Always make sure nothing is in the front airbag deploym ent zone that could be struck by the airbag when it inflates.
Never hold things or on your lap when the vehicle is in use.
Never place accesso ries or other objects
(such as cup holders, tel ephone brackets, note pads, navigation systems, or things that are large, heavy, or bulky) on the doors; never attach them to the doors or the windshield; never place th em over or near or attach them to the area marked
fig. 59 or 91, fig.
Never attach objects to the windshield above the passenger front airbag, such as accessory navigation units or music player s.
Never recline th e front passenger seat to transport objects. can also move into the deployment area of the side airbags or the front airbag during breaking or in a sudden maneuver. near th e a irbags can fly dangerously through the pass enger compartment and cause injury, particularly when the seat is reclined and the airbags inflate.
Always make sure that there is nothing on the front passe nger seat that will cause the weightsensing mat in the scat to signal to theAirbag that the scat is occupied by a person when it i s not, or to signal that it is occupied by someone who is heav ie r than the person actually
sitting on th e sca t. The weight of th e object could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or could cause the airbag to work in a way that is differ ent from the way it
would have worked without the added weight.
Alwa ys make sure that nothing is on the front passenger seat when the backrest is folded
forward. Even light objec ts could be pushed into the seat cu shi on and cause th e weight-sensing mat in the seat to re gister enough weight to turn the airbag on.
Never usc solvents or cleaners on the steering wheel horn pad or instrument panel, because they can damage the
Before driving
airbag cover or change the stiffne ss or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly. When cleaning the hom pad and instrumen t p anel, use only a soft, dry cloth or a cloth moist en ed
with plain water.
A front seat passenger, especially an infant or small child, will be seriously injured and could
eve n be killed if he or she is
Although the Advanced Airbag has been designed to switch off when an infant or child is on the front passenger seat in a child seat that was used during the certification
process for the Advanced Airbag no one can guarantee with absolute certainty that the airbag never deploy under these particular conditions in all conceivable situations for the duration of the vehicle 's use.
For their own safety, all children, especially those 12 years and younger, mus t always sit on the back seat, properly restrained for their age and size.
Facility. A lit indicator light means the airbag may not work properly if
activated in a crash.
Always make sure that the statu s signaled
b y the BAG light is correct
for the way that the front passenger seat is bein g
u sed.
The fine dust c reated when airbags deploy can cause breathing problems for people with asthma or other breathing conditions .
To reduce the risk of breathing probl ems , those wit h asthma or tion s should get fres h air right away by getting
o ut of th e ve hicl e or opening windows or doors.
If yo u are in a c ollision in which airbags de
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild soap and wate r b efor e eating.
Be careful not to get the dust int o your eye s, or int o any cut s or sc ratch es.
If the residue should ge t into your eyes, them with water.
Airbags that have deployed in a cras h must
b e replac ed.
Use only original equipment airbag s appro
ved by Volkswagen and installed by a train ed
technician who has the necessary tools and diagnosti c equipment to properl y re plac e any airbag on your veh icle and assure sys te m eff ec
ti ve ness in a cra sh.
Neve r pe rmit salvage d or recy cled airb ags t o
be install ed in your vehicle .
Advanced Airbag System components
first re a d and note th e introductory information and heed the
on pag e
vehicles equipped with the Adva nced Airbag Syste m , th e front passe nge r seat contains a who le
array of important Advanced Airbag compo nents
page 82. Because the front passe nger seat contains important Advanced Airbag System components. you must
take ca re to prevent it from bein g damaged . Damage to th e sea t may pre vent the Adva nced Airbag Syste m for the front passenger sea t from
doing its job in a cras h.
