VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 2009 Owners Manual

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
Side Curtain Protection
provide supplemental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants.
Fi g. 28 Th e Side Curtain Pro tec tio n™ a irba gs loca ted above the w indows on bo th s ides .
The S ide Curt ain airbags are in th e
header area on both side s of the veh icle 28 .
Th e general loca tion is iden tified by the word
The Side Curtain Protec tion airbag system
a irba g sys te m suppl eme nts the safe ty belts and
ca n help to r educe the risk of injury for occu­
pant s' heads and upper tor so on the sid e of the
ve hicl e th at is s tru ck in a side collisio n . The Side
C urtain
airbag inflates only in sid e
impa cts and only when the veh icle acce le ration
regi stere d by the control unit i s high enough. If
thi s rate is below the refe rence value pro ­
grammed into th e co ntrol unit, the side airba gs
w ill not be tri gge re d , eve n though the car may be
badly damag ed as a resu lt of th e co llision. It is
not pos sib le to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover eve ry po ssible ang le of impact ,
s inc e th e circum stanc es will vary co nsidera bly
be tween o ne co llisio n and another. Important
fa ctors include , for example, the nat ure {hard or
so ft) o f the impactin g
the ang le of im­
pa ct, vehicle speed, etc. 49, "How Sid e
Curtain Protectio n airbags work" .
As ide fr om the ir nor mal sa fe ty function , safety
b elt s wo rk to he lp keep the dr iver or front pas -
48 Airbag syste m
senge r in po sit io n in the event of a co llision so
that t he S ide Curta in Protectio n™ a irbags ca n
provid e prot ection .
Th e airbag syste m is not a subs titut e for your
safe ty belt. Hath er, it is part of the overall occu­
pant r estraint system in you r ve hicle. Always re­
memb er that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it prop erl y. This is another reaso n
you sh ould alwa ys wear your safety belt s,
n o t ju st becau se the law r equir es you to do so
13, "Safety belts".
Veh icle damage, repair costs or eve n the lack of
vehicle damage is not necessa rily an indi cation
of prop er airbag operation. lt is imp orta nt to re­
m emb er that while the Side Curtain Protec-
ti on
airbag system is de sig ned to help reduce
the like lihood of se rious injuries, oth er injuri es,
for examp le, swe lling, bruis ing, and minor abra­
s ions can als o be assoc iated w it h th ese a irbags.
too, these airba gs w ill deploy onl y
once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions
yo ur safet y belt s are a lways there to offer prote c­
ti on in thos e accide nts in whi ch airbags are not
s upp osed
depl oy or when they hav e al rea dy
d eployed .

The Side Curtain Prot ection ™ airbag syste m ba­
sica lly con sis ts of:
•
e lec tron ic co ntro l modu le and sid e impa ct se nso rs,
•
Sid e Curtain airbag s ab ove front and r ear sid e window s,
• the airbag indica to r
in in strum ent
panel.
Th e airbag
is m oniwred electroni cally to
mak e ce rtain ii is functioni ng prop erl y all
tim es. Eac h you turn on the ig niti on, airbag syste m indica tor will come on for a
fe w seconds (self diagno sti cs).
Th e Side Curtain Protection™ airbag syste m is
not acti vated:
• if the igniti on is turn ed off,
• in sid e colli sion s when the ac ce lera tion
s ur ed by se nsor is 100 low,
Applies to vehicles: with side curtain protection airbags
Booklet 2 .1 Safety first
• in fron t-end collisio ns,
• in rea r-e nd collisio ns,
• in ro llove rs .
In some types o f acc ident s th e front, Sid e
tai n and side airba gs may be tri g­
ge re d to gether.
WARNING
• Safety bell s an d the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in the
proper seating pos ition
4.
• If th e a irbag indicator ligh t comes w hen
th e vehicle is being used, have the system
spec te d immediately by your Volkswagen
deal er. The Sid e C urtain
m ay not work proper ly eve n when the vehicle
acce lera tion in side co llision i s hi gh en oug h
t o act iva te the airbag.
