
Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
WARNING  (conlinuod) 
•  Neve r place  or install  floor  mats  or  other 
floor  cover ings  in  th e vehicle that  can n ot be 
proper ly secure d  in place  to  prevent  them 
from  slip pin g and 
with  the pedals 
or  the abili ty  to  contro l the  vehicle. 
•  Neve r  place or  insta ll floor  mats or  o ther 
floor  coverings  on  top  of alr eady  ins ta ll ed 
floor  mats.  Additiona l floor mat s and  oth er 
Stowing  luggage 
Loading  the luggage  compartment 
WARN ING  (con tinued) 
coverings  w ill reduce  the size of  the  pedal  area 
an d  int erf ere  with  the pedals. 
•  Always  properly  reinstall  and  sec ure floor 
ma ts  that  have  been  removed  for cleaning. 
•  Always  make  sure  that objects  can not  fa ll 
int o the  driver  foot  well w hile  th e vehicle  is 
moving.  Objects  ca n become  trapped under 
th e brake  pedal and  acce lerator peda l ca using 
a  loss  of vehicl e 
All luggag e and object s ,n ust b e prop erly  stowed  and  secured the  luggage 
compartment. 
Loos e item s in  th e luggag e compartmen t 
c an  shi ft sudden ly chang ing  vehicle  han
dling  charact eri stic s. Lo ose  item s ca n also 
in crea se the  ri sk of  se ri ous  pe rs onal  in
j ur y in  a sudd en  veh icl e m an euv er or in a 
co llision. 
- Distribute  the load  evenly  in  th e lu g
gag e compar tment . 
- Alwa ys pla c e and  properly  sec ure heav y 
it em s as  far  forward  a s po ss ibl e in  the lug 
gage  compar tm ent. 
- S tow  hea vy lugg age as  low  as possibl e 
in  the luggag e compar tm ent. 
- Secure  luggag e usin g  th e tic -dow ns 
pro vid ed 
11 . 
- -Ma ke  su re  that  the re ar  sea t ba ck  is se
cu re ly  lat ch ed  in  pl ace. 
WARNING 
Improp erl y s tor ed  luggage  or  other items  can 
fly through  the  vehicl e cau sing  serious  per
so nal inju ry in th e event  of  hard  braking  or  an 
accident.  To  help  reduce  the risk  of se rious 
personal  injury: 
10  Safe driving 
WARN ING  (continued) 
•  Always put  objects,  for examp le,  luggage  o r 
oth er  he avy  item s in  the  luggage  compa rt-
WARNING 
Heavy  loads will  influ ence  the  way yo ur ve
hicle  handle s. To  help  reduce  the  risk of  a lo ss 
of contro l lea din g to  serio us  personal  injury: 
•  Alway s keep  in mind  when  t ransporting 
h ea vy  objects,  that a c hange  in the ce nter  of 
grav ity can  also  ca use  c hang es  in ve hicle han 
d lin g: 
- Always  distribut e the  load  as eve nly  as 
po ss ibl e. 
- Place  heavy  objects  as  far  forward in  the 
luggage  compart ment  as  poss ible . 
•  Never  excee d the Gross  Axle Weig ht  Rating 
or  the Gross  Vehicle Weight  Rating  specified 
on  the  safety  complian ce s ticke r on  the lef t 
door  jamb.  Exceed ing permissib le we ig ht 
s tandards  can  cause  the vehicl e handl e diff er
e ntl y. 
•  Please  observe  information  on safe  driv ing  

Booklet 2 .1  Safety  fir st ® 
Why  safety  belts? 
Frontal  collisions and  the laws  of  physics 
Fronta l crashe s subject  people  riding  in  vehicles  to  very  strong force s. 
F ig . 7  Unbelted  occupants  in a veh icle  head ing  for 
o  wal l. 