S ittin g properly ond solely
Alwa ys hold the s teering wheel with hands on outsid e of th e steerin g wheel rim at the 9 o 'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help re
duce
Neve r hold the steeri ng wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with your hands anywhere
inside
s ioner s are cla ssified as Material -special handlin g ma y apply.
applicable legal requir ements when
scra pping the vehicle or o f it s restraint sys tem, including airbag modules and safe ty belts
wit h pretensioner s. Auth orized Volkswage n
dealers and authorized Volksw agen Serv ice ties are familiar with the require ments, an d we rec
ommend that you have them p erform this serv ice for
The front Advanced Airbag System also includes:
sensors in the front of th e ve hicl e th at
m eas ure vehicle acce lera tion and dece leration to
p rovide informat io n to th e Advan ced Airb ag
System about the seve rity o f a crash.
An elec troni c co ntrol unit, with int egra ted
cras h sensors for front and sid e im pac ts. The con
trol unit w heth er or n ot to fire just the front air bag s ba sed on the information received
from the crash sen so rs. Th e control unit also whether the safety belt pre te n si oners
s hould be activate d.
A n Adva nced Air b ag. with gas genera tor, ins id e the steering wheel hub for th e driver.
An Adva nced Airbag. with ga s gene rator, in sid e the ins trum ent pan e l for th e front passe nger.
A we ig ht-sen sing mat unde r the upho ls tery paddin g of th e front passenge r seat cushion that
m eas ures the to tal weight on the sear. The infor
m atio n regi stered is sent co nti nuo usly to the elec-
92 93
Ignition key positions
Fig. 118
Please first r ead and n o te the introduc tory information and heed th e on
fig. 118
No key in ig nitio n switch : column is lo cke d.
Ig nition switched e lec trical co nsumers T he ve hicl e key b e
r emove d.
Ig nition is switched on . Th e di ese l e n gin e is pre h eated. column lock b e leased.
th e e ng in e. the eng in e start s, relea se th e ve hicl e key. released . th e ve hicle
k ey return s to
If you use the w rong key
If an unauthorize d ve hicl e key been inserted
int o the ig niti on switch , it b e removed as lows:
transmi ssion: the ve hicle key cannot b e rem oved from the ig nit ion in thi s the rel ease button on th e transmissio n
se lec to r l eve r releas e. Th e ve hicl e ke y can be re m oved.
Manual tran smissio n: out the ve hicle key.
I
mproper usc of v e hi cle keys can result in rious perso nal injury.
the key with yo u w hen yo u leave the ve hicle . The engine can be started and hicle sy ste m s su ch a s the power windows can be operated, lea din g to serious personal injury.
Neve r lea ve ch ildren , d isabled pe rsons, or anyone who cannot h elp themselves in th e hicle. The doors can be locked with the remote
control key. This could result in peo ple being trapped in the ve hicle in
be exposed to very
hi gh or very low temperatures. eat build -up in the pas senger compartment of
atures can quickl y re ach leve ls cause unconscio usness and death , to
s mall children.
Never remove the key from the ig niti on
swi tc h w hile th e vehicle is moving or rolling to a stop. The steering wheel will lock and you will
not b e a ble to steer or control th e ve hicle.
Leavi ng the key in the ig niti on fo r a long time w hen th e en g in e is no t running will drain the
v ehicle batt ery.
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.
Braking assistance system s
fir st read and n o te the introductory information and heed the
on page
T he and EDL braking tance system s work onl y w he n th e engine is ning. These sys te m s can sig nificantl y improve
vehicle namics to help reduce the probability of skidding and loss o f vehicl e control. works only w hen the engine is running. driving situations, including w hen the veh icle is beginning to spin (yaw) out of control.
gin e power and by providing steering assistance to help hold the ve hicle on the driver's intended
course.
has limitation s.
will not always be able to help out under all tions you m ay come up against. For example, may no t a lways be able to hel p you mas te r tions w he re there is sudde n change in the
cannot perform the sa me
way it would on a dry surface. the vehicl e
cornering. ularly on winding road s, cannot always deal as
e ffectiv ely wi th diffi cult drivin g situations it can
a t lower speed s. When towin g a is not able to help you regain control as it would if yo u were not towing a trailer.
