
Forward-facing child seats insta lled on the front passenger's seat may interfere with the
d eployment of the airbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
Always make sure the fonvard-facing seat has been designed and certified by it s fa cturer for use on a front scat with a senger front and side airbag.
Alway s carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with the child seat or carrier.
Never put the fonvard-facing child
Always move the passenger seat into its arrnost position in the seat's fore and aft
(cont;nued)
justment range, as far away from the airbag as poss ible before installin g the fonvard-facing
c hild restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
Always make sure that nothing prevents the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore and aft justment range.
Never place additional it ems on the seat that can increase the total weight registered b y the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
Advanced Airbag
trolunit whent h e igniti on i s on. The control unit monitors the Advanced AirbagSystem and turns
th e airbag indicato r light on w hen malfunction in the syste m components is detec te d. The tion of the a irbag indicator light is described in
g reater detail below. Because the front
vanced Airbag you must take car e to prevent it from being dam aged. Damage to the seat m ay prevent the Advanced Airb ag for th e
front passenger seat from doing its job in a
crash.
The front
Advanced Airbag System consists of the following:
Cras h sensors in the front of the ve hicl e th at measure ve hicle accelera tion /deceleratio n to
prov ide informatio n t o the Advanced Airbag
Sys tem about the severity of the cras h.
An electronic control unit, with integra ted crash sensors for fr ont and side impacts. The control u nit whethe r to fire just one or b oth stages o f the front a irbags based o n the formation received from the cra sh sensors. The control unit also w hethe r th e safety belt pretensioners should be acti va ted.
A dual -stage Ad vanced Airbag with gas
A dual-stage Adva nced Airb ag and gas
A weight-sensi ng under uphols tery
paddi ng of the front passenger seat c u shion that m eas ure s th e total weight on the seat. The matio n registered is sent continuous ly to regulate deployment of th e front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side.
An airbag monitoring system and indicator light in the in strument page
Airbag system 35

The PASSENGER light in the center of the instrument panel fig. 25) that tells yo u when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passeng er side been turned
orr.
A se nso r in side the safe ty belt latch for the
front seat passenger to measure th e ten sion on th e sa fet y belt. The ten sion on th e safety belt and th e weight regis ter ed by the we ig ht -se nsin g mat help the control unit
page
A senso r in the safety belt lat ch for the driver and for the front seat passenger that senses whether that safe ty belt is latch ed or n ot and tran smit s thi s information to the elec troni c
Damage to the front passenger seat ca n
Never remove the passenge r or driver
scat from the vehicle.
Never re m ove the uphol stery from the front passenger seat.
Never disassemble or remove parts from
th e seat or disconnect wires from it.
Never carry sharp object s in your pockets or place them on the seat. If the sen si ng m at in the passenger scat i s tured it cannot work properly.
36 Airbag system
(continued)
Neve r carry things on you r lap or jects on th e passenger seat. items can the and send the wrong information
to the airbag con trol unit.
Never store items under the front
under the passenger scat could be damaged, pre ve nting them and th e airbag system from working properly.
Never place seat cove rs or r eplace ment ho ls tery on th e front seats that have no t been
specifically approved by Volk swagen .
covers can prevent the Advanced
Airbag from recognizing child straint s or occupants on the front passenger seat and prevent the sid e a irbag in the seat backr es t fr om deploying properly.
Neve r u sc cushions, pillows, blankets or sim ilar items on th e front passenger seat. T he addition al paddi ng w ill prevent the
If yo u must use
BAG light comes on and sta ys on whenever the child restraint is in stalled on the front (>as-senger scat.
If t he BAG stay on, immediatel y in stall
c hil d restrain t in rear seati ng position and have the airbag system inspected by your thorized Volkswagen dealer o r qualifi ed
wor kshop

