
Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
WARN ING  (cont inued) 
justm ent  ran ge, as  far away  from th e a irbag as 
po ssi ble before  insta llin g th e fo rwar d-facin g 
c hild  re straint.  The backr est mu st  be  adju sted 
t o  a n u prig ht  po sition . 
•  Alway s make  sure  that nothing  pr events 
the  front  p assenger's  sea t from  being  moved 
to  the rea rm ost  positi on  in  it s fo re  and  aft  ad 
ju stm ent range . 
•  Neve r pl ace  add itional it em s on  th e s eat 
that  can in crease  the tota l we ight  regis tered  b y 
WARN ING  (cont inu ed) 
the weig ht-se nsi ng  m at  and  can cause  injury 
in  a  cras h. 
•  Make  sure that  the PASS ENGER  AIR  BAG 
OFF  light  come s on  and  stays  on  all th e time 
w henever  the ig niti on  i s sw itched  on. 
•  l fthe PASSENGER  AIR  BAG  OFF light  docs 
not  come  on  an d stay o n, imm edia tely  insta ll 
th e fo rwa rd-faci ng  child  seat in  a rea r sea ting 
position  and have  the a irb ag sys te m  inspec ted 
by  your  Volk swage n dealer. • 
Advanced  Airbag  System  components 
The front  passe nger seat  in you r ve hicle  has lot 
of ve ry  im por tant  parts  of th e  Adva nce d Airbag 
Syste m  in it.  The se  parts  includ e 1he  weight
se nsing  mat , senso rs,  wir in g,  bracke ts, a nd 
more.  The  functio n of  the  sys te m  in  th e  front 
passenger  seat is chec ked  by th e  e lectron ic  con 
t rol  unit  when th e ig niti on i s on. The  contro l uni1 
monitor s th e A dva nce d Airbag  Syste m and  turn s 
th e a irbag  indicator  lig h t on  when  a  malfun ction 
in th e syste m co mp on ent s is  det ected.  The  func
t ion  o f th e airb ag indica tor  lig ht i s desc ribed  in 
g reater  detail  below.  Beca use  the front  pas
se nge r sea t co ntain s imp ort ant  parts of the  Ad
va nc ed  Airbag  System,  you must t ake  care  to 
p reve nt it  from  being  damaged.  Damage  to 1h c 
sea t ma y pre vent  th e  A dva nce d Airb ag  for 
fron t passenge r se at  f rom  doing  it s job  in  a 
c ras h. 
Th e front  Advanced  A irbag  Syste m consis ts  of 
the  following: 
•  Cras h se nsors  in th e  front  o f 1h e  ve hicle  1hat 
m eas ure  vehicle  acce lera tion/d ecelera tio n to prov ide  inform arion  to the  Advanced  Airbag 
Sys te m  abou t th e seve rity of t he  crash. 
•  An  electro nic co ntrol  unit, wit h  in tegra te d 
cras h se nsor s for fron t an d side  impacts.  The 
co ntro l uni t "'decides ·· w hether  to 
just o ne or 
bot h stages  of  the fron t airbags  based on  th e 
form atio n  receive d from  the crash  sensors . T he 
contro l unit  also  "decides··  whether  the safe ry 
belt  pretens io ners s ho uld  b e act ivated . 
•  A dual -stage  Advanced  Airbag 
g en 
era tor  for th e  dr ive r in sid e the  stee ring  whe el 
h ub. 
34  Airbag  system 
•  A dua l-stage  Advanced  A irbag and  gas  ge nerin side  t he  instrument  panel  fo r  the  fro nt 
pass enger . 
• 
we ig ht-sens ing m at und er the  upholster y 
padding  of the  front  passenge r sc at  cushion  that 
m easures  th e  tot al we igh t o n  the  scat.  The  info r
mation  registe red is se nt  cont inuousl y to  the 
e lectro nic contro l unit  to re g ul ate deployment 
of  t he  front  Advance d Airbag  on  the  passenger 
si de. 
• 
airbag  monitoring  system  and  indicator 
li ght  in  the  in stru ment  clus te r 39 . 
•  The  PASSENGER  AIR  BAG  OFF light  in the 
cente r of  the  instrument  pa nel 
39 , 25) that  te lls  yo u when  th e fro nt  Adva nced 
A irb ag on  the  passe nger  si de  ha s been  turned 
off. 
•  A se nso r below  the  safety  be lt lat ch  for  the 
fro nt sca t pa ssenger  to  m eas ure  the  tens io n  on 
t h e  safe ty  belt.  The 
on  t he safe ty  be lt and 
the  weig ht reg is te re d by 1h e we igh t-se nsi ng  m at 
h elp t he control  unit  "'d ec ide"  whe th er  the  fr ont 
airbag  fo r th e fro nt  p assenger  seat sh ould  be 
t urned  off  or  no t 
29, "Ch ild restra int s on 
t h e  fr o nt sea t - so me impo rtan t thin gs to kn ow··. 
