child seat Seat Leon SC 2014 Owner's manual

Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The essentials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Exterior view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Interior view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
How it works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Unlocking and locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Before driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Starting the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Lights and visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Easy Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Driver information system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Cruise control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Warning lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Gearbox lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Level control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Action in the event of a puncture . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Emergency towing of the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Safe driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Safety first! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Advice about driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Sitting position for vehicle occupants . . . . . . . 38
Pedal area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
The reasons why we should wear seat belts . . 43
How to properly adjust your seatbelt . . . . . . . . 46
Seat belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Brief introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Airbag overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Deactivating airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Transporting children safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Safety for children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Operation
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Controls and displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Instruments and warning/control lamps . . . . . 66
Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Control lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Driver information system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Information system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Driving data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Speed warning function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Service interval display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Introduction to the Easy Connect system* . . . . 81
System Settings (CAR)* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Central locking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Anti-theft alarm system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Rear lid (luggage compartment) . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Electric windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Panoramic sliding sunroof* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Lights and visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Windscreen wiper and window wiper systems . 102
Rear vision mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Seats and head restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Adjusting the seats and headrests . . . . . . . . . . 106
Seat functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Transport and practical equipment . . . . . . . . . 111
Storage compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Storing objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Roof carrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Air conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Heating, ventilation and cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Ignition lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Braking and parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Manual gearbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Automatic gearbox/DSG automatic gearbox* . 132
Run-in and economical driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Driver assistance systems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Braking and stability systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Start-Stop system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Cruise control system (CCS)* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Adaptive Cruise Control ACC* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Monitoring system Front Assist* . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Lane Assist system* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
SEAT driving modes (SEAT Drive Profile)* . . . . . 169
Tiredness detection (break recommendation)* 172
Parking aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Towing bracket device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Care and maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Accessories and modifications to the vehicle . 182
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Vehicle exterior care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Care of the vehicle interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Electro-mechanical steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Progressive steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Four-wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Checking and refilling levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Refuelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Bonnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Windscreen washer reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Wheels and tyres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Tyre monitoring systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
3

Safe driving
Safety
Safe driving Safety first! WARNING
● This manual contains important informa-
tion about the operation of the vehicle, both
for the driver and the passengers. The other
sections of the on-board documentation also
contain further information that you should
be aware of for your own safety and for the
safety of your passengers.
● Ensure that the on-board documentation is
kept in the vehicle at all times. This is espe-
cially important when lending or selling the
vehicle to another person. Advice about driving
Before starting every trip For your own safety and the safety of your
passengers, always note the following points
before every trip:
– Make sure that the vehicle's lights and turn
signals are working properly.
– Check tyre pressure. –
Ensure that all windows provide a clear and
good view of the surroundings.
– Make sure all luggage is secured
››› page 114 .
– Mak
e sure that no objects can interfere
with the pedals.
– Adjust front seat, head restraint and rear vi-
sion mirrors properly according to your
size.
– Ensure that the passengers in the rear
seats always have the head restraints in
the in-use position ››› page 41.
– Instruct passengers to adjust the head re-
straints according to their height.
– Protect children with appropriate child
seats and properly applied seat belts
››› page 56.
– Ass

ume the correct sitting position. Instruct
your passengers also to assume a proper
sitting position. ››› page 38.
– Fasten your seat belt securely. Instruct your
passengers also to fasten their seat belts
properly. ››› page 43.
What

