Booklet 2.1 Safety first
happ en s w hen
yo ur vehicle is in a cras h appl y also to chi ldren
15 , sa fety belt s?". But unlik e adult s
a nd t eenagers, the ir mu scles and bones are not
f ull y deve lo ped. In man y res pe cts child ren are a t
greater risk of serious inju ry in cras hes than
adult s.
13ecausc childr en' s bodi es are not full y deve l
oped, they re quir e re straint syste m s es peciall y
d esig ned for their size, weight, and
struc
tu re. Many co untries and all sta tes of the Unit ed
S ta tes a nd pro vin ces of Ca nad a hav e la ws re
qui ring the use of ap proved child restra int sys
tem s fo r infan ts and sm all childr en.
In a fron tal cras h at a s peed of20-35 mph (30-56
km /h ) th e forces actin g on a 13-pou nd (6 kg) in
fant w ill be m ore
20 tim es the we igh t of the
child. This m eans th e we ig ht of t he c hild would
s udd enl y be mor e th an 2 60 pound s (120 kg).
Under these co nditions, o nly a n appropr iat e
child res traint properl y use d can re du ce the risk
of serious injur y. Child rest rain ts , lik e adu lt
belt s, mu st b e used properl y to be effec
t ive . U sed im pro per ly, they ca n increase the risk
of serious injur y in an
Consu lt the chil d sca t manuf ac!Ur er's instru c
tion s to b e sure th e seat is right for your chil d's
s ize
54 , " Imp ort ant safety inst ructi ons fo r
u sin g child seats". Please be sure to rea d and
h ee d all of th e im porta nt inform atio n and
WAHN INGS
c hild safety, Advanced Air
bags , the in sta lla tion of child r estraint s in
thi s
is lot you need to kn ow about the Ad
van ced in your vehicl e and how th ey
wo rk when infants c h ild re n in child re
strai nts arc o n the front passenge r sea t.13eca use
of the la rge amo unt of im portant inform ati on .
we cann ot re p eat it all here . We urge you to re ad
th e deta iled inf orm ati on in thi s booklet abo ut a
irba gs and the i\dva nced A irbag Sys te m in yo ur
veh icle an d th e very import ant inform ati on
abo ut transport ing c hildren on th e front pas
se ng er sea t. Pl ease be sure to heed the WARN
I NGS -th ey are ex trem ely imp ort ant for yo ur
sa fe ty and th e safety of yo ur pa sse ngers , espe
ciall y in fants and sm all childr en .
WARNING
• Accident statistics have shown that chil
dr en are genera lly sa fer in th e rear seat area
t h an in the front seating po sition. Always re
s train any ch ild age 12 and und er in th e re ar.
• AU vehicle occ upant s and especially chil
dr en mu st be r estrain ed properl y w hen ever
riding in a vehicle. An unr estrain ed or im
properly res trained ch ild could be injured by
striking the interior or by being ejec ted from
the vehicle during
sudden maneuver or im
pact. An unrestrain ed or improperly re
stra ined ch ild is also at greater r is k of injury or
death through contact with an inflating
airbag.
• A sui table chil d re straint properly in stalled
a nd u sed at on e of th e rear seati ng positio ns
pro vid es t he hi gh est degre e of protection for
infants and small children in mo st accident
s ituation s.
WARNING
Childr en on the front s cat of any car even with
i\dvanced can be seriously injured or
eve n kill ed when an ai rbag inflat es.
• A ch ild in
re arward -facing child seat in
s ta lled on the front p assenger seat will be seri
o usly injur ed and can b e killed if the front
a irbag inflate s.
• The inflati ng airbag
hit th e ch ild seat
or infant carrier with great fo rce a nd will II>-
Child safety 51
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
WARNING (continued)
sma sh th e c hild scat and child against th e
backr est, ce nter arm r est, door or roof.
