
Booklet 2.1 Safety first 
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light  comes 
on ... 
If th e PASSENGER AIR BAG comes on 
w hen  one  o f th e conditio ns  listed above is  m et, 
b e  sure to  check the light ta in  that th e PASSENGER AIR BAG 
does not  appear and not stay  on 
reactivate  th e sys te m by turning the  ign ition 
orr a nd  th e n turning  it on again ; 
re move and th e child  re stra int.  Make 
sure that the c hild  restraint is pro p erly 
ufacture r's in str u ctions; 
make sure  th at the conve rtibl e lockin g ture on  the safety 
Th e belt must  no t be loose or have  loops of slack so tha t th e sensor b elow the safe ty belt  lat ch on the sea t can do its  job 63. 
m ake sure  th at things  that m ay increase th e weight o f the  chil d and ch ild seat  are not b e in g transp orted  on the front passenger seat; 
make sure tha t th e sa fe ty  belt  te nsion sen sor is  no t blocke d. the  sa fe ty la tc h  on the 
fr o nt  passenger seat back and fo rth, 
make sure that no thin g can  int erf ere w ith the 
safe ty  belt  buckles and that they are  no t str ucte d. 
If  a strap o r tether  is  being  used  t o tie  th e 
c hi ld seat  to th e front passenger scat,  make sure tha t it  is  no t so tight that  it  c auses the sen sin g m at m easure  m ore weig h t than is o n the seal. 
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light 
light docs not com e  o n and does no t stay on continuous ly (when th e ig niti on  i s swi tc h ed on). 
42 Airbag sys te m 
take the c hild restrai nt off the front passenger scat and 
your autho rized Volkswagen dealer o r q ualified wor ks hop immedia te ly. 
move th e  c hild to  a rear seat posit io n and make  su re that the 
light should come on 
The PASSENGER AIR BAG should  NOT 
come o n when the  ign ition i s on and an adult  is 
s ilting  in p ro per position on the  front pa sse nger seat. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG lig ht comes o n  and on u nder these circ um -sta nces. make  su re  that: 
the adul t on the front  passenge r scat is seat e d on the cente r o f the seat cushio n  with 
h is or her back up against th e  back rest and  th e 
b ackres t is not page 
the adult is  not taking weigh t orr the seat  by 
hold ing  on  to the passenger assis t h andle  above the fro nt passenger door or supporting th eir weig ht o n the  armrest or hold ing o nt o the assist handle on th e  in strument 
th e safe ty belt  is  bei ng properly  worn and that  th e re is n ot in the  safe ty belt 
webb ing. 
a ccessory seat cove rs or c u shions o r other th ings that m ay cause 
passe nger seat. 
is mov in g. the PASSENGER AIR BAG light blinks for about 5 seconds  to  catch  th e driver's it  is 
s a fe  to do s o and c heck  the steps described  

