VOLKSWAGEN GOLF PLUS 2004 Owners Manual

Front airbags
Fig . 59 location ond deploy ment zone of the driver front oirbog.
Fig .
60 location and deployment zone of the passenger front oirbog .
read and no te the introductory
on page 80 .
The ve hicle is equippe d w ith
208 applicable at the tim e your vehicl e was manufactured. The a irbag for the driver is in the steerin g fig. 59 and the for the fron t passeng er is in the instrument panel 60 . The gene ra l locatio n of the air bags is
m arked
The activa tes the belt te n sione rs page 84.
Th e a r
eas marke d in re d (do tted page fig . 59 page fig . indi cate the airb ag plo ym ent zone. Never place or
naviga tion systems,
Before driving
heavy or bulky objects ) on the doors, on the s hi eld , o ve r or near the area marked in re d (dotted lin es) .
Front oirbogs not deploy:
if th e ig n itio n is switched off when cra sh
in sid e collision s,
in rear-end collis ions,
in roll overs.
when the cra sh d ecele rat io n measured by the airbag syste m is less than the minimum threshol d nee d ed f or airbag deployment as regis te red by the
e lectroni c control unit.
The passenger front oirbog
when the front passenger seat i s not occupied,
w hen the weight on the fron t passenger seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag in dica tes that t he front airbag on the passe nge r sid e should

be turned off by the electronic control unit (the

Always make sure nothing is in the front air­bag deploym ent zone that could be struck by the airbag when it inflates.
Never hold things or on your lap when the vehicle is in use.
Never place accesso ries or other objects
(such as cup holders, tel ephone brackets, note pads, navigation systems, or things that are large, heavy, or bulky) on the doors; never at­tach them to the doors or the windshield; never place th em over or near or attach them to the area marked
fig. 59 or 91, fig.
Never attach objects to the windshield above the passenger front airbag, such as accessory navigation units or music player s.
Never recline th e front passenger seat to transport objects. can also move into the deployment area of the side airbags or the front airbag during breaking or in a sudden maneu­ver. near th e a irbags can fly dangerously through the pass enger compartment and cause injury, particularly when the seat is reclined and the airbags inflate.
Always make sure that there is nothing on the front passe nger seat that will cause the weight­sensing mat in the scat to signal to theAirbag that the scat is occupied by a person when it i s not, or to signal that it is occupied by someone who is heav ie r than the person actually
sitting on th e sca t. The weight of th e object could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or could cause the airbag to work in a way that is differ ent from the way it
would have worked without the added weight.
Alwa ys make sure that nothing is on the front passenger seat when the backrest is folded
forward. Even light objec ts could be pushed into the seat cu shi on and cause th e weight-sensing mat in the seat to re gister enough weight to turn the airbag on.
Never usc solvents or cleaners on the steering wheel horn pad or instrument panel, because they can damage the
Before driving
airbag cover or change the stiffne ss or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly. When cleaning the hom pad and instrumen t p anel, use only a soft, dry cloth or a cloth moist en ed
with plain water.
A front seat passenger, especially an infant or small child, will be seriously injured and could
eve n be killed if he or she is
Although the Advanced Airbag has been designed to switch off when an infant or child is on the front passenger seat in a child seat that was used during the certification
process for the Advanced Airbag no one can guarantee with absolute certainty that the airbag never deploy under these particular conditions in all conceivable situations for the duration of the vehicle 's use.
For their own safety, all children, especially those 12 years and younger, mus t always sit on the back seat, properly restrained for their age and size.
Facility. A lit indicator light means the airbag may not work properly if
activated in a crash.

