Skoda 2011 Yeti Owner's Manual page 149

148 Airbag system
Apart from their normal protective function, a further task of the seat belts is to also
hold the driver and the occupants in a correct seated position in the event of a side
collision so as to enable the head airbags to offer the maximum protection. You
should therefore always fasten the seat belts, not only because this is required by
law, but also for safety reasons and for your own protection  page 137, "Why seat
belts?".
Together with other elements (such as cross bars in the doors, stable vehicle struc-
ture) the head airbags are the consequent further development of occupant protec-
tion in the case of side collisions.
Function of the head airbags
The risk of injury to the head and neck area is reduced in the event
of a side collision by fully inflated head airbags.
In the case of a side collision the head airbag is deployed together with the relevant
 fig. 141
side airbag and the belt tensioner on the side of the car on which the acci-
dent occurs.
If the system is deployed, the airbag is filled with propellant gas and covers the
entire area of the side window including the door pillars
The protection offered by the head airbags is thus available simultaneously both to
the front occupants of the car seated on the side on which the collision occurs, as
well as to the rear occupants. Any impact of the head against parts of the interior or
objects outside of the car, is cushioned by the inflated head airbag. The reduction in
any impact to the head and the resultant minimizing of any movements of the head
additionally reduce the risk of injuries to the neck area. The head airbag also offers
additional protection in the case of an offset impact by covering the front door pillar.
In certain accident situations, the front, side and head airbag are simultaneously
deployed.
Fig. 141 Inflated head airbag
 fig.
141.
The airbags inflate in fractions of a second and at a high speed in order to be able
to offer that additional protection in the event of an accident. A grey white, non
harmful gas is released when airbag is inflated. This is perfectly normal and is not
an indication of a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety information on the head airbag
Correct use of the airbag system considerably reduces the risk of
injury!
WARNING

It is essential to always switch off  page 149, "Deactivating an airbag" the
front passenger airbag when attaching a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat where the child is seated with its back facing in direction of
travel (in some countries also when the child is facing the direction of travel). If
this is not done, there is a risk of the child suffering severe or even fatal injuries
if the front passenger airbag is deployed. When transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, please comply with the appropriate national regulations
regarding the use of child safety seats.

There must not be any objects in the deployment area of the head airbags
which might prevent the airbags from inflating properly.

Only hang light items of clothing on the clothes hooks to the vehicle. Never
leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of clothing.
In addition, it is not permitted to use clothes hangers for hanging up items of
clothing.

The airbag control unit operates together with the sensors, which are
attached in the front doors. For this reason no adjustments must be carried out
at the doors as well as at the door panels (for example additional installation of
loudspeakers). Resulting damages can have a negative affect on the operation
of the airbag system. All work on the front doors and their panels must only be
carried out by a specialist garage.

There must not be any other persons (e.g. children) or animals between the
car occupant and the deployment area of the head airbag. In addition, none of
the occupants should lean their head out of the window when driving, or extend
their arms and hands out of the window.

The sun visors must not be swivelled to the side windows into the deploy-
ment area of the head airbags if any objects, such as ball-point pens etc. are
attached to them. This might result in injuries to the occupants if the head
airbag is deployed.

Installing impermissible accessories in the area of the head airbags may
considerably impair the protection offered by the head airbag in the event of it