Page 97 of 541

To reduce the risk of se riou s injury, make sure
tl1at the or
front
p asse nger seat and
SENGER
rized Volkswagen dealer or swagen Service Facility immediately.
light or
on the front passenger seat.
install the child restraint system on the rear seat!
first re ad and note th e introdu ctory
on pag e
Changes in weight on the passenger seat during travel ca n switch the passe nger front airbag on or so that it does no t deploy when it should or deplo ys when it should
o n your la p or trans
port things on the passenger seat. weight registered b y the weight-sensing
Never reduce weight on the passenger seat
by hold ing the handle above the passenger door,
suppo rting body weight on the armrest , or by holdin g th e grab handl e on the instrument panel.
Alway s m ake sure that child restraint s are correc tly regi stered by the weight-sensing mat. If the statu s of tl1e Advanced Airbag System has
changed while the vehicl e is moving, the SENGER light blinks for about 5
seconds to catc h the dri ver's attention. If this happens, always stop as soo n as it is safe to do so and check t o make sure that the airbag on/off status is correct for the passeng er riding on the
front passe nger seat
Fig . 62 Dep loymen t zones of the front ond rear side
o irbogs.
Th e side airbags are in th e ba ckre st paddin g of the
drive r a nd passe nge r fig. 61. Dep endin g on
t h e model, th e re al so migh t be side airb ags
Page 98 of 541

door and the backre st. T he general locatio n is
s hown b y th e The area s marked in (dotted lin es)=> 62 in dicate the deploy
m ent zones of the s ide airbags.
Durin g a s ide colli sio n , the sid e airbags in the backres t ca n deploy. there by redu cing th e risk of inju ry to ve hicle occupants.
The side airbag system includes :
ele ctroni c control m odule and side impact sensors .
Sid e ai rbags in the fro nt backrests and , where applicable, sid e airbags in the rear backrests .
An airb ag monito rin g sy ste m an d indicator light in the in strumen t clu ste r
W hen a side a irbag deploys in a coll is io n, a gas gene ra tor the side airbag b etween the vehicle occupant and the door. Th e side airbag syste m
supple m ents th e safety belt s and ca n help toreduce the ris k of injury to the occupants' upper torso .
In ord er to help pro v
ide this additio nal protection, the sid e airbag must infl ate w ithin the bl ink of an eye at very hi gh sp ee d and w ith great force. The supplemental side a irbag co uld injure yo u if your seating position is not proper or upright or ifitems are in the area where the supplemental sid e airbag inflate s. Thi s applies especiall y to children
w ill co m e on for a few seconds
(self- d iagnos is).
The airbag syste m i s no t a s ubstitute for your safety be lt. Rather, it is part of the ov era ll occ upant restra int system in your ve hicle=> page 56,
re ad y dep lo ye d.
properly and safe ly
The side airbag sys tem
if the ignition i s sw itched ofT wh en a crash occurs,
in side c o lli sio ns wh en the a cce le rat ion mea
s u re d b y the sensor is to o low,
in front-end collis ion s,
in re a r-end collis ion s,
in rollovers, unless the depl oy men t threshold for deploym ent stored in the control unit is met.
I n s
ome ty pes of accid ent s the front airbags , Sid e
C urtain airbag s and sid e airb ags may
b e triggered together.
A n Inflatin g side a irbag can cause serious or even fatal injury. Improp erly wearing safet y
b elt s and improp er seatin g po siti ons increase
th e risk of se riou s persona l injury and death
whenever vehicle is being used.
To help reduce the risk of injury when the
supplemental sid e a irb ag inflat es,
- Always sit in
an upright po sition and do
not l ea n agai nst th e area where the s ide
airbag is located.
- Neve r le t a c hild or anyo ne e lse rest their
head again st th e s ide trim panel in the area
where the s ide ai rbag inflates.
- Never let anyo ne s itting in the front
seat put their hand out o f window.
betw een yo u and the airba g ca n in
crease the risk of injury in a colli sion by inter
fering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as th e airbag inflates.
Never pla ce or attach a ccess ories or other ob
je cts (su ch a s cup holders, telephone bracke ts , or eve n large , bulky objects) on the doors or over or ncar th e area mark ed p age 96, fig. 6 1.
Accessories or other object s ca n fly dangerously
throu gh the passe nger compart ment and cau se serio u s injury if the supplemental sid e airbag
Neve r position or hol d any obje cts o r pet s in the
deplo yment space of an airbag or allow any child
r e n or other passenge rs to trave l in s uch a pos ition .
Never use th e built -in coat hook s for any thin g but lightweig ht clothing . Neve r leave
any heavy or sharp- edged objects in the pockets. objects may interfere w ith side airbag de
pl oy ment and cau se seriou s personal injury in a
co llisio n.
96 97
Page 99 of 541

