ESP VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 2008 User Guide

DANGER
20 mm button cells and other lithium batteries will cause serious personal injury and even death within a short time if swallowed.
x Always keep hand-held remote control devices with batteries, spare batteries, as well as dead button cell and larger 20 mm batteries out of the reach of children.
x Get medical attention immediately if you suspect that a battery has been swallowed.
WARNING
Improper use of the HomeLink® Universal Transmitter can cause serious or even fatal personal injury.
x Garage doors operate with enough force to cause serious personal injury.
x Never let anyone get in the way of a garage door when it is opening or closing.
x When programming the HomeLink® Universal Transmitter, you may be operating a garage door or estate gate. Always make sure that people and objects are out of the way to help prevent serious personal injury or property damage.
x When operating the “training” button on a garage door opener with a rolling code, you will need to stand on a ladder or step-stool. Always take extra precautions to prevent falls and serious injury.
x Never use the HomeLink® Universal Transmitter with any garage door opener that does not have the safety stop-and-reverse feature, as required by federal safety standards. This includes any garage door opener model manufactured before April 1, 1982.
x A garage door opener that cannot detect an object, signaling the door to stop and reverse, does not meet current federal safety standards. Using a garage door opener without these features increases the risk of serious injury or death.
x Follow the installation manual and the included safety information from the manufacturer when using the remote-controlled garage door opener or electrical drive.
NOTICE
The wrong batteries can damage the hand-held remote control. Replace a dead battery with one that has the same voltage, size, and specifications.
Please dispose of old batteries properly and in an environmentally responsible manner. Always keep them out of the reach of children.
Certain batteries used in hand-held remote controls are classified as Perchlorate Material. Special handling may apply – see http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. Obey all legal requirements regarding proper disposal. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized Volkswagen Service Facilities are familiar with the requirements, and we recommend that you have them perform this service for you.

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.

Installing the front head restraints
x Position head restraint properly over the head restraint guides of the respective seat backrest and insert the head restraint into the guides.
x Push the head restraint down while pressing button (2).
x Adjust the head restraint according to the occupant's size, Adjusting front and rear head restraints.
Removing the rear head restraint
x Unlock the backrest of the rear seat bench and fold it forward, Luggage compartment.
x Pull the head restraint all the way up ⇒ .
x If necessary, press the flat blade of the screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit into the slit of the trim
cap ⇒ fig. 63 (1) in the direction of the arrow and hold it in this position.
x At the same time press button (2) while a second person pulls out the head restraint completely.
x Fold the backrest of the rear seat bench back so that it locks securely.
Reinstalling the rear head restraint
x Unlock the backrest of the rear seat bench and fold it forward, Luggage compartment.
x Position head restraint properly over the head restraint guides of the respective seat backrest and insert the head restraint into the guides.
x Push the head restraint down while pressing button (2).
x Fold the backrest of the rear seat bench back so that it locks securely.
x Adjust the head restraint according to the occupant's size, Adjusting front and rear head restraints.
WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with improperly adjusted head restraints increases the risk of serious injuries in a collision.
x Always drive with the head restraints in place and properly adjusted to help minimize the risk of neck injury in crash.
x Always reinstall head restraints as soon as possible so that vehicle occupants are properly protected.
NOTICE
When removing or reinstalling the head restraint, take care that the head restraint does not strike the headliner or other parts of the vehicle. The headliner or other parts of the vehicle could otherwise be damaged.

WARNING
The center armrest can restrict the driver's arm movement and cause crashes and serious personal injury.
x Always keep storage compartments in the center armrest closed while driving.
x Never let a passenger, especially a child, ride on the center armrest. Improper seating position can increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
x Never put hot drinks or other liquids in the cup holder. Hot liquids can spill when the vehicle is moving as well as during braking or other sudden maneuvers.

WARNING
Improper use or positioning of a safety belt extender increases the risk of serious personal injury and death.
x A driver or passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously injured by striking the interior of the passenger compartment or by the safety belt itself, which can be displaced from stronger parts of the body into sensitive areas like the abdomen.
x Safety belt extenders offer optimum protection only when they are properly used.
x Only use the extender when the belt is not long enough to be worn low and snug and the person is in the correct seating position. Remove and stow extender safely when not needed.
x Always make sure the safety belt tongue of the safety belt extender is securely inserted into the buckle for the seating position that belongs to the seat where the safety belt extender is being used. Attaching the safety belt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effectiveness and can cause serious personal injury.
x Never use the safety belt extender if you can properly attach the safety belt without it. Using a safety belt extender when not needed can increase the risk of injury, especially in a collision.
x Never use a safety belt extender if the distance (B) between the front edge of the safety belt extender buckle (A) and the centerline of the person using the safety belt extender
⇒ fig. 83 (C) is less than 6 inches (15 cm).
x Never leave a safety belt extender attached to the vehicle safety belt buckle when the extender is not needed and being used with the safety belt. Otherwise, the airbag control module will receive an incorrect signal from the safety belt buckle and this will prevent the airbag from working properly for a person who is not using the safety belt.
x Never use more than 1 extender with a safety belt. Using more than 1 extender can change the way the safety belt passes over the body and can cause serious injury.
x Never use the safety belt extender to secure a child restraint.
x Never use a safety belt extender on your Volkswagen that you got from another automobile manufacturer or from an automotive parts store.
x Never use the safety belt extender you got for your vehicle for any other vehicle, regardless of make, model, or model year.
NOTICE
x Leaving the extender attached to the safety belt buckle when the front seat is occupied and the safety belt is not being used will signal to the airbag control unit that the front passenger seat is occupied and that the safety belt is being used. The electronic control unit for the airbag system will then receive incorrect information that will
– cause the safety belt pretensioner to deploy unnecessarily in collisions
– cause the front passenger airbag to deploy later in collisions in which the front airbag would otherwise be triggered earlier to help protect an unrestrained front seat passenger.
x A pretensioner that has deployed cannot be repaired. The entire safety belt must be replaced.
NOTICE
If the safety belt extender is left attached to the safety belt buckle, the safety belt warning system will sense that the safety belt for that seat is being used. The warning light will not come on and the warning chime will not sound even though the seat is occupied and the safety belt is not being used.