How Side Curtain Protection™ airbags wor k
S id e Curtain
airbags can work together with side airb ags to help re­
d uce the risk of head and upp er to rso injuri es fo r occupants who ar e properly
st rain ed.
F ig . 29 Inflate d Side Curtai n airbags
on the lef t side
T he S ide Curtain airbags occupa nt and sid e windo w on side of ve hicle is in s id e collis io n s 29 . W
hen th e
is tri gger ed , th e S ide Curt ain
Prot ection
and break s through hea der above the and re ar wind ows and center doo r pi llar
and d eplo ys dow nwa rds. In ord er to help
vid e addit io nal prot ection, side airbag infl ate the blink of an eye at very
hi gh sp ee d and g rea t fo rce . The S ide Protec tion airbag could injure you if yo ur
seat ing po sit ion is 1101 prop er or up righ t or if
are in area where the suppl e­sid e a irba g infl ates. This app lies es pe­
cia lly lO children 5 1, "C hild saf ety". thou gh are not a so ft pillow, Sid e C urtain "cu shion" the impa ct and in
thi s th ey can help t o re du ce ris k of injur y the head and upp er part of bod y.
A fine du st
d eve lo p when airbag ploys . Thi s is quit e normal and doe s not mean is a fi re in ve hicl e.
Airbag system 49

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
Applies to vehicle s: with side cvrtoin protection airbags
Important safety instructions to the Side Curtain Protection™ airbag
system
Airbags a re only supplemental restraints. Always properly wear belts and
ride
a proper position.
Ther e is a lot that you and yo ur passeng ers k n ow and do to help th e safety belts and a irbag s
d o their job 10 prov id e s uppl em ental prot ection .
Th e
Curtain Prot ectio n1
·" airbag s in stall ed
for th e front seating and outb oard re ar p osition s
ha ve bee n d esign ed and certifi ed to help re du ce
the risk of injury 1ha1 can b e caused by
when infla te , p ar tic ularly when the occu­next to it i s 1101 se at ed prop erl y.
WA RNING
lmproperlyweari ngsafety belts an d im proper
sea ling pos itions increase risk of serious
perso nal inj ury and d eath when ever a vehicle
i s be ing use d.
• Never le t occupa nts pl ace an y parts of their
bod ies in th e a rea from which the S ide Cu rtai n
P rotcct ion T" airbag infl ates.
• Always make sur e that
Si de Cur tain a ir bag ca n infl ate wit ho ut i nt er­
fe re n ce .
• Use the bu ilt-in coa t hooks o nly
li ght ­
we ig ht clo th in g. Never leave any heavy or
shar p-edge d ob jects in
pockets may
SO Airbag s ystem
&, WARN ING (continued)
int erfe re w ith airb ag de ploy ment and can
ca use perso nal in jury in a co llision.
• Neve r use han ge rs to hang cl oth es o n the
hooks.
• O nly use fac to ry- in stall ed sun sh ad es or, in
th e case of sh ades insta ll ed aft er the ve hicl e
l eaves the fac to ry, onl y ge nuin e Volk swagen
s un sh ades ca n be use d
3.4, ch apt er
"Accessor ies, mod ifications and rep la cin g
par ts".
• A lways sit in
seat ing pos it io n and
w ear sa fe ty belts w hile t raveling so that th e
S id e Cur tain Pro tec tion
1
"M a irb ags can help
p rov ide pro tec tion .
• T he airbag system can onl y be trigge re d
o n ce. If
air bag has th e
sys te m be rep laced by a n auth ori zed
Vo lkswage n dealer or q uali fied w ork sh op.
• Always have wor k inv olvin g
curt ain
a irb ag sys te m , re m ova l and in sta ll atio n o f th e
a irbag compo nen ts, or other re pair s pe r­
formed by a qua lified dea lers hip . Ot henv ise
t h e air b ag syste m may not wor k correc tly.
• Never att em pt t o m odi fy any co mpon en ts
of the a irbag sys tem in a ny way.

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
happ en s w hen
yo ur vehicle is in a cras h appl y also to chi ldren
15 , sa fety belt s?". But unlik e adult s
a nd t eenagers, the ir mu scles and bones are not
f ull y deve lo ped. In man y res pe cts child ren are a t
greater risk of serious inju ry in cras hes than
adult s.
