Warning and indicator
Please fir st r ead and not e th e int rod uc tory informatio n and heed th e on pag e 179.
Light s
Possibl e cause up
Brak e pedal not d ep ressed!
Brake pedal w as not depressed before a new drive position wa s selected with the
se lec to r l eve r. o r be fo re pe rformin g
Possibl e caus e
The re lease bul!on in th e s elec tor leve l did
n o t en gage in po siti on. V ehicle is preve nted.
th e ig niti on i s s witch ed on, seve ral warnin g
and indica to r lig hts c om e on briefly fo r a function
c heck . T hey go out aft er few sec o nd s.
to hee d warning light s and in strument
clu ste r te xt m essages cause the v ehicl e to
b reak d own in and result in colli sion and seri ou s persona l injury.
Neve r ignore warning lig ht .s or t ext
drivin g
Prop er re sponse
Dep ress the brake pedal.
Appl y th e brake pedal to sele ct a dri ve position
Prop er re sp o nse
E ngage se lecto r lev er
page 183.
Alwa ys stop the ve hicl e as s oo n it is safe to
d o s o.
stalled or stopped f or r epa ir , move the ve hicl e a safe di sta n ce
Note
Fa ilur e to heed warning lights o r tex t
Selector lever posi- Designation tion
The drive wheels are mecha nica lly locked.
p Se le c t only when the ve hicle is
N Neutral Tran
smissio n i s in Ne utral positi on. No power is tra nsferre d to
th e wheels and no e ng in e brakin g effect is available.
D Driv e (standard All forwa rd gears shift up and d ow n automatically. The tran smi s-
dri vin g pos ition) s
ion shift s as nee ded dep endin g on engin e load , indiv idual dri vin g sty le, and dri ving speed.
A
ll f orwa rd gea rs aut omatically up shift/aterand dow nshift ear-
s Sport Dri ve
leve r lock
Th e
selector leve r lo ck in
the re le ase button on th e selec tor leve r a t th e sam e time .
Th e se lec to r leve r l
ock is no t e ngaged if these
(R) to Dri ve (D)).
T hi s makes it possibl e to
second and th e
ve hicl e is tra velin g no faste r than approx imate ly
3 mph (5 km /h).
ra re cases. the Dir ect Gea rbox. thi s ha ppens, th e eng ine w ill be disab led to pre
ve nt the vehicle from m oving unexpec te dly. Th e
gree n ind ica tor light will blink and text mes
sage will be di sp layed. To e n gage th e selec tor lever lock, do as follows:
6-speed trans missions: Depress and then re le a se the brak e pedal; try to e ngage th e se lector l oc k again.
Starting, shifting, parking
Never accelerate when m ovi ng the selector lever.
Whe n the en gin e is running and a drive positio n is engaged, the ve hicle will start to move as soon as the brake pedal is re leased.
Never shift into Reverse or
Never get out of the driver's seat whil e the engine is running, especially when the tra nsmi s
s ion is in a drive gear. lfyou m ust leave your ve
hicl e while the engi ne is running, alwa ys set the
p a rkin g brake and shift the transmi ssio n into (P).
182
Braking, stopping, and parking
Introduction
In this section yo u'll find inform ation on fo l
lowi ng:
Warning and indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Park in g brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 1
About t
he brakes . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 192
Bra king assistance sys tem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Switching Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) on ond off . . 196
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
T he brakin g support syste ms are Brake A ss is t E lec tro nic Differ e n tial Loc k (EDL). Anti-Slip
M ore information:
Trail er page
pag e
Tires and page 276
acce ssories, r epa ir s and modifi catio ns
brakes or worn brake pads can
ca use colli sio n and serious personal inju ry.
light s up in the
in strument cluste r di splay, w heth er a lo n e or to
ge ther with tex t message, immediat ely conta ct an authorized Volk swage n dea ler or authorized
Volkswag en Se rvi ce Faci lity to have th e brake pad s ch ecke d and , if necessary, re pl aced.