The ph ysica l prin ciples ar e simpl e. Both  th e hicle and  th e pa sse nger s po ssess  e nergy w hich 
va ries  with  veh icl e s pee d and  bod y weig ht.  Engi
n eer s  c all  thi s en erg y " kin etic  energy. " 
The  hi gher  th e s pee d  of  the vehicl e and  th e 
gr eater  t he v ehicl e's  weight,  th e more  energy h as 
to  be  "a b so rbed " in  th e  c rash . 
V ehicle  speed is  th e m os t signifi cant  factor. I f the 
spe ed doubl es from  15  to  30  mph  (25 to 50 km /h ), 
th e  e nerg y in crea ses  4  tim es ! 
Be ca u se  th e pass eng ers  of th e vehicle  a re  not 
u sin g s afety  belt s 
7,  th ey w ill kee p movin g th e s am e s pee d th e ve h icl e mo ving  ju st 
F ig . 8  The  vehicle  crashes  into  the  wall. 
before  th e c ras h, un til  somet hing  stop s them h ere,  t he  wa ll 8. 
T he s ame  princip les a pply 
people  sit ting ve hicle  tha t is in vol ve d in  a frontal  collision. 
E ve n at spe ed s o f20  t o 30 mph  (30 to 50 
km /h ). t he  forc es act in g  on  the bod y reach 
on e ton  (2,000  lbs. or  l,000 kg)  or  more.  Al greater 
s pe ed s,  these  force s are ev en high er. 
P eo ple  wh o do  not  u se  sa fety  belt s arc  al so  nut 
a tta ch ed  to  th eir  ve hicl e. In a  fronta l colli sion 
t h ey  will  als o ke ep  moving  forwa rd a t th e  sp ee d 
th eir  ve hicl e was  tra ve lin g ju st  befo re the crash. 
Of cour se the  law s of p hys ics don't  ju st  a pp ly  to 
fro ntal  colli sion s, the y det ermine  what  happ en s 
in all  kind s of  accident s 
Safety  belts  15  

Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
Child  restraints on  the  front  seat some important  things  to  know 
- Be sure lo  read  the  import ant  informa
tion  and  hea d  th e WARNINGS for  impor
tant  detai ls  abou t ch ildr en  and  Advanced 
Airbags 
5 1. 
Ev en  though  your ve hicl e is  equipp ed wi th an 
Ad vanced  A irbag  S yste m , mak e certain all 
chi ldren,  e spec iall y thos e 12 years  and  youn ger, 
a lwa ys ride  in  the back  se at  prop erly  restrain ed 
fo r th eir  age a nd size.  The  airbag  on the pa s
s e nger  side  mak es  th e front  sea t a  pote ntially 
dangerou s pla ce fo r a ch ild to  ride. Th e front  sea t 
i s  not  the  safest  pla ce  for 
chil d in forward
faci ng c hild sea t.  It  can  be very  dangerou s 
p la c e  fo r an  in fa nt  or  a  child  in  a re a rward -facing 
s ea t. 
Th e Ad vanc ed  Airbag  System  in yo ur  vehi cle ha s 
b ee n ce rtified 
com ply wi th  th e Requi re m en ts 
of  United Fed era l Moto r Ve hicl e Sta nd ard  208 as  applica ble at  the  time  your ve
hicl e was  manufactured . 
Th e  S tandard  req uires th e fro nt airbag  on  the 
pa ssenge r sid e 
be  turn ed off  ("s upp re ss e d" ) if 
a  ch ild  up  to  about  one  year  of  ag e restra ined  in 
on e of th e  re ar-fa cin g or  forward -faci ng  infa nt 
r es tra int s liste d  in  Federal  Motor Ve hicle  Safety 
Sta nda rd 208  with  whi ch  th e  Advan ced Ai rbag 
S ys te m  in  your vehi cle wa s certifi ed  has  bee n in 
stalled  o n the  front pass en ger  se at.  For  a lis ting 
o f th e child  res traint s th at  were  u sed  to  ce rt ify 
c omp lia nce  w ith th e  US Saf ety S tanda rd 
53 . 