13ecausc childr en' s bodi es are not full y deve l­
oped, they re quir e re straint syste m s es peciall y
d esig ned for their size, weight, and
struc­
tu re. Many co untries and all sta tes of the Unit ed
S ta tes a nd pro vin ces of Ca nad a hav e la ws re­
qui ring the use of ap proved child restra int sys­
tem s fo r infan ts and sm all childr en.
In a fron tal cras h at a s peed of20-35 mph (30-56
km /h ) th e forces actin g on a 13-pou nd (6 kg) in­
fant w ill be m ore
20 tim es the we igh t of the
child. This m eans th e we ig ht of t he c hild would
s udd enl y be mor e th an 2 60 pound s (120 kg).
Under these co nditions, o nly a n appropr iat e
child res traint properl y use d can re du ce the risk
of serious injur y. Child rest rain ts , lik e adu lt
belt s, mu st b e used properl y to be effec­
t ive . U sed im pro per ly, they ca n increase the risk
of serious injur y in an
Consu lt the chil d sca t manuf ac!Ur er's instru c­
tion s to b e sure th e seat is right for your chil d's
s ize
54 , " Imp ort ant safety inst ructi ons fo r
u sin g child seats". Please be sure to rea d and
h ee d all of th e im porta nt inform atio n and
WAHN INGS
c hild safety, Advanced Air­
bags , the in sta lla tion of child r estraint s in
thi s
is lot you need to kn ow about the Ad­
van ced in your vehicl e and how th ey
wo rk when infants c h ild re n in child re­
strai nts arc o n the front passenge r sea t.13eca use
of the la rge amo unt of im portant inform ati on .
we cann ot re p eat it all here . We urge you to re ad
th e deta iled inf orm ati on in thi s booklet abo ut a
irba gs and the i\dva nced A irbag Sys te m in yo ur
veh icle an d th e very import ant inform ati on
abo ut transport ing c hildren on th e front pas­
se ng er sea t. Pl ease be sure to heed the WARN­
I NGS -th ey are ex trem ely imp ort ant for yo ur
sa fe ty and th e safety of yo ur pa sse ngers , espe­
ciall y in fants and sm all childr en .
WARNING
• Accident statistics have shown that chil­
dr en are genera lly sa fer in th e rear seat area
t h an in the front seating po sition. Always re­
s train any ch ild age 12 and und er in th e re ar.
• AU vehicle occ upant s and especially chil­
dr en mu st be r estrain ed properl y w hen ever
riding in a vehicle. An unr estrain ed or im­
properly res trained ch ild could be injured by
striking the interior or by being ejec ted from
the vehicle during
sudden maneuver or im­
pact. An unrestrain ed or improperly re­
stra ined ch ild is also at greater r is k of injury or
death through contact with an inflating
airbag.
• A sui table chil d re straint properly in stalled
a nd u sed at on e of th e rear seati ng positio ns
pro vid es t he hi gh est degre e of protection for
infants and small children in mo st accident
s ituation s.
WARNING
Childr en on the front s cat of any car even with
i\dvanced can be seriously injured or
eve n kill ed when an ai rbag inflat es.
• A ch ild in
re arward -facing child seat in­
s ta lled on the front p assenger seat will be seri­
o usly injur ed and can b e killed if the front
a irbag inflate s.
• The inflati ng airbag
hit th e ch ild seat
or infant carrier with great fo rce a nd will II>-
Child safety 51

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
WARNING (continued)
sma sh th e c hild scat and child against th e
backr est, ce nter arm r est, door or roof.
• If y ou mu st in sta ll a rearward facin g ch ild
sca t on the front pas senger seat in exce ptional
circum stan ces and the "PAS SENGER
BAG li ght d ocs not come on and stay on, im­
m ed iately install the rear-faci ng ch ild sca t in a
r ear sea ting po siti on and have the airbag
sys tem inspe cted immedia tely by your Volk­
swagen dea le r.