Always make sure that th e side airbag can inflate without interfe re nce :
- Neve r in sta ll
seat covers or replacement uphols tery over th e front seat backs that h ave
not been specifically approved by Volk
swage n. the s ide airbag may not
b e able to deploy fully.
-Neve r put seat c u shi ons, blanke ts , or other cove rings over th e areas where th e s ide ai r
b ags inflate.
Side Curtain Protection ® Airbag
-Damage to th e original seat covers or to the seam in the area of the si de airbag module must a lways be repaired imme di
a te ly by an au thorized Vol kswagen dealer or authorized Volkswage n Service Facility.
Always prevent th e sid e airbags from
b eing damaged b y heavy objects hitting the
s ides of the seat back s or force be ing put on the scat backs, especially in the area w here the
s id e a irbag modul e is located. The air bag sys te m
A lways have work involving the s ide airbag system, including removal, rep lacement, and ins talla ti on of airbag compo n en ts, or other re pairs performed by an authorized Volkswagen deale r o r authorize d Volkswage n
Service Facility. the airbag system may not work correctly. Neve r remove th e front seats from th e vehicl e or modify parts of the front seats. Never attempt to modify a ny components of the air bag system in any way. I f excess ive force is exerted on the seatback bols te rs, the s ide airbags may deploy not at al l o r
Fig. 63 th e left ve hicle side: In stallation location and deploym ent zone of th e Side in airbag.
information and h eed th e WARNINGS on page
Th e Sid e C urta in ai rbags are in the
h eader are a on bot h sid es of th e fig. 63.
Befo re driv ing
The ge nera l lo ca tion is id entified by the word The red fig. 63 sho w th e deploymen t zo ne of the Sid e Cu rtain airbag .
Page 100 of 541

The Side Curtain airbag system in
An elec tron ic control module and side impact se nsors.
T he above th e
f ro nt
An monitoring sys te m 82.
Th e
airbags betwee n th e
fig . 63 . The airbag system supplem ents th e sa fety bel ts can help to reduce th e risk o f injury for occupants' heads and uppe r to rsos on the sid e of the that is s truck in s id e
order to he lp provid e thi s additional p ro tectio n,
t h e
w it h in the bl in k of an eye high speed and wi th grea t force. The airbag could injure you if your positio n is
n ot prope r o r upright or if ite ms arc locate d in the area w he re the supp le m ental airbag to page
sys te m is monitored e lectro nically to
make sure it is workin g properly at times. Eac h time you tu rn on the ignit io n , the airbag sys te m dicato r come on for few seconds
( s clf-d iag nosis).
Th e
airbag sys te m i s not it is part of th e ove rall occupant res tra int sys te m in your page 56,
is important to remember the airbag sys te m is desig ned to help reduce the like lihood of ser iou s inju ry. H oweve r, it is possib le that a deployed m ay cause oth e r in juries s u ch as bruising, burns and abras io ns. Hc m ember too ,
airbags that have deploye d in sa fe ty be lts areal
way s th ere to offer protection in those accidents in
w hich
The Side Curtain airbag
if the ign ition is switched w hen occurs,
in sid e collisions w he n the accele ra tion m ea
sure d by th e sensor is too low,
in front-end
in rear-end
in over s , unless the deployment thresh o ld
f o r deploym ent sto red in the control unit is met.
some ty pes of accidents th e front, and sid e airbags m ay be triggered togeth er.
inflating airbagcan cause serio us or even f ata l injury . wearing safety belts and improper seating positions increase the risk o f serious personal injury and death whenever a is being used.
A lway s make sure tection® can inflate without interference.
or sharp
edge d objects in the pockets that interfe re
with deployment and c a use personal injury in a
Never u se hangers to on the
hooks.
use facto ry-ins talled sun shades or, if are the leaves the usc only genuine Volkswagen sun shades.
Neve r swing the sun viso rs ove r to the s ide
windows if it ems such pens, door o pe ne rs, hands -free speakers, etc. arc attached to t he su n visors. They could come lo ose and cause serious injury if the
deployed airbag second and at extreme ly high speed.
Neve r objects to the cover or in the deployment zone of a Curtain
The
between a ny
v ehicle occupant and a t
98 99
Page 101 of 541
coat hook s only for light
we ight clothing . Neve r leave any heavy or sharp
edge d objects in the po ck e ts that may int erfere a irbag deploym ent and can cause perso na l
injury in a c olli sion.
Do not attach any accessor ies to th e doors.
Before dri ving
u se factory -in sta ll ed sun shad es or, if
s h ades are install ed afte r th e vehicle leaves the
f ac tory, use only ge nuin e Volkswage n sun sh ades .
Never swing t11e sun visors ove r to th e side
windows if
Page 102 of 541