replace any airbag in your vehicle and assure system  effectiveness  in  a  crash. 
Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
Never permit salvaged or recycled ai rb ags 
to  be  installed  in your 
low ering  th e veh icle,  changing  the 
s tiffness of th e suspe nsion , including the spring s, suspe nsion  struts,  shock absorber s etc. 
ca n change  th e forces  that  are meas ured  by th e 
air  bag  senso rs and sen t to  the  electron ic  control 
unit. s u sp ensio n chang es for ample,  increase  the force level s m eas ured  by the 
sensors and make  the airb ag system  deploy in 
cras hes in wh ic h  it wou ld  no t dep loy  if th e 
c h a nges  had  no t bee n made. kind s of ch a nges  may  reduce  the  force  leve ls  mea sured by  the  senso rs  and preve nt the airbag  from ploying  whe n  it  should. 
The Advanced  Airbag will not work the 
way it s houl d if  th e o ptional safety  belt  exte nder is  not  removed  from the safety  belt latch  when 
the seat i s occup ie d  and  the sa fe ty  belt  is  not bei ng  used.  Leaving th e extender attach ed  to  the safety belt  buck le when the front seat is 
s ig na l the airbag  control  unit that  the front seat is  occup ied and that the sa fety  belt  is  being  used. The elec tron ic  co ntro l unit  for the airbag  system 
will then  rece ive incorrect information  that will cause  the safe ty belt pretens ioner to deploy 
has deployed  can not be re pair ed. 
T he  entir e safety  belt must  be  rep laced . For  that 
rea son, a lways  re move  the sa fety belt  exte nde r 
w hen  it  is  not  nee ded  and  stow  it  sa fely 
23. In  ad d ition, the  safet y belt  extender must  never  be  used to secure  child  rest raint s to 
th e front  passenge r seat. 
T he  se ns
ors  in  the safety belt  buckle  for the driver and front passenge r seat tell th e troni c control module  if  the  safe ty  belt is latc hed or If th e sa fe ty  belt is  being  used,  the front  airbag 
will deploy 
at a  sl ightly  highe r rate of hi cle  dece leration than if the sa fe ty  belt is not 
b eing  used . Therefore , in  a particular  collision, it 
i s  possible  that an airbag will not  deplo y at  a seatin g position  where the safety  belt is being 
u sed but infla te  at  the position  where the safe ty  belt  is not bei ng  use d. It is  important that n othing  interfere  with the safety  belt buck les so 
that  the sensors can send  the  correct tion abou t safety belt  use to the  elec tron ic 
C hanging the  ve hicl e's suspension  including 
us e of unapproved tire-rim  combinations  ca n change Advanced Airbag performance and crease the risk of se rious  personal  injury  in a 
c ras h. 
Never  install s uspension components that do not h ave  the same performance ist ics as th e components originally  in stalled on your ve hicl e. 
Never  use  tire-rim combin a ti o ns  th at have not been  approved  by Volkswage n. 
Leaving the optional safety  belt extender tached to  th e safety  belt latch  on the front senger seat when  the safety  belt  is not being 
u se d will prevent  the Adva nced fro m  functioning properl y and ca n in crease the risk of se riou s pe rso nal injury in  a 
Always  remove  the safety  belt extende r 
w hen  it  is not needed and stow  it  safely  whe n 
it  is not bei ng  used  with the safety  belt. 
Never use th e  safety  belt exte nder to  secure 
a c hild  restraint at any seating position. 
buckle and the cente r conso le can  cause  the sensors 
Airbag system 45  

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  

The Protection'M airbag system 
consists  of: 
the elec troni c control  module with grated senso rs,  press ure sensors in  the doors and  rear  side impact  sensors. 
airbags  above the front and rear side w indo ws. 
the ai rbag 
Protection airbag sys te m is not activated: 
if the  ignit ion is  sw itched off, 
in sid e  collisio ns  w he n the acceleratio n sured by the senso r i s too  low, 
Applies t o  vehi cles: w ith side curta in protection  oirbogs 
Booklet 2.1 Safety first 
in front-end collisio ns, 
in rear-end collision s, 
some types of accidents the  fron t, Sid e tain  ProtectionTM side  airbag s m ay  be 
Safety belts and the airhag  syste m will only 
provide protection w hen occupants are in the proper seating page 4. 
spected immedia tel y by you r authori ze d 
tion in a side co llision is hig h  enough to vate the . 
How 
duce the risk of head and uppe r  torso injuries for occupants are  properly 
strained . 
Fig. 29 airbogs on th e left sid e 
Th e Sid e airbag s infl ate 
b etween the  occupant a nd the si de window  on 
that sid e of th e  ve hicl e is struck  in certain 
s ide fig . 29 .  When 
the sys
te m  is  tri gg ered, the  Sid e airba g is fille d  with  propellant gas 
and break s th roug h th e header above the  front and rear  sid e  window s and center d oo r pillar and deploys dow nwards.  In order to help v ide thi s additional  prote ction, the S ide ProtectionTM airba g must inflate  w ith in th e 
b lin k of a n eye at very  high  speed  and  with great force.  The Sid e Protectio nTM  airba g 
co uld  injure  you if your seating posit io n  is not proper o r  upright  or if area where tec tion TM a irbag in fla tes. T hi s appli es especially 
t o page  53, 
the impact and in 
th is  way they can help  to  reduce the  risk o f injury 
t o  th e  head and the upper part o f the bo dy. 
A fin e dust  m ay deve lo p  w hen  th e a ir b ag ploys. This  is quite norm al and does n ot  mean 
th ere  is  a  fir e in  th e ve hicl e . 
Airbag sy ste m 51  