severity de pends on sp eed and d ece lemtion as well as the mass and n ess of the vehicle or object involved in the
cras h.
plo ys. follo wed by the second stage at a lat er
t im e in the cras h sequence.
If t
he ele ctronic co ntrol unit regis ters a cras h of
high e r seve rity, both stages of th e drive r a irbag will d eplo y almost at the same time, rega rd less of w he th er th e safe ty belts are bein g used or not.
gramm ed in the e lec tron ic co ntrol unit. The front airba g on the passenger side will also be
turned off if th e combined weight of a n infant of about one year of age in one of th e child seats
that wa s use d t o ce rtify the Advanced Airbag Sys te m under Federa l Moto r Vehicle Safety
S tandard has bee n regi ste re d on th e seat. The
res traint s on the front seat some important things to
flat es, always wear s afety belt s properly.
If yo u are unres trained , leaning forward,
s itting sideways or out of position in any way, your risk of injury is much higher.
28.
An airbag that has deplo yed cannot provide protecti o n and must be replac ed.
Alway s turn off the ignition after an airbag has deployed.
safe distance from d eplo yed passenge r airbag.
N ever try to repair or change the airbag s ys te m or c ut a deployed airbag from the
s teering wheel or in strument panel.
An airbag th at h as deployed cannot vid e protection and must be re placed.
Repla ce deployed airbags only with ina.l equipment airbags approved by swagen and in sta ll ed by a train ed t echnician who has the necessa ry tools and diagno sti c equipment to properly replace any airbag in
your ve hicle and assu re syste m effectiveness in a cra sh
Airbag system 37

The front passenger airbag
when th e front passe nger pied,
when th e we ight o n th e front p ass en ger seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag cates that th e front airbag on th e pa sse nge r side has light comes on and stays on).
To reduce the risk of injury w hen the
a lw ays sit in an upright positi on, must n ot
l
ean agai nst o r place part o f th eir body to o
close t o the area w here the airbags a rc locate d.
Occupa n ts who are unbelte d, out o f tion or too close to the a irbag can be seriously injure d b y an air b ag as it unfo lds g reat force in the b link of a n page
A n i nfant or child in a re arward-faci ng c hild seat install ed on the front passenge r scat w ill
b e seri ously injure d can be ki lled if the
front airbag infl ates even with an A dva nced
Airbag
T he i nfl ating a irba g will hit the c hild sea t or infant carrie r with great fo rce and will
s mash the cl1ild scat
Always ins ta ll rearward -facing child seats
o n th e rear seat.
yo u must in stall a rearward faci ng c hild seat o n the fron t passenger seat because o f ceptio nal ci rcums tances and the stay on, imme di ate ly in stall the reanvard-facing c hild seat in
s h o p .
between yo u and the airbag will
(continued)
fering wit h th e
Neve r h o ld things in your h ands o r o n your la p whe n the ve hicl e is in use.
Neve r transport items on o r in the
co me dangerous projecti les that can cause rious personal injury if the a irbags in flate.
Never place or auach accessori es or other
obj ects (s uch
page
crash, especiall y w hen the airbags infla te .
Neve r recline t he fro nt passenger's scat tra n sp ort objects. o f th e sid e airbag or th e fro nt during braking o r in a sudden m aneu ve r. jects ncar th e airbags can becom e pro jectiles and cause in ju ry , p artic ul arl y w hen the scat is
r eclined.
Always make sure that nothing is on the
fr ont passenger scat that w ill cause th e
weigh t-sensing mat in the seat to sense that the scat is occupied or is occu pied by
A lw ays make su re that n othing is on th e
front p asse nger seat whe n the backrest i s
f olded forward . Eve n
Always make sure tha t the statu s sig naled
b y the light is rect for the way that the fron t passenger scat is bcinguscd.
Airbag system 39