WARNING
improperly can cause se riou s pe rso nal
injury .
Never re m ove key from the ignition switch while vehicl e is m ov ing or ro llin g to a
s top. The steering w heel w ill lock and you not be
Never park the vehicle w here the ho t ex ha ust
syste m or catalyti c convert er could ignit e flam
mabl e mater ia ls, su ch as brus h , leaves , dry grass, spilled fue l, e tc .
Always apply th e parki ng brake whe n
p a rki ng your veh icle. Imprope r u sc of th e
p a rking bra ke can se rio usly injur e you and your passe nge rs.
Never use the
e m ergency . The stopping dista n ce is muc h
longer b ec au se onl y the wheels arc braked . use the foot brake to sto p the vehicle .
Never the throttl e from
th e e ng in e
th e automati c transmission is in gear. The ve hicle will start t o move as soon the e ngine speed ev en i f th e brake is on.
Never leave childr en or anyo ne w ho canno t
h elp them se lve s beh in d in the vehicl e. They could re leas e the brak e move the gear selector leve r or shift , wh ic h could cause th e vehicle to start m ov ing. Thi s ca n lea d
to a cras h and seri ous personal injuri es.
Always take the key with you when yo u
leave th e ve hicle . The engine ca n be started and ve hicl e sys te m s s uch as the power wind ows can
b e operate d , le ad ing to seri ous perso nal injury.
Neve r leave childr en , di sabled perso ns, or a nyon e who cannot h elp them se lves in the vehicl e. T he doors can b e lo cke d wit h the re mote contro l ke y, trapping passe nge rs in the
ve hicle in an emerge ncy. For exa mpl e, dep ending on th e tim e of year, people trappe d in the
ve hicle can be ex pose d to very high or very temperatures. Heat build -up in the passenger and parked vehicl e result in temperatu res in the ve hicl e th at arc much hi gher than the outsid e tempe mtu
res, partic ul arl y in summer. T emperatures ca n
qui ckly reac h le v e ls that can cause uncon
scio usn ess ch ildr en.
Note
Always be careful when you park in areas with parking barriers or high cmbs. These vary in h eigh t and could damage your bumper andrelated parts ifLhe front of your ve hicl e hit s a barrier or curb that is too high while you are getting into or out of a parking spot . To help prevent damage, stop before the tires of your vehicle touch a parking barrier or curb.
Warning and indicator
Note (continu ed)
Always be careful when you enter a driveway or drive up or down steep ramps or over curbs or obstacles. of the vehicle close to Lhe ground may be damaged (s u ch as bumper covers,
spoilers, and parts of the engine, suspen sion, and exhaust
firs t read and note Lhe introdu ctory informat io n and hee d the WAHNINGS page 188.
Lig ht s
191.
Brak e syste m malfun ction. Stop!
Get
expert assi stance pag e 192.
Brake fluid leve l too low. Stop!
BRAKE brake fluid page 197.
Take the vehicle to an au thorized indicator light or dea ler or authorize d Volksw agen Service Fa-
ABS: failure. ci
lity. Th e ve hicl e brakes will work without ABS.
Brake pedal not depressed! Depress the brake
pedal.
BRAKE Immediate ly take the vehicle to an auth orized
WEAR Front brake pads wo rn. Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volk swage n
Serv ice Facility. and if necessary re-place, all brake pads.
switc h ed off for syste m r easo ns. Switch ignit ion off an d on again . You may have
to dri ve a short dis tan ce.
Take th e ve hicle to an authori zed Volksw age n malfunc ti on. dealer or a
uthorize d Volk sw agen Service Fa-cilit y .
Tak e the vehicl e to or d ea le r or a uthori zed Volksw agen Service Fa-
ABS:
page257
manually deacti va te d. S
witch on p age 196. a ut om atically
turns on w he n you turn the ig nition on and off.
