2014 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Owners Manual

If objects are transported on the front passenger seat while it is folded down, make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG /&&  light is on and stays on whenever the ignition is switched on
Folding the front passenger backrest forward
x Remove objects from the front passenger seat ⇒ .
x Move the front passenger seat to the lowest position
x Move the front passenger seat to the rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft adjustment range.
x Push the head restraint all the way down
x Unlock the front passenger backrest in the direction of the arrow ⇒ fig. 55 (1).
x Fold the front passenger backrest forward into the horizontal position in the direction of the arrow (2).
x The front passenger backrest must be securely latched in the folded down position.
Folding the front passenger backrest into place
x Make sure that nobody is near the hinges when folding the backrest back into place.
x Unlock the front passenger backrest to fold it back ⇒ fig. 56.
x Fold the front passenger backrest into the upright position.
x The front passenger backrest must be securely latched in the upright position.
WARNING
Improper folding and improper latching of the front passenger backrest can cause serious personal injury.
x Never fold the front passenger backrest forward or back when the vehicle is moving.
x Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF  light is on and stays on whenever the backrest of the front passenger seat is folded forward.
x Always keep hands, fingers, feet and other body parts out of the way of the seat hinges and the seat locking mechanism when folding the backrest forward and back.
x Floor mats and other objects can get caught in the front passenger backrest hinges. This can cause the front passenger backrest to incorrectly latch when folded back into the upright position.
x When folded back into place, the front passenger backrest must be securely latched in the upright position. An improperly latched front passenger backrest can suddenly move and cause serious personal injury.
WARNING
Open seat mountings and hinges of the folded front passenger backrest can cause severe injuries in the event of a braking maneuver or accident.
x Do not let passengers or children occupy the front passenger seat when the front passenger backrest is folded forward.
x When the front passenger backrest is folded down, only the outer seat of the rear bench behind the driver seat can be occupied. This also applies to children in child safety seats.

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 eye glasses, 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 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. 57 Warning light in the instrument cluster.

When the ignition is switched on, several warning and indicator lights come on briefly for a function check. They go out after a few seconds.
A warning chime also sounds.
The safety belt warning light i comes 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 also 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 also flashes i. The warning chime continues to sound at 24 seconds 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 i stays 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. 58 A vehicle with passengers not wearing safety belts approaches a wall.

Fig. 59 A vehicle with passengers not wearing safety belts hits a wall.

Fig. 61 Unbelted passengers in the rear seats are thrown forward on top of the belted driver.