• If y ou mu st in sta ll a rearward facin g ch ild
sca t on the front pas senger seat in exce ptional
circum stan ces and the "PAS SENGER
BAG li ght d ocs not come on and stay on, im
m ed iately install the rear-faci ng ch ild sca t in a
r ear sea ting po siti on and have the airbag
sys tem inspe cted immedia tely by your Volk
swagen dea le r.
WARNING
If , in exce ptiona l circumstances , you must in
s tall a forward-facing child r estraint on the
fr on t pa sse nger's seat:
• Always make s ure th e forward-facing seat
h as be en de signed and certifi ed by it s m anu
factur er for use on a front seat w ith a pa s
se nge r front and side airb ag.
WARN ING (con tinued)
• Always fo llow the m anufacturer 's in stru c
tions provid ed wi th the c hild seal or carri er.
• Alw ays move the pa sse nger seat into its re
armost p osition in the seat's fore and aft ad
ju stm ent range, a s far away from
airbag as
po ssibl e befo re in stallin g the child re str aint.
The ba ckrest mu st be adju sted lo an upright
po sition.
• /\lwa ys make su re th at nothing pre vents
th e fro nt passenger' s sea t from being mo ved
to the re armo st p osition in it s fore and aft ad
ju stme nt ran ge.
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR
B A G OFF li ght come s on and sta ys o n all th e
tim e when eve r the ignition is switch ed on.
• If th e PASSENGE R
BAG light does
nol come o n and sta y o n, immediat ely install
th e fo rward-fac ing child seat in a rear seating
po sition and h ave the air ba g sys te m in spec te d
by your Volkswage n deale r.
-4
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicl e is equ ipped with dual-stage fron t
" A dvan ced Airbag Sy ste m " in comp lian ce w ith
U nited Sta tes Fed eral Motor Vehicl e Safety Stan
dard (FMV SS) 2 08 as app licable at th e tim e yo ur
ve hicl e
manuf actur ed.
Th e Advan ced Airbag syste m in your vehicle has
b e en certifi ed t o mee t the "low risk " re qui re
for 3 and 6 year -o ld childr en on the pa s
s e ng er sid e and small adults on the dr ive r sid e.
Th e lo w r is k dep loym ent crit eria arc int ended
to redu ce th e risk of inju ry through wi th the air ba g th at ca n occ ur, for examp le , b y
being too clo se lO the s tee ring wheel and ment pane l wh en th e a irbag inflat es. In addi
ti o n, th e sys te m ha s bee n ce rtifi ed t o co mply
52 Child safety
with the " suppr essio n" re qui re ments of the
Saf ety Standa rd. to turn off th e fro nt air bag for
in fants up to 12 month s who are re strai ned on
th e f ront pa ssenger se at in child rest ra int s th at
ar e liste d in th e S ta ndard.
Eve n thou gh yo ur vehicl e is e quipped w ith an
A dv an ced Airb ag sys te m, all chil dren, e sp eci ally
t h ose
12 year s and younger, sho uld a lway s ride
i n th e ba ck se at prop erly re strained for their ag e
a n d siz e . T he airbag on th e pa sse nger side
makes t he front sca t
po te ntiall y dangerou s
pla ce for a child to rid e. Th e front seat is not the
s af es t pla c e f or a child in a forward -fac ing child
se at. It ca n be a ve ry dang erou s place for a n in
fa nt or a larger child in a r earward-facing seat.
-4
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
Advanced Airbags and the weight -sensing mat in the front seat
The A dva nced Airba g Sys te m in yo ur vehicl e de
t e cts the presence of an infant or ch ild in a child
r estrai nt on th e fron t passe nger sea t usin g th e
weig ht-sensin g mat in the sea t cushi on and the
se nso r below the safe ty belt lat ch on the front
p assenger seat th at m eas ures the te nsion on th e
belt.
