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
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
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a collision.
The physical principle s of what happens when you r vehicle is in an acc ident apply also to 15. safety belts?". But unlik e adults and teenage rs, their muscle s and bones are not fully deve loped. many respects
d ent s than are adults.
Becau
se c hildr en's bodies oped, they must use restrain t systems especially des igned fo r their size . weight , and b ody ture . Many countries and all sta te s of the United and pro vinces of Canada have law s
tems for infant s and small childr en .
a frontal crash at a speed of20- 35 mph 56 km /h l the forces acting on a 13-pound (6 kg)
infant w ill be more than times th e weig ht of the child . Thi s means th e weight of the chi ld
wo uld suddenl y be more than pounds kg). Under these conditions, only
tions to be s ure the seat is right for your child's page 56, safety instru ctio ns for using child b e s ure to
bags, and th e installation of child restraints in
thi s booklet.
Ther e is a l ot you n ee d to know about the va nced Airba gs in your vehicl e and how they
work when infant s and children in child
in your vehicle and th e very important inform ation about child ren on the front
they are extremel y important fo r your safet y and the safet y o f your passenger s, cially infant s and sm all children .
Acciden t s tati stics have shown that d ren are generally safer in the rear seat area than in the front seating position. Always
All vehicle occupants and especially dren must be restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or properly restrained child could be injure d b y striking the interior or by being ejected from the ve hicle during a sudden maneuver or
strained child is also at greate r risk of injury or death through contact with an infl ati n g
airbag.
s uit abl e child restrai nt properly ins talled and used at one of the rear seating pos itions prov ides th e hig hest degree of protect ion for
infant s and small childre n in most accident situations
Children on the fro nt seat ofanycareven with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
A child in a rearward-facing child seat be
The infl ating a irbag
safety 53
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
2.1
seats can help protect toddlers and children ove r
age 1 and and up to
mately lbs. (9 and 18 kg) in a cra sh.
Fig . 32
stall a child seat, yo u must first activ ate the
switchable locki ng feature on the safet y
belt to pre vent the child seat from moving
63.
-the child seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt re ally tight so
that the seat cannot move fo rw ard or
page 69) to
the tether anchorage for th e seating
tion w here the c hild restra int is being
sta lled page 68.
-
safety
A toddle r or is usuall y too large for fant restraint, if it is m ore than one year and weighs more than 221b s.
and weig h be tween 221bs.
s train ed in seat certified for the ir size and fig. 32.
The airbag on the passenger side m akes the front seat a pot entially dang erous place fo r a to ride. Th e front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-fac ing child seat.
in a re arw ard-facing seat.
WARNING
Not using us ing the wrong seat or improperly installing child restra int
increases the risk of serious personal injury and death in a or other emergency
si tuation.
Children on th e front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously jured or even
be seriousl y
in jured and be if th e front airbag flates-even with an Advanced 1\irbag System .
The inflating airbag will th e child seat or infant carrier with gr eat force and
Always install rearward -facing child seats on the rear seat.
yo u must i.nstall a rearward faci ng sea t on the front passeng er sea t because of ceptional circumstances and th e PASSENGER
immediatel y in stall the r earward-facing
child sea ting position and have
th e airbag system inspected by your rized Volkswagen dealer or qualified work-
shop.