Th e PASS ENGER  AIR BAG OFF li ght  in  th e  in 
st rum ent  panel  tells  you  when  th e  fro nt Ad
v a nce d  Airbag  on  the  passen ger  sid e has  been 
turned  off  by the  ele ctro nic  cont rol 
The  PA SSENGER AIR BAG  OFF light: 
•  will  stay  on  if  th e fro nt p ass eng er seat  i s not 
oc cupied, 
•  will  stay  on  if t here  is  a  small  child  or  ch ild  re
s tra int  on th e  front  passe ng er  sea t, 
• go  off  if th e front  passe nge r is  occ u
pied  by an ad ult  as  re g is te red  by  th e  w eigh t
s e n sing  mat 
39, "Mon itor ing  the  Ad
va nce d Airbag  S yste m ". 
The  PASSENGER  AIR BAG OFF li ght  comes on 
wh en  th e con trol  unit  detec ts  a  tota l wei gh t on  the 
pa
ssen ger sea t th at requ ires  th e front 
a ir bag  to  be  turned  off. 
I f  the  tota l w eig ht  on  the  fron t pa sse nger  seat  is 
mor e th an 
of a typical  I year- old  chil d le ss  than  the  weight of a  sma ll ad ult , th e front 
a ir bag  on the  passenger  side ca n dep loy  (th e 
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light  do es not co me 
o n ).  If t he  PA SSENGER AIR BAG  OFF light does 
no t come  o n, t he  fron t airb ag  o n  the  pas se nger 
s id e has  not  bee n  tu rn ed  off by  the e lectro nic 
c ont ro l u ni t and  can  dep loy  if th e  co ntro l u nit 
s ens es an  impact  th at  meet s th e  cond ition s 
sto re d  in  its  m em ory. 
For  exampl e, the air b ag  may  dep loy  if: 
•  a small  ch ild  that  i s heavie r 
a  ryp ic al  I 
y ea r-old  c hild is o n th e front  passenger  seat  (r e
gard less  of  wh eth er th e child  is  in  on e  of  the 
c hild  seats  liste d 
53),  or 
•  a chil d who  ha s outgrown  c hild res tra int s is 
on  the front  pa ssenger  sea t. 
I f  th e  fro nt  pa ssenger  airbag  i s turn ed  off, 
PA SSENGER  AIR  BAG  OFF l ig ht s up  in  the in
s tru ment  clu ste r and  stays  on. 
Th e  fr on t a irbag  on  the  pass e nger  sid e will de
plo y if  th e PAS SENGER  AIR BAG OFF li ght does 
co me  o n an d stay o n even  if a small  ad ult or 
te enager,  o r a  pa sse nger w ho  is s itt in g  up 
right  with  th ei r back  against  a  no n-re clin ed 
back res t w ith  th eir fe et on  the ve hicle floor  in 
fr ont  of  t he  se at  is  on  the front  passeng er  se at 
4 , " Proper  occupant  sea tin g pos itio ns" . 
If th e front  p assenger air bag  deplo ys , th e Fe dera l 
Standard  r equir es th e airb ag  to  m eet th e  "low 
deplo ym en t cri te ri a to re duc e th e ris k  of  in
ju ry throu gh  int era ction  with  the airbag . 
risk"  dep loy men t oc cu rs  in  t hos e tak e place lower  d ecelerat ion s as  defined  in 
the  e le ctron ic  c ontro l uni t 39,  "PAS
SENG ER BAG  OFF l ight". 
