Peugeot 2008 II Seat Belts, Airbags and ISOFIX

Hello and welcome. In this post, we'll look at the seat belts, airbags, child seats, ISOFIX mountings and child locks on the Peugeot 2008. You'll see how each system works, how to fit a child seat and how to switch the front passenger airbag off and on. Some equipment depends on the version of your car.

Quick Reference

Seat belts

Your 2008's seat belts use an inertia reel, so the strap length adjusts itself to your body. When you are not using the belt, it reels back in on its own.

The inertia reel locks the strap automatically in a collision, under emergency braking or if the car rolls over. To release it, pull the strap firmly, then let go so that it reels in slightly.

Pyrotechnic pretensioning: this improves safety in a frontal or side impact. Depending on how severe the impact is, it instantly tightens the belts against the occupants' bodies. It works when the ignition is on.

Force limiting system: this reduces the pressure of the belt on the occupant's chest, which improves their protection.

In an impact, the pretensioners can fire before the airbags, and independently of them, depending on the type and severity of the impact. When they fire, you will hear a noise and see a little harmless smoke from the pyrotechnic cartridge. The airbag warning lamp always comes on. After any impact, have the seat belt system checked by a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop, and replaced if necessary.

Front seat belts: these have a force limiting system and, depending on version, pyrotechnic pretensioning.

Rear seat belts: each rear seat has a three-point belt with an inertia reel. Depending on version, the outer seats also have pyrotechnic pretensioning and force limiting.

To fasten a seat belt:

1. Insert: pull the strap, then push the tongue into the buckle.
2. Check: pull on the strap to make sure the belt is fastened correctly.

To unfasten a seat belt:

1. Release: press the red button on the buckle.
2. Guide: guide the belt as it reels in.

The seat belt alerts have a separate indicator lamp for each seat:

• 1: front left seat belt warning lamp
• 2: front right seat belt warning lamp
• 3: rear left seat belt warning lamp
• 4: rear centre seat belt warning lamp
• 5: rear right seat belt warning lamp

Not fastened at the front: when you switch on the ignition, the warning lamp and the matching indicator lamps light up if the driver or front passenger has not fastened their belt. Above 12 mph (20 km/h), the lamps flash and an increasing audible signal sounds for approximately two minutes. After that, the lamps stay on until the front belts are fastened.

Not fastened at the rear: with the ignition on and the engine running, or the car moving below 12 mph (20 km/h), the warning lamp and the matching indicator lamps light up for 1 minute if one or more rear belts are not fastened.

Unfastened: after the ignition is switched on, the warning lamp and the matching indicator lamps light up if the driver or any passenger unfastens their belt. Above 12 mph (20 km/h), the lamps flash with an audible signal for approximately two minutes. After that, they stay on until the belts are fastened again.

Follow these safety points every time you use the belts:

• As the driver, make sure all passengers wear their belts correctly and have fastened them before you set off.
• Always fasten your belt, wherever you sit and even for short journeys.
• Do not swap the seat belt buckles round, because they will not work properly.
• Before fastening, check that nothing is in the buckle, such as a coin.
• Before and after use, check that the belt has reeled in correctly.
• After folding or moving a seat or the rear bench seat, check that the belt is positioned and reeled in correctly.
• Place the lower part of the strap as low as possible over your pelvis and the upper part in the hollow of your shoulder.
• At the front, you may need to adjust the seat height to position the belt correctly.
• Keep the belt as close to your body as possible, and pull it across you smoothly, checking it is not twisted.
• Use each belt for one person only.
• Do not use a belt that shows signs of tearing or fraying, and never change or modify a belt.
• Use a suitable child seat for any passenger under 12 years old or shorter than 1.5 metres.
• Never use one belt for more than one child, and never carry a child on your lap.

For any work on the seat belts, go to a qualified workshop with the right skills and equipment, which a PEUGEOT dealer can provide. Have the belts checked regularly by a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop, especially if a strap looks damaged. Clean the straps with soapy water or a textile cleaning product sold by PEUGEOT dealers.