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
A n ai rbag sys te m tha t i s no t func ti o nin g erl y cannot provi de s upplemental pro tec tio n
in a fronta l crash .
th e a ir bag indi cato r
sib lc that th e airb ag
wo rksh op.
o r be seriou sly injure d an d ca n b e kill ed .
Even tho ugh your vehi cle i s with Advance d Air bag make certain
that chil dre n, es pecia lly 12 years yo unge r, always ride on th e back seat p roper ly
res tra ined fo r th eir age and size.
A lways install fo rward o r rea nvard -facing
c hild seats o n th e re a r seat- eve n with an vance d Airbag Sys te m .
a rearward - faci ng chil d scat on the fro nt passenger seat because o f
BAG does not com e on an d stay o n, immedi ate ly
s h op.
A tig ht tethe r or other str a p o n a faci ng ch ild res tra int attach ed t o the fro nt se nger seat ca n put to o much press ure on the
we ight-se nsing mat in the se a t and reg is te r more a weight than is on th e seat. The
h ea vier weig ht regis tere d can make the
sys te m w ork as thou gh an adult were on th e seat a nd dep loy th e Advance d Air bag w he n it
m ust b e s uppresse d causin g se rious o r eve n
fata l inju ry to the c hild .
An imp roperly in sta lled child res tra int can
ou sly in ju re or even child -eve n wit h
a n Advanced Airbag Syste m .
in exce pti onal ci rcums ta nces, you must a fo n vard-faci ng chil d restrai nt on the
f ro nt passenger's seat:
-
Fon vard-faci ng c hild seats o n
th e front passe nge r's scat may inte rfere with the deploym en t of th e a irbag and
ca use serio us perso nal inju ry to the child .
- Always
mak e s ure the fonvard-fac ing seat has been des ig ned and certifi ed by its
m anufact ure r f or use o n a fron t seat with a
passenger fron t a nd side airbag.
- Always
the lllr er's in structi o ns provid ed with the seat o r carrier.
- Never
put the fonva rd-faci ng c hild straint up again st o r v ery near th e ment panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its rearmos t p osi tion in th e seat's fo re a nd aft adjustm ent ra nge, as fa r away from the airbag as p oss ib le before in sta llin g th e war d-faci ng child restra int. The backrest must b e adjuste d to an upright p os ition.
- Alway s ma ke sure t hat n
oth in g preve nts
th e front passe nger's seat from bei ng
m ove d to th e rearmost p osition in its fore and aft adju stment range.
- Never pl
ace additio nal it e m s o n th e seat
th at
te re d b y the weight-se nsin g m at an d can
ca use inju ry in a cras h.
M ake sure th at th e PASSENGER ligh t comes on and stays on
BA G
wo rksh o p .
Airbag sy ste m 43

BAG light does not go off when an adult is sitting on the front
passenger scat after taking the s te p s described
above, make sure the adult i s properl y seated
and r estrai ned at one of the rear seating posi
tions.
Have the a irba g sys te m inspecte d by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or qualified
workshop before transporting anyon e o n th e
front passenger seat.
be turn ed off, and th e BAG light on.
o r th e front passe nger sa fety belt its elf is buckled and th e
f ru nt seat i s not occ upied . th e co me on.
Repair, care and
re moving, servicing or repairing a
Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steeri ng wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in strument panel or m odify them in any
Never attach any o bj ects such as cup holders or te lephone mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag units.
For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one moi st
e ned w ith plain water. Solvents or cleaners
co uld damage the airbag cover or change the
s tiffn ess or strengt h of the material so that the
a irbag cannot deploy and protect properly.
Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the a irba g system.
All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel, front seats or ele ctri cal sys tem (in-
44 Airbag system
{ continu ed )
eluding the installation of audio equipment ,
ce llular te lephones and C B radios, etc.) must be performed by a qualified tech nici an who
h as the training and special equipment neces
sary.
For any work on the airbag s ys te m , we strongly recommend that yo u see you r authorized Volkswagen dealer or qualified work
shop.
Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicl e body.
Alwa ys make sure that the s ide airbag can inflate witho ut interference:
Neve r scat covers or rep lacement upholstery over the front scat backs that have no t been specifically approved by Volkswagen.
Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas where t11e sid e a irba gs in
flate .
Damage to the original scat cove rs or to
th o scam in the area of tho side airbag module must always be re p ai red immediate ly by an authorized Volkswagen deale r or qualified workshop.
The airbag sy stem can be activated only
o n ce. After an airba g has inflated, it must be replaced.
trained t echnician who has th e necessary
too ls and diagnostic equipment to properly

