VOLKSWAGEN GOLF MK6 2012 Owners Manual

Airbag system
infants, rest ra ints and
. . . . 84
BAG . . . . . . . . . 85
Airbags and how they wo
rk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
The dangers of usi
ng restra ints o n the
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F ront airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Advanced Airbag
is equipped with a front airbag for the
drive r and front seat passe nger. The front airbags
can provide
head restraint s and , fo r
t h e driver , th e steer ing are used
and have been
restraints . They are not a substitute
for safety that must be worn even th ough the
f ro nt seat ing positions are equipped with front air­
bags.
More information:
Driving 31
Prop er seating position
Parts , acc essor ies, repairs and modifications
Consumer inf ormation
airbags provide
worn safety 69, belts.
make sure that ev­
ery p erson in the fa stens
82 Before driving
the safety
This even when just driving around town. Therefore ,
is
too
increase the risk of personal injury in a
or instrument
you cannot sit upright more than in­ches (25 em) from the steering and with your back against the backrest, inves ti­gate whether adaptive equipment may be you reach the and in­crea se your seating distance from the steer­ing
you are unrestrained ,
re ceive serious injuries and if you are up agains t the
airbag or too to it when it
proper­69, belts.
sea t on the front passe nger sea t be
seriously injured and ca n be
make certain that
dren are not properly res trained , they may be
seve rely injured or
in front of the seat to

between you and the airbag
things in your hands or on your
move into the area of the front airbags during brak­ing or other sudden maneuvers and
Always make sure that the airbag times. Never anything, a pet, or a person, including an in­fant or
An airbag works only once. Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be replaced .
year.
er or authorized Volkswagen Facility. Authorized dealers and author­ized Volkswagen Facilities have the required tools, diagnostic equipment, repair information, and trained personnel to proper­
in your vehicle.
as cause breathing problems for people who suffer from asthma or other respiratory conditions.
solvents or other improper cleaning products on surfaces where airbags are cated can change the way airbags deploy in a
crash.
around when the airbag deploys in a crash, causing injury.
Advanced Airbag System, infants,
on page 82.
Be sure to read
the impor tant informat ion and the
The Advanc ed Airbag in your ve hi cle has
b ee n cert ified to com ply with the req uirement s of the United Federal Motor Sta ndard as well as Canada Motor
at the time your vehicle was manuf acture d . Ac ­
cord ing to requir e ments , the fron t Adv ance d Airbag
Sitting properly and safely 83

for infants of about 12 months old
and younger and for risk deployment" for
dren, especially 12 years and younger , always ride
on the back seat proper ly restrained for th ei r age
and size. The airbag on the front passenger side
makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place
for a child
to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward-fac ing child seat.
of any can be a
restraint
on the front seat be seriously injured and can be
make certain that children, 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat
on the Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
on page 82.
The Advanced Airbag (including the tronic control unit , sensors and system wiring ) is
monitored continuously to make sure that it is
dica tor come on for a few seconds
(function check).
The airbag system must be inspected if the airbag indicator
does not come on when the ignition is switched
o n ,
does not go out a few seconds after you have
sw itched on the ignition,
goes out and then comes on again or blinks ter the ignition is switched on.
or if it comes on or blinks while driv ing.
dicator also reminds you to have
84 Before driving the
airbag system checked immediately by an
thorized a malfunction curs that turns the front airbag on the passenger
side off, the BAG Off light come on and stay on wheneve r the ignition is on.
er that are not working properly cannot vide supplemental protection in a frontal
crash.
the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may be something wrong with th e Advanced Airbag is ble that the airbag not inflate when it should.
Facility .

Fig. 58 BAG lig ht o n the instrument
on page 82 .
T he
BAG
on the passenge r side has been
turned off by the electronic con trol unit.
th e bulb for the BAG light burns out, th e airbag indicator come on and signal a malfunction in
the Advanced Airbag
no ger be possible to use the BAG light to make sure that th e bag on/off status is correc t fo r the occupant on the
front passenger seat. Have the air bag system spected immediate ly by your auth orized gen dea le r or authorized Volkswagen cility .
The BAG light blink for
about 5 seconds when:
BAG always make sure that the airbag status
(on or off) as shown by the
GER BAG light is proper for the size ,
age , and weight of the occupant on the fron t
light show
the status of the front seat passenger's front vanced Airbag
toring light goes off. The GER light:
stay on if the combined weight of an infant
up to about one year of age in one of the facing or forward- fac ing restraints listed in
Federal Motor Vehicle with
which the Advanced Airbag in your vehicle
was certified , is detected by the weigh t-sensing
mat in the front passenger seat; For a lis ting
of the
child restraints th at were used to certify your
go out if the front passe nger seat is
ing mat.
The must come on and stay on if the ignition is on
and ...
a car bed has been on the front senger seat, or
a rearward-facing child restraint has been
a forwa rd-facing child restrai nt has been
and if the weight registered on the f ront senger seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 yea r-old infant restrained in
one of the rearward-facing or forward-facing child
restrain ts listed in Fede ra l Motor
in your vehic le was certified .
the fr ont passenger seat is no t occupied , th e
front passenge r airbag no t deploy, and the light
a rearward -facing child restrain t on
the front passenger seat. The safest place for a
chi ld in any kind of
rest raint is on the rear
seat page
Sitting properly and safely