2.1 Safety first 
child on the front passe nger seat u sing  th e weight-sensing m at in the seat c ushion and the sen sor below the safety  belt  latch on the front 
p assenger seat that measures th e tension  on the safe ty  be lt. 
Th e we ight -sensin g 
mat measures  to tal  weight of the c h ild and th e child  seat and a chi ld  blanket on th e front passeng er seat.  The weight on the 
front pas s enge r seat is  re lated to the design of th e  c hild  restraint and its the size and s h ape of the bo ttom of the  chil d restr aint  as 
it  sit s on the seat. The w eight o f  a  child  restraint and  its 
manufacturers . 
T he 
weight ra nges  for the indi vidual types, 
m akes and models of child  restr aints that th e 
N HTSA has s pecified in the Sa fe ty  Standard gether w ith the weight r a n g es  of t ypical  infan ts  a
nd ty
pical I  year-old child have  been in 
th e  control unit of the Adva nced  Airba g Sys te m. 
When  a child  restraint  is being  used on the front passenger seat w ith  a typic al! year-o ld  infant , 
th e Ad va nc ed  Airbag  System compares the weight measured  by the weight-sensin g m at 
with the informa ti on  stored  in the electro nic 
control  unit. 
T he  el
ectroni c control unit als o  registers the s ion  on  th e front passenger safe ty  belt. The sion on th e sa fe ty  belt  for the front passenge r 
seat w ill  be differe nt  for an adult who is properly using the  sa fety belt  as compared to the  te nsion on th e  belt  when it is  used to  atta ch  a  child strain t to the seat.  Th e sensor below the latch  for the sa fet y belt  for th e  front seat passenger sures the tension on th e  belt. The input from  this 
se nsor is then u sed w ith  the  weight to w he th er there is  a  child  restraint  with a ty pical 
I  year-o ld  child on the front passenger seat  a nd 
w hether o r  n ot  th e airba g must be  turned off . 
Safety dards and has been certified  by  its  m anufa cturer 
f o r  use  with an airbag. Alwa ys be sure that the chil d restraint  is  pro perly  in stalled at one of th e 
rear  seating positi ons.  If  in  exce ptional sta nces you must  use  it on the front passe nge r seat, carefully  read all of the information on child safety and Ad vanced  Airbag s and heed  all of th e a pplic abl e WARNINGS. Ma ke  certain that 
t h e c hild  res traint  is correctly  recognized  by the 
we ig ht-sensi ng mat in side the  front passeng er seat, that th e fron t passenger a irb ag  is turne d  off and that  the airbag statu s is  alw ays correctly naled  by the BAG light. 
Man y ty
pes and model s of c hild  restrain ts  hav e 
been availabl e ove r the years . new mode ls a re introduced  reg ularly  incorporating new and prove d  desig n s  and older mod els  are  take n out of production. res traint s are not iz ed. re s traint s of th e  same  type ty picall y  h
ave  diff e
rent weig hts and sizes and diff erent the  size and s hape  of the bottom of 
th e child  res traint that sit s  on the seat, when they are  in stalled  on  a seat. These ences  make it  virtu ally impossibl e to certify compliance with the  require m ents for advanced 
airbags  with  each and  every child  restraint that has ever been  so ld  in the past or w ill  be s old  ove r 
t h e course  of the  useful  life of your 
For thi s rea son, the United States National High way  Traffi c Sa fety Adm ini strat ion has lis h e d  a list of s p ecific  type,  makes and m od els of c hild  restraint s that must b e  use d to certify compliance of th e Advanced  Airbag System in 
your ve hicle  with the suppression  requirements of Federal  Mo tor These child  restraints are : 
A. Car beds, manufactured on or after tember 1, 
Dream Ride 02-719 
safety 55  

edges under the vehicl e can cut exposed 
ski n. 
Alway s protect your  hands and arms from cuts on sharp m etal  edges when clea ning th e underbody, the inside of th e wheel housin gs 
etc. 
Never try  to  remov e mud or dust if the vehicle dry . a dry  cloth  or 
sponge  fo r cleaning  could damage th e  paint or 
3.2 Tip s and Advice 
glass on your vehicle . dirt . mud or dust with plent y of wate r before removing  it. 
When  rinsing  the vehicle. do no t let water ge t 
int o th e lock  cylinders or point  the hose at  gaps 
around  the doors. hood or tail  gate. The water could  freeze  and make it difficult  to open the hicle. 
To he lp  preve nt damage to  th e  pai nt,  do not was h the vehicle  in direct sunl ight. 
F o r th e  sake of environment 
To protect  the environme nt. wash the vehicle 
only  in specia l was h bays that c an  handle oily 
d irt  that is wash ed  off  th e  car. 
- Do  nor  use a power washer to remove 
ic e 
or snow page 25. 
- Neve r use  concentrated jet  nozzles or 
so-called 
- After ve hicl e has  been washed, the 
brake 
dis cs and pads  will be we t (they 
could  even be icy  in the win te r) and 
th e brakes  with  seve ra l care ful  brake 
application s before  drivin g page 13. 
WARNING 
brakes or bra kes coa ted with ice or road salt react slower and n eed  longer stoppin g tances. 
Ca re full y apply brake s for a  test. 
1
l ap plicab le 
Always  dry and cl ean off  ice ings and salt coatings  with  a few cautious brake applicati ons. 
Always  rea d and heed  all power and braking 
WARNING 
Improper usc of powe r was he rs  ca n cause rious , in vis ible and  perm an ent tire damage leading  to  tire failur e an d  loss of ve hicle trol. 
Never wa sh  tire s wi th the water out in  a direc t stream even at 
temperature sh o uld  not be more than F 
If  yo u use power  wash e r. be sure  to  keep it a 
sa fe d istance from  the sors' > in  the front and rear bumpers . you h old 
it  too to  the sensors,  you could damage 
them. 
and protection 23  