Airbags

The airbags protect the occupants of the front seats and the rear outer seats in a violent collision. They add to the protection of the seat belts with force limiting.

Electronic detectors record and analyse front and side impacts in two impact detection zones: zone A at the front and zone B at the side.

• In a violent impact, the airbags deploy instantly, then deflate rapidly so they do not block your view or stop occupants getting out.
• In a slight impact, a rear impact and in some rollovers, the airbags may not deploy. Only the seat belt protects you in these cases.

How serious an impact is depends on the type of obstacle and the car's speed at the moment of collision. The airbags do not work when the ignition is off. Each airbag deploys only once, so it will not deploy again in a second impact, in the same accident or a later one.

When an airbag deploys, the pyrotechnic charge makes a noise and releases a little smoke. The smoke is not harmful, but it may irritate sensitive people. The noise may cause a slight loss of hearing for a short time.

Front airbags: these protect the driver and front passenger in a serious front impact, limiting the risk of head and chest injury. The driver's airbag is in the centre of the steering wheel, and the passenger's airbag is in the dashboard above the glove box. They deploy in a violent front impact on all or part of zone A, unless the front passenger airbag has been deactivated. Each one inflates between the occupant's chest and head and the steering wheel or dashboard.

Lateral airbags: these protect the driver and front passenger in a serious side impact, limiting the risk of chest injury between the hip and the shoulder. Each one is fitted in the seat backrest frame, on the door side. They deploy on one side in a serious side impact on all or part of zone B, and inflate between the occupant's chest and the door panel.

Curtain airbags: these protect the driver and passengers, except the rear centre passenger, in a serious side impact, limiting the risk of injury to the side of the head. They are built into the pillars and upper area of the passenger compartment. Each one deploys at the same time as the matching lateral airbag in a serious side impact on all or part of zone B, and inflates between the occupants and the windows.

Malfunction: if there is a fault, the airbag warning lamp lights up on the instrument panel. Contact a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop to have the system checked, because the airbags may not deploy in a serious impact. In a minor side impact or bump, or in a rollover, the airbags may not deploy. In a rear or front collision, none of the lateral airbags deploy.

For the airbags to work fully, follow this advice:

• Sit in a normal, upright position, with your seat belt fastened and positioned correctly.
• Do not put anything between the occupants and the airbags, such as a child, animal or object, and do not fix anything near or in the path of an airbag.
• Never modify the original design of the car, especially around the airbags.
• Do not hold the steering wheel by its spokes or rest your hands on its centre.
• Passengers must not put their feet on the dashboard.
• Do not smoke, as a deploying airbag can cause burns or injury from a cigarette or pipe.
• Never remove, pierce or hit the steering wheel violently, and do not fix anything to the steering wheel or dashboard.
• Use only approved seat covers that allow the lateral airbags to deploy. A PEUGEOT dealer can tell you which covers suit your car.
• Do not attach anything to the seat backrests, such as clothing, and do not sit with your upper body closer to the door than you need to.
• At the rear, objects on the outer seats or on the folded backrest of the 1/3 bench seat can become projectiles when the lateral airbags deploy.
• Do not fix anything to the roof, and do not remove the roof grab handles, as they help secure the curtain airbags.

Even with every precaution, a deploying airbag can cause injury or minor burns to the head, chest or arms. The bag inflates within a few milliseconds and deflates just as fast, releasing hot gas through openings designed for this. The front door panels contain side impact sensors. A damaged door, or any unauthorised or badly done work on the front doors or their trim, can stop the lateral airbags working. After an accident or theft, have the airbags checked, and have all work done only by a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop.

Child seats

Rules on carrying children differ from country to country, so check the law where you live. For maximum safety, follow these points:

• Under European regulations, children under 12 or shorter than 1.5 metres must travel in an approved child seat suited to their weight, on a seat with a seat belt or ISOFIX mountings.
• Statistically, the rear seats are the safest place for children.
• Children weighing less than 9 kg must travel rearward facing, in the front or the rear.
• Children are best carried in the rear: rearward facing up to the age of 3, and forward facing over the age of 3.

