ESP VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2008 User Guide

WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing proble m s for people w ith a history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions.
To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory condi­
tions should get fresh air right away by getting
(cont;nu od)
out of the vehicle or opening w indows or doors.
If yo u are in a co llision in which airb ags de­
ploy, wash your h ands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
Be carefu l not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cut s or scratc hes.
If the residue should get into your eye s,
flush them with water.
Two separate indicators monitor the function the Advanced Airbag System: the
airbag monitoring indicator light
and the PASSENGER light.
The A dva nced Airba g Sys te m (in cludin g th e electronic control unit, senso r c ir c uits and sys te m wiring) is m onit ore d continuously to mak e sure tha t it is fun cti o nin g properl y when­eve r the ignition is o n. Each time you turn on th e
i gnition. the a irba g monitoring indicator light
w ill co me o n for a fe w second s (se lf di ag nostics) and th e text AIRBAG/BELT appears
in the in strument clu ster.
The sys tem must be inspected when the indi­
cator light
does not come on when th e ignition is
switc h ed on,
doe s not go out a few seconds after you have
s wit ched on the ignition, or
comes o n while driving.
If an airbag system malfu nc tion is de te cte d , th e
indicator light will come on and sta y on to catch
th e dri ver's attention and se rve as a con stant re-
fa malfunction occurs that turn s th e front airbag on th e passe nge r side th e PASSENGER AIR BAG
WARNING
An airbag system that is no t functioning prop­
erly cannot provide suppl emental protection
in a frontal crash.
not inflat e when it should.

The Protection'M airbag system
consists of:
the elec troni c control module with grated senso rs, press ure sensors in the doors and rear side impact sensors.
airbags above the front and rear side w indo ws.
the ai rbag
Protection airbag sys te m is not activated:
if the ignit ion is sw itched off,
in sid e collisio ns w he n the acceleratio n sured by the senso r i s too low,
Applies t o vehi cles: w ith side curta in protection oirbogs
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
in front-end collisio ns,
in rear-end collision s,
some types of accidents the fron t, Sid e tain ProtectionTM side airbag s m ay be
Safety belts and the airhag syste m will only
provide protection w hen occupants are in the proper seating page 4.
spected immedia tel y by you r authori ze d
tion in a side co llision is hig h enough to vate the .
How
duce the risk of head and uppe r torso injuries for occupants are properly
strained .
Fig. 29 airbogs on th e left sid e
Th e Sid e airbag s infl ate
b etween the occupant a nd the si de window on
that sid e of th e ve hicl e is struck in certain
s ide fig . 29 . When
the sys
te m is tri gg ered, the Sid e airba g is fille d with propellant gas
and break s th roug h th e header above the front and rear sid e window s and center d oo r pillar and deploys dow nwards. In order to help v ide thi s additional prote ction, the S ide ProtectionTM airba g must inflate w ith in th e
b lin k of a n eye at very high speed and with great force. The Sid e Protectio nTM airba g
co uld injure you if your seating posit io n is not proper o r upright or if area where tec tion TM a irbag in fla tes. T hi s appli es especially
t o page 53,
the impact and in
th is way they can help to reduce the risk o f injury
t o th e head and the upper part o f the bo dy.
A fin e dust m ay deve lo p w hen th e a ir b ag ploys. This is quite norm al and does n ot mean
th ere is a fir e in th e ve hicl e .
Airbag sy ste m 51

The rear seat is generally the safest place in a collision.
The physical principle s of what happens when you r vehicle is in an acc ident apply also to 15. safety belts?". But unlik e adults and teenage rs, their muscle s and bones are not fully deve loped. many respects
d ent s than are adults.
Becau
se c hildr en's bodies oped, they must use restrain t systems especially des igned fo r their size . weight , and b ody ture . Many countries and all sta te s of the United and pro vinces of Canada have law s
tems for infant s and small childr en .
a frontal crash at a speed of20- 35 mph 56 km /h l the forces acting on a 13-pound (6 kg)
infant w ill be more than times th e weig ht of the child . Thi s means th e weight of the chi ld
wo uld suddenl y be more than pounds kg). Under these conditions, only
tions to be s ure the seat is right for your child's page 56, safety instru ctio ns for using child b e s ure to
bags, and th e installation of child restraints in
thi s booklet.
Ther e is a l ot you n ee d to know about the va nced Airba gs in your vehicl e and how they
work when infant s and children in child
in your vehicle and th e very important inform ation about child ren on the front
they are extremel y important fo r your safet y and the safet y o f your passenger s, cially infant s and sm all children .
Acciden t s tati stics have shown that d ren are generally safer in the rear seat area than in the front seating position. Always
All vehicle occupants and especially dren must be restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or properly restrained child could be injure d b y striking the interior or by being ejected from the ve hicle during a sudden maneuver or
strained child is also at greate r risk of injury or death through contact with an infl ati n g
airbag.
s uit abl e child restrai nt properly ins talled and used at one of the rear seating pos itions prov ides th e hig hest degree of protect ion for
infant s and small childre n in most accident situations
Children on the fro nt seat ofanycareven with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
A child in a rearward-facing child seat be
The infl ating a irbag
safety 53