•  A se nso r in  the  sa fety  belt  la tc h  for  the  driver 
an d  for the  front  sca t passenger  that senses 
whe th er  that  safety  belt  is  latc hed  or 
and 
t ransm its  thi s in form ation  to  t he e lectroni c con
tro l unit. 
Lr!, WARNING 
Damage  to the fron t pa sse nger  se a t ca n pre
ve nt  the airba g from  worki ng  pr oper ly.  

Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
vanced Airbag System  w ill tak e the  u se of the 
p assenge r saf ety  belt  into acco unt.  If th e safety 
b e lt i s being  used, the a ir ba g w ill  not  d eplo y. If 
the  safety  b elt  is  not  b eing u sed, th e firs t  st ag e 
will d eplo y fo llow ed b y th e se co nd 
lat er  tim e in  the c rash  sequen ce. 
I f  th e e lectronic  control  unit  r egis te rs  a  cras h of 
hi gher  sev erity,  both stages  deploy  regardl ess of 
w hethe r the  sa fety  belt  is b eing u sed or  not. 
O n  th e pa sse nger  sid e,  rega rdless  of safe ty  belt 
u se , th e airbag  will be  turn ed  offifth e weight  on 
th e pas senger  seat is less 
th e amo unt pro
gramm ed  in the  elec troni c contro l unit.  Th e 
fr ont  airb ag on  the  pa ssenger  sid e wi ll als o  be 
turned  off if  on e of th e c hild  sea ts  that 
use d 
t o ce rtify th e Advanced  Airba g Sys te m  und er 
Federa l Mo tor  Vehicl e Sa fety  Standard  20 8  ha s 
be en  rec ogni zed on  the  seat.  The  PASSENGER 
AIR  BAG 
OFF light  com es  on and  sta ys  on 
29,  "Child 
r es traints  on  the  fron t sea t - so me import an t 
things  to  know··. 
WARNING 
To  red uce  the risk  of  inju ry when  an  airbag  in
flates,  alway s wear  safety  belts  properly. 
•  If  you arc  unrestrained , lea nin g forward , 
si ttin g sideways  or ou t of pos ition  in  any  way, 
yo ur  ri sk of injury  is  much  highe r. 
•  You will also  receive  serious  injuri es and 
co uld  even  be  killed  if you  arc up aga inst the 
a irba g or  too  close  to  it when  it inflate s 
even 
with  a n Advance d Airbag 27,  "Impor 
tance  of wearing  safety belts and  s itting 
pro perl y.". 
More  important  things  to  know  about  front  airbags 
Fig . 23  Front  oirbog  deployment  zone 
36 Airbag  system  

Fig . 24  In fl ated  front  airbags 
Th e area s ou tli ned  in  re d 23  indi cate  the 
a ir bag  deploy ment  zone.  Neve r pla ce  or attach 
accesso ries  or other  obj ects  (such  as  cu p 
h o ld ers . te lep hone  bracket s, la rge.  heavy  o r 
obje cts) on  the door s, ove r or nea r area 
mark ed  in 
Sa fe ty ar e importanl  to  help  kee p front  seat 
occ upant s in  th e pro per  sea te d  p osition  so th at 
airb ags ca n un fold prop erl y  and  provi de s uppl e
m enta l p ro tect ion  in a  fro ntal co llision. 
Th e fron t a ir bags  are  desig ned  to  prov ide add i
t io nal prot ection  for  th e chest  an d 
of  the 
dr iver  and  the fro nt sea t passe nger 
•  saf ety  belt s  are w orn  pr operl y. 
• 
se ats  have  bee n pos ition ed  so  th at  the 
occ upant  i s properl y seated  as  far as poss ible 
from  the airb ag, 
•  and  th e hea d re straint s have  bee n prop erly 
adjusted. 
B eca use  a irbags  inflate  in 
blink  of an  eye grea t fo rce,  things  yo u have  on  your  lap  or 
ha ve  pla ced on  the  seat  could become  dan 
gerous  pro jec tiles,  a nd be  pus hed  into  you if 
a irb ag  inflat es. 
W hen an  airb ag  deplo ys,  fine du st  is  rel ea sed . 
Th is  is  norm al a nd  i s not  cause d by  a fire  i n th e 
v ehicl e. Thi s du st  is  m ade  up  m ostly of  a  pow der 
u sed 
10 lub ricate  the airba gs  as  they  deplo y. I t 
co uld  irritate  skin. 
It  is  imp orta nt to  remem ber 
w hil e sup 
pl em ental  airbag  syste m is  desig ned  to  re duce 
t h e  lik elih ood of  serio us  inju ries,  oth er  injurie s, 
for  exampl e swe lling, brui sin g a nd  minor  ab ra
s io n s,  can  also  happe n when  ai rbags  inflate.  Ai r-
Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
ba gs do  not protect  th e ar ms or  th e  lo we r part s 
of  th e  bod y. Front  airbags on ly  sup ple m ent  th e 
thr ee poin t sa fety  be lts in  some front al co llision s 
in  whic h th e ve hicle  dece lerati on  is  high  enough 
t o  de plo y th e airbags. 