Always make sure that the statu s signaled
b y the BAG light is correct
for the way that the front passenger seat is bein g
u sed.
The fine dust c reated when airbags deploy can cause breathing problems for people with asthma or other breathing conditions .
To reduce the risk of breathing probl ems , those wit h asthma or tion s should get fres h air right away by getting
o ut of th e ve hicl e or opening windows or doors.
If yo u are in a c ollision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild soap and wate r b efor e eating.
Be careful not to get the dust int o your eye s, or int o any cut s or sc ratch es.
If the residue should ge t into your eyes, them with water.
Airbags that have deployed in a cras h must
b e replac ed.
Use only original equipment airbag s appro­
ved by Volkswagen and installed by a train ed
technician who has the necessary tools and diagnosti c equipment to properl y re plac e any airbag on your veh icle and assure sys te m eff ec­
ti ve ness in a cra sh.
Neve r pe rmit salvage d or recy cled airb ags t o
be install ed in your vehicle .
Advanced Airbag System components
first re a d and note th e introductory information and heed the
on pag e
vehicles equipped with the Adva nced Airbag Syste m , th e front passe nge r seat contains a who le
array of important Advanced Airbag compo nents
page 82. Be­cause the front passe nger seat contains important Advanced Airbag System components. you must
take ca re to prevent it from bein g damaged . Damage to th e sea t may pre vent the Adva nced Airbag Syste m for the front passenger sea t from
doing its job in a cras h.
S ittin g properly ond solely
Alwa ys hold the s teering wheel with hands on outsid e of th e steerin g wheel rim at the 9 o 'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help re­
duce
Neve r hold the steeri ng wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with your hands anywhere
inside
s ioner s are cla ssified as Material -special handlin g ma y apply.
applicable legal requir ements when
scra pping the vehicle or o f it s restraint sys tem, including airbag modules and safe ty belts
wit h pretensioner s. Auth orized Volkswage n
dealers and authorized Volksw agen Serv ice ties are familiar with the require ments, an d we rec­
ommend that you have them p erform this serv ice for
The front Advanced Airbag System also includes:
sensors in the front of th e ve hicl e th at
m eas ure vehicle acce lera tion and dece leration to
p rovide informat io n to th e Advan ced Airb ag
System about the seve rity o f a crash.
An elec troni c co ntrol unit, with int egra ted
cras h sensors for front and sid e im pac ts. The con­
trol unit w heth er or n ot to fire just the front air bag s ba sed on the information received
from the crash sen so rs. Th e control unit also whether the safety belt pre te n si oners
s hould be activate d.
A n Adva nced Air b ag. with gas genera tor, ins id e the steering wheel hub for th e driver.
An Adva nced Airbag. with ga s gene rator, in sid e the ins trum ent pan e l for th e front passe nger.
A we ig ht-sen sing mat unde r the upho ls tery paddin g of th e front passenge r seat cushion that
m eas ures the to tal weight on the sear. The infor­
m atio n regi stered is sent co nti nuo usly to the elec-
92 93

tronic control unit to regu late deployment of the front Advanced Airbag on th e passe nger side.
A n airbag monitoring syste m and indicator
light in the in strument page 82.
The BAG light in the center of th e instru ment panel tells you when
th e front Advan ced Airbag Sys te m on th e been turned ofT.
A sensor in sid e the safe ty belt buckle for the fro nt passenger scat to measure th e te nsio n on the safe ty belt. Thi s te n sion on th e safe ty belt and th e
we ig ht regis te re d b y th e weigh t sens ing -mat help
t h e control unit w heth er th e passenger
front airbag should be turned ofT or not.
A switch in the safe ty bel t b uckle for the driver and for the front seat passen ge r senses
w hether th at safety belt is lat ched or n o t and
va nced Airbag System from working properly.
Repairs to th e front passenger seat should be performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
Never remove the front passenger scat or driver seat from the vehicle .
Never re move the upholstery from the front passenger scat.
Neve r disassemble or take parts off the seat or disconnect wires from it.
Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or put them on the seat. If the weight-sensing mat in passenger scat is punctured it cannot work properly.
Befor e driving
Never carry things on your lap or carry jects on the front passenger scat.
sending the wrong information to the airbag control unit. T hese objects can also cause serious personal injury if th e ai rbag in nates.
Nevers tore items under the front scats. ponents of the Advanced Airbag Sys tem located under the front seats could be damaged, which coul d prevent them and the airbag system fro m
working properly.
Never put seat covers or replac em ent
cifically approved by Volk swage n.
Seat cove rs can prevent the Adva nced Airbag
System from recognizing child rest cupants on the passenger scat and ca n preve nt the side ai rbag in the seat backre st fro m
Never usc cushions, blankets, or simila r items on the front passenger seat. The additional padding will prevent the
tering a child restraint or person on the seat and will prevent the Advanced Airbag System frum
functioning prope rly.
If yo u must use a ch ild restraint on the front passenger seat and the child re straint
foam cushion or somethin g similar to properly the c hild restraint, m ake certain that the AIR BAG light or AIR BAG ligh t comes on and stays on whenever the child restra int is installed on the front passenger seat.
I f the AIR BAG light o r
immediately install the chi ld
r ized Volkswagen dealer or auth orized

