VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2008 Owners Manual

Safety
sengel:
Fig. 16 Safe ty
out fig . 16 . Never use th e safe ty belt
ex tende r for any oth er purpo se includin g th e tachment of a c hild restraint.
Th e
exte nder adds a boutB inches mm) to
the safery belt. Whe n it is not require d , always
s hop for a ss is tan ce if an extende r is requ ired .
H ow to fas te n the s
afety belt extender properly 24, th e sa fe ty belt
crea ses the risk of seriou s personal injury and death.
a safery belt exten de r w hen not needed can increase the risk of injury , cially in a collision. it is worn low
and snug, and in the cor rec t seating position.
R emove and sto w safe ly when not needed.
Never use the safet y belt extender if yo u
ca n fasten the sa fety belt without it.
Never use more than one extender with a
safery be lt. The use of m ore than one extender c a n ch ang e the way the sa fe ty belt passes over
the body and can cause se rious injury .
Never leave the saferybelt extender ta ched to the veh icle safe ty belt latch when it is not needed and being used because th e airbag control module will not re ceive the correc t
s ign al from the safety b elt la tc h and prevent the Advanc ed Airbag from working properly .
Never use the safe ty belt extender to secure
a child restraint.
Never use a safery belt ex tender from
Nev er u se the safery belt extend er yo u tained for your vehicle for any other vehicle,
regardless of make, model or model year.
A driver or pass enger w ho is not correct ly
re strained can be seriously injured b y striki ng the interior of the passe ng er compartment or by the safery b elt its elf whi ch can b e di spla ced
from stronger parts of the body into se nsiti ve areas lik e th e abdomen.
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important pa ge
signal th e airbag
co ntrol unit that the front passenge r seat is
ca use the s afery belt prete nsio n er to deploy necessarily and fron t to deplo y la ter in
collision s th at would trigge r the front
a irb ag earlie r in th e to help pro tect an unrestrain ed front seat occ upant. A sioner that has dep loyed can not b e repair ed.
T he entire sa fety belt mu st b e rep laced.
Safety

used and the warnin g to ne will no t sound
Fastening the safety
extender to the hide's safety belt
B efor e fastening th e sa fe ty ex tender
a lwa ys adjust th e front seat and hea d str aint s correctly.
- In
sert the m etal ton gu e of th e ex tender
into th e res pectiv e safety belt buckle
- Gra sp th e belt tongue of th e s afet y belt
and pull the belt in a continuous s low
motion across you r chest and la p .
- Inse
rt the safe ty belt ton gue into the
buckle of th e ex tender and push down
until it is secure ly lo cke d with an audibl e
cli ck.
- Make s
ure th e safe ty belt or th e
tender is no t tw is ted.
-
Sa fe ty belt buc kle fig . 17
Ton g ue of ex te nder fig. 17
Buckle o f ex te nd er fig. 17
fig. 17
24 Safety
ev en th oug h the seat is occupied and the safety
belt is no t being used.
Fig. 18 Measurements
Fro nt edge of buckle fig. 18
Distanc e of buckle and body (les s than 6 inches (15 em ) fig.
Body centerlin e
WARNING
belt s offer optimum protection only
when scat back is upright and b e lts are correctly positioned on body. Improperly
po sition ed safety belts can cause serio us
u se the extender unless it is ca lly required
Never use the extend er if the distan ce betwee n the front edge of the ex tende r buck le th e occupant's body centerlin e@ to be l ess than 6 inches (15 em).
A lwa ys make sure safety belt tongu e is
insert e d into the buckl e for the seating tion that belongs to the seat wh ere the tende r is being used.
Attaching t11e sa fety be lt to the buckle for
ano ther seat could reduce safe ty belt ness injury.

Unbuckle the safety belt with the red re lease button only after the vehicle has
stopp ed.
Fig. 19 Relea sing the tongue from the buckle
-the red re lease butto n on the
fig. 19 . The belt tongue will
s p ri
ng out of th e
WARNING
Never unfaste n safet y belt while the vehicle is
moving. Doing so will increase your risk of being injured or
to h eight adjustment
Adju sting safety
the safety belt height adjustm ent to ch ange belt position on th e shoulde r.
Fig. Location of manual belt height adjuster
The b e lt heig ht adjusunent for th e
fron t
seating pos it ion s ca n be used to ad­
just the heig ht of th e should er porti on of
the safety belt so that i t is posit ioned cor­
r
ectly .
-
Keep the s trap guid e squeeze d in the di­
r
ection indicate d by th e fig.
-
WARNING
Always read and hee d WARNINGS and other important page 17.

Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe injuries .
Wearing safe ty belts improperly ca n cause
seriou s inju ry or death. belts can
only work when they are correctly
tioned on the body.
tions reduce the eff ective ness of safety
belt s
and even increase the ris k of
jury and death by moving the safe ty belt to
c riti
cal a reas of th e body. Improper seatin g
position s also increase the risk of serious
inju ry and death when an airbag deploys
and strike s an occupant who is not in the
correct
seating pos ition. A driver is
sponsible for the safety of
pants and especially fo r chi ldren.
for e:
Safety
correct si ttin g posi tion in the vehicle whil e
Improperly worn safety belts increas e th e risk of serious personal injury and death w he neve r
a ve hicl e is being used.
make sure that all vehicle pants are correctly restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the ve hicle
i s being used.
page
In a frontal collision, the safety belts for the front and rear outboard seating
ation is high enough . Thi s tighten s th e belt and takes up belt slack. Taking up the slack help s to reduce forward occupant m ove ment during a
collision.
Th e
belt pretensioner can only be act iva ted once.
The belt pre te nsio ner can be activated in a
frontal , side or r ea r-end collision . will no t vate in a rollover in wh ic h the sid e airbag s do not
depl oy.
2l Where applicabl e
26 Safety
can be activa te d unnecess arily in a and will then have to be replac ed .
W he n the safe ty belt pretensioner is
Applicable safety requirements must be se rve d whe n the vehicle or components of the
syste m are scrap ped . A qualified dealers hip is miliar with these re gulation s a nd be pleased to pass on the information to you .
Be sure to observe safe ty, environmenta l and other reg ulat ions if th e ve hicl e or indiv idual
part s oft he system, parti cularl y the safe ty belt or airbag, are to be di sposed. We recommend you

have your authorized Volkswagen perfo rm this
serv ice for you.
and at the outboard sea tin g position s on your re movin g, serv icing or r e pairin g of belt preten sioner s can damag e
the safe ty sys te m and preve nt that sys te m
from working corre ctl y in a coll is ion.
Th e
re are so me imp ortant thing s you have to
k now to mak e sure th at the effectiveness of th e
sys tem
care, servicing and repair dures can increase the risk of personal injury and death by preventing a belt prete n sion er
(co ntinued )
from activat ing when needed or activating expectedly:
Th e vated only once.lfbelt pretens ioners have
b ee n activated, the system must be replac ed.
Neve r repai r, adjust, or change any parts of the sa fety belt syste m .
Sa fety systems s ioner s cannot be repair ed. Speci al dures are required for removal, insta llation and disposal of this system.
For any work on the sa fety belt system, we
s trongl y recommend you see your rized Volkswage n dealer or qualified shop who has a Volkswagen approved repair manual, training and sp ecial equipment n ecessary.

2.1 Safety first
Airbag system
Important things to know
Airbags are only supplemental re straint s. For airbags to do their job,
sen gers, befor e dri vin g a lw ay s:
- Adju st th e driver' s
seat and steering
w heel
5.
- Wear y
our safety be lt s properly
13.
- Always properly use the correct child
re straint
to protect page 53.
a co llisio n airbags mu st
times.
keep in g roo m be tween your bo d y and the
s teerin g w heel and the front of the passe nge r the ai rb ag can and completely and pro vid e supplemental page 4, occupant seatin g For details on th e o perati on of the seat adju stment control s and
important th at page 53,
There is a tha t the dri ver and th e passengers can and must d o t o h elp the individual safe ty feature s work
seating position is important so that the fron t airb ag on the drive r sid e c an do its job.
28 Airbag system
you h ave a physical impairment o r condition that prevents you from sitti ng properly on the
driver seat w ith the safe ty
may be necessary .
your au th o rize d dealer or qualified workshop, or the to mer
When the ai rbag syste m deploys, a gas generato r the ai rbags. brea k ope n the padded cove rs, and
shie ld again without interruptio n.
o f thi s tak es place in the of a n eye, so fast th at many people don 'teven realize that the airbags ha ve deplo yed. The airb ags also
reducing th e forces actin g o n the occupant d ur in g t he crash . th is way th ey help to re duce the ris k of in ju ry
t o the head and uppe r bo dy in t he cra s h. Airbags
d o not protect the arms or the lowe r parts of th e
body.
Both f ront a irb ags no t fro nta l
collisio ns. The tr igger ing o f the airbag sys te m
d epend s o n the an d re gis te re d by the electronic
contro l unit.
b ags

