VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 2009 Owners Manual

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
sa ril y an indica tio n of whe ther an airb ag sh ou ld
in fla te or not.
is not poss ible defin e a ran ge o f ve hicl e
s peeds w ill cove r every po ssibl e kind and
ang le of im pac t will always trigger the air ­
ba gs, s ince cir cum stances will vary consi d­
e ra bl y betw ee n one c olli sion and anoth er. Im­
fa ctors includ e, for exa mpl e, !h e (h ard or sof t) of o bj ec t th e ca r h its, the
a n gle of impact, ve hicl e sp eed, The fron t a ir ­
bag s w ill also inflat e in side or rear colli­
s io ns. or in rollo vers .
A lway s re m emb er: Airbag s will d eploy only
once, and o nly in certain k inds of collisions.
Your safet y belt s are always
offe r protec­in those si!U alion s in which airbag s no t
s upp osed depl oy, or whe n th ey have a lread y
dep loyed ; fo r exa mple, when your ve hicle str ikes
or is
by ano th er after fir s! co llisio n.
Thi s is ju st
of th e re a so ns w hy an air bag is a
s upp lem ent ary and is not a sub sli!Ule
for a sa fe ty belt. The airba g sys te m wo rks mo st
effecti vely w hen use d with the safety belt s.
Th erefo re, a lways properly wear yo ur safe ty
be lts
13,
WARNING
Silt ing lo o clo se lo !he stee ring w hee l or in­
s trumen t pane l wil l d ec rease !he effe ctive ness
of the air b ags a nd
will incr ease th e risk of per ­
so nal injury in a co llision .
• Never sit clo ser
JO in ch es (25 cm )
injur y is mu ch hi gher.
• You
will also rece ive serious injuries co uld even be killed if you are up agai nst th e
28 Airbag syst em
Cl WARN ING (continued)
airba g or too close to it when it infl ates -even
w ith an Advanced Airbag.
• To re duc e the ri sk of injury when an airb ag
infl ates, always wear saf ety belt s pro perl y
19, "Safe ty belts".
• Always make certain t hat c hildren age 12or
you nger alway s ride in th e rea r seat. If
dren a re not properly res train ed , th ey may be
se vere ly in jur ed or killed an air b ag in­
fl ates .
• Neve r let ch ild ren r ide unr estrai ned or im ­
pr op erly restrained in the vehicl e. Adju st th e
front seats prope rly.
• Nev er rid e w ith the backres t recl ined.
• Alway s sit as far as poss ible from th e
s tee rin g w hee l or the in strum ent pan el
4.
• Always s it uprig ht wit h yo ur back agains t
the back res t of you r seat.
• Never place y our feet o n th e in strument
pane l o r o n th e se al. Alway s kee p both fee t on
th e floor in fro nt of the sca t to help pr eve nt se­
riou s in ju ries to th e legs and hips if th e air bag
in flates.
• Neve r recl ine th e fro nt p asse nge r's sea l to
tr anspo rt objects . Items can also move into
th e area of th e sid e a irba g or the
airbag
durin g braking or in a sudd en maneuver.
jec ts near th e airb ags can become projectile s
and cause injury when an airba g infl ates .
WARNING
Airb ags that have deplo yed in a cras h mu st b e
re placed.
• U se on ly orig inal e quipm ent air bag s ap­
pro ved by V olk swage n and insta lle d by
tra in ed tec hni cian w ho has the nece ssary
t oo ls an d dia gno stic equ ip m en t lo prope rly
r e p lace any airbag in your ve hicl e and assure
sys tem effect ive ness in a
• Nev er permit salva ged or r ec ycl ed airb ags
t o be in sta lled in your