Introduction
In this sect ion you'll find information on the lowing:
C hild restraints and Advanced front airbag system
Importa nt safety instructions using child seats
Using a child restrain t on the rear seat
Toddler seats
Convertible child seats
. 112
child restraint s with a safety . 114
Secur ing the restraint with LATCH lower universal anchorages
118
Sources of information about chi ld res traints and thei r use 119
The physica l principles of what happens w hen your ve hicle is in a collision o r other accid ent also apply to p age
sig n ed fo r thei r size, weight, and body structure.
Many countries and stat es of the Un ited and provinces of have laws requiring th e
use of approved child restraint syste ms for infant s and sm all childr en.
sp eed mph km /h). the forces actin g o n 13-pound (6 kg) fant will be more than tim es the we ig ht of th e
c hild. This mea ns the effec tive we igh t of the child
wo uld sudd enl y increase to more than pounds kg). Under th ese conditi ons, only an pria te child restraint properly used can reduce the risk of serious injury.
rious injury in an accident.
the child sea t manufacturer 's instructions to b e sure the seat i s rig ht for you r child's size
Sittin g properly and safely
be sure to read and hee d all of the important mation and bags, and the in stallatio n of child restra int s in thi s
Man uaL
Th ere is a lot
you n eed to kno w about th e vanced Airb ags in your ve hicl e and how they wo rk
w he n infant s and children in child restra ints are on the front passe nger seat. Because of the large amount o f information, we cannot peat it all he re. We urg e yo ulO read the detail ed formation in this Manual about a irb ags and the
Advance d Airba g in your vehicle and the very important inf orm atio n about transporting
c hild ren on the front passe nger seat. be
s ure to h eed th e they are ex treme ly for your safety and the safety of your passe ngers, especially in fants and small childr en.
DANGER
on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously injured or eve n killed when an airbag inflates.
A child in a rearward-facing s talled on the front passenger seat will be
The infl ating airbag
Always install rearward-facing child seats on the rear seat.
you have, in exceptional ci.rcumstance s, decided to ins tall a rearward-facing child seat on the front passenger seat and the
Page 103 of 541