WARNING
If , in exce ptiona l circumstances , you must in­
s tall a forward-facing child r estraint on the
fr on t pa sse nger's seat:
• Always make s ure th e forward-facing seat
h as be en de signed and certifi ed by it s m anu ­
factur er for use on a front seat w ith a pa s­
se nge r front and side airb ag.
WARN ING (con tinued)
• Always fo llow the m anufacturer 's in stru c­
tions provid ed wi th the c hild seal or carri er.
• Alw ays move the pa sse nger seat into its re­
armost p osition in the seat's fore and aft ad­
ju stm ent range, a s far away from
airbag as
po ssibl e befo re in stallin g the child re str aint.
The ba ckrest mu st be adju sted lo an upright
po sition.
• /\lwa ys make su re th at nothing pre vents
th e fro nt passenger' s sea t from being mo ved
to the re armo st p osition in it s fore and aft ad­
ju stme nt ran ge.
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR
B A G OFF li ght come s on and sta ys o n all th e
tim e when eve r the ignition is switch ed on.
• If th e PASSENGE R
BAG light does
nol come o n and sta y o n, immediat ely install
th e fo rward-fac ing child seat in a rear seating
po sition and h ave the air ba g sys te m in spec te d
by your Volkswage n deale r.
-4
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicl e is equ ipped with dual-stage fron t
" A dvan ced Airbag Sy ste m " in comp lian ce w ith
U nited Sta tes Fed eral Motor Vehicl e Safety Stan ­
dard (FMV SS) 2 08 as app licable at th e tim e yo ur
ve hicl e
manuf actur ed.
Th e Advan ced Airbag syste m in your vehicle has
b e en certifi ed t o mee t the "low risk " re qui re­
for 3 and 6 year -o ld childr en on the pa s­
s e ng er sid e and small adults on the dr ive r sid e.
Th e lo w r is k dep loym ent crit eria arc int ended
to redu ce th e risk of inju ry through wi th the air ba g th at ca n occ ur, for examp le , b y
being too clo se lO the s tee ring wheel and ment pane l wh en th e a irbag inflat es. In addi ­
ti o n, th e sys te m ha s bee n ce rtifi ed t o co mply
52 Child safety
with the " suppr essio n" re qui re ments of the
Saf ety Standa rd. to turn off th e fro nt air bag for
in fants up to 12 month s who are re strai ned on
th e f ront pa ssenger se at in child rest ra int s th at
ar e liste d in th e S ta ndard.
Eve n thou gh yo ur vehicl e is e quipped w ith an
A dv an ced Airb ag sys te m, all chil dren, e sp eci ally
t h ose
12 year s and younger, sho uld a lway s ride
i n th e ba ck se at prop erly re strained for their ag e
a n d siz e . T he airbag on th e pa sse nger side
makes t he front sca t
po te ntiall y dangerou s
pla ce for a child to rid e. Th e front seat is not the
s af es t pla c e f or a child in a forward -fac ing child
se at. It ca n be a ve ry dang erou s place for a n in­
fa nt or a larger child in a r earward-facing seat.
-4

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
Advanced Airbags and the weight -sensing mat in the front seat
The A dva nced Airba g Sys te m in yo ur vehicl e de­
t e cts the presence of an infant or ch ild in a child
r estrai nt on th e fron t passe nger sea t usin g th e
weig ht-sensin g mat in the sea t cushi on and the
se nso r below the safe ty belt lat ch on the front
p assenger seat th at m eas ures the te nsion on th e
belt.
The weigh t-se nsi ng m at m eas ures
we ig ht
o f th e c hild and the child seat and a child bla nk et
on the front pa sse nge r sea t. The weight on th e
front passe nger seat is re la ted to th e de sig n of
the child restrai nt and its "foo tprint ", the s ize
an d sh ap e of the b ou om of the c hild res traint a s
it sits on the se at. The we ig ht of
ch ild res traint
an d it s "foot print " vary for differe nt kind s of
child re straint s and for th e diffe re nt m odels of
t h e sam e kin d o f child r estraint offere d b y child
re straint manufa ctu rers.