Startin g, shift ing, parking 188 189
Lights cause or up
I
Together w ith indicator
m alfun ction.
T oge th
er with warning light
cause
or is opera ting.
W hen the ig nition
is sw itched on,
light s and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicl e to
break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
Never ignore warning light s or text WARN
Always stop the vehicl e as soon as it is safe to
do so.
Driving
with bad brake s can cause a collision and serious p ersonal injury .
does
not go out, or co mes on w hen driving, either the brak e fluid leve l in the reservoir is too low or there is a fault in the brake sys tem. Immediately
s top driving and get expert assista nce
response
Take the veh icle to an authori zed Volkswage n
d ealer or authori zed Volkswagen Service Fa-The ve hicl e brake s will work without
response
foot off accelerator pedal. Adapt driving to road conditi ons.
If the brake warnin g light BRAKE or co mes on at the same time as the warning light or th eABS may not be working properly. Thi s
could cause th e rear whee ls to lock up re latively
quickly during braking. Rear wheel brake lock
u p can cause loss of veh icle control. If yo u be
lieve that it is safe to do so, reduce your speed and d ri ve carefully and at low speeds to the neares t authorized Volkswagen dealer or a qual
the indicator light or does not go out , or if it comes on driving, the sys tem is not workin g properly. The vehicle can th en be stopped onl y with the standard brake s
(wi thout ABS). w ill not have the protection provides. Contact your authorized Volk
swage n dealer or an authorized Volkswagen vice Facility as soon as possib le.
lights up in the
in strument cluster display, whether alo ne or to gether with a te xt message, immediately contact an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswage n Facility to have the brake pad s ch ecked and, if necessary, replaced.
Note
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can re sult in vehicle damage
first read and note the imrod uctory
on pag e 188.
Setting the parking brake
the parkin g br ake lever up firml y.
Wh en th e ignitio n is on, the in dicator light
189.
R e leasing the parking
brake
the lever up slightl y and press the release fig. (arrow).
W hil e ho ldin g th e re lease butt on down, move
t h e leve r all th e way down.
info rmatio n and hee d th e on page 188.
n o te lega l regulations when stopping and parking your veh icle.
th e vehicle on a suitabl e
Hold th e brak e pedal dow n until the engin e is
switc h ed off.
App ly the parking page 191.
Fo r a utomatic tra nsmiss ions: th e tra ns
mi ssio n in to Park
Starting, shift ing, parking
Improper use of the parking brake ca n cause ac cidents and seve re injurie s.
Never use the pa rkin g brake to slow down the ve hicl e when it is moving , except in an emer
gency . Braking distance is much longe r, since only the rear wheels are brak ed. Always use the
foot brake.
Never drive with the parking brake partiall y
engage d. Thi s can cause the brake to overheat and negatively affect the brake syste m. It also cause the rea r brake pads to wea r prematurely.
Never acti va te t he throttl e manually from
th e e ngin e compartment when th e engine is running and the automatic tra n smissio n is in gear. The ve h icl e w ill start to move eve n iftl1 e parking brake is on.
Note
Even t11ough the transmi ssio n is in th e
ve hicl e may move a couple of inches forward s or backwar ds if you take your foot off the brake pedal after s toppin g the vehicle without set
ting tl1e parking brake.
A wa rning sig nal sounds if yo u driv e faste r th an 4 mph (6 km/h ) w ith th e parking brake
off the engin e and th en tak e yo ur foot
off brak e.
Rem ove the veh icle ke y from th e ign ition .
manual transm iss ion in to 1 st gea r (on
l evel ground or if pointed uphill) o r re ve rse (if
point ed
Make sure all passengers and esp ecially children leave th e ve hicle.
Take all ve h icle keys with you w he n le a vin g your ve hicl e.
Lock the ve hicl e.
19 1
Brake booster
Th e brak e boo ste r w ork s o
nly wh en the engi ne is
running . It increa se s th e forc e on the brake s above and beyond the pre ssure put on th e brake pedal by
the driver.
