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Warning lamp
Incorrectly fastened or unfastened seat belts increase the risk of severe or fatal injuries. Seat belts will only offer the optimum level of protection
when they are fastened and used properly.
Seat belts are the most effective means of reducing the risk of serious and fatal injuries in the event of an accident. Seat belts must always
be fastened properly when the vehicle is in motion to protect the driver and all vehicle occupants.
Before every trip, each vehicle occupant must adopt the correct sitting position, correctly fasten the seat belt belonging to their seat and
keep it fastened properly throughout the trip. This applies to all vehicle occupants and also in urban traffic.
While the vehicle is in motion, secure all children travelling in the vehicle in a restraint system suitable for their weight and height. They must
also wear correctly fastened seat belts → Child seats .
Only start driving when all passengers have correctly fastened their seat belts.
Only ever insert the latch plate into the buckle of the associated seat, and always ensure that it engages properly. Using a buckle that does
not belong to the seat that you are occupying reduces the level of protection and can lead to severe injuries.
Avoid allowing foreign bodies or liquids to enter the slot for the seat belt buckle. This could prevent the belt buckle and seat belt from
working properly.
Never unfasten the seat belt while the vehicle is in motion.
Never allow more than one person to share the same seat belt.
Never travel when children or babies are being carried on somebody's lap and fastened with the same belt.
Never travel wearing loose, bulky clothing (such as an overcoat over a jacket). This could prevent the seat belts from fitting and functioning
properly.
WARNING
Damaged seat belts are very dangerous and can cause severe or fatal injuries.
Never damage the belt by trapping it in the door or in the seat mechanism.
If the belt webbing or any other part of the seat belt becomes damaged, the seat belt may tear during an accident or sudden braking
manoeuvre.
Have damaged seat belts immediately replaced by new seat belts that have been approved by Volkswagen for the vehicle. Seat belts
subjected to stress and stretched during an accident must be replaced by a qualified workshop. Renewal may be necessary even if there is
no apparent damage. The belt anchorage should also be checked.
Never try to repair, modify or remove the seat belts yourself. All repairs to the seat belts, belt retractors and buckles must be carried out by a
qualified workshop.
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Unfastening the seat belts
Unfasten seat belts only when the vehicle is stationary → .
Press the red button in the buckle → Fig. 55 . The latch plate is released and springs out.
Guide the belt back by hand so that it rolls up easily, without twisting the seat belt and without damaging the trim.
Seat belt routing
Fig. 56 Correct seat belt routing and head restraint adjustment
Fig. 57 Correct seat belt routing during pregnancy
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warnings →Introduction
Seat belts only provide an optimum level of protection during an accident when they are routed correctly. Correct seat belt routing reduces the
Incorrect seat belt routing can cause severe or fatal injuries in the event of an accident.
The seat belts only offer best protection when the backrests are in an upright position and the seat belts have been fastened properly
according to the occupant's height.
Unfastening seat belts while the vehicle is in motion can lead to severe or fatal injuries in the event of an accident or sudden braking
manoeuvre.
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risk of severe or fatal injuries. Correct seat belt routing also holds the vehicle occupants in position so that an inflating airbag can offer the
maximum level of protection. Therefore you must always fasten your seat belt and ensure that the seat belt routing is correct.
Assuming an incorrect sitting position can cause severe or fatal injuries → Adjusting the seat position .
Correct seat belt routing
The shoulder part of the seat belt must always lie on the centre of the shoulder, never across the neck, over or under the arm or behind the
back.
The lap part of the seat belt must always lie across the pelvis, never across the stomach.
The seat belt must always lie flat and snugly on the body. Tighten the belt if necessary.
For pregnant women the seat belt must be positioned evenly over the chest and as low as possible over the pelvis. It must lie flat so that no
pressure is exerted on the lower body – this applies in every stage of pregnancy → Fig. 57 .
Correct seat belt routing according to height
The following equipment can be used to adjust the seat belt routing:
Belt height adjuster for the front seats → Belt height adjuster .
Height-adjustable front seats → Adjusting the seat position .
If a person's physical build prevents them from routing the seat belt properly, contact a qualified workshop to find out about any special
modifications so that the seat belts and airbags can provide the optimum level of protection. Volkswagen recommends using a Volkswagen
dealership for this purpose.
Belt height adjuster
Incorrect seat belt routing can cause severe injuries in the event of an accident or a sudden braking or driving manoeuvre.
The seat belts only offer best protection when the backrests are in an upright position and the seat belts have been fastened properly.
The seat belt itself or a loose seat belt can cause serious injuries if the seat belt shifts from harder body parts in the direction of softer body
parts (e.g. stomach).
The shoulder part of the seat belt must lie on the centre of the shoulder and never under the arm or across the neck.
The seat belt must lie flat and snugly on the chest.
The lap part of the seat belt must lie across the pelvis and never across the stomach. The seat belt must lie flat and snugly on the pelvis.
Tighten the belt if necessary.