affects driving safety? As a driver, you are responsible for yourself
and your passengers. When your concentra-
tion or driving safety is affected by any cir-cumstance, you endanger yourself as well as
others on the road
››› , for this reason:
– Always pay attention to traffic and do not
get distracted by passengers or telephone calls.
– Never drive when your driving ability is im-
paired (e.g. by medication, alcohol, drugs).
– Observe traffic laws and speed limits.
– Always reduce your speed as appropriate
for road, traffic and weather conditions.
– When travelling long distances, take
breaks regularly - at least every two hours.
– If possible, avoid driving when you are tired
or stressed. WARNING
When driving safety is impaired during a trip,
the risk of injury and accidents increases. Safety equipment
Never put your safety or the safety of your
passengers in danger. In the event of an acci-
dent, the safety equipment may reduce the
risk of injury. The following list includes most
of the safety equipment in your SEAT:
● Three-point seat belts
● belt tension limiters for the front and rear
side seats, »
37
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
● Belt tensioners for the front seats
● Front airbags
● knee airbags,
● Side airbags in the front seat backrests
● Side airbags in the rear seat backrests*
● Head-protection airbags
● “ISOFIX” anchor points for child seats in
the rear side seats with the “ISOFIX” system,
● Height-adjustable front head restraints
● Rear head restraints with in-use position
and non-use position
● Adjustable steering column
The safety equipment mentioned above
works together to provide you and your pas-
sengers with the best possible protection in
the event of an accident. However, these
safety systems can only be effective if you
and your passengers are sitting in a correct
position and use this equipment properly.
Safety is everyone's business! Sitting position for vehicle
occupants
Correct sitting position for driver Fig. 55
The proper distance between driver
and steering wheel Fig. 56
Correct head restraint position for the
driver. For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom-mend the following adjustments for the driv-
er:
– Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 25 cm between the
steering wheel and the centre of your chest
››› Fig. 55 .
– Mo v
e the driver seat forwards or backwards
so that you are able to press the accelera-
tor, brake and clutch pedals to the floor
with your knees still slightly angled ››› .
– Ensure that you can reach the highest point
of the steering wheel.
– Adjust the head restraint so that its upper
edge is at the same level as the top of your
head, or as close as possible to the same
level as the top of your head ››› Fig. 56 .
– Mo v

e the seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion so that your back rests completely
against it.
– Fasten your seat belt securely ››› page 43.
– Keep both feet in the footwell so that you
have the vehicle under control at all times.
Adjustment of the driver seat ››› page 106. WARNING
● An incorrect sitting position of the driver
can lead to severe injuries.
● Adjust the driver seat so that there is at
least 25 cm distance between the centre of 38

Safety
dash panel, out the window or on the seat. An
incorrect sitting position exposes you to an
increased risk of injury in case of a sudden
braking or an accident. If the airbag is trig-
gered, you could sustain severe injuries due
to an incorrect sitting position.
●
To reduce the risk of injury to the front pas-
senger in events such as sudden braking ma-
noeuvres or an accident, never travel with the
backrest tilted far back! The airbag system
and seat belts can only provide optimal pro-
tection when the backrest is in an upright po-
sition and the front passenger is wearing his
or her seat belt properly. The further the seat
backrests are tilted to the rear, the greater
the risk of injury due to incorrect positioning
of the belt web or to the incorrect sitting po-
sition!
● Adjust the head restraint correctly in order
to achieve maximum protection. Correct sitting position for passengers
in the rear seats
To reduce the risk of injury in the event of a
sudden braking manoeuvre or an accident,
passengers on the rear seat bench must con-
sider the following:
–
Sit up straight.
– Adjust the head restraint to the correct po-
sition ››› page 41 . –
Alw ays keep both feet in the footwell in
front of the rear seat.
– Fasten your seat belt securely ››› page 43.
– Use an appropriate child restraint system
when you take children in the vehicle
››› page 56. WARNING
● If the passengers in the rear seats are not
sitting properly, they could sustain severe in-
juries.
● Adjust the head restraint correctly in order
to achieve maximum protection.
● Seat belts can only provide optimal protec-
tion when seat backrests are in an upright
position and the vehicle occupants are wear-
ing their seat belts correctly. If passengers In
the rear seats are not sitting in an upright po-
sition, the risk of injury due to incorrect posi-
tioning of the seat belt increases. Examples of incorrect sitting
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 all
vehicle occupants. The list is not complete,
but we would like to make you aware of this
issue.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is in motion:
● Never stand in the vehicle.
● Never stand on the seats.
● Never kneel on the seats.
● Never tilt your seat backrest far to the rear.
● Never lean against the dash panel.
● Never lie on the rear bench.
● Never sit on the front edge of a seat.
● Never sit sideways.
● Never lean out of a window.
● Never put your feet out of a window.
● Never put your feet on the dash panel.
● Never put your feet on the surface of a seat.
● Do not allow anyone to travel in the foot-
well.
● Never travel without wearing the seat belt.
● Do not allow anyone to travel in the lug-
gage compartment.
40