The weigh t-se nsi ng m at m eas ures
we ig ht
o f th e c hild and the child seat and a child bla nk et
on the front pa sse nge r sea t. The weight on th e
front passe nger seat is re la ted to th e de sig n of
the child restrai nt and its "foo tprint ", the s ize
an d sh ap e of the b ou om of the c hild res traint a s
it sits on the se at. The we ig ht of
ch ild res traint
an d it s "foot print " vary for differe nt kind s of
child re straint s and for th e diffe re nt m odels of
t h e sam e kin d o f child r estraint offere d b y child
re straint manufa ctu rers.
Th e weig ht ranges for the indi vidual ty p es,
makes and m odels of c hild res trai nts th at th e
N HT SA has sp ecified in th e Safe ty Standa rd to· ge
ther w ith th e weight ra nges of typi ca l in fants
and ty pic al I ye ar-old child have bee n sto re d in
t h e co ntrol un it o f the Advanced Airb ag Sys te m.
Whe n a c hild res traint is bei ng use d on th e fro nt
passe nge r sea t w ith a ty p ica l
1 ye ar- old child , th e
A dvanc ed Ai rbag System compares the weight
mea sur ed b y th e we ig h t-se nsi ng ma t w ith the
informa tion stored in the elec tro nic con trol unit.
T he elec troni c control u nit al so reg is te rs th e ten
s ion on th e front passeng er sa fe ty be lt. T he te n
s ion on th e sa fety belt for the front pa ssenger
sea t
be different for ad ult is prop erl y
u sin g th e s afety belt as compar ed to the te n sio n
o n th e be lt
it is use d to att ach a child r e
s traint to th e seat. Th e senso r be low the la tc h fo r
th e safe ty belt for t he front seat passe nger mea
s ur es the tensio n on th e be lt. The input from thi s
se nso r is th en use d wit h the weig ht t o "d ec ide ",
w hethe r th ere is a chil d res tra int with a typica l
1 year-old ch ild on the front passe nger seat and
w he th er or not th e airb ag mu st b e turn ed
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Hegar dlcss of the ch il d re stra in t that you use,
mak e sur e th at it has been ce rtifi ed me et
United States Fe dera l Motor Vehicl e Saf ety S tan
dard s and has been ce rtified by its m anufa ctu re r
for use w ith a n airb ag. /\!ways be sur e that the
c hild r estrai nt i s pro perly
at o ne of t he
r ear sea ting pos itio ns. I f in exce ptional circu m
s ta nces you m ust u se it o n the fro nt pa ssenge r
sea t, car efull y read all of th e in for matio n on
c hild safety and Adva nced Airbags and hee d all
of th e a pplicabl e
IN GS . Mak e ce rtain that
t h e c hild res traint is cor rec tly reco gnized by th e
we ig ht- sensin g mat in side the front passe nge r
sea t, th at th e front p assenge r air b ag is turn ed off
and th at the a irb ag stat us is always correc tly s ig
n aled by th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
Many ty p es an d m odels of ch ild res 1rai111 s have
b ee n avai lab le ov er th e years ,
models are
introdu ced r egularl y in cor poratin g new and im
proved des ign s and old er m odels are take n out
of produ cti on. Chil d res train ts are no t sta ndard
i zed. C hild restra ints o f the sam e ty p e typi ca ll y h
ave diff ere nt weight s and sizes and differ en t
'foot prin ts ,' t he s ize and sh ape of th e bott om of
th e c hild res train t th at s its on the seat, whe n
th ey are installed on a vehi cle seat. Th ese differ
e nces mak e it virt uall y impos sib le to cert ify
co mplian ce with th e re quireme nts fo r adva nce d
a ir bag s wit h ea ch and every child res traint that
h as eve r bee n so ld in the pa st or will be sold ove r
th e co urse of the use ful life of yo ur vehicle.
For thi s reaso n, th e Uni te d Sta tes N ati ona l
Hi gh way Tra ffic Sa fe ty A dmini strat io n has pub
li sh ed
li st of sp ecifi c type, makes and mode ls
of child restr ai nt s that must b e use d t o ce rti fy
co mpliance of the Advan ced Air bag Syste m in
y our vehicl e w it h th e s uppre ssio n r equir em en ts
of Fe d era l Moto r Ve hicle Safety S tandard 208.