Accident stati sti cs have shown childr en are
generally safer in the rear seat area than in the front restrain any child age 12
All ve hicl e occupants and especially childr en must be restrai ned properly whenever ridin g in vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly strained child could be injured by striking the
interior o r by being ejected from the vehicle during sudden maneuver or impact. An strained or improp erly restrained child is at
airbag.
suitab le child rest raint properl y install ed and used
Forward-facing child seals installed on the front passenge r seat may interfere with the ment of th e a irbag and cause serious personal injury th e c hild .
exceptional circumstances require the u se of fonvard-fac ing child restraint on the front
passenger's seat, the child's safety and being requir e th e following special preca utions to be taken:
- Always
make sure that the fonvard-faci ng seal has bee n designed and certifi ed by its
m anufacturer for use on
ch ild res traint without top tether strap if the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions quire the top tether strap to be u sed.
- Never
putt he fonva rd-facing chil d
ment panel.
Before driving
-Always set the safety bell upper anchorage to the adjustmelll position permits
p roper
in the up and down
position in the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the airbag as possib le
before installin g the fonvard -facing child s traint .
- Always
make sure that nothing prevents t h e fro nt passeng er' s scat fr o m being moved
justment range .
- Always
make sure that the backr est is in
th e upri ght position.
- Never place ad dit ional it
ems on the seal
th at can in crease th e total weight registered
b y the weight-se nsing mal cause jury in a crash.
- Always
make sure
BAG light does
not come on and stay on, immediately install
t h e fonvard-facingchi ld seat in rear seating sys tem spected by your authorized dealer or auth ori ze d Se rvice
A lways buckle the child seal in place
even if loose child seat ca n around during a sudd en slop or in a
Always read and heed all WARNINGS ever using child res train t in ve hicl e 67, Safety page 80,Airbagsystem page safety
A lways replace child restraint s that were s talled in cras h. Damage to
a child res traint that is not visib le co uld cause it to fail in another collision situati on
Page 104 of 541

Child restraints and Advanced front airbag system
Please firs t read informatio n and heed the WARNINGS o n page
vehi cle is equipped w ith front complies with United States Federal Motor Vehicle and with Vehicle Safety dard
The Advanced Airbag requirements
for 3 and 6 yea r-old children (a s defined in the
standard) o n the passenger sid e and adults
o n th e side." Low risk" de ployment occurs
in those cras hes place at lower decelerations programmed in the e lectronic control unit. The low risk deployment c riteria are in
t e nded to reduce the risk through int eractio n with the airbag can occur in these colli
sio ns. for example, b y being too close to the steerin g wheel or in strument pan el when the airbag In addition, the system has been certifi ed to comply with the requirements of the Safe ty rd. to turn off the
f ront airbag fo r infant s up to 12 months w ho are restrained on th e front passenger seat in one of the c hild restraint s that a re lis ted in the
Airbag children, especially
those 12 years and younger. mus t a lways ride in the backseat properly re strained for their age and size. The airbag o n the passe nge r sid e makes the front scat potentiall y dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a child in a forward-facing child seat. la rger child in a rearward -fac ing seat.
The ,\dvanced Airb ag Syste m in your vehicle detects the presence o f a n in fant or child in a child straint on the front passenger seat using th e weight-sen sin g mat in th e scat cushion and the
se nsor in the sa fe ty be lt buckle on the fro nt passenger that measures the tension on the safet y
belt.
The weight-sen sin g measures total weight of the c hild and the child seat and
i.e. the size
pro perly ond safely
and shape of the botto m of the chi ld restraint as it
s it s on the seat. The weight of a chi ld restraint and its vary for different k inds of c hild re
straints and for the diff erent mode ls o f th e same ki nd of child restra int offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the in div idual types, makes a nd models of child res traint s
the Adva nced Airbag
Syste m compares th e weight measured by the weight-sen sing w ith the information sto re d in the electro ni c cont rol unit.
se nsor in the belt buckle fo r th e front seat
pnssenger measures th e te nsion on th e belt and sends thi s information to the electro ni c control
m odule for the sys tem. The tensio n on the safety belt for the front passenger seat w ill be dif
ferent for an i s properly using the safety
belt, as
w hether th ere is a child res tra int with
restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regnrdlessofthcchild rest raint that yo u u se, make
s u re th at it bee n certifi ed to meet United States Federa l Mo tor Vehicle Standard Motor Vehicl e if you live in sure that the child re
straint yo u arc usin g been cerlifi ed b y its m anufacturer for use w ith airb ag. Always be s ure that th e ch ild restra int is properly installed at one of t h e rear seatin g position s.
of th e information on child
safety and Adva nced
that
th e passenger front is turne d off. that the is light.
Many types have been availn ble over th e years, new models are in-troduced r egularly in corporating new and im-