sion. d am age, repair co sts or eve n the
l ack of damage is no t an of w het her an airb ag s ho uld o r
not.
i s no t po ssible to define cove r every poss ibl e kind and an g le of impact that alway s tri gge r th e bags , s ince th e c ircumstan ces vary era b ly be tw ee n one po rt ant factors include , for examp le, the natur e
( hard or so ft) of th e objec t that the ca r hi ts, th e
angle of imp act, vehicle speed, etc. The front bag s als o no t in side or rear sio ns, orin rollove rs .
Always re m em ber: Airb ags
depl oy only
once, and only in certain kinds of collisions. safety b elts are always th ere to tion in th o se situ ations in w hi ch airb ags are not supposed t o dep loy . o r when they have already
d eployed; for exa mpl e, wh en yo ur
sub stitut e for safe ty bel t. The airba g syste m wor ks mo st
effectivel y w he n u sed with the sa fety belts. Therefore , always properly wear your sa fety
WARNING
S itting too clo se to the stee rin g wheel or strument pa n el will decrease the effec tiv en ess of the airbags and will increase the risk of sonal injury in a co llision.
Ne ver sit clo se r than in ch es (25 em ) to th e steering wheel or instrument panel.
If you cannot sit more than
first
(continued)
to it when it
To redu ce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear safety belts properly 19,
Always make certain that children age 12 or younge r always rid e in the rear seat. If dren are not properly restrained, they may be sever ely injured or killed when an airb ag flat es.
Never le t childr en ride unrestrained or
Adju st the front seats properly.
Never rid e w ith the backr est
Always sit as far as poss ible from the steerin g whee l or the instrument panel
Alway s sit upright with your back against the backrest of your seat.
Neve r place your feet on the in strument panel or on th e seat . Always keep both feet on the in front of the seat to help preven t rio us in juri es to the legs and hip s if the a irbag
infl ates.
Never reclin e the front passenger 's seat to transport objects. Item s can also move into the area of th e s ide alrbag or the front airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. jects b eco me projectiles and caus e injury when an airbag infl ates.
WARNING
Airbags that have deplo yed in a cra sh mus t b e replaced .
onl y o riginal equipment airbags proved by Volkswagen and Installed by a
trained technician who has th e necessary tool s and diagnostic equipment to properly replace any airbag in your
Never permit salvage d or recycled airba gs
to be installed in your vehic le.
Airbag system 29

page 53.
Eve n though your vehicl e is equipped wit h an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that all childre n , especially those 12 years and younger, a lways ride in the back seat properly restrained for their
if an infant up to about one year of age restrained in on e of the rearward-fac ing or forward-facing infant re­
straints lis ted in Federal Mo tor Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag Sys te m in your was certified has been in­stalled on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child restraints that were used certify compli ance with the
55.
The PASSENGER
will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
will stay o n if the tot al weight o n the front passenger seat is that of a typical year-o ld in­fant restrain ed in one of th e rearward-facing or forward-fa cing infant restraints listed in
w ill go off if the front passenger seat is occu­pied by a n adult as re gis te red by the weight­sen sin g page 40,
can stay on if the weight on the seat is more than th e typical! year-o ld infant re-
strained i n one of the child restraints li sted in 208 but less than weigh t of a small
the total weigh t on the front passenger seat is more tha n that of a typica l
208, the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the PASSENGER
light does not come on) even if the weight is less than the weight of a small adult. I f the PASSENGER light does not come o n, th e front airbag o n the passenger side has not been turned off by th e e lectronic control unit and can deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
a small chil d that is heavie r than a typical year-old infant is on the front passenger seat restrained in one of the c hild seats liste d in 20 8 page 55 or
a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the PASSENGER and sta ys on.
The front airbag on the passenger sid e w ill de­plo y if the PASSENGER BAG lig ht does not come on and sta y on even if a small or teenager, or passenger who is not sitting up­
right w ith their back against a non-recl in ed bac kre st with th eir feet on the in
front of the seat i s on the
deployment occurs in those crashes that ta ke place at lowe r decelera ti o ns as defined in