Front  airbags will not  deploy: 
•  if ig nition  is sw itch ed off  when  a cras h oc
c ur s, 
•  in sid e co llision s, 
•  in  rea r-end  co lli sion s. 
•  in rollo ve rs, 
•  when  th e cra sh  d ece lera tion  m eas ured  by 
ai rba g sys te m  is  les s th an  the minimum 
thr eshold  nee ded  for  air bag  d epl oy ment  as  reg
i s te re d  b y th e  e lec troni c con trol  unit. 
Th e front  passenger  airbag wi ll also  not  deploy : 
• when  th e front  passe nge r sea t  is not occ u
p ied . 
•  when  th e we ig ht  on  the  front  passe nger  se at 
as  sensed  by  the  Adva nce d Airba g Sys te m  indi 
c a tes 
fron t a irb ag  o n th e pas se n ge r side 
h as  to be  turn ed  off by  th e electro nic co ntro l unit 
( th e PASSENGER AIR BAG 
OFF ligh t comes  o n 
a nd  sta ys  on) . 
WARNING 
Sittin g in  the  wrong  posit ion  can in crease  the 
ri sk  of  serio us  inju ry in cra she s. 
•  To  reduce  the  risk  of injur y when  the air
ba gs inflate,  the  driver  and passengers  must 
a lwa ys sit  in  an upright  po sition , mu st  n ot 
l e an  again st or  pla ce any  part  of  their bod y too 
clo se  to  th e area  where  the  airb ags  are located. 
•  Occupa nts who  are unb elt ed , out  of posi
tion  or  too  clo se to  the  a irbag can be  seriou sly 
injured  by  an  a irbag as  it  unfold s wit h grea t 
force  in the blink  of an  eye 
27. 
WARNING 
A child  in a rea rward -facin g child  scat  in
s talled  on the front  pa ssen ger  seat  w ill be  se ri
o usly  injur ed  and  can  be  kill ed  if th e front 
airba g inflat es -even  with  an Advanc ed A irbag 
Sys te m. 
•  Th e infl ating airba g 
hit  th e child  seat 
or  infant  carrier  w ith  great  for ce and  w ill 
s mas h  the child  scat and  child  again st  th e 
ba ckre st, ce nter  arm  rest, door  or  roof. 
Airbag  system  37  

Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
WARNING (con tinued) 
•  Al ways  insta ll r ear -faci ng child  seats  o n th e 
rea r seat. 
•  If yo u mu st  in sta ll  a reanva rd faci ng c hild 
se at  on  th e fr ont  p asse nger seat  beca use  of ex
c epti onal cir cum stance s an d  th e PAS SEN GER 
AIR  BAG  OFF light  do es not co me o n an d  stay 
on,  immedi ate ly  in sta ll th e rear -fa cin g child 
sea t in 
re ar  se a ti ng  po siti on  and  hav e th e 
a irba g syste m  inspe cte d b y yo ur  Volk swagen 
d ea le r. 
WARNING 
O bj ec ts  be twee n yo u and  th e airbag  w ill in 
c rease  the r is k of  injury in a c rash  by  int er
fe rin g w ith th e way  the a ir ba g unfold s or by 
b ein g pu sh ed  into yo u as  the a ir ba g infl ates. 
•  Never  hold thin gs in your  hand s or on  your 
l a p  when  the v ehicl e is  in u se. 
•  Neve r tran sport  item s on  or  in  th e area  of 
the  f ront p asse nger  sea t. Obj ec ts  co uld  move 
int o th e a rea  of  the front  airb ags  durin g 
br ak ing o r oth er su dden  man euv er  and  be
co me dange ro us  pro jec tiles  that  ca n  ca use se
ri ou s 
injur y airba gs infl ate. 
•  Neve r place  or att ac h acce ssori es or oth er 
o bj ec ts  (s uch  as  c up  h old ers,  tele phon e 
bra ckets,  la rge , h eav y or bul ky obj ects)  on  the 
d oor s, ove r or  n ear th e area  mark ed  "AIRB AG" 
o n  th e steer ing wh eel, in strum ent pan el,  sca t 
b ac krests  or b etw een  those  a reas 
36, 
fi g. 23 and  yourself. T hese ob jec ts  coul d ca use 
in ju ry  in  a cras h, es pecia lly w hen  th e airbags 
infl ate . 
•  Nev er  re clin e th e fro nt  p asse nge r's  sca t to 
t ra nsp o rt  obj ec ts.  Item s can also  move  into 
th e are a  of  the  sid e airba g or the  front  air b ag 
durin g bra kin g or in  a s udd en  m an eu ve r. Ob
j ec ts  nea r th e a irb ags  can  beco me pro jec tiles 
a nd  cause  inj ury , p articu lar ly w hen  th e sea t is 
r ecl ined . 
