Peugeot 208 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 208. Some of this equipment depends on the version of your car, so you may not have every feature described here.

Quick Reference

Seat belts

Every seat belt in your 208 has an inertia reel. It adjusts the strap length to fit you, and the belt returns to its storage on its own when you are not using it. The reel locks the strap automatically in a collision, during emergency braking or if the car rolls over. To release it, pull the strap firmly and then let go so that it reels in slightly.

• Pyrotechnic pretensioning: improves safety in a frontal or side impact. Depending on how severe the impact is, it instantly tightens the seat belts against the occupants' bodies. It is enabled when the ignition is on.
• Force limiting: reduces the pressure of the seat belt on the occupant's chest, which improves their protection.
• Front seat belts: fitted with pyrotechnic pretensioning, depending on version, and force limiting.
• Rear seat belts: each rear seat has a three-point seat belt with inertia reel. Depending on version, the outer seats also have pyrotechnic pretensioning and force limiting.

In an impact, the pretensioners can trigger before and independently of the airbags, depending on the type and seriousness of the impact. When they deploy, 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, and replaced if needed, by a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop.

Fastening 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.

Unfastening a seat belt:

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

Seat belt warning lamps: there is a lamp for each seat.

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

• Not fastened at the front: when you switch on the ignition, the warning lamp and the matching indicator lamps light up if the driver and/or front passenger have not fastened their belts. Above 12 mph (20 km/h), the lamps flash with an increasing audible signal for approximately two minutes. After that, they 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 and/or one or more passengers unfasten their belts. 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 refastened.

Safe use: as the driver, you must make sure every passenger wears their belt correctly and that all belts are fastened before you set off. Everyone must wear a belt in every seat, even on short journeys.

• Do not swap the seat belt buckles round, as they will not work properly.
• Check there is nothing in the buckle, such as a coin, before fastening.
• Make sure the belt reels in correctly before and after use, and after folding or moving a seat or the rear bench seat.
• Position the lower part of the strap as low as possible over the pelvis, and the upper part in the hollow of the shoulder. At the front, you may need to adjust the seat height to get the belt in the right place.
• Tighten the belt as close to the body as possible, and pull it across in a smooth movement, 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.

Children: use a suitable child seat if the passenger is 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.

Maintenance: 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 work alongside the seat belts with force limiting. Electronic detectors record and analyse front and side impacts in the impact detection zones: A is the front impact zone and B is the side impact zone.

• Violent impact: the airbags deploy instantly, then deflate rapidly so they do not block the occupants' view or their way out.
• Slight impact, rear impact or some rollovers: the airbags may not deploy, and only the seat belt protects you.

How serious an impact is depends on what you hit and how fast the car is going at the moment of collision. The airbags do not work with the ignition switched off, and each one deploys only once. If there is a second impact, in the same accident or a later one, that airbag will not deploy again.

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

• Front airbags: 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 airbag is in the dashboard above the glove box. They deploy in a violent impact on all or part of zone A, except the passenger airbag if it has been deactivated. Each one inflates between the occupant's chest and head and the steering wheel or dashboard.
• Lateral airbags: 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 in the seat backrest frame, on the door side. They deploy on one side in a serious impact on all or part of zone B, inflating between the occupant's chest and the door panel.
• Curtain airbags: 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 the upper part of the passenger compartment. Each one deploys at the same time as the lateral airbag on that side, inflating between the front and rear 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. Remember too that the airbags may not deploy in a minor side impact or bump or if the car rolls over, and the lateral airbags never deploy in a front or rear collision.

For the airbags to be fully effective:

• Sit in a normal, upright position, and fasten your seat belt and position it correctly.
• Do not put anything between the occupants and the airbags, such as a child, an animal or an object, and do not fix anything near or in the path of the airbags.
• Never modify the car's original design, particularly around the airbags.
• Do not hold the steering wheel by its spokes or rest your hands on the centre of the wheel.
• 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 are compatible with the lateral airbags. A PEUGEOT dealer can tell you which covers suit your car.
• Do not attach anything, such as clothing, to the seat backrests, and do not sit with your upper body closer to the door than you need to.
• 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, an 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 vents. The front door panels contain side impact sensors, so a damaged door or any unauthorised or poorly done work on the front doors or their trim could stop the lateral airbags working. After an accident, or if the car has been stolen, have the airbag systems checked. All work must be done by a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop.

Child seats

The rules on carrying children are different in each country, so check the law where you live. For maximum safety, follow these recommendations:

• Under European regulations, children under 12 or less than 1.5 metres tall 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 should ideally travel in the rear: rearward facing up to the age of 3, and forward facing over the age of 3.

Fitting any child seat: a badly fitted child seat puts the child at risk in an accident.

• Make sure the seat belt is correctly positioned and tightened, and that it holds the child seat firmly on the car seat. Move an adjustable passenger seat forwards if needed.
• If the child seat has a support leg, make sure it sits firmly on the floor.
• Make sure there is no seat belt or buckle under the child seat, as it could make it unstable.
• Fasten the seat belt or harness with as little slack as possible, even for short journeys.
• Remove the head restraint before fitting a child seat with a backrest. Store it securely so it cannot fly around under sharp braking, and refit it when you remove the child seat.