the elec tronic control page 41, SENGER
Always remember. a child seat or infa nt carrier
in stalled on th e fron t seat may the rapidly pas senger's airbag in a frontal collision. The
airbag could greatly re duce the effectiveness of the c hild restraint and even seriou sly injure th e
c hild during
stro ng ly recommend that children always sit in
th e back page 53,
infant in a seat stall ed on th e front passe nge r seat ously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates eve n with an
System.
The inflating airba g will hit the child seat or infant carrier with great force and will
smas h th e c hild seat and c hild against the backrest, cent e r armre st, door or roof.
Always install r earwa rd-facing child seats on the rear scat.
If you must install a rearward facing child seat on the front passe nger scat becau se of
light docs not com e on and stay on, imme diatel y
your authorized swage n dealer or qualified workshop.
terferc with the ously inju re or even the child -eve n with
a n A irb ag
in exceptio nal circumstances, you must
in stall a fonvard-facing c hild restraint on the front passe nger's sca t:
-
Fon vard-facin g seats install ed on the front passenger's seat may interfer e
with the deplo ym ent of the air bag and cause seriou s personal injury to the child .
2.1 Safety first
turer's instructions provid ed with the c hild
sea t or carrier.
- Neve r
put the fonvard-faci ng c hild
ment panel.
- Always move the passe nge r sca t into its
rearmost pos ition in the scat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the airbag as possi ble before installing ward-facing
scat that can increase the total weight te re d by the weig ht-sensing mat and ca n
ca use injury in a cras h.
Make sure that the BAG light comes on and stays on all the time w henever the igniti on i s switc hed on.
th e BAG light does not com e on and stay on , imm ediately in stall the fonv ard-facing child scat in a rea r seatin g
position and have the airba g sys tem inspec ted
by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or qualified workshop.
To reduce the ris k of se rious injury, make su re that tltc light is on whenever a child restraint is install ed on th e
front passenger scat and the ig niti on is switched on.
the d ocs not stay on, perform th e c hecks descr ibed the Advanc ed
Take the c hild restra int off the front senger seat and in stall it properly at one of the
r ear sea t position s if th e BAG light does not sta y on.
Airbag system 31

Have th e a irbag system inspected by you r authorize d Volkswagen deale r or qualified
workshop immediately. Always carefully follow instructions from
Fig. 21 Location of driver airbag: in steering wheel
ve hicl e is equipped with a dual s tage front A ir bag in compliance w ith
Unit ed Fede ra l Motor Veh icle dard as applicable at th e time your ve hicl e was manufa ctured . vehi cle is also equipped w ith sid e airbags for the driver and fron t se at passenge r (opt io nal for the outboard re a r seats). The sa fety belts for th e front and re a r outboard seats have ''pretensioners"
fig. 21 and th e ai rbag for the front fig. 22. The
32 Airbag system
F ig. 22 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the
instrument panel
gen era l lo ca tion of the a irba gs is marked
There is a lot you need to know about th e airbags in yo ur veh icle . We urg e you to read the detailed
information abo ut airb ags. safety belts and child
safe ty in thi s and the o th er bookle ts th at m ake
up the own er' s literature. be sur e to heed
th e th ey are extrem ely important for
your safet y and t h e s afety of yo ur passe nge rs, pecially infan ts and small c hildr en.
WARNING
Never rely on airb ags alone for protect ion.
Even when they deplo y, airbags provide only supplem ental protection.
Airbag work most effective ly w he n used
with properl y worn safet y belts.