•  Always  make s ure that  no thin g is  on  th e 
fr ont  pass enger  s eat that  will  cause  the 
we ig ht -se nsing  mat in  th e scat to sense  that 
t h e sea t is  occupi ed  or  is occ upie d b y a  perso n 
th at i s hea vier  th an  th e occ upa nt actually  on 
38  Airbag  system 
WA RN IN G  (con tinued) 
th e s eat.  Th e w eight  oflhe  obj ect could  cause 
the  pas senge r sid e airbag  t o be  turn ed  on 
wh en  it shoul d be  off o r could cau se the a irbag 
to fun ctio n  in  a w ay  th at  is  diff ere nt  fro m  the 
way  it wo uld  h ave w orked  with o ut  th e added 
we ig ht . 
•  Always make  s ure th at  nothin g on th e front 
pa sse nge r sca t w hen  the bac krest  is  fold ed for
w ard.  Eve n light  obj ect s c ould  b e pu sh ed  int o 
th e seat  c ushi on  and  cause  the weig ht-se nsin g 
m at i n  th e scat to  reg is te r  enou gh  we ig ht  to 
turn  th e airb ag on. 
•  Al ways  make sur e that  the s ta tu s s ignal ed 
b y  th e PAS SENGER  AIR BAG  OFF light  is c or
r ec t for  the w ay  that the  front  p assenger sea t is 
b ein g use d. 
WARNING 
The  fin e dust  c rea ted  wh en  airb ags  depl oy ca n 
ca use  brea thin g pr oblem s for  p eople w ith a 
hi sto ry  of  asthm a or o th er bre athin g condi 
tion s. 
•  T o  reduce the risk  of brea thing  problem s, 
with  asthm a or oth er  res pir ato ry c ondi 
ti o ns s hould  get fr esh ai r right  away  by ge tting 
o ut  of the ve hicle  o r openin g windows  o r 
d oor s. 
•  If y ou ar c in  a co llisio n  in  w hi ch  airb ags  de
pl oy,  wash  yo ur  hand s and  fa ce with  mild  soap 
a nd  wa te r b efo re e atin g. 
•  B e caref ul  not  to get th e du st  int o yo ur 
eyes , o r  int o any c uts o r sc ratc hes. 
•  If th e re sid u e s hou ld ge t int o your  eyes , 
flu sh  th em  with  wate r. 
Tips 
If  yo u  or a  pa sse nge r w ho  yo u w ill  be  using  your 
ve hicl e has  a d isab ility tha t ma y affect  the  way 
t h e  Advan ced Airb ag Sys te m  in  yo ur  vehicle 
wo rks,  you  can contact  Volkswagen  Custo m er 
C ARE  at 180 0 822-8987  for informa tion  about 
p oss ib le m od ifi ca tion s or  o th er  ste p s  th at h elp 
address  th e  sit uat io n . 
- 

@ Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
• there  is a c han ge  in the we ight  mea sur ed by 
th e  we ig h t- se n sing  mat  in  th e  fro nt pas se nge r 
s ea t th at  d ete rmin es wheth er th e Adva nced 
Ai rbag  o n the  pass eng er s id e  ca n dep lo y  or w ill 
be  t urn ed  off. 
Aft er th e PASSENGER  AIR BAG 
OFF lig ht  stop s 
b lin kin g, a lwa ys mak e  sure that  t he  airbag 
s tat us ( on  or  off)  as  show n by  the PASS ENG ER 
A lR B AG OFF  lig ht  is  prop er fo r th e size,  age , a nd 
we ig h t of the  occupant  o n  the fron t pa ssenger 
s ea t.Alwa ys mak e s ure that  th e 
b elt f or th e 
fr ont  pa sseng er sea t  is p roperl y  fa ste n ed  whe n· 
ev er  th e pa sse nge r seat  i s occ upi ed. 
T he  PASSENGER  AIR BAG 
OFF ligh t w ill  sh ow 
th e  c orre ct sta tu s  of th e fron t Ad vance d Air b ag 
on  th e  pa sse nger  sid e a  few  sec onds after t he 
niti on h as  be en  sw itc h ed  on  and: 
•  will  sta y o n if t he  fron t pa ssen ger sea t is  no t 
o ccupi ed, 
•  will  sta y  on  if a  child  up  t o ab out  one  yea r o f 
ag e is o n th e  front  passe nger  seat in  one of  th e 
r e a r- fa cin g  or  fo rw ard -facin g in fant  r estra int s 
list ed in  F edera l M oto r  Ve hicl e Safety S ta nd ard 
2 08 w it h  whic h  t he  A dva nce d Airbag  Syste m  i n 
y our  vehicle was ce rtified, is  reg is te re d b y th e 
w eig ht- sensing  m at  in  th e  sea t. Fo r a  listin g of 
th e c hild  res traint s th at we re  use d t o ce rtify  your 
ve hicl e's  co mplianc e w ith th e  US Safe ty 
d a rd 5 3, 
•  will  go  ou t if  the  fro nt passe nge r se at is 
pi ed b y an adult  as reg is te re d  b y th e se nsi ng  m at. 