If the brake booster is not working, or if th e ve hicl e
ha s to be towed, you have to push th e brak e
p ed a l hard er to make up for the lack of booster
New brake pads do not provide maximum braking performance.
New brake pads do not have the best ping power for the first km) and must be You can compensate for the slightl y reduced braking force by putting more pressure on the brake pedal.
Drive with
Never follow otl1er vehicles too closely or put yourself into other sit uation s that might require sudden, hard braking ,especially when the brake pads have not been broken
Overheated brakes
When driving downhill , the brakes have to
work es pecially hard and heat up quickly.
Before driving downhill, es peciall y on th at are long or steep, alwa ys reduce s peed and shift into lower gear (manual or automatic
transmission) so that the engine he lp s to brake
the vehicl e. Othenvise, the brake system cou ld
ov erheat and pos sibly u se the brakes
w hen yo u need them to slow the v ehicl e down
m ore or to stop.
A damaged front spoiler or a non- standard spoiler can reduce airflow to the brakes and
Starting, shifting, parking
Wet brakes or brakes witl1 icc or road salt
react slow er and n eed lo n ger stoppin g tances.
Ca refully apply the brakes to test th em.
Always dry brak es and clean off ice and salt
coat ings with a few cautious
tions permit.
Driving when the booster is no t working
in creases stopping distances and can cause dent s and seriou s personal injuries.
Never le t the vehicl e coast when the en gine is
switc hed off.
If the brake booster is not working (such as
w he n the vehicle is bein g towed), a lot more pedal force is needed to slow down and stop.
Note
Neve r the by keeping your foot on the to brak e.
Constant pressure on the brake pedal can make th e brakes overheat. This sub stantially reduce
braking performance, increase stopping di stan ce, and can cause co mpl ete failure of th e brake
s y stem.
Before driving downhill, especially on that are long or steep, always reduce speed and shift into lower gear (manua l or automati c
When th e front brake s are serviced , you should have the rea r brake pads inspected
rized Volksw agen deal er or au th orize d Volkswa gen
Service Facility vis uall y insp ec t th e pads through
th e o pe nin gs in the wh eel rim s or from nea th tl1e ve hicle. If n ecess ary, the wheels ca n be
t ake n off for a mor e thorou gh
192 193
the info rm ation on the co ntainer for the brake fluid you want to use to
mak e sure it meets th e requirem ent s for your hicl e.
A ppro priat e brak e fluid can
be purchased from your authorized deal er or authori zed Facility.
Brake fluid level
The fluid
level in the transparent brake fluid voir must always be betw een th e MIN and MAX
some vehicle s, eng ine components blo ck th e
v iew of th e brake fluid reservoir and make it po ssibl e to see the brake fluid level. I f you cannot clearl y see the brake fluid leve l in the brake fluid reservoir, please see an authoriz ed deale r or authorized Facility.
The brake fluid level drop s slightl y when the hicle is being use d becaus e the brake pad s wea r
down and the brak es automatically adjust to thi s.
Changing brake fluid
Brak e fluid
must be changed a ccor ding to the
thori zed
Brake failure and reduced brake performance can be caused by not having enough brake fluid
in the reservoir or by old or incorrect brake fluid.
change brake fluid according to the service schedule in your Warranty and
lock reduces braking
standard 4925 another brake fluid can
standard 50114, 116 4 or 4925 4, do not use it.
The brake fluid must be new.
Always make sure that only the correct brake fluid is used. the container does not say that the brake fluid complies with standard 4925 4, do not use it.
Brake fluid is poi sonous.
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use food, beverage or other non-original containers
to store brake fluid. might be misled
by the label on th e non-original container, or by the shape of the container, and drink the brake
fluid. This could occur even if you re-label the container as
dren.
Note
Brake fluid
Brake fluid can pollut e the en vironment.
196 197