Th e weig ht ranges for the indi vidual ty p es,
makes and m odels of c hild res trai nts th at th e
N HT SA has sp ecified in th e Safe ty Standa rd to· ge
ther w ith th e weight ra nges of typi ca l in fants
and ty pic al I ye ar-old child have bee n sto re d in
t h e co ntrol un it o f the Advanced Airb ag Sys te m.
Whe n a c hild res traint is bei ng use d on th e fro nt
passe nge r sea t w ith a ty p ica l
1 ye ar- old child , th e
A dvanc ed Ai rbag System compares the weight
mea sur ed b y th e we ig h t-se nsi ng ma t w ith the
informa tion stored in the elec tro nic con trol unit.
T he elec troni c control u nit al so reg is te rs th e ten ­
s ion on th e front passeng er sa fe ty be lt. T he te n ­
s ion on th e sa fety belt for the front pa ssenger
sea t
be different for ad ult is prop erl y
u sin g th e s afety belt as compar ed to the te n sio n
o n th e be lt
it is use d to att ach a child r e­
s traint to th e seat. Th e senso r be low the la tc h fo r
th e safe ty belt for t he front seat passe nger mea­
s ur es the tensio n on th e be lt. The input from thi s
se nso r is th en use d wit h the weig ht t o "d ec ide ",
w hethe r th ere is a chil d res tra int with a typica l
1 year-old ch ild on the front passe nger seat and
w he th er or not th e airb ag mu st b e turn ed
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Hegar dlcss of the ch il d re stra in t that you use,
mak e sur e th at it has been ce rtifi ed me et
United States Fe dera l Motor Vehicl e Saf ety S tan ­
dard s and has been ce rtified by its m anufa ctu re r
for use w ith a n airb ag. /\!ways be sur e that the
c hild r estrai nt i s pro perly
at o ne of t he
r ear sea ting pos itio ns. I f in exce ptional circu m­
s ta nces you m ust u se it o n the fro nt pa ssenge r
sea t, car efull y read all of th e in for matio n on
c hild safety and Adva nced Airbags and hee d all
of th e a pplicabl e
IN GS . Mak e ce rtain that
t h e c hild res traint is cor rec tly reco gnized by th e
we ig ht- sensin g mat in side the front passe nge r
sea t, th at th e front p assenge r air b ag is turn ed off
and th at the a irb ag stat us is always correc tly s ig­
n aled by th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
Many ty p es an d m odels of ch ild res 1rai111 s have
b ee n avai lab le ov er th e years ,
models are
introdu ced r egularl y in cor poratin g new and im ­
proved des ign s and old er m odels are take n out
of produ cti on. Chil d res train ts are no t sta ndard­
i zed. C hild restra ints o f the sam e ty p e typi ca ll y h
ave diff ere nt weight s and sizes and differ en t
'foot prin ts ,' t he s ize and sh ape of th e bott om of
th e c hild res train t th at s its on the seat, whe n
th ey are installed on a vehi cle seat. Th ese differ­
e nces mak e it virt uall y impos sib le to cert ify
co mplian ce with th e re quireme nts fo r adva nce d
a ir bag s wit h ea ch and every child res traint that
h as eve r bee n so ld in the pa st or will be sold ove r
th e co urse of the use ful life of yo ur vehicle.
For thi s reaso n, th e Uni te d Sta tes N ati ona l
Hi gh way Tra ffic Sa fe ty A dmini strat io n has pub­
li sh ed
li st of sp ecifi c type, makes and mode ls
of child restr ai nt s that must b e use d t o ce rti fy
co mpliance of the Advan ced Air bag Syste m in
y our vehicl e w it h th e s uppre ssio n r equir em en ts
of Fe d era l Moto r Ve hicle Safety S tandard 208.
Th ese c hild restra ints are:
A. Car beds, manufactur ed an or after De·
cember 1, 1999:
• Cos co Dre am Rid e 02-7 19
Child safety 53

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
8. Rear facing child restraint systems, manufac­
tured on or alter December l, 1999.
( W hen the res tra in t sys te m comes e quipp ed
w ith a re mo vable ba se, co mpli ance ha s to be
ce rtified with or wit hout the ba se).
