Side Airbags - Skoda Octavia Owner's Manual

Side airbags

Fig. 134 Installation location of the side airbags front/rear
In the event of severe side collisions, the side airbag system provides additional
protection for the upper body (chest, stomach and pelvis) of passengers in the ve-
hicle.
The front side airbags are housed in the upholstery of the seat backrests of the
front seats » Fig. 134 - .
The rear side airbags are located between the entrance area and the seat back-
rest » Fig. 134-.
When the side airbags » Fig. 135 are deployed, the head airbag and belt tensioner
are also automatically deployed on the relevant side.
The load of the occupants is cushioned when plunging into the fully inflated air-
bag and the risk of injury to the entire upper body (chest, stomach and pelvis) is
reduced on the side facing the door.
Fig. 135
Inflated side airbags
WARNING
Your head should never be positioned in the deployment area of the side
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airbag. You might suffer severe injuries in the event of an accident. This ap-
plies in particular to children who are transported without using a suitable
child safety seat » page 156, Child safety and side airbag.
There must not be any further persons, animals as well as objects posi-
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tioned between the occupants and the deployment area of the airbag. No ac-
cessories, such as cup holders, should be attached to the doors.
If children adopt an incorrect seated position when travelling, they may be
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exposed to an increased risk of injury in the event of an accident. This can re-
sult in serious injuries » page 154, Child seat.
The airbag control unit operates with pressure sensors located in the front
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doors. For this reason no adjustments must be carried out to the doors and
door panels (e.g. 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 ŠKODA special-
ist garage.
In the event of a side collision, the side airbags will not function properly, if
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the sensors cannot measure the increasing air pressure inside the doors, be-
cause the air can escape through large, non-sealed openings in the door pan-
el.
Never drive with removed inner door panels.
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Never drive, if parts of the inner door panel have been removed and the
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remaining openings have not been properly sealed.
Never drive, if the loudspeakers in the doors have been removed, only if
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the loudspeaker openings have been properly sealed.
Always make sure that the openings are covered or filled, if additional
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loudspeakers or other equipment parts are installed in the inner door pan-
els.
Always have work completed by a ŠKODA Partner or a competent ŠKODA
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specialist garage.
Only hang light items of clothing on the hooks fitted in the vehicle. Never
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leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets of the items of cloth-
ing.
Ensure that there are no excessive forces, such as violent knocks, kicks etc.,
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impact on the backrests of the seats otherwise the system may be damaged.
The side airbags would not be deployed in such a case!
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149
Airbag system