Seat Leon 2010 Owner's Manual page 41

Operation of side airbags
Inflated airbags can reduce the risk of head or chest injury in
many side impact collisions.
In some side collisions, the side airbag is triggered on the impact side of the
⇒ page 39, fig.
vehicle 22.
In certain types of accident the front, curtain and side airbags may be trig-
gered together.
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled with propellant gas.
In order to provide the desired extra protection in an accident, the airbags
have to deploy extremely rapidly (within thousandth of a second). A fine dust
may develop when the airbag deploys. This is normal and it is not an indica-
tion of fire in the vehicle.
The fully deployed airbags cushion the movement of the occupants of the
front seats and the outer rear seats and help to reduce the risk of injury to the
upper body.
Safety first
Fig. 22 Illustration of
principle: inflated side
airbags on left side of
vehicle
Operating instructions
The special design of the airbag allows the controlled escape of the propel-
lant gas when an occupant puts pressure on the bag. Thus, the head and
chest are surrounded and protected by the airbag.
Practical tips
Airbag system
Technical data
39