• Britax Hand le wit h Care
191
• Centur y Ass ura 4553
• Centu ry Sm art Fit 4 543
• Cosco Arriva 02727
• Eve nflo Disc overy A dju st 212
• Evenflo Fir st Ch oice
204
• Gra co Infant 8 11 57
C. For war d-facing convertible child res trai nt
systems, manufactured on or after Dece mber l ,
1999:
• Brit ax Rou ndabou t
161
• Brit ax Expressway J SOFIX
• Centur y Enco re
• Century 1000
• Cosco Ol ymp ia n 0280 3
• Cosco Touriv a 02519
• Even flo Horizon V 425
• Evenfl o Meda llion 25 4
• Saf ety 1s t Co mfort Ride 22-400
D. Forward-fac ing toddler /be lt po sitioning
booster systems, manufactur ed on or after D e­
cember l, 1999 :
• Brita x Roadster
9004
• Century Next Step 4920
• Cosco High Back Booste r
• Eve nfl o Hig ht Fit 2 45
L'.0, WARNING
To redu ce the ri sk of serio us inju ry, mak e sur e
that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght comes
on and sta ys on when eve r a child restraint is
in stall ed on the front pa ssenger sea t and the
ignition is switched on.
• Take the child res traint
the front pa s­
s enger seat a nd install it properl y at one of the
rear seat position s if th e PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not sta y o n.
• Have the airbag system insp ec ted by yo ur
aut hori zed Volkswag en dealer immediately.
Important safety instructions for using child seats
Correct use of chil d seat s substant ially reduce s the risk of injury in an ac cident!
Fi g. 3 0 Neve r le t babi es or older c hildren rid e in a
v ehicl e wh ile s itting on th e lop o f a no th er passenge r.
As the driver, yo u ar e res pon sible for th e
s a fety of eve ry bod y in th e ve hicle , espe­
ci all y chil dren:
54 Child safety
-Alway s use the right child seat for each
c hi ld and alwa ys use it prop erly
51.
- Alw ays caref ully foll ow the child seat
m anu fac turer 's in stru ction s on how to
rou te the sa fe ty bel t pr oper ly throu gh
child seat.
- When usin g th e ve h icle safety belt
10 in ­
s ta ll a child seat, you must fir st a ctivat e
sw itchab le lock ing fea tur e on th e safe ty
b elt
p reven t th e child seal from mov ing
60.
- Push th e c hild sea t d ow n with yo ur full
weig ht to get the sa fe ty belt re all y light so
th at the seat cannot mov e for ward or side -
w ays more th an one inch (2.5 cm ).
»,,

-If a strap or te ther is being use d to tie
th e ch ild sea t to th e front passenge r seat,
ma ke s ure that it is
no t so tight that it
ca uses the we ight -sensin g mat to meas ure
more weig ht th an is actuall y on the se at.
Always remember: Even though yo ur vehicle is
e quip ped w ith an Advanced Airbag sys te m. all
c hildr en, especia lly those 12 years a nd youn ger,
s h ould always ride in the ba ck sea t p roper ly re­
s train ed for th eir age and size.
WARNING
Not using a child sc a t, u si ng th e wrong child
s eat or improp erly insta llin g a c hild r estraint
in creases the risk of se riou s personal injury
and dea th.
• All ve hicle occupants and especia lly chil ­
dr en must alway s be res train ed properl y
whenever riding in a ve hicl e.
-
unr estrain ed or improperl y re­
s trained child can be injur ed or kill ed by
b ein g thrown against the insid e of th e ve­
hicle or by being ejected from it during a
s udd en man euver or imp act.
-
unrest rained or improperly re­
stra ined ch ild is at much greater risk of in­
jur y or death by being stru ck b y an in­
fl atin g ai rbag.
• Comm ercia lly ava ilabl e child seats are re­
quir ed t o co mply with U.S. Federal Motor Ve­
hicle Safe ty Sta ndard (FMVSS) 2 13 (in Canada
CMVSS2 13).
- Wh en buying a child re straint , selec t one
that
y our child and the vehicle.