How to if the passenger front airbag is on or off
Please first read and note the introductory information and heed the on page
Passenger fr ont airbag
if the weight on th e front passenger seat is less than the
a m ount programmed in the e lectro nic contro l
unit.
The fron t airbag on the passenger sid e of the front seat will als o be turned off if the weight regis ter ed on the seat (b y the weight -sensin g m at) is less than o r equal to the combined weight of -a typicall-year-old in fant and -any of the Safe ty Standard for whi ch th e
of the restraints that were used to
ce rtif y your vehicle' s compliance with U.S. Safety
Standard or BAG light comes
o n and stays on to tell you w he n th e front Advanced
A irb ag on the passenger sid e has bee n turned off.
P
assenger f ro nt airbag active
Switch on th e ig nition.
T he weight-sensin g mat regi sters the weight on the front passenger seat. lfthat weight is above the
refer ence val ue , the passenger fron t airbag be activa ted.
If th e ign it io n is on, and the ligh t or PASSENGER BAG light in the in strument pane l do es
light h as burn ed out (see below), yo u be able to tell wheth er the passen ge r front airbag is
active or n ot.
U sin g child restraints on th e f ront passenger seat
The airbag o n th e front passenger side m akes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child
page For a listing of the child
re straints that were use d to certify you r vehicle' s compliance with U.S. Safe ty Standard see your authorized V olkswagen dea le r or auth o rize d Volkswage n Se1vice Facility or page
For more information, see C hi ld safety and child page in How to tell if nirbng is
know when th e passenger fro nt airbag
h
as been turned o ff by th e cont rol unit ?
Th e
BAG light come on and stay on to tell yo u when the front A dvanced A irbag on the passenger sid e has been turned off by t he
e lectron ic control unit. Un less th e ye llo w light
page
For safety reasons, yo u m ust never use a child straint sys te m on the front passenger seat unless the lig ht comes o n and stays on, haps in combinati o n w ith th e indicator light in the instrument clu ster. I f th e passenger front airbag deploye d in an accident. it would severel y injure and possibl y
light burns o ut, the airbag m onitorin g cator light will come on and signal a mal function of the A dva nced Airbag System. Although the bulb
light to make sure that the airbag
Have the airbag sys te m inspect e d ately b y your authorized Volkswagen deale r o r au-thorized Volk swag en Serv ice
94 95

To reduce the risk of se riou s injury, make sure
tl1at the or
front
p asse nger seat and
SENGER
rized Volkswagen dealer or swagen Service Facility immediately.
light or
on the front passenger seat.
install the child restraint system on the rear seat!
first re ad and note th e introdu ctory
on pag e
Changes in weight on the passenger seat during travel ca n switch the passe nger front airbag on or so that it does no t deploy when it should or deplo ys when it should
o n your la p or trans­
port things on the passenger seat. weight regis­tered b y the weight-sensing
Never reduce weight on the passenger seat
by hold ing the handle above the passenger door,
suppo rting body weight on the armrest , or by holdin g th e grab handl e on the instrument panel.
Alway s m ake sure that child restraint s are correc tly regi stered by the weight-sensing mat. If the statu s of tl1e Advanced Airbag System has
changed while the vehicl e is moving, the SENGER light blinks for about 5
seconds to catc h the dri ver's attention. If this happens, always stop as soo n as it is safe to do so and check t o make sure that the airbag on/off status is correct for the passeng er riding on the
front passe nger seat
Fig . 62 Dep loymen t zones of the front ond rear side
o irbogs.
Th e side airbags are in th e ba ckre st paddin g of the
drive r a nd passe nge r fig. 61. Dep endin g on
t h e model, th e re al so migh t be side airb ags