(When the res tra in t sys te m comes equipped w ith a removable base, compliance has to be certified with or without th e base) .
Brit ax Handl e with 191
Assura 4553
F it 4543
A rri va
Even flo Disc overy Adjust Right 2 12
Even flo First
Graco Infant 8457
Forward-facing convertible child restraint
sys tems,
manufactured on or after September
Britax Houndabout 16 1
Britax Expressway
Encore 4612
Olympian
Touri va
Even flo Horizon
Even flo Medallion 254
Safety Ride
D. Forward-facing toddler/belt positioning
booster systems, manufactured on or after
Brita x Road ster
High Back Booste r
Eve n flo Right Fit 245
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serio u s inj ury, make sure that the AIR BAG comes on and stays on whenever a child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched on.
Take the child restraint off the front pas­senger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the does not stay on.
use of child seals substantially reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
Fig. Never let babies or older ch il dren ride in a
vehicle whil e s itting on the lop of anot her passenger.
-All childr en, es pecially those 12 yea rs
a
nd younger , s h o uld always ride in the
back seat properly restrain ed for their age
and size.
- Alw ays u
se the right child seat for each
c hild
and a lways use it properl y=> page 53.
- Always
car e full y follow the child seat
m anufacturer's in stru ctio ns on how to
route the s
afety belt properly through th e
ch ild
seat.
- When us
ing the ve hicl e safety belt to in­
s ta
ll a child seat, you mus t fir st activate the
swit chable locking feature on the sa fety
As the driv er, yo u are respons ibl e fo r th e
safety of everybody in the ve hicl e, espe­
cially childr en : be
lt to
prevent th e child seat from moving
56 safety

page
There are also additi ona l a dju stment s tha t mus t
b e m ad e in order to be a ble to properl y install a
c hild res trained on th e f ro m seat:
Set th e safe ty bell upper a nch orage for th e
front passenger seat to the hi ghest adju stment po sition if th e available safety belt l eng th is suf­ficient to prope rly install the child res traim
Move the fr ont passe nge r scat to the highes t
pos ition in the seat's up and do wn adju stment
range.
Mo ve the front passe nge r seat to the rea r­mos t positio n in the seat's fore an d aft adjust­ment range, as far away from the airbag as pos­
sib le before insta llin g th e forw ard-fa cin g c hild
If a strap ortether is bein g used to tic th e child seat to th e fro nt passe nge r seat, make sure
t h a t it is not so tight that it causes the w eig ht ­sensing m at to m ea sur e mo re we ight than is ac­on the seat.
Always r
emember: Even though your vehicl e is equipped w ith an Adva nce d Air b ag all childr en. espec ially those 12 years and you nger,
s h ou ld always ride in the back scat properly re­
strai ned for th eir and size.
Not u sin g a child seat, using the wrong child seat or improperly ins taUing a c hild res traint
in creases the risk of seriou s personal injury and death.
All vehicle occu pants and especially chil­dren must a lways be res train ed properl y
w heneve r riding in a ve hicle .
- An
unrestrained or improp erl y re ­
s trained child can be injur ed or killed by
ava ilabl e c hild seats are re­
quired to comply with hicle Safety Standard
use child restraint sys te m s that fully contact the flat portion of th e seat
c u shi on. Th e child restraint must not tip or lean to either si de. Volkswagen does not recommend using child seats that rest on legs or tube- like frames. They do not pro­
vide adequate cont act with the se at.
- Always h
eed all legal requirem ents per­
taining to th e in stallation and u se of c hild seats and carefully follow the in struction s provided by the manufacturer of th e scat
yo u are usin g.
Neve r allow children unde r 4 ft 9 in (57 in ch es /1.45 meters) to wear a normal safe ty belt . T hey must alway s be re strai ned by
a prope r child restraint syste m. they could su sta in injuries to th e abdomen and n ec k areas during sudden braklng ma­
neuv ers or acci de nt s.
Never let more than one child occupy a
c hil d scat.
Neve r let babies or older child ren ride in a vehicl e w hil e sittin g on tlt e lap of ano ther pas­
senge r.
- Holdin g a child in yo
ur arms is neve r a
subs titute for a child restraint syste m .
-
The s trongest person co uld not hold the
c hild with the forc es that exist in an acci­
d e nt . Th e child will strike the int erior of the vehicl e and can al so be struck b y the pas­
senge r.
-
The c hild and th e passe nger can also in­jure each another in an acci dent .
Neve r in stall rcanvard-faci ngchild seats or infant carriers on the front passenger seat. A
c hild w ill be se riou sly inju red and ca n be
safety 57