A badly fitted child seat puts the child at risk in an accident. Keep these safety points in mind:

• Make sure the seat belt is correctly positioned and tight.
• For a child seat with a support leg, make sure the leg sits firmly on the floor.
• Make sure no seat belt or buckle is under the child seat, as this can make it unstable.
• Fasten the belts or harness with as little slack as possible, even for short journeys.
• When fitting a child seat with the seat belt, check the belt holds it firmly on the car seat. If the passenger seat is adjustable, move it forwards if needed.
• Remove the head restraint before fitting a child seat with a backrest on a passenger seat. Store it securely so it cannot fly around under hard braking, and refit it when the child seat is removed.
• With a booster seat, the chest part of the belt must sit on the child's shoulder without touching the neck, and the lap part must pass over the thighs. Use a booster with a backrest and a belt guide at shoulder level.
• Use the child lock to stop the doors and rear windows being opened by accident, and do not open the rear windows more than one third.
• Fit side blinds on the rear windows to protect young children from the sun.
• Never leave a child alone in the car, never leave a child or animal in a car in the sun with the windows closed, and never leave the keys within a child's reach.

For a forward-facing or rearward-facing child seat in the rear:

1. Front seat: move the front seat forward and straighten its backrest, so the child's legs and the child seat do not touch it.
2. Backrest: check that the backrest of a forward-facing child seat is as close as possible to the rear seat backrest, ideally touching it.

Never fit a child seat with a support leg on the centre rear seat.

For a child seat in the front, adjust the front passenger seat to its highest and fully back position, with the backrest straightened. With a forward-facing child seat, leave the front passenger airbag active. With a rearward-facing child seat, you must deactivate the front passenger airbag first, otherwise the child could be seriously injured or killed if it deploys. The warning label on both sides of the passenger sun visor reminds you: never use a rearward-facing child restraint on a seat protected by an active airbag in front of it, as death or serious injury to the child can occur. If your car has no deactivation control, fitting a rearward-facing child seat on the front passenger seat is strictly prohibited.

Where fitted, the airbag switch is on the side of the dashboard. With the ignition off:

1. Deactivate: turn the key in the switch to OFF.
2. Reactivate: turn the key to ON.

When you switch on the ignition, the Passenger airbag OFF lamp comes on and stays lit to show deactivation. If the airbag is activated, the lamp comes on for about 1 minute instead.

Recommended child seats secured with a three-point seat belt:

ISOFIX mountings

Depending on version, some seats in your 2008 have ISOFIX mountings. The front seat depends on the country of sale. Each ISOFIX seat has three marked rings:

• Two rings A, between the seat backrest and cushion. The two latches on an ISOFIX child seat attach to these.
• One ring B behind the seat, called the TOP TETHER, for child seats with an upper strap. It stops the child seat tipping forwards in a front impact.

ISOFIX gives you fast, reliable and safe fitting. To secure a child seat to the TOP TETHER:

1. Head restraint: remove and stow the head restraint before fitting the child seat. Refit it once the child seat is removed.
2. Strap: pass the child seat strap behind the seat backrest, centred between the openings for the head restraint rods.
3. Hook: secure the upper strap hook to ring B.
4. Tighten: tighten the upper strap.

When fitting an ISOFIX child seat on the left-hand rear seat of the bench, first move the centre rear seat belt towards the middle of the car so the child seat does not interfere with it. A badly fitted child seat puts the child at risk, so follow the fitting instructions in the child seat's user guide exactly.

Recommended ISOFIX child seats (also check the manufacturer's guide for fitting and removal):

i-Size child seats

i-Size child seats have two latches that attach to the two rings A. They also have either an upper strap attached to ring B, or a support leg that rests on the floor, compatible with the approved i-Size seat position. Both stop the child seat tipping forward in a collision.

Installing universal, ISOFIX and i-Size child seats

European regulations set out, for each seat position, which universal seat-belt child seats and which of the largest ISOFIX and i-Size child seats you can fit. Check the requirements for your exact seat position before fitting a seat. These rules apply to it:

• A position that is i-Size compatible is also compatible with R1, R2, F2X, F2 and B2.
• A position that is R3 compatible is also compatible with R1 and R2.
• A position that is F3 compatible is also compatible with F2X and F2.
• A position that is B3 compatible is also compatible with B2.