- Onl y use child restraint syste m s that
full y contact the flat portion of
seat
cushion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean t o either side. Volkswag en do cs not
r eco mmend using child scats that r es t on
l egs o r tube -lik e fram es. They do not pro­
vide adequate co ntact with the scat.
- Always hee d all legal r equirem ent s per ­
t a inin g to the in stallati on an d u se of ch ild
sc ats and care fully follo w the in structions
pro vided by the manufacturer of the seat
yo u arc usin g.
• Neve r allow childr en und er 4 ft 9 in (57
in che s, 1.5 met ers) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restr ained b y a
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
WARN ING (continu ed)
proper child re straint system. Oth erw ise, they
c ould susta in injurie s to the abdomen and
ne ck ar eas during sudden braking maneuvers
or accidents.
• Never let more than one child oc cupy a
child scat.
• Neve r let babi es or older chil dre n ride in a
ve hicle while sittin g on the lap of anoth er pas­
se nge r.
- Holding a child in your arms is neve r a
sub stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the
c hild with the forces that exis t in an acci­
dent. The child will strik e th e int eri orof the
ve hicl e and can al so be s tru ck by the pa s­
senger.
- The child and th e passenge r ca n also in­
jur e each another in an accident.
• Ne ver install rear-faci ng child seat s or in­
fant carriers on the front passe nge r sea t.
w ill b e se riou sly injur ed and can be
killed when the passenger airbag inflates
even with Advanced Airbag System.
• The i nflating airb ag w ill hit th e child scat
o r infant carrier w ith great force and will
s mash th e child scat a nd child against the
backr est, ce nter arm res t, d oo r or roof.
• Alwa ys insta ll rear-facing child scats or in­
fant carri ers on the r ear seat.
• Forward-facing child seats insta lled on th e
front pa ssenger 's sca t can interfer e with th e
a irb ag w hen it inflate s an d cau se se riou s in­
ju ry to th e child . Always install forward-facing
c hild scats on the rear seat.
• I f exce ptional circumstance s requir e th e
u se of a forward-facing child res traint on the
front pa ssenger's scat, th e c hild 's safet y and
we ll-be ing require that the following sp ecia l
pr ecaut ions be taken:
- Make sur e the fonvard-facing seat ha s
been des ig n ed and
by its manu­
factur er for use on a front scat with a pas ­
se nger front and side airba g.
- Always carefully follow the manufac­
tur er's instru ction s pro vid ed w ith th e child
sea t or carrier.
- Always move the front pa ssenger seal
into th e rearmo st position
pass enger
Child safety 55

Booklet 2.1 Safety first
W ARNING (c on tinued)
seat's fore and aft adjustment rang e, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before
in stalling the child restr aint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre vents
the front pas seng er's sca t from b ein g
mov ed to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Alwa ys m ake sure that the backrest is in
the upright position.
• Alway s buckle th e child scat firmly in place
even if a ch ild is not sitti ng in it. A loose ch ild
scat can fl y around durin g a sudd en stop or in
a collision.
• Always read and hee d all WAR NIN GS
whene ver usin g a ch ild restrained in a vehicl e
i s being used
13, "Sa fety belts",
Infant seats
WARNING (continued)
"Airbag system" and 51,
"Ch ild safe ty" .
WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
th at the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on when ever a child re straint i s
in sta lled on the front p assenger seat and the
ignition is switched on.
• Take the c hild r estra int off the front pa s­
se nger seat and install it prop erl y at on e of the
r ea r seal positi ons if the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF lig ht do cs not stay on.
• Have the airbag syste m in spected by your
authorized Volkswage n dealer
Babies and infants abou t one year old that weigh at least 2 0 -22 lbs. (9 -10
kg) must sit in rearward-facin g child rest raint s tha t support the back , neck and
head in a collision.