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
Fo r thi s reaso n, a n d becaus e th e ba ck sea t is the
sa fest place for childr en -whe n properl y re­
s train ed accordi ng to thei r age and size - we
s trongl y re comm end that childr en always sit in
th e ba ck seat
51, "C hild safety" .
WARNING
A child in a rca nvar d-fa cin g child scat in­
s talled o n front passeng er sca t w ill be seri­
ous ly injured and can be kil le d if th e front
airbag inflat es -even w ith a n Advanced A irbag
Syste m.
• The inflating a irbag w ill hit the c hild sc at
or infant carrie r wit h grea t for ce and
will smash the c hild sea t a nd chil d aga inst the
backre st, ce nter arm rest, doo r or roo f.
• A lways insta ll rear-faci ng c hild scats on the
rea r sc at.
• If yo u mu st insta ll a rea rwa rd facin g child
se at on the front passenger scat because of ex­
cep tional circum stan ces an d the PASS ENGER
AIR BA G OFF light docs not come on and sta y
o n , imm ediate ly in sta ll th e rea r-fa cing child
sca t in a rear seating pos ition and have the
a irb ag sys te m in spe cte d by yo ur Volkswage n
d ea le r.
WARNING
A n imp roperly in sta lled chi ld re straint can in­
t er fer e wi th th e airbag as it deplo ys an d ser i­
o usly injur e or eve n kill the child -even with
an Advanced Airb ag Syste m . If , in excep tio nal
ci rc um sta nces, you mu st in sta ll a fo nvar d­
faci ng ch ild restrain t on th e front p assenge r's
sca t:
• Forward -facing child scats in stalled o n the
fr ont pa ssenger's scat may interfe re w ith the
de ploy men t o f th e a irbag an d ca use se rious
per so nal inju ry to th e child.
• Always mak e sure the fon vard -faci ng sca t
h as been d esig ned an d
by its manu ­
facture r fo r u se on front scat w ith a pa s­
senge r fr ont and side ai rbag.
• Alwa ys care fully fo llo w the manufact ure r's
in stru ctions provid ed w ith th e chil d se at or
ca rri er.
30 Airbag syste m
WARN ING (cont inued)
• Never put the forward -facin g child re­
s tra int up against or very near th e in strum ent
p anel.
• Always move the pass enger scat int o its re­
ar mos t pos it ion in th e sea t's fore a nd aft ad­
ju stm en t ra nge, as far away from the airbag as
po ssible before installin g th e fon va rd -facing
c h ild restraint. The backrest must b e ad juste d
t o an upright pos ition.
• Always make sur e tha t nothin g pr even ts
th e front passe nge r's sca t from being mo ved
to
r ear most pos ition in its fore a nd ad ­
ju stm ent ran ge.
• Neve r place a dditional items on th e sca t
that can in crease th e to tal weigh t regis tere d by
the weig ht-se nsing mat and can ca use inju ry
in a cras h.
• Make sure th at the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF ligh t co mes on and stay s on all th e tim e
w henever the ignitio n is sw itch ed on.
• If th e PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s
n ot co me on and stay on, imm edi atel y in sta ll
th e for ward- facing child seat in a rea r se ating
po sition a nd have the airb ag syste m insp ec ted
b y you r Vo lkswagen dea ler.
WARNING
To re du ce the ri sk of serious inju ry, mak e sure
th at the PASS ENGE R AIR BAG OFF light is on
w heneve r a c hild res tra int is in stalled on th e
fro nt pass enger seat and the ig ni tio n i s
s witc hed on.
• If th e PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht docs
not sta y on, p erform th e ch ec ks desc ribed
39, "Mo nitor ing th e Adv anced A irbag
Sys tem".
• Ta ke the child re stra int off the front pas ­
s e n ger sea t and in stall it pro perl y at on e of the
rear seat po siti ons if th e PA SSE NG ER AIR BAG
OFF lig ht d ocs no t stay o n.
•
th e airbag system inspe cted by yo ur
Vo lkswage n dealer imme diately
• J\lways carefu lly fo llow i nstru cti ons from
c hild restraint manufactur ers w hen insta llin g
ch ild

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
Front airbag system -the basics
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection to properly restrained
front seat
Fig. 21 L ocotion of d rive r airbag: in steer ing whee l
Your is fru 11L
"A dva nced Airbag in co mplian ce United Stales Fede ral Moto r Veh icle Safery dard (FMVSS ) 208 as applicab le a l time your
ve hicle was manufac tu re d . Yo ur vehicle is also
e quipped
side airbags fo r driver and seal passe nge r. Your vehicl e ma y also be wit h op tional sid e ai rb ags for re ar board T he belt s for front and
r ea r ou tboa rd seats equipped with opti onal side
a irbags have "pretensioner s" that help to take
s lack
of th e belt sys tem. The pret en sio ners
ar e also activa te d by the ele ctroni c control
for airbag syste m.
The front a nd outb oard r ea r seats
belts
al so hav e loa d limit ers to help reduce force s
appli ed to body in a crash.
Th e airbag for
driver is in steering whee l
h ub 2 1 an d airb ag for th e fr o nt pas­
se nger is in in strum ent panel 22. Th e location of airba gs is marked
There is a yo u n eed to know airb ags
in your vehicle. \V e urge you rea d detail ed
in forma tion airbags, safety and child
safety in this and th e oth er bookl ets th at mak e
Fig. 22 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the
instrume nt pa nel
up 1he ow ner 's literawre. Please be s ure to h eed WARNI NGS -th ey arc ext remely for your safet y and the sa fety of yo ur pass enger s,
especially infants and sm all childr en.
WARNING
Ne ver re ly o n air bags alone for protection.
• Even w hen th ey deplo y, airbags provide
on ly s uppl em en tal prot ection.
• Airbag work mo st effectivel y when used
w ith prop erly wo rn safety belts.
• Th erefore, always wear your safety belts
and make sur e
everybody in your vehicle
is properly re strained.
WARNING
A person on front pa ssenger seat , espe­
ci ally infants and sma ll childr en, w ill rec eive
se riou s injuri es and can even be killed by
being too close to lhe airbag when
it inflat es.
• Although
Advanced Airbag Syste m in
yo ur vehicl e is designed to turn off the
passenger airbag an infant or a small child in
o ne of the child restraints used to cer tify
Adva nced A irbag Sys te m i s on pas-
Airbag system 31

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.