The table's notes set these conditions:

• A universal child seat is one that can be fitted in any car using the seat belt.
• To fit a rearward-facing child seat on the front passenger seat, the front passenger airbag must be OFF.
• With the front passenger airbag ON, only a forward-facing child seat is allowed on that seat.
• For a seat with height adjustment, set it to the highest position and move it fully back.
• For a seat without height adjustment, straighten the backrest.
• Never fit a child seat with a support leg on the centre rear seat.
• Next to some rearward-facing ISOFIX (R3) entries, the table asks you to set the driver's seat to the highest position and the front passenger seat fully forward.
• Next to one full width booster (B3) entry, the table says not to fold down the backrest.
• Depending on version, check the law in your country before seating a child in certain positions.
• Universal (U) positions take rearward-facing and forward-facing seats in groups 0, 0+, 1, 2 and 3. Universal forward-facing (UF) positions take groups 1, 2 and 3 only.
• A carrycot type child seat may stop you fitting other child seats in the rear.

The size codes in the table mean:

• Rearward-facing ISOFIX: R1 for a baby, R2 reduced size, R3 large size.
• Forward-facing ISOFIX: F2X for toddlers, F2 reduced height, F3 full height.
• Booster: B2 reduced width, B3 full width.
• ISOFIX carrycot: L1 left-hand facing, L2 right-hand facing.

Manual child lock

The manual child lock stops a rear door being opened with its interior handle. The red control is on the edge of each rear door, marked with a label.

1. Activate: turn the built-in key in the red control as far as it goes, to the right on the left-hand rear door and to the left on the right-hand rear door.
2. Deactivate: turn the key the opposite way.

Do not confuse the red child lock control with the black back-up locking control.

Electric child lock

Depending on version, the electric child lock stops the rear doors being opened with their interior handles, and/or stops the rear electric window controls working.

• Versions with 1 control: either electric windows only, which supplements the manual child lock for the rear doors, or doors and electric windows together.
• Versions with 2 controls: one for the doors only and one for the electric windows only.

With the ignition on, press the matching button to switch the child lock on or off. The indicator lamp comes on or goes out to confirm, and a message is displayed. Any other state of the indicator lamp means the electric child lock is faulty, so have it checked by a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop.

With the child lock on, the rear doors can still be opened from outside, and the rear windows can still be worked from the driver's door. The system works on its own and never replaces the central locking. Check its status every time you switch on the ignition, and always take the electronic key with you when you leave the car, even briefly. In a serious impact, the electric child lock switches off automatically so the rear passengers can get out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Peugeot 2008 seat belt warning flashing and beeping?

A front belt is not fastened, or someone has unfastened their belt, and you are driving above 12 mph (20 km/h). The lamps flash with an audible signal for approximately two minutes, then stay on until the belt is fastened.

How do I turn off the passenger airbag on a Peugeot 2008?

With the ignition off, turn the key in the switch on the side of the dashboard to OFF. When you switch on the ignition, the Passenger airbag OFF lamp comes on and stays lit.

Can I put a rearward-facing child seat in the front of my 2008?

Only if your car has the airbag switch and the front passenger airbag is set to OFF. If your car has no deactivation control, fitting a rearward-facing child seat there is strictly prohibited.

Will the airbags deploy again after a second crash?

No. Each airbag deploys only once, so after an accident have the airbag systems checked by a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop.

Your 2008's seat belts, airbags and child seat mountings only protect you properly when they are used the right way. Take a moment to check belts, child seats and the passenger airbag status before every journey, and contact a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop if you have any questions about these systems.

More Peugeot 2008 Guides

To understand the seat belt and airbag lamps on your dashboard, see our guides to the red warnings, orange warnings and blue and green warnings on the Peugeot 2008.

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This is an independent guide, not an official Peugeot publication. If in doubt, contact a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop before carrying out any work.

Related guides: Peugeot 2008 model guides.

Cover adapted from a photograph by Calreyn88 — Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (AI edited).