door and the backre st. T he general locatio n is
s hown b y th e The area s marked in (dotted lin es)=> 62 in dicate the deploy­
m ent zones of the s ide airbags.
Durin g a s ide colli sio n , the sid e airbags in the backres t ca n deploy. there by redu cing th e risk of inju ry to ve hicle occupants.
The side airbag system includes :
ele ctroni c control m odule and side impact sensors .
Sid e ai rbags in the fro nt backrests and , where applicable, sid e airbags in the rear backrests .
An airb ag monito rin g sy ste m an d indicator light in the in strumen t clu ste r
W hen a side a irbag deploys in a coll is io n, a gas gene ra tor the side airbag b etween the vehicle occupant and the door. Th e side airbag syste m
supple m ents th e safety belt s and ca n help tore­duce the ris k of injury to the occupants' upper torso .
In ord er to help pro v
ide this additio nal protection, the sid e airbag must infl ate w ithin the bl ink of an eye at very hi gh sp ee d and w ith great force. The supplemental side a irbag co uld injure yo u if your seating position is not proper or upright or ifitems are in the area where the supplemental sid e airbag inflate s. Thi s applies especiall y to children
w ill co m e on for a few seconds
(self- d iagnos is).
The airbag syste m i s no t a s ubstitute for your safety be lt. Rather, it is part of the ov era ll occ upant restra int system in your ve hicle=> page 56,
re ad y dep lo ye d.
properly and safe ly
The side airbag sys tem
if the ignition i s sw itched ofT wh en a crash oc­curs,
in side c o lli sio ns wh en the a cce le rat ion mea­
s u re d b y the sensor is to o low,
in front-end collis ion s,
in re a r-end collis ion s,
in rollovers, unless the depl oy men t threshold for deploym ent stored in the control unit is met.
I n s
ome ty pes of accid ent s the front airbags , Sid e
C urtain airbag s and sid e airb ags may
b e triggered together.
A n Inflatin g side a irbag can cause serious or even fatal injury. Improp erly wearing safet y
b elt s and improp er seatin g po siti ons increase
th e risk of se riou s persona l injury and death
whenever vehicle is being used.
To help reduce the risk of injury when the
supplemental sid e a irb ag inflat es,
- Always sit in
an upright po sition and do
not l ea n agai nst th e area where the s ide
airbag is located.
- Neve r le t a c hild or anyo ne e lse rest their
head again st th e s ide trim panel in the area
where the s ide ai rbag inflates.
- Never let anyo ne s itting in the front
seat put their hand out o f window.
betw een yo u and the airba g ca n in­
crease the risk of injury in a colli sion by inter­
fering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as th e airbag inflates.
Never pla ce or attach a ccess ories or other ob­
je cts (su ch a s cup holders, telephone bracke ts , or eve n large , bulky objects) on the doors or over or ncar th e area mark ed p age 96, fig. 6 1.
Accessories or other object s ca n fly dangerously
throu gh the passe nger compart ment and cau se se­rio u s injury if the supplemental sid e airbag
Neve r position or hol d any obje cts o r pet s in the
deplo yment space of an airbag or allow any child ­
r e n or other passenge rs to trave l in s uch a pos ition .
Never use th e built -in coat hook s for any thin g but lightweig ht clothing . Neve r leave
any heavy or sharp- edged objects in the pockets. objects may interfere w ith side airbag de­
pl oy ment and cau se seriou s personal injury in a
co llisio n.
96 97