For pregnant women, the lap part of the seat belt must be as low as possible over the pelvis and lie flat around the bulge of the belly.
Do not twist the belt webbing while the seat belt is being worn.
Never hold the seat belt away from the body by hand.
The belt webbing should not lie over hard or fragile objects, such as glasses, pens or keys.
Never use seat belt clips, retaining rings or similar items to alter the seat belt routing.
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Fig. 58 Next to the front seats: belt height adjuster
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warnings →Introduction
The seat belt height adjusters for the front seats can be used to adjust the position of the seat belt on the shoulder so that it can be fastened
properly:
Push the shoulder belt guide together in the direction of the arrows and hold → Fig. 58 .
Push the shoulder belt guide up or down so that the seat belt lies over the middle of the shoulder → Seat belt routing .
Let go of the shoulder belt guide.
Pull sharply on the seat belt to check whether the shoulder belt guide is engaged securely.
Automatic belt retractor, belt tensioner, belt tension limiter
First read and observe the introductory information and safety warnings →Introduction
The seat belts in the vehicle are part of the vehicle safety concept → Airbag system and include the following important functions:
Automatic belt retractor
The seat belts on the driver seat and front passenger seat, as well as those on the outer rear seats (and on the middle rear seat, depending on
the level of vehicle equipment), are fitted with an automatic belt retractor at the shoulder part of the seat belt. Full freedom of movement is made
possible when the shoulder belt is pulled slowly or when the vehicle is travelling at normal speeds. However, if the belt is pulled out quickly or
during sudden braking, during travel in mountains or bends and during acceleration, the automatic belt retractor is locked.
Belt tensioners
The seat belts for the front seat occupants are equipped with belt tensioners.
The belt tensioners are activated by sensors during severe frontal, side and rear collisions. They tighten the seat belts against the direction in
which they are pulled. Any slack in the seat belt is retracted, which can reduce the passenger's movement forwards or in the direction of the
impact. The belt tensioner works together with the airbag system. If the side airbags or the combined curtain airbags are not activated, the belt
tensioner will not be activated in the event that the vehicle rolls over.
A fine dust may be produced when the airbags are triggered. This is quite normal and does not mean that there is a fire in the vehicle.
Never adjust the seat belt height when the vehicle is in motion.
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their deployment zones within milliseconds. Once a vehicle occupant wearing a seat belt starts to sink into the inflated airbag, the gas inside the
airbag starts to escape to cushion the occupant and slow down their movement. This can reduce the risk of severe and fatal injuries. A triggered
airbag will not always prevent other injuries from occurring, such as swelling, bruising, burning and grazing.
Airbags provide no protection for the arms or lower body.
The most important factors for triggering the airbag are the type of accident, the angle of impact, the vehicle speed and the type of object with
which the vehicle collides. Therefore, visible damage to the vehicle does not always mean that the airbag should have been triggered.
Whether or not the airbag triggers is determined by the vehicle deceleration rate caused by the collision and registered by the electronic control
unit. If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the control unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the vehicle may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage in an accident do not necessarily
give an indication of whether an airbag should inflate or not. It is not possible to define a range of vehicle speeds and reference values, since the
circumstances will vary considerably between one collision and another. It is therefore impossible to cover every possible kind and angle of
impact that would trigger the airbags. Important factors in the triggering of the airbag include the nature (hard or soft) of the object that the vehicle
hits, the angle of impact, and the vehicle speed.
Airbags only serve as a supplement to the three-point seat belt in some accident situations when the vehicle braking is sufficient to trigger the
airbags. Airbags can only be triggered once and only in certain situations. The seat belts are always there to provide protection in situations in
which the airbags are not triggered or have already been triggered. For example, if the vehicle collides with a further vehicle following the initial
collision, or is hit by another vehicle.
The airbag system is part of the vehicle's overall passive safety concept. The airbag system can only work effectively when the occupants are
wearing their seat belts correctly and have assumed a proper sitting position → Adjusting the seat position .
Components of the vehicle safety concept
The following vehicle safety equipment makes up the vehicle's safety concept to reduce the risk of severe and fatal injuries. Some of this
equipment may not be fitted in your particular vehicle. It may not be available at all in some countries.
Optimised seat belts for all seats.
Belt tensioners for driver and front passenger.
Belt tension limiter for the driver, front passenger and, if applicable, for the rear outer seats.
Belt height adjuster for the front seats.
Warning lamp .
Front airbags for driver and front passenger.
Combined curtain and side airbags for the driver and front passenger.
Curtain airbags on the right and left.
Airbag indicator lamp .
PASSENGER AIR BAG Indicator lamp in top area of the centre console.
Control units and sensors.
Height-adjustable head restraints optimised for rear impact.
Adjustable steering column.
If fitted, ISOFIX anchor points for child seats on the rear outer seats.
If applicable, securing points for the top tether for child seats.
Situations when the front, side, head or combined curtain and side airbags will not be triggered:
If the ignition is switched off during a collision.