Booklet 3.2 Tips and Advice 
Repairs and technical modifications 
Repairs and modifications must always  be carried out according to the 
Ele ct ronic nent s are  linked  toge ther in  network s and othe r 
sys te m s m ay be negati vely affe cte d  by  im proper 
modification s or improperl y ries. T his c an  seriou sly  impair safety and lead to 
e xces sive wear of components. 
th e su spension sys tem  can change the way  that the airbag sys tem perform s 
in  a cra sh.  Fo r example,  using  tir e- rim tion s not approved  by Volk sw agen,  low ering the ch anging  the s tiffn ess of the the springs, su spension  strut s, 
s hock  absorbers can change the forces  tha t a re measure d  by  the airbag sensors and se n t to  the contro l unit.  Some su spension  ch a nge s can.  for 
exa mpl e, increase the force  leve ls measured b y the sensors and m ake the  airbag  sys tem deploy 
in  cras hes in  whi ch it w ould  not deploy if the changes had not been  made. Other kinds of change s m ay  reduce the force  leve ls  m easured 
by the sensors and  p reven t th e airbag  from plo ying  when it should. 
We recommend that nece ssary work be 
can cause malfunctions leading to 
Never s u spension components that d o  not have  the sa me performance is tic s as the components install ed on your Never  use tire-rim tions that have not been approved by swagen. 
care,  servic in g and repair dures can increase th e risk of personal injury and death by preve nting an airb ag from ploying w he n needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly. 
the suspen sion cluding use o f unapproved tir e-rim tions change a irbag performance and 
Be sure  to  read and heed the inf ormation and all bookle t chapter 
32 Accessories , new parts, repairs and modifications  

The engine  oil dipstick  indicates  the leve l of the  oil. 
Fig. 6  E ngine level  marks 
To  get  a true reading,  the ve hicl e must be 
on leve l ground. Before opening the en
gine hood, always  read  and heed all 
page 39. 
If the  yellow indicator light  in th e  in-
s
trument cluster comes  on,  check the e n
gine  o
il leve l as soon as possible and add 
the correct engin e oil. 
the eng in e and wait a few minutes 
for 
the  oil to  return to  the  o il pan. 
p a ge  41. 
out the dipstic k and w ip e it clean 
w ith  a rag. 
Rein se rt dips tick; push it  all the way  in. 
If 
ther e  is  a projection on the en gin e oi l 
dipstick,  make  sure it lines up with the pro
jection on the guide tube. 
the dipsti ck out aga in and ch eck 
the o il l evel. 
You must  not add fig. 6 . 
You can add 
You m ust add oil. adding oil,  make sure the level  is somewhere within t h e B range. 
Warning light : Engin e  oi l level too low 
If the yellow warn in g  ligh t  in the instrument cluster comes on, switc h ofT the engine and check the engine level  as soon as possible and add the  correct page 45. There may be a message in the instrumem cluste r informing you or advis ing you of the necessary  action to 
take. 
If  the  yello w 
warning  ligh t flashes, contact your authorized  Volkswa gen dealer or qualified workshop and have the oil  leve l sensor checked. There be 
WARN IN G 
Before workin g  in  th e  e ng in e compartm ent,  always  read and heed 39. T he engin e compartment of any motor vehicl e is potentiall y dangerous are a and can cause serio us personal injury. 
WARN ING 
If you do not pay attentio n  to the warning light s which  ha ve com e o n, incl ud in g the warning messages appearing in the  d isplay, this could  lead  t o personal  in juryordamage to 
your ve hicle. 
Note 
If  the engine oil is  above  level not 
start  the engine-this could damage the catal ytic converter and the engi ne!