Fig. 31 Rearward-fa cing infonl seat properly in­
stalled on the reor seat
-When usin g th e veh icle safe ty bel t to in­
s ta ll a chil d se at, yo u mu st first activa te th e
sw itchabl e lo ckin g feat ure on the sa fety
b e lt to prevent the c hild seat from mo ving
56 Child safety
-strap or teth er is bein g use d to tie
th e child seat to th e front passe nger sea t,
mak e sure that it is not s o tight th at it
ca uses the weigh t-sens ing mat to m easure
more weig ht th an i s ac tually on the sea t.
up to about o ne yea r (up to 22 lbs. or lO
k g ) arc best protected in sp ecia l in fa nt carrier s
a n d child sea ts desig ned for their age gro up.
Man y expert s be lieve that infant s and sma ll chil ­
dr en shou ld rid e o nly in specia l res tra int s in
w hi ch th e c hild fac es the back of the veh icle.
The se infant scats support the baby 's ba ck, neck
and hea d in
coll ision . Th ese chil d seats can be
u se d safely on ly on the rear sea t of yo ur Volk­
swagen
WARNING
N ot u sin g a c hild seat, u sing the wrong child
sca t or improp erly in stalling a child r estraint
incr eases the risk of serio us pers onal injury
and death in a collisio n.
• Neve r inst all rear-facing child scats or in­
f a nt carr iers on the front passen ger seat -eve n

WARNING (continu ed)
with an Advanced Airbag System . A chi ld will be seriously injur ed and can be killed when
the infl atinga irb aghil s the child seal or infant
ca rri er w ith grea t force and smashes the c hild
sca t and child against the backres t, cen te r
arm res t, door or roo f.
• Alwa ys install rea r-facing child seats o r
fant carriers on the rear scat.
• Never install a rear-facing child r estraint in
the forward-facing direction . These restra ints
a rc des ig n ed for th e speci al needs of infants
and very small children and cannot prote ct
th em prope rly if the seat is fo rwa rd-faci ng.
Convertible child seats
Booklet 2.1 Safety first
WARNING (continued)
• If you must in sta ll a rear ward facing child
sca t on the front passenger sca t because
cept ional circ umstances a nd th e PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on, immediately install the r ear -fa cin g child
sea t in a rear seating position and have the
a irba g sys tem inspected by your Volkswage n
d ea ler.
• Alwa ys re ad and heed all WARN INGS
w hen ever usin g a child r estrain ed in a vehicle
i s bein g used
13, "Safety belts", 27, "A irbag sys tem" and 51,
"C hild
Prop erl y convertible child seats can help protect toddlers and ch ildre n over
age one who weigh. between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
a crash..
Fig . 32 Smal ler child in a properly i nstalled for ·
wa rd -fac ing LATCH child restra int system on the rear
seot
- When using the vehicle safety belt to
s ta ll a c hild sea t, y o u must fir st ac tiva te the
s w itch able locki ng fea tur e on the sa fety
belt to prevent the child sea t from movin g
60 .
Pu sh the ch ild seat clown with your full
weig ht to get the sa fe ty belt rea lly tight so
tha t th e sea t cannot move forwa rd or sid e­
ways more t han one inch (2.5 cm ) ..
Fa ste n th e safe ty belt that is part of the
c hild r estraint system securely and pu ll it
t ight so that yo u ca n onl y s lip one finger
unde rnea th th e sh o ulder belt portion at
the c hild's ch es t.
If a strap or teth er i s bein g used to tie
the c hild seat to the
passe nger scat,
make sur e th at i t is not so tight tha t it
ca uses the weig ht-sens ing mat to meas ure
more w eig ht tha n is ac tually on the seat.
A to ddl er o r child is usu ally 10 0 large for an restraint , if it i s mor e than on e year old and
we igh s mor e th an 22 lbs. (JO kg).
Todd lers and child re n b etween o ne and abo ut
fou r ye ars old and w eigh betwe en 22 lbs. (10 kg)
and 40 lbs. (18 kg) mu st alway s be properl y
str ai ned in a child scat ce rtifi ed fo r th eir size and
we ig ht 32 .
The airbag on the pa sse nge r side
th e
fr ont sea t a p ote nti ally dange rou s plac e for a
c hild to rid e. The fr ont scat is not th e safe st p lace
for a chi ld in a forward-facing child seat. It is a
v ery dangero us pla ce for an
or a large r
c hild in a r earward-faci ng se at.
Child safety 57