Booster seats: 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 child's thighs. Use a booster seat with a backrest and a belt guide at shoulder level.

Extra protection: 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 shield 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.

Child seat in the rear:

1. Make space: move the front seat forward and straighten its backrest so the child's legs, or the child seat itself, do not touch the front seat.
2. Check the backrest: make sure 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.

Child seat in the front: adjust the front passenger seat to the highest and fully back position, with the backrest straightened. For a forward-facing child seat, you must leave the front passenger airbag active. For 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 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, DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY to the CHILD can occur.

If your car has no deactivation control for the passenger airbag, fitting a rearward-facing child seat on the front passenger seat is strictly prohibited.

Deactivating or reactivating the front passenger airbag: where fitted, the switch is on the side of the dashboard. With the ignition off:

1. To deactivate: turn the key in the switch to the "OFF" position.
2. To reactivate: turn the key to the "ON" position.

When you switch on the ignition, the passenger airbag OFF lamp comes on and stays lit to show deactivation, or the ON lamp comes on for about 1 minute to show activation.

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

ISOFIX mountings

Depending on version, some front and rear seats have ISOFIX mountings. Each of these seats has three rings, shown by a marking:

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

The ISOFIX system gives you a fast, reliable and safe way to fit a child seat.

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. Route the strap: pass the child seat strap behind the seat backrest, centred between the openings for the head restraint rods.
3. Attach: 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, first move the centre rear seat belt towards the middle of the car so the child seat does not interfere with it. Always follow the fitting instructions in the child seat's own user guide, as a badly fitted seat puts the child at risk. If you are unsure where you can fit ISOFIX child seats in your car, contact a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop.

Recommended ISOFIX child seats: also check the child seat maker'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 that attaches 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

In line with European regulations, there is a table showing, for each seat position, whether you can fit a universal child seat secured with the seat belt, and the largest ISOFIX and i-Size child seats for positions with ISOFIX anchorage points. Check your exact seat position against that table, and refer to the law in your country before putting a child in a given seat, as this depends on version.

Front passenger seat and the airbag:

• To fit a rearward-facing child seat here, the front passenger airbag must be deactivated ("OFF").
• With the airbag activated ("ON"), only a forward-facing child seat is allowed.
• The table's notes for universal child seats refer to a universal rearward-facing and/or forward-facing (U) child seat, groups 0, 0+, 1, 2 and 3, and to a universal forward-facing (UF) child seat, groups 1, 2 and 3 only.
• 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.

Other notes from the table:

• Never fit a child seat with a support leg on the centre rear seat.
• For some rearward-facing ISOFIX positions, adjust the driver's seat to the highest position and the front passenger seat fully forward.
• For some booster seat positions, do not fold down the backrest.
• A universal child seat is one that can be fitted in any car using the seat belt.

ISOFIX size classes:

Compatibility rules:

• An i-Size compatible position also accepts R1, R2 and F2X, F2, B2.
• An R3 compatible position also accepts R1 and R2.
• An F3 compatible position also accepts F2X and F2.
• A B3 compatible position also accepts B2.

No seat position in the table accepts a "carrycot" type child seat.

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 by a label.

1. To activate: turn the built-in key in the red control as far as it will go: to the right on the left-hand rear door, to the left on the right-hand rear door.
2. To 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, in addition to 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.

1. Activate or deactivate: with the ignition on, press the relevant button. The indicator lamp comes on or goes out, and a message confirms the change.

If the indicator lamp shows anything else, the electric child lock has a fault: have it checked by a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop. With the child lock on, you can still open the rear doors from outside and operate the rear windows from the driver's door. This system is separate from the central locking and never replaces it. Check its status each 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 does my Peugeot 208 seat belt warning keep beeping?

Above 12 mph (20 km/h), the seat belt lamps flash with an audible signal for approximately two minutes if a belt is not fastened or has been unfastened. After that, the lamps stay on until the belt is fastened.

How do I turn off the passenger airbag on a Peugeot 208?

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 stays lit to confirm it.

Can I put a rearward-facing child seat in the front of a Peugeot 208?

Only if the front passenger airbag is deactivated first. If your car has no deactivation control, fitting a rearward-facing child seat on the front passenger seat is strictly prohibited.

Will the airbags go off again after a second crash?

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

Seat belts, airbags and properly fitted child seats work together to protect everyone in your Peugeot 208. Take a moment to check belts, child seats and the passenger airbag status before each journey, and contact a PEUGEOT dealer or a qualified workshop if you have any questions about a system.

More Peugeot 208 Guides

For what the lamps on your dashboard mean, see our guides to the Peugeot 208 red warnings, the Peugeot 208 orange warnings and the Peugeot 208 blue and green warnings.

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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 208 model guides.

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