Skoda Fabia Owner's Manual page 139

Side airbags
Fig. 114 Location of the side airbag in the driver's seat/gas-filled side airbag
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First read and observe the introductory information given on page 134.
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 side airbags are housed in the upholstery of the seat backrests of the front
seats » Fig. 114 – .
The head airbag and belt tensioner on the relevant side are also automatically de-
ployed when the side airbags » Fig. 114
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.
WARNING
Observe the following instructions for the correct seated position.
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 142, Child safety and side airbag.
136
Safety
-  are deployed.
WARNING (Continued)
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 140, Child seat.
WARNING
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!
Any seat or protective covers which you fit to the driver or front passenger
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seats must only be of the type expressly authorized by ŠKODA. In view of the
fact that the airbag inflates out of the backrest of the seat, use of non-ap-
proved seat or protective covers would considerably impair the protective
function of the side airbag.
Any damage to the original seat covers in the area of the side airbag module
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must be repaired without delay by your specialist garage.
The airbag modules in the front seats must not display any damage, cracks
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or deep scratches. It is not permissible to use force in order to open the mod-
ules.
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