Alway s
adjust your speed bility, road, cannot overcome the laws of phys ics, increa se the available
stead, improves the possibil ity o f keeping th e
vehi cle under control and o n th e road during treme maneuvers b y using th e driver's s teerin g puts to help keep the vehicle going in the int ended direction .lf you a re tra velin g at a speed that causes yo u to run off th e road before can provide any
EDL , and XDL syste m s (sec be lo w). is switc hed on all the tim e. certain situati ons
w he n you need less traction or additional tract ion cannot be achieved, you can swit ch off by pressing page 196, fig. l28. B e
s
ure to switch ASR on again when you no longer
need less traction.
Anti-lock
brake system (ABS)
ABS helps to keep the wheels from l ocking up and helps to maintain t h e driver's ability to steer and control the vehicle . Thi s means the vehicle is less lik ely to skid, even during hard
th e brake pedal down hard
Do not the brake pedal or letup on it!
S teer the vehicl e while pushing down hard on the brake pedal.
ABS sto ps working if you re lease or let up on th e brake.
When is doing i t s job, you will notice
noise. T he stopping di stance may even be lo nger, for instance, when dri ving on
pin g distances.lfyou press the pedal very quickly, BAS detects an e m ergency situ ation.
pedal! BAS
s w itches off automaticall y as soon
reduces en gine power d irected to spinning wheels and adjus ts power to the road conditions.
Eve n under poor ro ad conditions,
Efficient driving
Please information and heed the on page 198.
Shifting faster
As a rule, the following applies: The higher gear is
a lways the more efficient gear. The rule of thumb for most vehicles is to drive in 3rd gear at mph f km/h, 4th gear at 25 mph f km/h, and 5th gear at mph f km /h.
If
and driving conditions permit, gears when upshifting also saves fuel.
Do
not run the gears up to their limit.
mati c transmissions .
Vehicles with gear recommendation aid in fuel fic ient dri ving by indicating the optimum time to shift gears.
livery to the engine is interrupted, which lowers
fuel consumption.
T herefore, when nearing a red stop light , for s tanc e, allow the vehicle to coast without using the accelera tor. Press the clutch pedal and release it only if the v ehicle is moving too slowly or the coasting distance is too long. The engine will then continue to run at idl e.
In situati ons
where the vehicle will be stopped for
a longer period of time, such as at a train cros sing,
physically switch off the engin e.
D efens ive driving
and with traffic
Fre
quent braking and accel eration increases fuel consumption sign ific antly. Just by driving sivel y and keeping a su fficiently large distance away fro m the vehicle in front of you can make up for the speed fluctuation s caused by taking your foot off the accelerator. Active braking and ating is then not necessarily required.
system information
The power stee ring syste m i s not hydrauli c.lt is an electro-mechanical syste m. The advantage of this
s te ering system is tha t no hydra uli c hoses, draulic oil, pumps, filters or other parts are quired . Th e e lectro-m echanica l system is more fue l effi cient. A hydraulic system requires constant oil pressure in the syste m; an electro -mechanical
s teerin g sys tem, however, needs power only whil e
s teering.
Th e el
ectro-mechanical power steering
chanical power steering works only when the gin e is running.
and smooth driving
Consistency is more important than speed. The more smoothly yo u drive, the less fuel the vehicle consumes.
When driving on the highwa y or freeway, a
stantly accelerating and braking. you can r each your destinatio n just as quickly by driving at a moderate, but steady speed.
The c rui se control syste m can a ssis t in
sciou s manner.
Some dev ices can increase fuel consumption when activated (examples):
C limate control air conditioning system:
trasting temperatures, it requires a large amount of energy, which is generated by the e ngin e. T he
tr emely different from that of the outside
windows increase fuel consumption.
Switch off seat heating once it has served its
purpose.
Sw itch off the windshield and rear window
Malfunctioning engine control.
Driving in the mountains.
