
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe injuries .
Wearing safe ty belts improperly ca n cause
seriou s inju ry or death. belts can
only work when they are correctly
tioned on the body.
tions reduce the eff ective ness of safety
belt s
and even increase the ris k of
jury and death by moving the safe ty belt to
c riti
cal a reas of th e body. Improper seatin g
position s also increase the risk of serious
inju ry and death when an airbag deploys
and strike s an occupant who is not in the
correct
seating pos ition. A driver is
sponsible for the safety of
pants and especially fo r chi ldren.
for e:
Safety
correct si ttin g posi tion in the vehicle whil e
Improperly worn safety belts increas e th e risk of serious personal injury and death w he neve r
a ve hicl e is being used.
make sure that all vehicle pants are correctly restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the ve hicle
i s being used.
page
In a frontal collision, the safety belts for the front and rear outboard seating
ation is high enough . Thi s tighten s th e belt and takes up belt slack. Taking up the slack help s to reduce forward occupant m ove ment during a
collision.
Th e
belt pretensioner can only be act iva ted once.
The belt pre te nsio ner can be activated in a
frontal , side or r ea r-end collision . will no t vate in a rollover in wh ic h the sid e airbag s do not
depl oy.
2l Where applicabl e
26 Safety
can be activa te d unnecess arily in a and will then have to be replac ed .
W he n the safe ty belt pretensioner is
Applicable safety requirements must be se rve d whe n the vehicle or components of the
syste m are scrap ped . A qualified dealers hip is miliar with these re gulation s a nd be pleased to pass on the information to you .
Be sure to observe safe ty, environmenta l and other reg ulat ions if th e ve hicl e or indiv idual
part s oft he system, parti cularl y the safe ty belt or airbag, are to be di sposed. We recommend you

2.1 Safety first
Airbag system
Important things to know
Airbags are only supplemental re straint s. For airbags to do their job,
sen gers, befor e dri vin g a lw ay s:
- Adju st th e driver' s
seat and steering
w heel
5.
- Wear y
our safety be lt s properly
13.
- Always properly use the correct child
re straint
to protect page 53.
a co llisio n airbags mu st
times.
keep in g roo m be tween your bo d y and the
s teerin g w heel and the front of the passe nge r the ai rb ag can and completely and pro vid e supplemental page 4, occupant seatin g For details on th e o perati on of the seat adju stment control s and
important th at page 53,
There is a tha t the dri ver and th e passengers can and must d o t o h elp the individual safe ty feature s work
seating position is important so that the fron t airb ag on the drive r sid e c an do its job.
28 Airbag system
you h ave a physical impairment o r condition that prevents you from sitti ng properly on the
driver seat w ith the safe ty
may be necessary .
your au th o rize d dealer or qualified workshop, or the to mer
When the ai rbag syste m deploys, a gas generato r the ai rbags. brea k ope n the padded cove rs, and
shie ld again without interruptio n.
o f thi s tak es place in the of a n eye, so fast th at many people don 'teven realize that the airbags ha ve deplo yed. The airb ags also
reducing th e forces actin g o n the occupant d ur in g t he crash . th is way th ey help to re duce the ris k of in ju ry
t o the head and uppe r bo dy in t he cra s h. Airbags
d o not protect the arms or the lowe r parts of th e
body.
Both f ront a irb ags no t fro nta l
collisio ns. The tr igger ing o f the airbag sys te m
d epend s o n the an d re gis te re d by the electronic
contro l unit.
b ags

page 53.
Eve n though your vehicl e is equipped wit h an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that all childre n , especially those 12 years and younger, a lways ride in the back seat properly restrained for their
if an infant up to about one year of age restrained in on e of the rearward-fac ing or forward-facing infant re
straints lis ted in Federal Mo tor Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag Sys te m in your was certified has been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child restraints that were used certify compli ance with the
55.
The PASSENGER
will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
will stay o n if the tot al weight o n the front passenger seat is that of a typical year-o ld infant restrain ed in one of th e rearward-facing or forward-fa cing infant restraints listed in
w ill go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by a n adult as re gis te red by the weightsen sin g page 40,
can stay on if the weight on the seat is more than th e typical! year-o ld infant re-
strained i n one of the child restraints li sted in 208 but less than weigh t of a small
the total weigh t on the front passenger seat is more tha n that of a typica l
208, the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the PASSENGER
light does not come on) even if the weight is less than the weight of a small adult. I f the PASSENGER light does not come o n, th e front airbag o n the passenger side has not been turned off by th e e lectronic control unit and can deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
a small chil d that is heavie r than a typical year-old infant is on the front passenger seat restrained in one of the c hild seats liste d in 20 8 page 55 or
a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the PASSENGER and sta ys on.
The front airbag on the passenger sid e w ill deplo y if the PASSENGER BAG lig ht does not come on and sta y on even if a small or teenager, or passenger who is not sitting up
right w ith their back against a non-recl in ed bac kre st with th eir feet on the in
front of the seat i s on the
deployment occurs in those crashes that ta ke place at lowe r decelera ti o ns as defined in