Th e  PASSENGE R AIR BAG O FF  lig ht  must  come 
o n  and  stay o n if the ig nit io n  i s o n a nd 
•  a  car b ed has  bee n in stall ed  on th e fro nt  sea t. 
o r 
•  a  rear wa rd-faci ng c hild  res tra int  has  bee n 
sta lled  on  th e fro nt  p asse nger  seat, or 
•  a  forwa rd-fa cing c hild  r estraint  h as  been 
sta ll ed  on th e fron t p asse nge r sea t, or 
•  th e  we ig ht  r egis tered  o n the front  passe nge r 
s eat  is  equ al to o r less  than  th e co mb in ed  weig ht 
o f a  ty pi ca l I  ye ar- old  res tra in ed  in  one  o f th e 
rea r-fac in g o r fo nva rd-faci ng  in fa nt re s tra int s 
li ste d  in  F ed era l  Moto r Ve hicle  Saf ety St andard 
208 
w hic h  th e Adva nce d Ai rb ag Sys te m  in 
yo ur vehicl e w as ce rtifi ed . 
I f  th e front  passe nge r sea t is  not occ upied , th e 
fr ont a ir b ag w ill not de ploy,  and  t he  PASS ENG ER 
OF F light  will  sta y o n. Nev er a 
40  Airbag  system 
re ar ward-facing  chil d res traint  on  the front se nger  seat, the sa fest  pla ce for a  chil d in  an y 
k ind  of c hild  r estra in t is  at  on e  of t he sea ting 
sit  ion s on  t he  rea r se at 29, " Chil d strai nts on  th e front  seat-so me import ant 
th ings  to  kn ow " a nd 51, "C hild  safe ty ." 
If th e PASSENGE R 
AIR BAG OFF  light  come s on 
w hen  one  of t he co ndit io ns  liste d  ab ove  is  m et, 
b e s ure 
c h eck  the  li gh t r eg ula rl y  to  m ake tai n th at th e PASSENGER AIR  BAG OFF lig ht 
s tays  o n co ntinu ously  w hen eve r th e  ig nit io n  is 
o n. I f th e PASSENGER AIR  BAG 
OFF light  does 
n ot app ear  and  no t stay o n all  th e time,  sto p  as 
soo n as  it is safe  to d o so  a nd 
•  re ac tiva te  th e  sys te m b y turn in g  th e ig n iti on 
off  and  th en  t urni ng  it  on a gain ; 
•  re m ove a nd  re in stall t he  child  res traint.  Mak e 
s ur e that  th e  c hild  r estra int  is  prop erly  in sta lled 
and  th at th e saf ety  be lt for  t he  front  p asse nge r 
sea t has  bee n co rrec tly  rout ed  aro und  th e child 
r es traint  a s desc ribed  in  th e  ch ild r estra int 
in struc tio ns; 
•  make  sur e th at th e co nve rtib le  lock in g 
tu re o n th e safe ty  belt  fo r the  front  p asse nge r 
sea t has  bee n ac tivated  a nd  th at th e sa fety belt 
h as bee n pulled ti gh t.  The be lt mu st n ot b e loose 
or  have loops  of s lack  so th at t he  se nsor  below 
t h e 
be lt la tc h  on  th e se a t ca n do  its jo b 60. 
•  make  su re  th at  th in gs  that  m ay inc rease  th e 
we ig ht of  the c hild  and  chi ld  sea t a re  not bein g 
t ra nspo rted  on  th e fro nt  passe nge r sea t; 
•  make s ure th at  th e 
belt  tens io n  se nsor 
i s  not  blocke d. S hake  th e sa fe ty be lt la tc h  on  th e 
fro nt passe nger  sea t bac k and  forth; 
•  make s ure th at n oth in g  ca n i nte rfe re  w ith t he 
safe ty  be lt bu ck les  and  th at th ey a re  not 
stru cte d. 
•  If a  stra p or te th er i s bein g used  to  tie  th e 
c h ild  sea t to th e fro nt  passe nge r seat,  make  sur e 
that  it i s 
110 1 so  tig ht  that it  ca uses  the sensin g ma t to meas ure  m ore  we igh t th an  is t u ally  on th e se at. 
If  the PA SSE NGER  AIR 
light  still  doc s 
n ot co me o n and  docs  not s tay  on  co nti nuo usly 
(w hen  th e ig nit ion  i s sw itch ed  on), 
•  take  th e  ch ild  res tra in t o ff t he  fro nt passe nge r 
sea t a nd  in sta ll i t prope rly 
at on e of t he  rea r sea t 
pos itions.  Ha ve the airbag  sys tem  in spec ted  by 
Vo lkswage n deale r  

• mo ve th e c hild to a re ar  sca t po siti on  and 
m ake  sur e that  th e  ch ild  is  p ro perl y  res train ed  in 
a  child  res traint  that  is  appropriat e for it s size 
and  age. 
