2014 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT Safety

WARNING
Always adjust seat, safety belts, and head restraints properly before driving and make sure that all passengers are properly restrained.
x Push the passenger seat as far back as possible. Always be sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the front passenger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
x Always adjust the driver's seat and the steering wheel so that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone and the steering wheel.
x Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily push the pedals all the way to the floor while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent. The distance to the instrument panel in the knee area must be at least 4 inches (10 cm).
x If these requirements cannot be met for physical reasons, contact an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility to see whether adaptive equipment is available.
x Always hold the steering wheel on the outside of the steering wheel rim with your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of personal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
x Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with your hands at other places inside the steering wheel rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms, and head if the driver's airbag inflates.
x Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decreases the ability of the driver's airbag to help protect you in a collision.
x Never drive with backrests reclined or tilted back farther than necessary to drive comfortably. The farther back the backrests are tilted, the greater the risk of injury caused by incorrect positioning of the safety belts and improper seating position.
x Never drive with the front seat passenger backrest tilted forward. If the front airbag deploys, the front backrest can be forced backward and injure passengers on the rear seat.
x Sit as far back as possible from the steering wheel and the instrument panel.
x Always sit upright with your back against the backrest with the front seats properly adjusted. Never lean against or place any part of your body too close to the area where the airbags are located.
x Rear seat passengers who are not properly seated and restrained are more likely to be seriously injured in a crash.
WARNING
Improper adjustment of the seats can cause accidents and severe injuries.
x Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly and you could lose control of the vehicle. In addition, you will not be in the correct seating position while adjusting the seats.
x Adjust the front seat height, angle and longitudinal direction only if the seat adjustment area is clear.
x The adjustment of the front seats must not be restricted by things in the footwell in front or behind the seats.
Examples of improper seating positions

Not wearing or improperly fastening safety belts increases the risk of severe or fatal injuries. Safety belts can work only when they are properly positioned on the body. An improper seating position significantly impairs the protection provided by safety belts. This can cause severe or even fatal injuries. Improper seating positions also increase the risk of serious injury or death when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant who is not in the proper seating position. The driver is responsible for all passengers and especially children riding in the vehicle.
The following are only some examples of seating positions that will increase the risk of serious injury or death.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
x Never stand up in the vehicle.
x Never stand on the seats.
x Never kneel on the seats.
x Never ride with the seat backrest reclined.
x Never lean up against the instrument panel.
x Never lie down on the rear seat.
x Never sit on the edge of the seat.
x Never sit sideways.
x Never lean out the window.
x Never put your feet out the window.
x Never put feet on the instrument panel.
x Never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back of the seat.
x Never ride in the footwell.
x Never sit on the front or rear center armrest.
x Never ride without your safety belt properly fastened.
x Never ride in the luggage compartment.
WARNING
Contact with parts of the vehicle interior can cause serious personal injury in a crash.
x Always make sure that all vehicle occupants stay in a proper seating position and are properly restrained whenever the vehicle is moving.
x Improper seating positions increase the risk of serious and fatal injury, especially when an airbag deploys and strikes a passenger in an improper seating position.

Proper seating position

Fig. 54 The driver should never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) of the steering wheel.

Fig. 55 Proper safety belt positioning and head restraint adjustment.

x Adjust the seat backrest angle to an upright position so that your back is in full contact with it when the vehicle is moving.
x Always keep both feet on the floor and in the footwell whenever the vehicle is moving.
x Always adjust and fasten safety belts properly, Safety belts.
Driver - Seat and steering wheel adjustment:
x Adjust the steering wheel so that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering wheel
and your breast bone ⇒ fig. 54. When adjusting the proper distance to the steering wheel, grasp the top of the steering wheel with your elbows slightly bent.
x Always hold the steering wheel on the outside of the steering wheel rim with your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of personal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
x Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with your hands at other places inside the steering wheel rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms, and head if the driver's airbag inflates.
x Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering wheel cover points at your chest and not at your face. Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decreases the ability of the driver's airbag to help protect you in a collision.
x Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily push the pedals all the way to the floor while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent.
x Adjust the seat height so that the top point of the steering wheel can be reached.
x Always keep both feet in the footwell so that you are in control of the vehicle at all times.
Passenger - front seat adjustment:
x Push the passenger seat as far back as possible in order to ensure optimum protection if the airbag is deployed.
Manual controls on the driver and passenger seat

Fig. 58 Controls on the left front seat.