the BAG
to make certain
tha t the light stays
on continuously whenever the ignition is on.
BAG the time , stop as soon as it is safe to do so AND
reactivate the airbag system by turning the tion off for more than 4 seconds and then turning it
on again ;
remove and
facturer 's instruc tions ;
make sure t hat the switchab le locking feature
on the safety
has been
make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and child seat are not being
t r ansported on the front passenger seat;
make sure that the safety buck le on the
front passenge r seat back and fort h;
make sure that nothing can interfere with the
safety buckles and that they are not ed;
if a strap is being used to tie the child sea t to the fron t passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tigh t that it cau ses the weight-se nsin g mat to
measure more weight tha n is on th e seat.
light does not come on ...
the ligh t does
not come on and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on). take the child
rest raint off the front passenger seat and
it
properly at one of the rear seat posi tions . Have the
airbag system in spec ted immedia te ly by your thorized Facil ity .
The light should come on ...
The
BAG ligh t should
BAG light comes on and stays on
under these circumstances , make sure that:
the adult on the front passenge r seat is seated on the center of th e seat cushion with his
o r her back up against the backrest and the
the
the safety is being properly worn and that
there is not a of slack in the safety webbing;
accessory seat cove rs or cushions or othe r things th at may cause an incorrect read ing or
holstery of the seat have been taken off the front
passenge r seat;
the optional safety in th e safety
for ab out 5 seconds to ca tc h the drive r's atten-tion.
the light does not go off when an adult who is not very is sitti ng on th e front passenger seat
afte r t aking the s teps describ ed above, m ake
s u re the adult i s properly sea te d and re strain-ed at on e of the rear sea ting positions.
H ave t he a irbag syst e m ins pecte d by your
authorize d
senger se at dete cts an empty seat, the front
airbag on the passenger side
light
the optional safety extender is in the
buckle for the front safety or the front ger safety senger seat is not occupied , the BAG light come on.

Airbags and how they work
on page 82.
Front airbags and how they work
Airbags are restraints . They are
not a substitu te for safety belts that must be worn
even though the front seating positions are
ped with front airbags . The front airb ags can
head restraints and, for the
driver, the steering are properly used and
have been
the airb ags that break open the
padded covers on the stee ring a nd the strume nt The front airb ags inflate between
the stee ring
and the front passe nger.
Front airbags in combination with properly worn
safe ty down and the occupant's for­
ward movement. Together they to pre vent the
dri ver and front seat passenger from hitting parts
of the veh icle inter ior, thereby reduci ng the forces
acting on the occupa nts dur ing a crash. this way,
they to reduce the risk of inju ry to the head
and upper body during a crash. Airbags do not body parts. is i mport an t to remember that the
o f an eye, so fast that
many don't even real ize that the airb ags
have deployed. The airbags deflate after deployment so that the front occupants can
see through the w inds hield again without inte rrup­
tion .
Airbags infl ate with a great
and the
front of th e passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate and provide protection during certain fronta l sions 69, belts.
Make sure th at nothing is in th e way of the airbags
when they deploy. For example , th ings on your be pushed into your body or
ment when the airb ag inflates and cause serious
personal in ju ry .
T he areas outlined in red (dotted
59 and indicate the airbag deploym ent zone .
N eve r
heavy or objects) on the doors, on the win dshie ld, over or near the area marked in red (do tted lin es).
you have a physical impairment or condition that
prevents you from sittin g on the driver
seat with the safety proper ly fas te ned and
r eac hing the pedals, special modifications to you r
ve hic
le may be necessary. The safety
o r thori zed Volkswagen or th e
Volkswage n Customer Center at for infor mation abo ut poss ible
modifications to your vehicle.
When airbags
Deployment of th e front airba gs and the activation
o f the safety cele rat ion measured by the crash sensors and reg­
i ste red by the e lect ronic control unit. Cras h sever it y
depe nds on speed and decelerati on as as th e
m ass and sti ffn ess of the vehicle or object involved
i n th e crash .
T he front airbags
sions , in rollovers or if the ign itio n is sw itched off.
T he front airbags not inflate in fro nta l sions. The triggering of the airbag system depends
on the
and registered by the electronic contr ol unit. thi s ra te is th e refe ren ce program­
med into the con tro l unit , the airbags not be
t r igge red, even though the veh ic le m ay be d amaged as a Veh icle age, repair costs o r eve n th e of dam­age is not necessarily an ind ica tion of wheth er an
a irbag inflate or not. is not possible to fine a ra ng e o f veh icle speeds that cover every
possible kind and of imp act tha t trigge r the airbags , since the circu mstances vary considerably between one collisio n and other . factors
of impact ,