Th ese c hild restra ints are:
A. Car beds, manufactur ed an or after De·
cember 1, 1999:
• Cos co Dre am Rid e 02-7 19
Child safety 53
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
8. Rear facing child restraint systems, manufac
tured on or alter December l, 1999.
( W hen the res tra in t sys te m comes e quipp ed
w ith a re mo vable ba se, co mpli ance ha s to be
ce rtified with or wit hout the ba se).
• Britax Hand le wit h Care
191
• Centur y Ass ura 4553
• Centu ry Sm art Fit 4 543
• Cosco Arriva 02727
• Eve nflo Disc overy A dju st 212
• Evenflo Fir st Ch oice
204
• Gra co Infant 8 11 57
C. For war d-facing convertible child res trai nt
systems, manufactured on or after Dece mber l ,
1999:
• Brit ax Rou ndabou t
161
• Brit ax Expressway J SOFIX
• Centur y Enco re
• Century 1000
• Cosco Ol ymp ia n 0280 3
• Cosco Touriv a 02519
• Even flo Horizon V 425
• Evenfl o Meda llion 25 4
• Saf ety 1s t Co mfort Ride 22-400
D. Forward-fac ing toddler /be lt po sitioning
booster systems, manufactur ed on or after D e
cember l, 1999 :
• Brita x Roadster
9004
• Century Next Step 4920
• Cosco High Back Booste r
• Eve nfl o Hig ht Fit 2 45
L'.0, WARNING
To redu ce the ri sk of serio us inju ry, mak e sur e
that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght comes
on and sta ys on when eve r a child restraint is
in stall ed on the front pa ssenger sea t and the
ignition is switched on.
• Take the child res traint
the front pa s
s enger seat a nd install it properl y at one of the
rear seat position s if th e PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not sta y o n.
• Have the airbag system insp ec ted by yo ur
aut hori zed Volkswag en dealer immediately.
Important safety instructions for using child seats
Correct use of chil d seat s substant ially reduce s the risk of injury in an ac cident!
Fi g. 3 0 Neve r le t babi es or older c hildren rid e in a
v ehicl e wh ile s itting on th e lop o f a no th er passenge r.
As the driver, yo u ar e res pon sible for th e
s a fety of eve ry bod y in th e ve hicle , espe
ci all y chil dren:
54 Child safety
-Alway s use the right child seat for each
c hi ld and alwa ys use it prop erly
51.
- Alw ays caref ully foll ow the child seat
m anu fac turer 's in stru ction s on how to
rou te the sa fe ty bel t pr oper ly throu gh
child seat.
- When usin g th e ve h icle safety belt
10 in
s ta ll a child seat, you must fir st a ctivat e
sw itchab le lock ing fea tur e on th e safe ty
b elt
p reven t th e child seal from mov ing
60.
- Push th e c hild sea t d ow n with yo ur full
weig ht to get the sa fe ty belt re all y light so
th at the seat cannot mov e for ward or side -
w ays more th an one inch (2.5 cm ).
»,,
-If a strap or te ther is being use d to tie
th e ch ild sea t to th e front passenge r seat,
ma ke s ure that it is
no t so tight that it
ca uses the we ight -sensin g mat to meas ure
more weig ht th an is actuall y on the se at.
Always remember: Even though yo ur vehicle is
e quip ped w ith an Advanced Airbag sys te m. all
c hildr en, especia lly those 12 years a nd youn ger,
s h ould always ride in the ba ck sea t p roper ly re
s train ed for th eir age and size.
WARNING
Not using a child sc a t, u si ng th e wrong child
s eat or improp erly insta llin g a c hild r estraint
in creases the risk of se riou s personal injury
and dea th.
• All ve hicle occupants and especia lly chil
dr en must alway s be res train ed properl y
whenever riding in a ve hicl e.
-
unr estrain ed or improperl y re
s trained child can be injur ed or kill ed by
b ein g thrown against the insid e of th e ve
hicle or by being ejected from it during a
s udd en man euver or imp act.