Safety belts

WARNING
Not wearing a safety belt or wearing an improperly positioned safety belt increases the risk of severe personal injury or death. Safety belts offer optimum protection only when they are used properly.
x Properly worn safety belts are the single most effective means of reducing the risk of serious injury and death in a collision or other accident. For this reason, always wear your safety belt properly and make sure all passengers wear their safety belts properly as well whenever the vehicle is moving.
x The driver must always make sure that every person in the vehicle is properly seated on a seat of his or her own, properly fastens the safety belts belonging to that seat before the vehicle starts to move, and keeps the belts properly fastened while riding in the vehicle. This applies even when just driving around town. Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained.
x Always secure children in the vehicle with a restraint system appropriate for their age, weight and height.
x Always fasten safety belts correctly before driving off and make sure that all passengers are properly restrained.
x Never attach the safety belt to the buckle of another seat. Attaching the safety belt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effectiveness and can cause serious personal injury.
x Never let any objects or liquids get into the safety belt latch and prevent it from working properly.
x Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
x Never strap more than one person, including small children, into any single safety belt.
x Never let children or babies ride sitting on your lap, and never place a safety belt over a child sitting on your lap.
x Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your clothing, such as eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause injury.
x Several layers of heavy clothing (such as a coat worn over top of a sports jacket) may interfere with proper positioning of the safety belt and reduce the overall effectiveness of the system.
x Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the correct use of some child restraint systems.
x Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seat backrest is upright and belts are correctly positioned on the body.

WARNING
Damage to safety belts reduces their overall effectiveness and increases the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever the vehicle is being used.
x Never let safety belts become damaged by being caught in the door or seat hardware.
x Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged safety belt hardware can break in an accident.
x Inspect belts regularly for damage. If webbing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have the belts replaced immediately with the correct replacement belts approved by Volkswagen for your vehicle, model, and model year.
x Safety belts that were subject to stress in an accident and stretched must be replaced with a correct, new safety belt, preferably by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
x Replacement after a crash may be necessary even if a safety belt shows no visible damage. Anchorages that have been loaded must also be inspected.
x Damaged safety belts must be replaced; they cannot be repaired.
x Never try to repair a damaged safety belt yourself. Never remove or modify the safety belts in any way.
x Have safety belts, bindings, retractors and buckles replaced by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
x Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work correctly and can impair the function of the inertia reel.
Warning light

Fig. 69 Warning light in the instrument cluster.

The safety belt warning lighticomes on for 6 seconds when the ignition is switched on. A warning chime also sounds for up to 6 seconds if the driver's safety belt is not buckled. The chime stops sooner if the driver buckles his or her safety belt. The warning light and the chime go out when both driver and front passenger have bucked their safety belts.
If the driver and front seat passenger do not both fasten their safety belts within about 24 seconds after the chime stops and the vehicle is moving at a speed of more than about 15 mph (25 km/h), the chime will again sound for about 6 seconds, then go off for about 24 seconds, then sound again for about another 6 seconds. The same thing happens if one of the safety belts is fastened and then unfastened while the vehicle is moving. The safety belt warning light i also flashes. The warning chime continues to sound at 24 second intervals for up to 2 minutes. No chime sounds at speeds of less than about 5 mph (8 km/h).
If the ignition is switched on, the safety belt warning light ª stays on until the driver and front passenger have both buckled their safety belts.
WARNING
Not wearing a safety belt or wearing an improperly positioned safety belt increases the risk of severe personal injury or death. Safety belts offer optimum protection only when used correctly.
Frontal collisions and laws of physics

Fig. 70 A vehicle with passengers not wearing safety belts approaches a wall.

Fig. 71 A vehicle with passengers not wearing safety belts hits a wall.