
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  

Fig. 25 Section  from the instrumen t pone l: PASSENGER BAG OFF 
The PASSENGER BAG fig . 25. 
The PASSENGER come on and stay on to 
burns out. the airbag monitoring indicator 
not change the the front airbag on the passenger  side works,  it no longer be possible  to usc the PASSENGER BAG light to verify that the airbag on/off status is correc t  for the occupant on the front passenger seat. Have the a irbag system in 
specte d  immediately by your authorized  Volkswagen deal er or qualifi ed  workshop. 
The PASSENGER blink for 
up to long 9 seconds when: 
the ignition is switched on and 
the re  is a change in the weight measured b y the weight-sensing mat in the fro nt passenger sca t that determines w hethe r the Advanced 
A irbag on the passenger side can d eploy  or be lllrned off. 
Af te r 
the light  stops 
light  is proper for the siz e. age, and weight of the occupant on the  front passenger seat. 
ways make sure that th e safety for the  fron t passenger scat is prope rly fastened. 
The PASSENGER BAG light show the correc t status o f th e front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side 
stay on if the front  passenger seat is no t occup ied, 
s ta y on if the combined weight of an in
fant up t o about one year of age in one  of the reanvard-fa cing or fonva rd-faci ng child re
straints in  Federa l Motor with whic h  th e  Advanc ed  Airbag 
Sys te m  in your vehicl e was certified. is  registered  by the weight-sensing mat in the  front passenger seat.  For  a listin g of the chil d restraints 
t h a t 
were used to certi fy  your vehicle's complia nce with the Safety 
registered  by the  weightsensing 
The BAG light must come 
on and stay on if  the ignition is on and 
a car bed has been o n the front passenger seat. or 
a reanvard-facingchild  restraint has been  in
a forward-facing child  restra int has been in 
and if the weig ht  reg istered on the front passenger seat  is equal to or less than the combine d weight o f a  ty pical year-o ld infant restrained in one of the reanvard-facin g or fonvard-facing c hild  restraints in Federall'v1 otor Safe ty in your vehicl e certified. 
the front passenger seat is not occupi ed . the 
front passenge r a irbag BAG stay on. Never on the fr o nt  passenger seat, the safest  p lace for in  any kind of page 
page 53, 
Airbag system 41  

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  

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  

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  

side oirbog on left side of vehicle 
Suppl em ental  sid e ai rbag s infl ate  betw een the occupant and the door panel on the sid e of the 
ve hic le is s truck  in ce rtain  sid e collision 27. 
A pplies to ve hicl es: with  side o irbogs 
m enta l s id e a irbag injure  you if your seatin g position  is  not proper o r upri ght o r i f 
it e m s are  locate d  in the a re a  where  the menta l s id e a irbag  inflates. This a pplies cially to page 53, "Child 
A lth oug h  th ey  arc  no t a soft pill ow,  they  can the  i mpac t and in  thi s w ay  th ey  can help r educe the  risk of in ju ry  to  th e upper part of the body. 
A fin e dust dev elop  whe n  th e 
safety instructions for the side airbag system 
A irb ags  are only supplemental rest raints.  Alway s prop erly  wear  safety  belts and 
rid e a proper  seating 
There  is a lot tha t you and your p asse nge rs mus t 
kno w and do to he lp the safe ty and airbags do their jo b to provid e supple m ental  protection. 
T he s ide 
airbags installed  for the front seating positio ns  and th e rear outboard have 
been des igned and cert ified to  he lp  reduce the risk of injury  th a t can b e caused  by  air bag s w he n 
th ey  inflat e. particularl y wh en the occupant 
To  he lp  red uce th e  risk of injury w he n the supple m ental s id e airbag inflates, 
Always  sit  in  an upright posit ion and do not lean against the area whe re the mental s id e airbag is  locate d . 
WARNING 
An inflatin g s ide airbag can cause serious or fatal injury. Impro perl y wearing safety  belt s 
Never  let  a c hil d o r a nyone els e  rest their 
h ead against th e side trim panel in th e area 
W here applic able 
48 Airbag  system  

flates. 
- Alway s 
make sure that  safety  belts are wor n correctly, 
- Never  le t a nyo ne s itting  in the  front 
seat put th e ir hand o ut of the window. 
Always make sure  th at the  sid e airbag  can 
inflat e without  interferen ce: 
- Neve r in stall  se
at covers or re p lace ment upholstery  over th e front  seat back s  that 
h ave  not bee n specifica lly approved  by 
- Never  use  additional  seat  cushi on s that co ver th e areas where th e s ide airbag s flate. 
-
Dam age  to the original  seat covers or to 
th e seam in  th e area of th e  si de  airbag 
modul e must  alwa ys be  repaired ate ly by  an authorized 
betwee n yo u and the airbag  can crease th e risk of inju ry in colli sion  by fering  with the way the  airb ag unfold s or by bei ng pushed you  as  th e a irba g infl ates. 
- Neve r pla ce  or a
ttach  accesso ries or other objec ts (su ch as cup hold ers , phone brac ke ts, or eve n bulky  ob-
(continued) 
jec ts) on the doors , over or n ear th e area marke d on the seat ba ckre sts. 
- Acc esso ries or other objects  ca n beco me 
dangerou s mi ssiles and cause inju ry 
ploy ment space between  them and the bags  or allo w children or other passengers 
to  travel  in  thi s po sition. 
Always  usc the built-in coat hook s only  for ligh tweig ht clothing . Never  leave any h eavy or sharp-ed ged obj ec ts  in the  po cke ts  that  may 
int erfe re  w ith  side ai rba gdeployment and can cause  personal  injury in a collisio n. 
Always  prevent the sid e airbags  from being damaged by heavy  object s knockin g or hitting the sides  of the seat backs. 
The ai rb ag  syste m can onl y be tri gge re d 
once. the  airbag  has bee n tri ggered, the sys tem mus t b e re placed  by  an  authori zed Volkswagen  dealer or qualifi ed  work shop. 
Always  have  work  invo lv in g th e s ide airbag 
syste m, re m ova l a nd  installa tion of th e airbag 
components, orothcrrep air s p erformed  by an authorized  Volkswagen  dealer or qualified works ho p. Otherwise  th e a irbag sys te m may 
n ot work correctly. 
Neve r attempt to modify any  com ponents of the airbag  syste m  in any wa y 
Airbag system 49