-
unrest rained or improperly re
stra ined ch ild is at much greater risk of in
jur y or death by being stru ck b y an in
fl atin g ai rbag.
• Comm ercia lly ava ilabl e child seats are re
quir ed t o co mply with U.S. Federal Motor Ve
hicle Safe ty Sta ndard (FMVSS) 2 13 (in Canada
CMVSS2 13).
- Wh en buying a child re straint , selec t one
that
y our child and the vehicle.
- Onl y use child restraint syste m s that
full y contact the flat portion of
seat
cushion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean t o either side. Volkswag en do cs not
r eco mmend using child scats that r es t on
l egs o r tube -lik e fram es. They do not pro
vide adequate co ntact with the scat.
- Always hee d all legal r equirem ent s per
t a inin g to the in stallati on an d u se of ch ild
sc ats and care fully follo w the in structions
pro vided by the manufacturer of the seat
yo u arc usin g.
• Neve r allow childr en und er 4 ft 9 in (57
in che s, 1.5 met ers) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restr ained b y a
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
WARN ING (continu ed)
proper child re straint system. Oth erw ise, they
c ould susta in injurie s to the abdomen and
ne ck ar eas during sudden braking maneuvers
or accidents.
• Never let more than one child oc cupy a
child scat.
• Neve r let babi es or older chil dre n ride in a
ve hicle while sittin g on the lap of anoth er pas
se nge r.
- Holding a child in your arms is neve r a
sub stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the
c hild with the forces that exis t in an acci
dent. The child will strik e th e int eri orof the
ve hicl e and can al so be s tru ck by the pa s
senger.
- The child and th e passenge r ca n also in
jur e each another in an accident.
• Ne ver install rear-faci ng child seat s or in
fant carriers on the front passe nge r sea t.
w ill b e se riou sly injur ed and can be
killed when the passenger airbag inflates
even with Advanced Airbag System.
• The i nflating airb ag w ill hit th e child scat
o r infant carrier w ith great force and will
s mash th e child scat a nd child against the
backr est, ce nter arm res t, d oo r or roof.
• Alwa ys insta ll rear-facing child scats or in
fant carri ers on the r ear seat.
• Forward-facing child seats insta lled on th e
front pa ssenger 's sca t can interfer e with th e
a irb ag w hen it inflate s an d cau se se riou s in
ju ry to th e child . Always install forward-facing
c hild scats on the rear seat.
• I f exce ptional circumstance s requir e th e
u se of a forward-facing child res traint on the
front pa ssenger's scat, th e c hild 's safet y and
we ll-be ing require that the following sp ecia l
pr ecaut ions be taken:
- Make sur e the fonvard-facing seat ha s
been des ig n ed and
by its manu
factur er for use on a front scat with a pas
se nger front and side airba g.
- Always carefully follow the manufac
tur er's instru ction s pro vid ed w ith th e child
sea t or carrier.
- Always move the front pa ssenger seal
into th e rearmo st position
pass enger
Child safety 55
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
W ARNING (c on tinued)
seat's fore and aft adjustment rang e, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before
in stalling the child restr aint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre vents
the front pas seng er's sca t from b ein g
mov ed to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Alwa ys m ake sure that the backrest is in
the upright position.
• Alway s buckle th e child scat firmly in place
even if a ch ild is not sitti ng in it. A loose ch ild
scat can fl y around durin g a sudd en stop or in
a collision.
• Always read and hee d all WAR NIN GS
whene ver usin g a ch ild restrained in a vehicl e
i s being used
13, "Sa fety belts",
Infant seats
WARNING (continued)
"Airbag system" and 51,
"Ch ild safe ty" .
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
th at the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on when ever a child re straint i s
in sta lled on the front p assenger seat and the
ignition is switched on.
• Take the c hild r estra int off the front pa s
se nger seat and install it prop erl y at on e of the
r ea r seal positi ons if the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF lig ht do cs not stay on.