T he  PAS SENGER  AIR BAG OFF li ght sh ould  NOT 
co me on  when  th e ignition  i s on  and  an adult  is 
s ittin g in  a prop er se ating  p osition  on  th e front 
pa sse nger sea t. If th e PASSENGER  AIR BAG OFF 
l ight  com es on  and  stays  on und er  th ese  circum
s tan ces,  make  sur e that : 
•  the adult  on th e  fron t pa sse nger  seat i s prop
e rl y se ate d  on  th e  ce nter  of the se at  cu shion  with 
his  or her  ba ck  up  again st th e ba ckr es t and  the 
ba ckr es t is not  r eclin ed 
4 , " Prop er occu 
p ant  sea ting  posit ion s." 
Booklet  2.1  Safety first 
• the a dult  i s not  takin g we ig ht  off  the se at  b y 
hold ing on  to the pa sse nger a ssist h andl e above 
th e fro nt passe nger  door  or supportin g their 
wei ght  on  th e armre st  or  ho ld in g on to  th e ass is t 
handl e on the  instrum ent  p anel, 
•  th e safety  belt  is  bei ng  prop erl y 
an d 
tha t th ere  is  no t lot  of  sla ck in  th e safet y belt 
we bbin g, 
•  access ory  seat  cove rs o r cu shi ons  or  oth er 
thin gs th at may  cause  an  inco rre ct reading  o r 
impr ession  on th e  we ight -sensing m at under 
th e up ho ls tery  of the  seat have be en  rem ove d 
fr om  the front  p asse nger sea t, 
•  the optio nal 
b elt  ex te nd er  h as  not 
b een  le ft  in  th e b elt  lat ch  for th e fron t pa s
se ng er  sea t. 
Important  safety  instructions  on  monitoring  the  Advanced  Airbag 
System 
WARNING 
A n  airbag  syste m  that  is  not  functioning  prop
er ly  cannot  provide  supplementa l protection 
in  a frontal  crash. 
•  If the 
indi cator  light comes  on,  it 
mean s that  there  may  be s omething  wron g 
with  the Adva nced  Airbag  Sy stem.  It is pos
sib le  th at the  airbag  will inflate  when  it is  not 
suppo sed to,  or  will not  inflate  when it sh ou ld. 
•  Hav e the  airb ag system  inspected  immedi
at ely  by you r Vo lkswage n dealer. 
WARNING 
If th e front  airbag  inflates,  a child  without  a 
child  restraint,  in a rearwa rd-facing  child scat 
or  in  a forward-faci ng  child  restraint  that has 
not  been  properly  insta lled 
b e s eriousl y 
injured  and  can be killed. 
•  Eve n though  your vehicle  is  equipped  with 
a n  Advanced  Airbag  System,  make certain 
that  all  childr en , e specially  12 year s and 
yo ung er, always  rid e on  the back  scat properly 
restrained  for  their age  and  size. 
•  Alwa ys install  forward  or rear-facing  child 
seat s on  the 
sea t-eve n with  an Advanced 
Airbag  System. 
•  If yo u must  in stall  a rcanvard- faci ng c hild 
sea t on  the front  passenger  scat because  or  ex-
WARNING  (co ntinued ) 
ceptional  circumstance s and  the PASSENGER 
AIR  BAG OFF  light  doe s not  come  on  and stay 
immedi ately  install  the rea r-facing  chi ld 
seat  In a rear  seating pos ition  and  have  the 
airba g syste m  inspected  by  your  Volkswagen 
d ea ler. 
•  A tight  tether  or  other  strap  on a 
facing child  r estraint  attached  to the front  pas
se nger  sea t can  pu t too mu ch  pr essure  on  th e 
weight-sens ing mat  in the  seat  and  register 
more 
weight  than  is actua lly  on  the sea t. The 
h ea vier  w eight  registered  can the 
sys te m  work  as  though an adult  were  on  the 
sea t and  deploy  th e A dvanced  A irbag  w hen 
it mu st be  suppre ssed caus ing seriou s or  even 
fat al injury  to the c hild . 
WARNING 
An in sta ll ed  c hild  restraint  can in
t e rfe re  with  the  airb ag as it deploy s and  ser i
ously  injure  or eve n kill  the ch ild -even  with 
an  Adva nced Airbag  Sys tem.  If,  in  excep tional 
cir cumstan ces,  you must  install  a fonvard
facing  chil d re straint  on the  front  passenger 's 
seat: 
• child  seats  inst alled  on the 
front  p assenger's  seat  m ay int erfere  with  the 
Airbag  system  41  

Booklet 2.1  Safety  first 
WARNING (continu ed) 
depl oyment  of  the ai rba g and  ca use  se rious 
per sonal injury  to the  child. 