to vehic les: with side airbags
Description of side airbags
Always make sure that nothing can inter-fe re with the safety be lt buckles and that they are not
The sid e airbag system ca n provid e supplemental protection to properly
strain ed fron t seat occupant s.
Fig. 26 a irbag in drive r seat
The side air b ag s are in the backr est p addin g in the fig. 26 . ve hicl e m ay als o b e
equipped w ith optiona l sid e ai r bags for the re a r
outs id e po siti ons.Th e ge nera l lo cat io n is in the upper regio n of the backrests .
The side airbag system basically consis ts of:
the e lectroni c co ntro l module with grated sensors, pre ssure sen so rs in the front doors and re a r s ide impact sensors (only four doors ve hicle).
the two side airbags locate d in the s ides of the fro nt backre sts a ir ba gs
opti ona l s id e a irbags for the outboard rear seats (only four door s ve hicle).
3) W here ap plicabl e
46 Airbag system
the airbag warning light in the in strument clu ster.
The airb ag syste m is monitore d electroni cally to make certain that it is fun ctioning properly at all times. Ea ch time you turn on th e ig nition, the
a irba g syste m indi cator light will come on fo r a
few s e conds (self diagnostic s).
Th e side
airbag s ys te m supplements the s afet y
b elt s and can help to reduce the ris k of injury to the dri ver's and passenge r's and the rear
outboard3> passen ge r's upper to rs o on the s ide
o f the ve hicl e that is st ruck in a s ide colli sio n. The a irb ag infl ates onl y in sid e impacts and o nl y
w he n th e ve hicle accele rati on r egis te re d by the
co ntrol unit is hi gh enough. If thi s rate is be lo w
th e re fe re nce valu e progr ammed into the control unit. the s ide airb ags will not be tri gge re d , ev en
th oug h the car m ay be bad ly da m ag ed a s a re su lt
o f the c ollis ion .
sib le angle of impa c t, s ince th e c ircumsta nce s
will v ary consid era bly betw een one collisio n and ano ther. Important fac tor s includ e, Fo r e xample, the nature (hard or soft) oft h e impacting o bject, the ang le of impact, ve hicl e speed, e tc . s afe ty in stru ctions fo r the sid e a irbag
Aside from their normal safety function, sa fe ty
b elt s work to he lp keep the driver or front se n ge r in po sition in sid e co llision so that the
s ide airb ags c an pro vid e pro tection whe n th ey
inflate. Safety belt s als o help to keep rear seat
passenge rs in pos ition so tha t opti onal seat

Alway s seats on the rear seat.
a rearward-facing
seat in a rear seating position and h ave the airbag system inspec te d immediately by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or qualified
workshop.
Fonvard-facing child seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the
chorage to the highest adjustment posi
t ion.
- Always move
the passenger seat to the
hi ghest position in th e up and down justment range and move it back to
the tim e whenever the ignition is
switched
Advanced front airbag system and
Your vehicle is equipped with a dual-stage front Airbag in compliance with
Unit ed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety dard as at th e tim e your
ve hicl e was manufactured.
T he Advanced Airbag system in you r veh
icle to meet th e requ irements for 3 and 6 year-old chil dre n (as defined in the s tandard ) on the passe nger side and small
adults on the driv er side. d eplo ym ent
occurs in tho se crashes that take plac e at lower
d ecla ratio ns as defin ed in th e ele c
tronic unit. Th e low risk deployment crit eria are tended to redu ce the risk of injury through inter
action with the airbag that can occur in these
safety
airbag inflates. In additi on, the system has been certified to comply with the qu ir e m ent s of th e Safety Standard , to turn off the
f r ont airbag for infant s up to 12 months w ho are restrained on th e front passenge r seat in child that are
can be a very dangerous place for an in-fant or la rger child in a rearward -facing