• Have the airbag syste m in spected by your
authorized Volkswage n dealer
Babies and infants abou t one year old that weigh at least 2 0 -22 lbs. (9 -10
kg) must sit in rearward-facin g child rest raint s tha t support the back , neck and
head in a collision.
Fig. 31 Rearward-fa cing infonl seat properly in
stalled on the reor seat
-When usin g th e veh icle safe ty bel t to in
s ta ll a chil d se at, yo u mu st first activa te th e
sw itchabl e lo ckin g feat ure on the sa fety
b e lt to prevent the c hild seat from mo ving
56 Child safety
-strap or teth er is bein g use d to tie
th e child seat to th e front passe nger sea t,
mak e sure that it is not s o tight th at it
ca uses the weigh t-sens ing mat to m easure
more weig ht th an i s ac tually on the sea t.
up to about o ne yea r (up to 22 lbs. or lO
k g ) arc best protected in sp ecia l in fa nt carrier s
a n d child sea ts desig ned for their age gro up.
Man y expert s be lieve that infant s and sma ll chil
dr en shou ld rid e o nly in specia l res tra int s in
w hi ch th e c hild fac es the back of the veh icle.
The se infant scats support the baby 's ba ck, neck
and hea d in
coll ision . Th ese chil d seats can be
u se d safely on ly on the rear sea t of yo ur Volk
swagen
WARNING
N ot u sin g a c hild seat, u sing the wrong child
sca t or improp erly in stalling a child r estraint
incr eases the risk of serio us pers onal injury
and death in a collisio n.
• Neve r inst all rear-facing child scats or in
f a nt carr iers on the front passen ger seat -eve n
WARNING (continu ed)
with an Advanced Airbag System . A chi ld will be seriously injur ed and can be killed when
the infl atinga irb aghil s the child seal or infant
ca rri er w ith grea t force and smashes the c hild
sca t and child against the backres t, cen te r
arm res t, door or roo f.
• Alwa ys install rea r-facing child seats o r
fant carriers on the rear scat.
• Never install a rear-facing child r estraint in
the forward-facing direction . These restra ints
a rc des ig n ed for th e speci al needs of infants
and very small children and cannot prote ct
th em prope rly if the seat is fo rwa rd-faci ng.
Convertible child seats
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
WARNING (continued)
• If you must in sta ll a rear ward facing child
sca t on the front passenger sca t because
cept ional circ umstances a nd th e PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on, immediately install the r ear -fa cin g child
sea t in a rear seating position and have the
a irba g sys tem inspected by your Volkswage n
d ea ler.
• Alwa ys re ad and heed all WARN INGS
w hen ever usin g a child r estrain ed in a vehicle
i s bein g used
13, "Safety belts", 27, "A irbag sys tem" and 51,
"C hild
Prop erl y convertible child seats can help protect toddlers and ch ildre n over
age one who weigh. between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
a crash..
Fig . 32 Smal ler child in a properly i nstalled for ·
wa rd -fac ing LATCH child restra int system on the rear
seot
- When using the vehicle safety belt to
s ta ll a c hild sea t, y o u must fir st ac tiva te the
s w itch able locki ng fea tur e on the sa fety
belt to prevent the child sea t from movin g
60 .
Pu sh the ch ild seat clown with your full
weig ht to get the sa fe ty belt rea lly tight so
tha t th e sea t cannot move forwa rd or sid e
ways more t han one inch (2.5 cm ) ..
Fa ste n th e safe ty belt that is part of the
c hild r estraint system securely and pu ll it
t ight so that yo u ca n onl y s lip one finger
unde rnea th th e sh o ulder belt portion at
the c hild's ch es t.
If a strap or teth er i s bein g used to tie
the c hild seat to the
passe nger scat,
make sur e th at i t is not so tight tha t it
ca uses the weig ht-sens ing mat to meas ure
more w eig ht tha n is ac tually on the seat.
A to ddl er o r child is usu ally 10 0 large for an restraint , if it i s mor e than on e year old and
we igh s mor e th an 22 lbs. (JO kg).