•  Alway s mak e sur e th e fo rward-facin g seat 
h as  been  des ign ed  an d ce rtified  b y its 
fac turer  for  use on  a  front  seat with  a se nge r front  and  sid e airb ag. 
•  Alway s ca ref ull y follow  the manufa cturer' s 
in stru ctio ns  pro vided  with  the c hild  seat or 
c arrier. 
•  Neve r put  the 
child s trai nt  u p aga inst  or  very  near  th e in strum ent 
panel. 
•  Al ways  move the passe nge r seat  into its 
armost  pos itio n  in  the seat's  fore  and aft ju stm ent  range , a s  fa r away  from  the  a irbag  as 
po ssibl e befo re  in sta llin g th e fonvard-faci ng 
c hild  res traint.  The backre st  mu st b e  adjust ed 
to a n  up rig ht  p osition. 
•  Alway s m ake  sur e th at  nothin g preve nts 
th e front  passenge r's s eat  from  bei ng moved 
to  the re armost  positi on  in  it s fore  and  aft 
justm ent  r ange. 
•  Neve r place  additional  it em s on  the sca t 
th at ca n in crease  the  total  weight reg is te re d b y 
th e we ig ht -se nsi ng m at and  can ca use  inju ry 
in  a cras h. 
•  Mak e sure th at th e PASSENGER AIR  BAG 
O FF li ght  comes  on  and  stay s on  a ll th e time 
w hene ver  th e ig nition  i s switch ed  on. 
WARN ING (cont inued) 
•  If th e PASSENGE R BAG OFF light  does 
not  come on  and sta y on , imm ediatel y in sta ll 
the  forward -facing  child  seat in  a rear  seating 
po siti on  and h ave the airbag  system  insp ec ted 
b y yo ur Vo lkswagen  dealer. 
WARNING 
•  If the PASSE NGER BAG ligh t do cs 
not  go  ofTwhen  an adult  i s sitting  on the front 
pas senger  scat  after  taking the  ste p s d esc ribed 
above,  make s ure  the adu lt is  prop erl y sea ted 
a nd  restrain ed  at  one  of th e  rear  seating 
ti ons. 
•  I lave  the airbag  syste m  inspected  by you r 
Vo lkswage n dea ler  befor e tran sportin g 
a n yo ne  on  the front  passen ger  sea t. 
T ips 
•  If  th e we ig ht-s ensin g m at  in th e f ront 
seng er  se at detec ts a n empt y sea t, th e  front 
airb ag on th e passe nge r sid e w ill  be  turn ed  off . 
a nd  th e  PASSENGER AIR BAG 
OFF lig ht  will  sta y 
on. 
•  If th e  opti onal safe ty belt  ex te nd er i s le ft in 
t h e  bu ckle  fo r th e 
sa fe ty  belt , o r th e fron t 
pa ssen ger saf ety  belt  itse lf  is  bu ck led  an d  t he 
fron t p asse nge r s eat  is not occ u pie d , th e 
PASSENGER  AIR  BAG 
OFF light  will  come 
Repair , care  and  d isposa l of  the  a irbags 
Part s of t he ai rbag  sys te m  are in sta lled  at  m an y 
d iffe re nt  plac es  on  yo u r V olksw age n.  In sta lli ng. 
re mo vin g, se rv ic in g or rep air in g a part  in an a re a 
of  th e ve hicl e c an  dam age a part  of an  airb ag 
sys te m  and  pr eve nt  that  syste m  fr om  wo rk in g 
prop erl y  in 
co llision . 
Th ere  ar e so me  imp ort ant  thin gs yo u have  to 
kn ow  to  m ake s ure th at t he  eff ec tive ness  o f th e 
sys te m  will  not  b e impa ire d and  t hat d isca rded 
c om pon en ts  do  not  c ause  injur y or pollu te  th e 
e n vir onm en t. 
WARNING 
I mp roper  care , se rv ic in g and  repair dure s can incr ease ri sk of  personal in jur y 
42 Airbag sys tem 
WA RNING ( conti nue d) 
a nd  d eath  by preve ntin g airba g from ploy ing w hen  needed  or d eplo yin g an  airb ag 
un ex pec te dl y: 
•  Nev er c over,  obstru ct, or  c han ge  the 
s te erin g w heel  horn  pad  or airb ag cover  or the 
in strument  panel o r modif y th em  in  any  wa y. 
•  Neve r att ac h an y obj ects  su ch  as  cup 
h old ers  or tele phone  mountin gs to th e 
fac es  c overin g  th e a irbag  units. 
•  For clean ing th e horn  pad  or  in strum ent 
panel,  use  on ly  a so ft, dr y cloth  or  one  moi st· 
ened  w ith pla in  water.  Solven ts  or cl ea ner s 
co uld  dam age the a irbag  cov er or ch ange  the  

&, WARNING  (contin ue d) 
or strength  or material  so that  the 
airbag  cannot  deploy and protect properl y. 