Seat belts
Seat belts
The reasons 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*
 Fig. 60
Instrument panel: right rear seat oc-
cupied and corresponding seat belt fastened
display. 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 (de-
pending on the model version) 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
light will also flash
.
The 
l
amp goes out when the driver and
p

assenger seat belts are fastened with the ig-
nition switched on.
Rear seat belts fastened display.*
Depending on the model version, when the
ignition is switched on, the seat belt status
display ››› Fig. 60 on the instrument panel in-
forms

the driver whether the passengers in
the rear seats have fastened their seat belts.
The  symbol indicates that the passenger in
this seat has fastened “his or her” seat belt.
When a seat belt in the rear seats is fastened
or unfastened, the seat belt status is dis-
played for approximately 30 seconds. The in-
dication can be hidden by pressing the 0.0/SET button on the dash panel.
The seat belt status flashes for a maximum of
30 seconds when a seat belt in the rear seats
is unfastened while the vehicle is in motion.
An audible warning will also be heard if the
vehicle is travelling at over 25 km/h
(15 mph).
43
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
Seat belt protection Fig. 61
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. 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!
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. 44

Seat belts
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 47 .
R el
easing the seat belt
● Press the red button on the belt buckle
››› Fig. 64 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.
Adjusting the seat belt
Seat belts offer their maximum protection on-
ly when they are properly positioned
››› Fig. 65 . 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.
● For pregnant women, the lap part of the
seat belt must lie as low as possible over the
pelvis, never across the stomach, and always
lie flat so that no pressure is exerted on the
abdomen ››› Fig. 65.
● Alw

ays engage the retractor lock when you
are securing a child seat in group 0, 0+ or 1
››› page 56.
● Re

ad and observe the warnings ››› page 44. 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. This
retracts and tightens the seat belts, reducing
the forward motion of the occupants.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 may not
function at all.
So that the effectiveness of the seat belt ten-
sioner is not reduced and that removed parts
»
47
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Safety
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. 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 43, 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 48

Airbag system
travel on the rear seat. Never transport
children in the vehicle if they are not restrain-
ed 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 43.
● Alw
ays adjust the front seats properly. Description of airbag system
The airbag system is not a substitute for the
seat belts. The airbag system offers addition-
al protection for the driver and passenger in
combination with the seat belts.
The airbag system comprises the following
modules (as per vehicle equipment):
●
Electronic control unit
● Front airbags for driver and passenger
● Knee airbag for the driver
● Side airbags
● Head airbag ●
Airbag control lamp  on the instrument
panel
● Key-operated switch for front passenger air-
bag
● Control lamp to disconnect/connect the
front 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,
● 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 38, Sitting position
for vehicle occupants .
● If a fault has occurred in the airbag system,
have the system checked immediately by a
specialised workshop. Otherwise there is a
danger that during a collision, the system
may fail to trigger, or not trigger correctly. 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, »
49
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials

Airbag system
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.
● 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 loudspeakers or other equip-
ment are fitted inside the door panels.
● Occupants of the outer seats must never
carry any objects or pets in the deployment
space between them and the airbags, or al-
low children or other passengers to travel in
this position. It is also important not to at-
tach any accessories (such as cup holders) to the doors. This would impair the protection
offered by the side airbags.
●
The built-in coat hooks should be used only
for lightweight clothing. Do not leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets.
● Great forces, such as hard blows or kicks,
must not be exerted upon the backrest bol-
ster because the system may be damaged. In
this case, the side airbags would not be trig-
gered.
● Under no 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. Head-protection airbags*
Fig. 72
Location of head-protection airbags. The head-protection airbags are located on
both sides in the interior above the doors
››› Fig. 72 and are identified with the text
“AIRB AG”.
In c
onjunction with the seat belts, the head-
protection airbag system gives the vehicle
occupants additional protection for the head
and upper body in the event of a severe side
collision ››› .
WARNING
● In order for the head-protection airbags to
provide their maximum protection, the pre-
scribed sitting position must always be main-
tained with seat belts fastened while travel-
ling.
● For safety reasons, the curtain airbag must
be disabled in those vehicles fitted with a
screen dividing the interior of the vehicle. » 53
Technical specifications
Advice
Operation
Safety
The essentials