Todd lers and child re n b etween o ne and abo ut
fou r ye ars old and w eigh betwe en 22 lbs. (10 kg)
and 40 lbs. (18 kg) mu st alway s be properl y
str ai ned in a child scat ce rtifi ed fo r th eir size and
we ig ht 32 .
The airbag on the pa sse nge r side
th e
fr ont sea t a p ote nti ally dange rou s plac e for a
c hild to rid e. The fr ont scat is not th e safe st p lace
for a chi ld in a forward-facing child seat. It is a
v ery dangero us pla ce for an
or a large r
c hild in a r earward-faci ng se at.
Child safety 57
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
WARNING
Not usin g a chi ld sea t, u sing the wrong child
sea t or improp erly in stalling a child res tra int
in creases the risk of seriou s perso nal injur y
an d death in a co llision or o ther em erge ncy
s itu ation.
• Children on the front sea t of any car, even
wi th Advanced Airbags, can be se riou sly in
jured or even killed when an a irbag infl ates. A
c hild in a rearwa rd-facing child seat insta lled
o n the front passenger scat will be seriou sly
in jur ed and ca n be kiJJcd if the front airb ag i n
flates- even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating a irbag w ill hit th e child seat
or infant carri er w ith great fo rce an d will
s ma sh th e child seal and child agai nst th e
backrest, ce nter arm re st, door or roof.
• Alw ays insta ll r ear-facing child seats on the
r ea r sea t.
• If yo u mu st in sta ll a rear ward facing child
sca t on the front passe nger seat becau se of ex
ce ptional cir cum stances and the PASS ENGER
A IR BAG OFF light docs no t come o n and sta y
o n , immediately ins ta ll th e rear-facing chil d
sca t in a rea r seat ing
th e
a irba g system inspected by your Vo lkswagen
dealer.
• Always read a nd heed a ll WARN INGS
whe never usin g a chi ld restrained in a ve hicle
i s being use d
13, "Sa fety belt s", 27, "A irbag sys tem" and 51,
"C hild safety".
WARNING
An improp erl y in stalled child r estraint can in
t e rf ere w ith th e airba g as it deplo ys and ser i
ous ly injur e or even kill the chi ld
eve n with
a n Advanced Airb ag Syste m. If , in except io nal
circ umsta nc es, yo u mu st in stall a for ward-
58 Child safety
WARNING (continued)
facin g ch ild r estraint on the front pa ssenger' s
scat:
• Forward- faci ng c hild scats insta lled on the
front pa ssenger' s scat may in terfe re with t he
dep loyment of the airbag and ca use se rious
p ersona l injur y to th e c hild .
• Always make sur e the forward-facing scat
ha s been de signe d and
by its manu
fact urer for u se on a front seat
a pa s
se nge r front and sid e a irbag.
• Always carefu lly fo llow the manufactur er's
in struction s provided with th e child seat or
carr ie r.
• Neve r put th e forward-facing child re
s train t up against or very near th e in strument
pane l.
• Always move the passenger seat into it s re
armost position in the seat' s fo re an d aft ad
ju stment range, as far away from the air bag as
poss ible before insta llin g th e forward- facing
chi ld restra int. The b ackre st must be adjusted
to a n upright positi on .
• Always make sure that nothin g pre vents
the fro nt passe nge r's seal fro m being move d
to th e re armos t position in it s fore and
ad
ju stm ent range.
• Neve r pla ce ad ditional it em s on the sca t
that can in crease the tota l we ig ht reg iste re d by
t h e we ig ht- sensin g mat and can ca use injur y
in
cras h.
• Make s ure th at the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes o n and sta ys on all th e time
w hen eve r the ig nition i s switch ed on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR DAG
light docs
n o t co me on and stay on, immedia te ly in sta U
forwar d-faci ng c hild seal in a rea r sea ting
position a nd have the airb ag sys tem inspec te d
by your Volkswage n dea le r.