Alway s re m ember , 
child  seat or  infant  carr ie r 
i nsta lle d  on front  se at may  be  struck  and 
kn ocke d  o ut of position  b y the  rapid ly  inflat ing 
pa sseng er's  airbag  in a  frontal  co llis ion.  The 
a irb ag  co uld  g re a tly  red uce  the  eff ect ive ness  of 
th e c hild  res traint  a nd  even  se ri ou sly  inj ur e th e 
ch ild  dur ing in flat ion.  .,_ 
Airbag system  29  

Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
,0. WARNING  (continued) 
se nger  seat, nobody  can  absolutely guarantee 
th at d eplo yme nt  und er these  specia l co ndi 
tion s is i mpo ssible  in  all  co nce iva ble situa
tion s that  may  happ en durin g the  use ful li fe of 
yo ur  vehicl e. 
•  The Adva nced Airbag Sys tem 
w ill dep loy  in 
acco rdance  with  th e "low  risk"  optio n under 
th e U.S.  Federal Stan dar d ifa  child  that  is 
h eav ier  than  the  t ypical  one-yea r  old child  i s 
to vehicles:  wilh odvanced  front  oirbog  system 
Advanced  front  airbag  system 
Your veh icle  is  eq uip ped  with  a front  Advanced 
Airbag  Syste m in co mplian ce with  Unit ed  Sta tes 
Federa l Motor  Vehicle  Safety  Standard 208 asap
pli cable  at  the time  your  ve hicle was  manufac
tur ed . 
Th e front Advanced  Ai rbag Syste m su pple ment s 
the  safety  belt s 
provide ad dition al p rotect ion 
for  the dri ver's  and  fron t pa sse nger's  hea ds  and 
up per  bodie s in  frontal  crashes.  The  airbags  in
fla te only  in fron ta l impa cts when  th e  vehicle 
d ecele ratio n  is  hi gh  e noug h. 
T he  fro nt Advanced  Airbag System  for th e  fron t 
sea t occupants  is  not  a  sub stit ute  for you r sa fety 
belts.  Rat her, 
is part  of the  overall  occ upant  re
s traint  system  in yo ur  vehicl e. Always remem ber 
t h at the  airb ag sys tem  can onl y help  to prot ect 
you,  if yo u ar e sittin g up rig h t,  wearing 
safet y bel t an d wear ing it  properly.  This  is  w hy 
yo u and  yo ur passenger s mu st  always  be  prop
erly  res train ed , 
ju st  bec ause  the req uires 
yo u be. 
Th e Adva nce d Airbag  System  in your  vehicle  has 
bee n ce rtifi ed 
me et the "low  risk "  "re quir e
m ent s fo r 3  an d 6  year-o ld  childr en  on pas
s eng er  side  and  very  s mall adults  on  the  drive r 
side.  " Low  risk " d eployme nt occ urs in  th ose 
c rashe s th at  tak e pla ce at lower dece lerat io ns  as 
d efine d in  the  elec tron ic  con tro l u nit 
39 . 
The  low  risk  depl oy men t criteria  are intend ed to 
h elp  reduce  th e  risk  of  injury  through  intera c
tion  wit h th e front  airb ag  that ca n occur , for  ex
ample,  by  bein g 
th e s teer ing  whee l 
a nd  in strum ent  pane l wh en  the  airbag  infl ates. 
Fo r "low  risk "  deplo ym ent  to  occur, the 
PA SSENGER  AIR  BAG  OFF li ght  mu st be  off. 
32  Airbag  system 
,0. WARN ING (conti nued) 
on  the  front  passenge r sea t and  the  other  con
dition s for a irbag  deploym ent  arc  met. 
•  Acci dent  stati sti cs  have s hown th at chil 
dre n arc genera lly s afer  in  th e rea r sc at  area 
th an  in  th e front  seating po sition. 
•  For  their  own  safety, a ll children,  especially 
1 2 years  a nd youn ger, s hould  always  ride in 
th e back  properly  res train ed  for their  age  and 
s ize. 
-4 
39  "Moni to rin g th e Advanced  Ai rbag 
Sys tem ." 