WARNING
Improper handling, care, servicing, and repair procedures can increase the risk of personal injury and death by preventing a belt pretensioner from activating when needed or by causing it to activate unexpectedly.
x The pretensioner can be activated only once. If a pretensioner has been activated, the safety belt must be replaced.
x Safety belt systems including the pretensioners cannot be repaired. Special procedures are required to remove, install, and dispose of this system.
x Never repair, adjust, or change pretensioners or any other part of the safety belt system yourself. We strongly recommend that you have any work on the safety belt system performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility. They have the necessary technical information, training, and special equipment, Parts, accessories, repairs and modifications.
WARNING
Undeployed safety belt pretensioners and airbag modules contain explosive materials that can cause serious personal injuries if they are not properly handled when they or the vehicles they are installed in are scrapped.
x Never abandon vehicles or vehicle parts.
x Always scrap vehicles and vehicle parts, especially those containing undeployed airbag modules and undeployed safety belt pretensioners, at a licensed facility that has the knowledge and experience to properly dispose of the vehicle and its safety belt and airbag systems.
Undeployed airbag modules and safety belt pretensioners are classified as Perchlorate Material. Special handling may apply – see http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. Obey all applicable legal requirements regarding handling and disposal of the vehicle or parts of its restraint system, including airbag modules and safety belts with pretensioners. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized Volkswagen Service Facilities are familiar with the requirements, and we recommend that you have them perform this service for you.

Lights up Possible cause Proper response
 One or more driving lights not working or cornering light malfunction.
Replace burned out bulb or if all light bulbs are OK, see an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service facility.
Fog lights switched on (indicator light on the headlight switch).
Z

WARNING
Daytime running lights and parking lights are not bright enough to let you see ahead or be seen by others when it is dark.
x Always switch on the low-beam headlights at dusk or when it is dark and whenever the weather is bad or visibility is poor.
x Never use the daytime running lights to see where you are going. They are not bright enough and will not let you see far enough ahead for safety, especially at dusk or when it is dark. Always switch on the low-beam headlights at dusk or when it is dark.
x The taillights do not come on with the daytime running lights. Unless the taillights are on, a vehicle cannot be seen by others in bad weather, at dusk, or when it is dark.
x Even if automatic headlight control (AUTO) is switched on, the low-beam headlights may still not come on by themselves in fog or heavy rain. You have to switch on the low-beam headlights manually.
In cool or humid weather, the insides of the headlights, the taillights, and turn signals can temporarily fog up. This is normal and does not affect the service life of the vehicle's lighting system.
Lights and vision features

When you move the selector lever to Reverse (R), the static cornering lights on both sides of the vehicle may come on so that you can see the area around the vehicle better when backing up.
The static cornering lights work only when the headlights are on. If you are using automatic headlight
control (headlight switch in the AUT O position ⇒ fig. 98), they work only when the headlights have been automatically switched on. The static cornering lights do not come on when the headlight switch is in the O position or when the fog lights themselves have been switched on, Switching lights on and off.
Automatic headlight control (AUTO)
Automatic headlight control is a convenience feature only and cannot always recognize all lighting and driving situations.
If the light switch is in the AUT O position, both vehicle lighting and instrument and switch lighting are
automatically switched on and off in the following situations ⇒ :

Automatic activation:Automatic deactivation:
If the low-light sensor registers darkness, for example when driving through a tunnel. If sufficient brightness is registered.

WARNING
Crashes and other accidents can happen when you cannot see the road ahead and when you cannot be seen by other motorists.
x Never use daytime running lights (DRL) to see where you are going. DRL are not bright enough to light up the roadway and be seen by other motorists. You will not be able to see far enough ahead for safety, especially at dusk or when it is dark. Always switch on the low-beam headlights at dusk or when it is dark.
x The taillights do not come on when the daytime running lights are switched on. A vehicle without taillights on cannot be seen by others in bad weather, at dusk, or when it is dark.
x If automatic headlight control (AUTO) is switched on, the low-beam headlights still may not be switched on in fog or heavy rain. You have to switch on the low-beam headlights yourself.
In cool or humid weather, the insides of the headlights, rear lights, and turn signals can temporarily fog up. This is normal and does not affect the service life of the vehicle's lighting system.
“Coming home” and “Leaving home” feature (orientation lighting)

Lights up Possible cause Proper response
Y Not enough windshield washer fluid. Refill windshield washer reservoir at the next opportunity.
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.
NOTICE
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in vehicle damage.
Windshield wiper lever

Fig. 103 Operating the front windshield wiper.