Towing a trailer .
page 257
Towing and page 357
Turning the steering wheel is very hard when the power steering system is not working. This makes it harder to control the vehicle.
steering works only when the engine is running.
Never let the vehicle coast with the engine switched off.
Never remove the key from the ignition
switch while the vehicle is moving or rolling to a
stop. The steering column will lock and you will be unable to control the vehicle.
Steering system information
first read and note the introductory informatio n and heed the on page
To help m ake it more diffi cult to s teal your ve hicl e,
you sh ould always make sur e the steering co lumn is locked before leaving the ve hicle .
Electronic steering column lock
Vehicles with o
ut The s teering column is
l ocked if the vehicle is stationary and the vehicle
k ey is removed from the ign ition lock. The elec
tr onic s teering column will not lock if the vehicl e is
s till mov in g for longe r than seconds after the ve
hicl e key was re moved.
Vehicles with
Th e s teering column is
l ocked if the dri ver door is ope ned with the ignitio n switch ed ofT. For this, the ve hicle should be
s tationary if applic abl e, the gear selector leve r
s h ould be in
If the driver door is opened befo re the ign ition is
sw itch ed
188.
H e
move th e ve hicl e
k ey.
Turn th e s teering
w heel s lig htl y until you
hear the steering
column l oc k en gage.
Starting, shifting , parking
Disengaging the
steering column lock
Turn the s teering
whee l s lightl y to take pressure ofT the
s teerin g column lock.
In
sert the ve hicl e key
into the ignition swit ch .
Ho ld th e s teerin g
wheel in thi s pos ition
and turn the ignition switch.
steering
The e lectro-mechanical power steering auto m ati
c ally adjusts to dri ving speed, steering torque , and the steering angle of the wheels . The e lectro-me
c hanical power steering work s only w hen the en
gine is running.
If power steering is reduced or lost comple tely, it
will b e much harder to steer and co ntrol the ve
hicl e.
Counter-steering
assistance
T he feature
m akes it easier for the dri ver to control the vehicle
in difficult situation s. For exampl e, if yo u h ave to
brak e h
ard on a surface that provides uneve n t rac
tion, the ve hicle could pull to the right or l eft. detect s th is situation and h elps th e dri ver counter
s teer with additi onal steerin g
The counter-steering ass istance In
Driving tips towing
Please fir st read and note the introd uctory in form ation and heed the on p age357.
Tow
ing r equires som e ex perience, especiall y w hen
u sin g a tow rop e. Both drivers mus t be familiar
w ith the techniques required f or towin g.
paved roa d, there is always a risk of overloading and damaging th e a ttachment points.
your ve hicl e is bein g towe d, it can still sign al turns eve n if the em erge ncy flashers are activate d , as lo n g as the ig nit ion is switched on. the turn sig nal in the no rm al way. The e merge ncy flashers
go off as l ong as th e tu rn sig nal is blin kin g. As soon as the turn sig nal lever returns to its ne u tr a l tio n . the e merge ncy flash e rs are auto matically tiv ated agai n.
The driver of the vehicl e towed:
your vehicle is the on e being towed, the ti on switch m ust b e swit ch ed on to keep the
Do it yourself
s teeri ng wheel from loc king. Also m ake sure that the turn signal s, horn , winds hi eld wip ers, and w indshi eld was he rs wo rk properly.
power steering does not wo rk w hen th e
e ngi ne is swi tc h e d off, more e ffort is needed t o
s teer th e ve hicl e.
the brak e booster also does no t w ork when the engin e is s topped, you will need t o press harder o n the brak e ped al to slo wdown or stop. Do not hit the towing vehicl e.
Head and heed the inform ation and in the tow in g ve hicle's owners m anu al.
The driver of the towing vehicle:
Accele rat e g raduall y and gentl y a nd avoid
jerking move men ts. Do no t s teer s h arply.
Brake earli er and m ore ge ntl y than in normal driving.
Head and heed the informatio n and in the owner's m anual of the ve hicl e bein g
tow ed