When an airbag deploys , fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the hicle . This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. This
dust could irritate skin and eyes and cause
ciently when used with properly worn safety belts
and a proper seating position in Introduct ion on page 58
equipment
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
shouldn't be left to c hance. Advances in
gy have made a number of featu res availab le to
help reduce the risk of injury in a collision . The
Sophisticated safety belts for
belt pretensioners for driver and front
passenger .
Advanced front airbag system for driver and
front passenger .
ger.
Airbag indicato r
BAG light.
Electronic control unit and associa ted sensors.
Before driving
Head restraints with height adjustmen t
Adjustable steering column.
LATCH/U CRA lower universal and top tether
anchorages for child safety seats at the rear
These features
can't work as a system if they are not always
be tu rned
off if the weight on the front passe nger seat is less
than the amount programmed in the elect ronic
con t
rol unit . Th e front airbag on the passenge r side
will also be turned off if the combine d weigh t of an
i nfant
of about one year of age in one of the child
seats that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag
ard BAG
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
69, Safety belts.
ery per son in the vehicle is properly seated on a sea t of his or her own, properly fastens the safety belts belonging to that seat before the vehicle starts to move, and keeps the belts properly fasten ed while riding i n the hicle. This applies eve n when just driving around town. Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that everybody in your vehicle is properl y restrai ned .
too close to the steering wheel or strument panel decrease the ness of the airbags and will increase the risk of personal injury in a collision.

or instrument
you cannot sit upright more than ches (25 em) from the steering gate whether adaptive equipment may be to you reach the and
you are unrestrained ,
be seriously injured and
even be if you are siting too
bag wear safety
if the front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced bag
make certain that children age 12 or younger ride in the rear seat.
when the airbag
sit as far as possible from the steering
sit upright with your back against the backrest of your seat.
prevent serious injuries to the head , legs and hips if the airbag inflates.
Objects between you and the airbag crease the risk of injury in a crash by ing with the way the airbag and/or by being pushed into you as the airbag
when the is in use.
instrument or seat backrests or between those areas and someone in the vehicle. These objects if an airbag inflates.
or transport objects on the front passenger seat. make sure that there is nothing on the front passenger seat that to the airbag system that the
seat is occupied by a person when it in fact is not, or to is. The weight of such objects can cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or can cause the airbag to work in a
way that is different from the way it have worked without objects on the seat.
make sure that nothing is on the front passenger seat when the backrest is
The fine dust created when airbags
To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or other respiratory tions should get fresh air right away by or opening windows or

you are in a in which airbags wash your hands and face with soap and water before eating.
.
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the
the restraint off the front passenger seat and
by your authorized or authorized does not come on and stay on whenever a straint is on the front passenger
seat and the ignition is switched on.
Airbags that have
proved by and
and diagnostic equipment to any airbag on your
Never permit or airbags to be The dangers of using
on page 82.
The airbag on the front passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous for a is equipped with an vanced Airbag The front seat is a very
dangerous for an infant or
for a 12 years
and younger , must ride on the back seat
and be
a
Because of this danger , and because better protected on the rear seat when
properly restrained for their age and size, we
strong ly urge you
to make sure that dren ride on the rear seat Child safe-
page 83, Advanced
Airbag infants , child restraints and
be injured and
can even be if too to the airbag
when it
dren must be restrained
be injured by striking the interior or by being ejected from the during a sudden maneuver or
is
bag.

no one can guarantee with absolute certainty that the airbag never deploy
can deploy in accordance with the option for 3 to 6 year-old children under the if a child who is heavier than the combined weight of a typical one-year old fant restrained in one of the forward facing or rearward-facing seats with which your vehicle was certified is on the front passen­ger seat and the other conditions for airbag deployment are met.
on the front passenger seat if the front airbag inflates.
smash the child seat and the child against the seat backrest, center armrest, door, or roof.
conceivable situations that may happen during the useful life of your vehicle.
light does not come on and stay on whenever the ignition is on, immediately
ous personal injury to the child.
exceptional circumstances require the use of a forward-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat, the following special precautions must be taken for the safety and of the child:
-Always make sure that the forward-fac­ing child restraint has been designed and certified for use on a front passenger seat with a front airbag and a side airbag.
-
Always carefully the manufactur­er's instructions provided for the child seat or infant carrier.
- Never
straint up against or very near the instru­ment panel.
-
Always set the safety belt upper chorage to the adjustment position that permits proper installation in accordance with the child restraint manufacturer's
Sitting properly and safely 91