About this
This contain s import an t information,
ti ps. suggesti o ns, and on usin g your Liter­ature contain further info rmation that you sa fe ty and for
the safety of your passengers.
Make sure that yo u keep the Lite rature in the This is esp e­important w he n you or th e ve­
This describes the of the equipment described a
vary from your For this reason yo u
gui de.
A t th e
beginning of this yo u a of contents showing the item s de­scribed in this
index is at the en d o f the
in the Literature
Directions and positions (fo r righ t, front. rear) are relative to the direct io n of of th e stated othe rw ise.
sections o f this do not to i s the case. a text the beginnin g
o f th e section indi cates whic h it
to, for to
e n gi ne ".
® R
egis tered trademark s arc m ark ed®. ever, the absence o f this does not
constitute a waiver of the rights concerning any term .
The section is continu e d on the next page.
the end of a section.
to within
or outsid e of a section.
to
sectio n .
contains important in­
formati on on saJety and how to reduce the risk
o f injury or death .
0Note
Te xt with this draws your attenti on to sources of damage to your
For the sake of environment
Tex t with this contain s information about the e nvironment and how yo u can
Text with thi s contains tips and other informatio n about getting the most o ut o f your and its features.

3.1
WARNING
Driving with an open rea r lid can lead to
rious personal injury.
After closing the rear lid , always pull up on
it to make sure that it is properly closed and cannot open suddenly when the ve hicl e is
moving, even though th e key been turned to the locked position .
Alway s keep the rea r lid closed whil e
driv ing to help prevent poisonou s ex haust gas
from begin drawn into the vehicle
Never transport objects larger than tho se
fitting completel y into the
cause the rear lid can not be fully closed.
you absolutel y must drive with the rear lid open, do the fo llowing notes to red uce the ri sk of carbo n monoxide poisoning:
-
all windows,
where applicable
36 Opening and
WARNING (continued)
-th e power
off the air recircu la tion,
-
th e fresh air fan to th e high est s p eed.
Never leave your veh icle unattended or le t
children play around you r ve hicle, especially
with the rear lid left open. A child could
m ent and pull the lid shut becoming trapped and unable to get out. Bein g trapp ed in hicl e can lead to serious personal injury.
ment and lug gage compartment of parked
ve hicl e result in tempera tu res in the hicl e that are much highe r than the o ut side
t emperatu res, particularly in summer. peratures can quickly reach levels that ca n
ca use unconsciou sn ess and death, larly to small