When  a  perso n is  detected  on 
fron t pa s
se nger  seat, we ig hi ng  more  than  t he  total  weight 
of  a c hild  that  i s abo ut  I  year  old  res trai ned  in 
one  of the  rea r-faci ng  or  fo rward-facing  infant 
re strain ts  ( listed  in F ed era l Mot or Veh icle Sa fety 
Standard  208 wit h wh ic h  the  Advanced  Airbag 
S ys tem  in you r ve hicle was  cert ifie d),  the 
P ASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF  light  sh oul d not come 
o n  and  sh ould  stay off  .. When  the  PAS SENGER 
AIR  BAG  OFF light is off,  the  fron t airba g on  the 
passenger  side  may or  may no t dep loy  de
pending  on  the  natur e of  the co llisio n as  regis
tered  by  the electronic  co ntrol  unit. 
For  example , th e airb ag  may  deploy  in the " low 
risk " mode  if: 
•  a sm all c hild that  is  heav ier  than  a ty pical  I 
yea r-o ld  child  in  on e of  the c hild  re stra ints  wit h 
wh ic h  the  Advan ced A irbag  Syste m  was ce rtifi ed 
53  is  on  the front  passenger sea t 
•  a child  who  has  out grown  chil d  r estrai nts  is 
o n  th e fron t pa ssenger  seat. 
•  a sma ll adult  or teenage r is o n the front  pa s
se nger  seat 
•  a pas senger  who  is  no t sitt ing upr igh t wi th 
their  back  aga in st a  non- reclined  back rest  w it h 
t h ei r fee t on  the  vehicle  floo r in  front  of the  seat 
i s  on  the front  passe nger  seat 
5 
In  addition , the sy stem  has  been  certifi ed  to 
co mpl y wit h the  "sup press ion"  req uireme nts  of 
th e Safe ty  S tandard, 
to turn  off the fron t airbag 
fo r infan ts  12  m ont hs old  and  younger  who  are 
r es trai ned  on  th e  front  passenge r sea t in  chil d  

res tr a int s th at liste d  in  th e Sta nd ard 53. "C hild  restra int s an d  Adva nce d Air
bag s." 
"S uppr essio n "  req uir es the front  a irb ag  o n  the 
p ass eng er  side  to  be  tu rn ed  off  if: 
•  a child  up 
o n th e fro nt pa ss e n ger se at  in  one of th e 
r ea r-f acing  o r forward -facing infant  r estra int s 
li sted  in  F ed era l M otor  Vehicl e Sa fe ty  Stan dard 
20 8 w ith  whi ch  th e Ad van ce d  Air b ag Sys te m  in 
yo ur v eh icl e 
ce rtifi ed.  Fo r a l is ti ng o f th e 
c h ild r estrai nts th at we re  use d yo ur  ve
hi cle's  complian ce the US Sta n dard 
•  weight  le ss th an a  t hres ho ld  leve l sto re d  in 
t h e  co nt rol uni t is  detec ted  on  th e fro nt  pas
se nge r 
Th e PASS ENGER  AIR B AG OFF li ght co mes  on 
w hen  th e  el ec tro nic co ntro l un it de tec ts  a 
w ei ght  on  th e  fron t p asse nge r se at th at r eq uires 
th e front a irbag b e  tu rn ed  off. If  th e PAS-
S EN G BAG  OFF lig ht do es not  co me o n 
a nd  stay o n, th e air bag  o n  the passe nge r 
s id e  has b een  turn ed ofTb y th e con trol u nit depl oy  if th e  con tro l un it se nses  an  im
pa ct m ee ts th e co nditi ons st ored  in i ts 
m emor y.=>  page  45 39 "Mo nitoring th e 
A dva nce d Airb ag Sys te m ." 
Al ways  re m emb er: E ve n  t hou gh  your  veh ic le  is 
eq uip ped 
Adv an ce d Air b ags.  the safes t 
p la c e  fo r chil dren  i s prop erl y  res tra in ed  on  th e 
b ack 
Ple a se  be  sur e re a d  th e infor matio n  in  th e sections fo llow  a nd  b e 
s u re  to a ll  of th e WARN INGS . 