WARNING (continued)
• Impr ope r r epair or di sa ss embl y of th e
front passen ge r and dri ver sca t will pr event
th e A dva nce d Ai rbag Sys te m fro m fun ctionin g
• Repair s to the front passe nge r sc at mu st b e
pe rfo rmed by qualifi ed and pro perl y tra in ed
w or kshop pe rs onn el.
• Neve r rem ov e th e front pa sseng er o r dri ver
s eat fr om the ve hicle.
• Neve r rem ov e th e up hols tery from the
front passe nger sea t.
• Never di sa sse mbl e or remove part s from
th e se at or di sco nnect wi re s from it.
• Neve r carry sh arp obje cts i n yo ur poc kets
o r pl ace them on th e sca t. If the weig ht ­
s e n sin g m at in th e passe nge r se at is pun c­
tur ed it cann ot wor k proper ly.
• Neve r ca rry thi ngs on yo ur la p or carry o b­
je cts on th e pa ss e n ger scat. S uch item s can in­
c re ase the w eig ht regi ste re d b y th e wei ght ­
s e nsin g mat an d sen d th e wro ng inform ati on
to th e airbag c ontrol un it .
• Nev er sto re it em s und er th e f ront pa s­
s e nger sca t. Par ts of the Ad va n ce d Air ba g
Sy ste m un der th e passenge r sea t cou ld be
d am age d, pr eve ntin g th em and the a irbag
s y stem from workin g prop erly .
Booklet 2 .1 Safety first
WARNING (c o ntinu ed)
• Neve r place sc at co ve rs or r epl acem ent up ­
hol stery o n the fro nt sca ts th at have not been
s pecifi call y a pproved by Vol kswagen.
• Scat cove rs ca n pr event the Ad vanc ed
Airbag Syste m from r ecogni zin g c hild r e­
s tr aint s or occ upants on th e fron t passe nger
s ca t and p reve nt the sid e a irba g in th e sca t
b ac kre st fr om depl oy ing pro perly.
• Never u se c ushion s, pill ow s, blanket s or
s imil ar
o n the front p ass enge r sea t. Th e
ad dit ional pa ddin g w ill pr event th e weigh t­
s e nsing m at in the sc at from accurat ely re gis­
t e rin g th e c hild r estra int or p ers o n on the sca t
a nd pr ev ent th eAdva ncc dAi rb agSy ste m fr om
fun ctio nin g pr operl y.
• If you mu st use a c hild re str aint on th e
front passenge r sca t a nd th e child res traint
manufa ctur er's instru ction s re quir e the use of
a to we l, foa m cu shi on or som ethin g else to
prop erl y pos ition th e child restraint, make
certa in that th e PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght come s on and stays on wheneve r the
c hild r estraint is in sta lled on th e front pas­
se ng er sea t.
• If th e PASSENGER A IR BA G OFF ligh t doc s
no t co me o n and stay on, imm ediately i nsta ll
c hild re s traint in a rear s eatin g pos ition and
hav e th e a ir ba g sys te m inspe cte d b y your
V olk swage n deal er.
How the Advanced Airbag System components work together
The front Advan ced Airb ag Sys te m and th e s ide
a ir b ags su pp le m en t t he pr otec tio n offered b y
t h e fr ont thr ecpo int safety belts wi th prc tc n­
s io n ers and lo ad lim it e rs and t he ad ju sta ble
h ead
to help re du ce th e risk of injur y
i n w ide ran ge of a ccid ent and cra sh sit uat io ns. sur e to re ad th e im portan t info rmatio n abo ut
safe ty and h eed th e WARN INGS in t his book le t.
De ploy men t o f
Ad va nce d A irbag System a nd
t h e ac tiva tio n of th e s afe ty be lt prete n sio ners
de pend s on the dece lera tion meas ured by the
senso rs and reg is te red by th e electro nic
co ntrol unit. Cra sh seve rity depen ds o n sp ee d
an d dece le rati on as we ll as th e m ass and stiff­
n ess of th e v ehicl e or ob je ct in vo lve d i n th e
c ra sh .
On th e driv er sid e
On t he dri ver sid e, w hen th e elec tro nic co nt rol
u n it reg is te rs a low severity a nd th e
d rive r's safety belt b eing used, th e a irbag w ill
n o t d ep loy. If th e d rive r's sa fe ty hell is no t b ein g
u se d, th e firs t stage depl oys, fo llowed
b y th e
seco nd stage after late r tim e in th e cras h se­
q uen ce.
I f th e
con tro l un it rcg is 1e rs cra sh o f
h ig h er sever ity, bo th sta ge s of th e driver air bag
w ill dep loy a lm ost
the sa me tim e, regar dless
o f th e safe ty belt s a re be ing use d or n ot.
On th e passe ng er sid e
On th e passe nge r in sever ity im pac ts r egis te re d by the e lec tro nic co ntrol unit , th e
Airbag system 35

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