and Equipment
-Take ho ld of one of the recesses
32 (arrow) in the interior trim of th e
rear
and pull the rear lid down.
the vehic le is locke d (anti-theft alarm system activated) and the re mote contro l key is used to unl ock the rea r lid only. th e rear lid is locke d im ­it is clo sed. All turn s ig n als flas h
bri efly to confirm that the rear lid has been
l ocked.
A dis pla y app e
ars in the instrument clu ster if th e
r ea r lid is no t properly clo sed.
WARNING
Always close th e rear lid properly to he lp avoid seriou s pers o n al injury.
WARN ING (co ntinu ed)
Neve r let anyone get in th e way of the edge s of the rear lid or its hinges when th e rear lid is
clo sin g.
Always make sure that the rear lid closes
properly when you close it so that it cannot open suddenly w hil e the ve hicle is moving.
Neve r leave your vehicle unattended or le t
c hild ren play around your vehicl e, especi ally
w ith the rear lid left open. A child could craw l
int o the vehicl e throu gh the lu ggage compart­
m ent and pull the lid shut beco ming trapped and unable to get out. Bein g trapp ed in ave­hicle can lead to serious person al injury , espe­
cially when it i s very hot or cold.
Neve r leave childr en , di sabled p ersons or a nyone w ho cannot help the m se lves in the ve­
hicl e. The doors can be locked using there­
mot e control key or th e ce ntr a l l ock ing button. Thi s could res ult in people being trapped in
th e ve hicl e.
Heat build-up in the passenger compart­
m ent and lu ggage compartment of a parked veh icle can result in temperatures in the ve­
hicle that are muc h hi gh er than th e outside temperatures, particularly in summer. Tem­peratures can qui ckly reach le ve ls that ca n cause unconsciousness and death, particu­
larl y to s mall children.
Tip s
bookl et Tip s and Advice gency closing or
Opening and

Booklet 3.1
the driv er's door. The
other doors each have a switch for their own window.
Fig. 3 3 Section of the driver door: windo w controls
Opening and closing the windows
-fig. 33 to open a
wi
ndow.
-b utto n to close a window
minutes after switch ing off the ign ition if ther the dri ver's door nor the front passe nger's door bee n opened.
Butt ons in the driver door
Button for window in front
Butto n for window in front right door
Butt ons fo r rear windows
switch9l for disa blin g th e powe r
window buttons in the rear doors
Button9l for window in left door
Button9l for window in rear right door
9l Where applicab le
38 Ope ning and closing
switch
in the driver door can be used to
d isab le the powe r w indow in the rear doors.
The sym bo l the safety switch is not n a ted : the buttons in the rea r doors are
The symbo l nated: the buttons in th e rea r doors are
Improper usc of the power window s can result in serious personal injury.
Never let a n yo ne get in th e way of a power window w hen clo sing it.
When locking the ve hicle fro m the outside, su re that no one, especially children, mains in th e ve hicle. The w indows will not open in case of emergency.
Alwa ys take the key with you wh en you
l eave the ve hicle. Unsupervised use of keys
ca n re sult in use o f vehicl e sys te m s such as power window s lead ing to serio us pe rsonal in jury. Th e powe r windows will continue to operate until the ignition key bee n
When children are in the back seat, use the
s afet y switch to disable the rear power dows and prevent them from being opened and closed.
Tip s
something obstructs the w indow while it is goin g up, the window will stop maticall y go down page pens, sec w hy the window could not close before att empting to close it

Booklet 3.1
If window is obstructed w hen clo sing. the window will stop a nd go down
If th is happens, see wh y the window co uld not close before attempting to close it a ga in . If
yo u try to close the window again within seconds. the window's clo sing force is m ati cally inc reased.
thi s po int.
If th ere is no obvious rea son why the cannot b e closed, try to close it again w ithin second s. Th e p inch pro tecti on i s now
If yo u wait longer than the seconds desc ribed above. the wi ndow will open fully when
The one-to uc h f unctio n and pinch protection d o
no t work if th e re is a m alfunction in the power
w indows. Contact your authorized Volkswagen dealer or qualified workshop to have the fun ction corrected.
WARNING
Improper use of the power windows can res ult in serious personal injury .
Convenience opening and
You can open or th e w indows from
o
uts ide the ve hicle.
closing
- Hold th e k
ey in
-Release the stop in terrupt the
WARNING (continu ed )
Neve r let anyo ne ge t in the of a power window w hen closi ng it.
make sure that no o ne is in the w hen window !
Whe n locki ng the ve hicl e from th e o uts ide, make sure that n o o ne, especi ally children , m ain s in the vehicle . T he windows will not open in case of em ergency.
ta ke the key with yo u when you leave the vehicle. Unsupervised use of keys can result in use of ve hicl e system s s uch as power windows leadin g to serious person al
in ju ry.
Th e power wi ndows will continue to
When chil dre n arc in t he back seat, use t11c safe ty sw itch to disabl e the rear power dows and prevent them fro m being opened and closed.
opening
- Hold th e ke y in th e lock of th e drive r's
door in th e unlock posi tio n, until all
dows are open.
- Hel
ease th e key to interrupt the
tion.
WARNING
Improper use of the power window s can res ult in seriou s personal injury.