WARNIN G 
To re du ce the  ri sk  of inj ury  w hen  an  airb ag  in 
flate s, always  we ar safet y belt s  pro perl y. 
•  If  yo u ar e un res tra ine d, lea nin g forw ard, 
s itlin g sid eway s or o ut of  pos ition  in  any way, 
y our  risk of  injur y is mu ch  hi ghe r. 
•  You  will  als o  rece iv e  se ri o us  injuri es and 
co uld  eve n be  kill ed  if yo u arc  up again st  th e 
a ir bag  o r  too  clo se  to  it when  it infl ate s 
e ve n 
w ith  an  Adva nced Airb ag 27 . 
WARNING 
A  chil d in  a rear ward -fa ci ng c hild  sea t in
s talled  on th e front  p assenge r sea t w ill b e se ri
ou sly  in jur ed  and  can  be  killed if th e front 
Booklet  2.1  Safety  first 
WARNI NG (conti nued) 
a irba g infl ates eve n with  an Ad van ced Airb ag 
Sys te m . 
•  Alth ou gh  th e Adva nced  A irbag Sys te m  in 
y our  vehicl e is  de sig ned  to  turn  ofT the front 
a irb ag  w hen  a rea nva rd-fa cing c hild  res trai nt 
ha s bee n in stalled  on th e front  pa ssenger  sca t, 
n ob od y ca n  ab solut ely g uarant ee that d epl oy 
m ent  is im poss ible in  all  co ncei va ble s itu a
ti on s  th at ma y ha pp en du rin g th e use ful  life of 
yo ur ve hicl e. 
•  Th e infl ating  airb ag will hit  the c hild  seal 
or  in fant  carri er  w ith  grea t for ce  an d w ill 
s m as h th e c hild  seat and  child  aga inst th e 
ba ckres t,  ce nter  arm  r est, door , or  r oof . 
•  Al ways  insta ll  rea rw ard -facin g child  r e
s traint s in  th e back  scat. 
•  If yo u m ust  insta ll a  rea rwa rd  fa cin g c hild 
sca t on  the  front  passe nger  sea t bec aus e of ex
ce pti ona l cir cum sta n ces  and  the "PAS
SENGE R A IR B AG O FF"  light  doc s not  come  on 
a nd  stay  on,  imm edi atel y in stall  the re ar
f aci ng c hild  scat in  a re ar  se atin g position  and 
hav e th e a irbag  s ys te m  in sp ect ed b y your 
V ol kswage n dea le r. 
WARNING 
A n  im prop erl y  in sta lled  child  restr ain t can  in
t e rf ere w ith the a irbag as  it d epl oy s and  se ri
o usly  injur e or eve n kill  the c hild  -eve n with 
an  Ad van ced Airba g Sy stem . If , in  exc epti onal 
cir cum stan ce s, y ou  mu st in sta ll  a fo rwar d
facin g child  r estraint  on  the front  p asse nger' s 
s ea t: 
•  Fo rward- facin g child  scat s i nstall ed  on  th e 
fr ont  p asse nge r's s cat ma y inter fere w ith  the 
d epl oy ment of  the a irbag  and  cause  ser iou s 
p erso nal inju ry to the  child. 
•  Alw ays  m ake  sur e th e forwar d-fa cing  se a t 
h as  bee n d esig ned  and  certified  by  its 
fa ctur er for  u se o n a front  se a t with  a pas
s e n ge r front  and  sid e air bag . 
•  Alw ay s car efull y follo w the m anu fac turer' s 
i n stru ctio ns  prov ided  with  th e child  seat or 
ca rri er. 
•  Neve r  put  th e fon var d-facin g child  re
s traint  up  against  or  ve ry  ne ar the in strum ent 
p an el. 
•  Always  move  the passe nge r scat  in to  its  re 
a rm ost  pos ition  in  th e sea t's  for e and 
Airbag  system  33  

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  

• 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