•  Neve r rep air,  ad just,  or change  any  parts  or 
the  airbag  system . 
•  All work  on  the  stee ring  whe el,  instrument 
panel , front  seats o r ele ctri ca l system  (in 
cluding  th e in sta llat ion  or a udio  equipment, 
ce llul ar te lep hon es and  CB ra dios,  etc.) must 
b e  performed  by  a 
tec hnician  who 
has  th e trainin g and  specia l equipment  ne ces
sary. 
• 
an y work  on  the air bag  system , stron gly  rec omm end  that  you sec  yo ur autho 
rized  Vo lkswagen  dealer  or  qualified work
s hop. 
•  Neve r  modif y the  front  bumper or part s or 
th e ve hicl e body. 
•  Alwa ys make  sur e that  the  side  a irbag  can 
without  intcrrcrence: 
Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
&, WARNING (continu ed) 
Neve r install  seat  covers  or  replacemen t 
uphol stery over the front  scatback s th at 
h ave  not  been  specifica lly approved  by 
Vo lkswagen . 
Never use additional  seat cushions  that 
cover  the areas  w here  the  sid e air bags  in
nat e. 
Damage  to  the or ig in al scat  covers  or  to 
th e sca m in the area  or  the s ide a irbag 
modul e mu st  a lway s be  repaired  immedi 
at ely  by  an  auth oriz ed  Volk swagen  dealer. 
•  The airbag  system can  be activated  o nly 
once. 
a n airbag  has it  mu st be 
re place d 
•  Us e on ly  original  equipment  airbag s ap-
1>roved  by Volkswagen  and  in stall ed by a 
tra ined  techn ician  who  has the  nece ssary 
too ls a nd  dia gno sti c  eq uipment  to properl y 
r e pla ce  a ny airba g in  yo ur ve hicle and  assure 
s ystem  effectiveness  in a cra sh. 
•  Neve r permit  sa lvage d or  recy cled  airb ags 
to be  in sta lled  in  your  vehicl e. 
Other  things  that  can  affect  Advanced  Airbag  performance 
Chan ging  th e su sp en sio n  sys te m  can 
c h an ge th at  the  Adva nce d Airba g 
Sys te m  p erfo rm s in For e xampl e, usin g 
tir e-rim  combinati ons  no t appro ved by V OLK
S W AG EN.  lowe ring th e v ehi cle, c hangin g th e 
the 
c han ges had  not  b een  m ad e.  Oth er kind s of 
c h ang es  ma y re du ce  th e fo rce  le vel s mea sur ed 
the se nsor s and  preve nt th e a irbag  from  de
p lo yin g w hen  it sh o uld . 
Th e Adv anced  Airb ag  Sys te m  in  th e fro nt pas
s en ger sea t w ill  not wo rk lhe way  it sh o uld  i f th e 
opti onal  saf ety be lt ex te nd er i s not  r em oved 
fr om  the 
belt  lat ch  w hen  th e se at is oc cu
p ied  and  the s afe ty  belt  is  no t b eing  use d. 
L eav ing  th e ex tend er  a u ac hed  to  the safe ty belt  bu
ck le  w hen  the  f ront  sea t is occ upie d  and  th e 
belt  is no t b eing u sed w ill  sign al th e airba g 
c ontro l unit  that  the front  passe nger  scat  i s oc 
c upi ed  and  th at th e sa fe ty  belt  is  bein g use d. T he 
e lec troni c contr ol unit  fo r th e ai rba g sys te m  will 
t h en  re c eiv e  in co rrec t in form ation  that  will 
c au se  th e s afet y belt pret en sio ncr and  front  pas
se ng er airb ag to  depl oy  la te r  in  collision s th at 
wo uld  n orm ally  tr igge r th ese  syste m s e arli er in 
th e co llision  to  help prote ct  an  unre strained 
sea t occupant.  In addit io n , th e belt 
ex te nd er mu st  n eve r b e  use d to sec ure child  re 
s traint s to  the  fro nt p asse nger 
Fo r th at 
r e as on , a lw ays  re mo ve th e sarety  belt  exte n der 
w hen  it is  not  needed  and stow  it sa fel y 
22. 
Th e se nsor s in  th e s arety  belt bu ckle  for  th e 
drive r and  front  pa ssenger  se at  te ll  th e  ele c
t ro nic  co ntrol m odul e if  th e s afe ty  belt  is  la tc h ed 
o r n ot.  I f th e s afet y belt  is  being u sed,  th e  f ront 
airbag  will  dep lo y  at 
slightly  high er rat e or ve 
hi cle decele ration  than  if th e saf ety b elt i s no t 
b ein g use d.  Therefo re , in  a parti cul ar colli sio n, it 
Airbag  system  43