the elec tronic control page 41, SENGER
Always remember. a child seat or infa nt carrier
in stalled on th e fron t seat may the rapidly pas senger's airbag in a frontal collision. The
airbag could greatly re duce the effectiveness of the c hild restraint and even seriou sly injure th e
c hild during
stro ng ly recommend that children always sit in
th e back page 53,
infant in a seat stall ed on th e front passe nge r seat ously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates eve n with an
System.
The inflating airba g will hit the child seat or infant carrier with great force and will
smas h th e c hild seat and c hild against the backrest, cent e r armre st, door or roof.
Always install r earwa rd-facing child seats on the rear scat.
If you must install a rearward facing child seat on the front passe nger scat becau se of
light docs not com e on and stay on, imme diatel y
your authorized swage n dealer or qualified workshop.
terferc with the ously inju re or even the child -eve n with
a n A irb ag
in exceptio nal circumstances, you must
in stall a fonvard-facing c hild restraint on the front passe nger's sca t:
-
Fon vard-facin g seats install ed on the front passenger's seat may interfer e
with the deplo ym ent of the air bag and cause seriou s personal injury to the child .
2.1 Safety first
turer's instructions provid ed with the c hild
sea t or carrier.
- Neve r
put the fonvard-faci ng c hild
ment panel.
- Always move the passe nge r sca t into its
rearmost pos ition in the scat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the airbag as possi ble before installing ward-facing
scat that can increase the total weight te re d by the weig ht-sensing mat and ca n
ca use injury in a cras h.
Make sure that the BAG light comes on and stays on all the time w henever the igniti on i s switc hed on.
th e BAG light does not com e on and stay on , imm ediately in stall the fonv ard-facing child scat in a rea r seatin g
position and have the airba g sys tem inspec ted
by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or qualified workshop.
To reduce the ris k of se rious injury, make su re that tltc light is on whenever a child restraint is install ed on th e
front passenger scat and the ig niti on is switched on.
the d ocs not stay on, perform th e c hecks descr ibed the Advanc ed
Take the c hild restra int off the front senger seat and in stall it properly at one of the
r ear sea t position s if th e BAG light does not sta y on.
Airbag system 31

a small child that is heavier than a typica l
I ye ar-old infant in one o f th e child restraint s
w ith whi ch th e A dvan ced Airbag was page 55.
a child who has outgrown child res traints is
o n
a small adult or te enage r is on th e front se nger seat.
a passe nge r w ho is not sitting upright with
thei r back against a non -re clined backr est with
th eir feet on th e ve hicl e floor in front of the seat occupant seatin g is on t h e fr o nt passenger seat.
re quir em ent s of th e to turn off the fron t a irb ag
f o r infant s 12 months old and younger w ho are
re strained on the fro nt passenger seat in ch ild
restraint s that are liste d in the Standard re str aint s and Adva nce d
requires the front airb ag on th e passenge r sid e to be turned off if th e tota l weig ht
r eg is tered on th e front passe nger is less
th an a inf ant up to about one year of age is s tra ined on the front passe nger seat in one of the rea rward-faci ng or for wa rd-fa cin g inf ant str aint s listed in Fed eral Moto r Vehicle
page 55
The BAG
light does no t come o n and stay on . th e front airbag on the passen ge r
s id e has not been turned off by th e co ntrol u nit and can deploy if th e control unit se nses an pact that meets th e co nditio ns s tored in its page
Alwa ys remember: Even thoug h yo ur veh icle is equipp ed with Adva nced Airb ags, the sa fest
34 Airbag system
pla ce fo r childr en i s properl y restrained on th e back seat. b e sure to read the important
information in the sections tl1at follo w and be
sure to heed all of th e WARNINGS.
To reduce th e risk of serious injury when an airbag inflates , always wear safety belts erly .
You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if you are up against the airbag or too close to it when it infl ates eve n
with an Advance d Airbag
An infant or child in a rearward-facing child
seat installed on the fron t passenger seat will be seriously injure d and can be killed if th e
front airbag inflate s eve n with an Advanc ed
Airbag System.
Although
ment is impossibl e in all conce ivab le tions that may happen during th e usefu l lif e of your ve hicle.
The infl atin g airbag hit the child seat or infant ca rrier with great force and will
s m as h th e child seat and child against backres t, center armrest, door or roof.
straint s in the rear seat.
front passe nge r scat because of ceptional circumstances and the
sh op.
terfer e with the airbag as it deploys and seri -

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

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