbag in driver seat. Fig. 59
Illustration of completely inflated side
airbag on left side of vehicle. The side airbags are located in the driver seat
and front passenger seat backrests
››› Fig. 58 . The locations are identified by the
t e

xt “AIRBAG” in the upper region of the
backrests. »
43
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
In conjunction with the seat belts, the side
airbag system gives the front seat occupants
additional protection for the upper body in
the event of a severe side collision.
In a side collision, the side airbags reduce
the risk of injury to passengers on the front
seats to the areas of the body facing the im-
pact. In addition to the normal protection
they offer, the seat belts on the front seats al-
so hold the passengers' bodies in place in
the event of a side collision so that the side
airbags can provide maximum protection. WARNING
● If you do not wear a seat belt, if you lean
forward, or are not seated correctly while the
vehicle is in motion, you are at a greater risk
of injury if the side airbag system is triggered
in an accident.
● In order for the side airbags to provide their
maximum protection, the prescribed sitting
position must always be maintained with
seat belts fastened while travelling.
● 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 circumstances 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 seams of the side airbag units
must be repaired immediately by a special-
ised workshop.
● The airbags provide protection for just one
accident; replace them once they have de-
ployed.
● Any work on the side airbag system or re-
moval 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 system in any way.
● The side and head airbags are managed
through sensors located in the interior of the
front doors. To ensure the correct operation of
the side and curtain (head) airbags neither the doors nor the door panels should be
modified in any way (e.g. fitting loudspeak-
ers). If the front door is damaged, the airbag
system may not work correctly. All work car-
ried out on the front door must be done in a
specialised workshop.
●
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 removed 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 covered if additional loudspeakers or other
equipment are fitted inside the door panels.
● Any work carried out to the doors should be
made in an authorised specialised workshop. 44