Always make sure that th e side airbag can in­flate without interfe re nce :
- Neve r in sta ll
seat covers or replacement uphols tery over th e front seat backs that h ave
not been specifically approved by Volk­
swage n. the s ide airbag may not
b e able to deploy fully.
-Neve r put seat c u shi ons, blanke ts , or other cove rings over th e areas where th e s ide ai r­
b ags inflate.
Side Curtain Protection ® Airbag
-Damage to th e original seat covers or to the seam in the area of the si de airbag module must a lways be repaired imme di ­
a te ly by an au thorized Vol kswagen dealer or authorized Volkswage n Service Facility.
Always prevent th e sid e airbags from
b eing damaged b y heavy objects hitting the
s ides of the seat back s or force be ing put on the scat backs, especially in the area w here the
s id e a irbag modul e is located. The air bag sys te m
A lways have work involving the s ide airbag system, including removal, rep lace­ment, and ins talla ti on of airbag compo n en ts, or other re pairs performed by an authorized Volkswagen deale r o r authorize d Volkswage n
Service Facility. the airbag system may not work correctly. Neve r remove th e front seats from th e vehicl e or modify parts of the front seats. Never attempt to modify a ny components of the air bag system in any way. I f excess ive force is exerted on the seat­back bols te rs, the s ide airbags may deploy not at al l o r
Fig. 63 th e left ve hicle side: In stallation location and deploym ent zone of th e Side in airbag.
information and h eed th e WARNINGS on page
Th e Sid e C urta in ai rbags are in the
h eader are a on bot h sid es of th e fig. 63.
Befo re driv ing
The ge nera l lo ca tion is id entified by the word The red fig. 63 sho w th e deploy­men t zo ne of the Sid e Cu rtain airbag .

The Side Curtain airbag system in­
An elec tron ic control module and side impact se nsors.
T he above th e
f ro nt
An monitoring sys te m 82.
Th e
airbags betwee n th e
fig . 63 . The airbag system supplem ents th e sa fety bel ts can help to reduce th e risk o f injury for occupants' heads and uppe r to rsos on the sid e of the that is s truck in s id e
order to he lp provid e thi s additional p ro tectio n,
t h e
w it h in the bl in k of an eye high speed and wi th grea t force. The airbag could injure you if your positio n is
n ot prope r o r upright or if ite ms arc locate d in the area w he re the supp le m ental airbag to page
sys te m is monitored e lectro nically to
make sure it is workin g properly at times. Eac h time you tu rn on the ignit io n , the airbag sys te m dicato r come on for few seconds
( s clf-d iag nosis).
Th e
airbag sys te m i s not it is part of th e ove rall occupant res tra int sys te m in your page 56,
is important to remember the airbag sys te m is desig ned to help re­duce the like lihood of ser iou s inju ry. H oweve r, it is possib le that a deployed m ay cause oth e r in juries s u ch as bruising, burns and abras io ns. Hc m ember too ,
airbags that have deploye d in sa fe ty be lts areal­
way s th ere to offer protection in those accidents in
w hich
The Side Curtain airbag
if the ign ition is switched w hen oc­curs,
in sid e collisions w he n the accele ra tion m ea ­
sure d by th e sensor is too low,
in front-end
in rear-end
in over s , unless the deployment thresh o ld
f o r deploym ent sto red in the control unit is met.
some ty pes of accidents th e front, and sid e airbags m ay be triggered to­geth er.
inflating airbagcan cause serio us or even f ata l injury . wearing safety belts and improper seating posi­tions increase the risk o f serious personal injury and death whenever a is being used.
A lway s make sure tection® can inflate without interference.
or sharp­
edge d objects in the pockets that interfe re
with deployment and c a use personal injury in a
Never u se hangers to on the
hooks.
use facto ry-ins talled sun shades or, if are the leaves the usc only genuine Volkswagen sun shades.
Neve r swing the sun viso rs ove r to the s ide
windows if it ems such pens, door o pe ne rs, hands -free speakers, etc. arc attached to t he su n visors. They could come lo ose and cause serious injury if the
deployed airbag second and at extreme ly high speed.
Neve r objects to the cover or in the de­ployment zone of a Curtain
The
between a ny
v ehicle occupant and a t
98 99