VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG 2012 Owners Manual

Parts, accessories, repairs and modifications

WARNING
Inappropriate spare parts and accessories as well as unprofessionally performed work, modi-fications and repairs can cause vehicle damage, accidents and serious personal injuries.
x Volkswagen strongly recommends to only use accessories approved by Volkswagen and Genuine Volkswagen Parts®. These parts and accessories have been evaluated by Volkswagen for their suitability, reliability and safety.
x Have repairs and vehicle modifications performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized Volkswagen Service Facilities have the required tools, diagnostic equipment, repair infor-mation, and trained personnel to properly replace any airbag in your vehicle and assure sys-tem effectiveness in a crash.
x Only install parts on the vehicle that are consistent with factory-installed parts with re-spect to design and characteristics.
x Never store, mount or attach objects, such as cup or phone cradles, on or next to the airbag module covers or within the airbags deployment zones.
x Only use wheel rim/tire combinations approved by Volkswagen for the respective vehicle type.
Break-in period

Volkswagen recommends that you consult an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility before purchasing accessories, spare parts or other equipment. Always do so if you want to install additional accessories or replace parts. Your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility can provide information about legal requirements and factory-recommended accessories, spare parts, and other equipment.
WARNING
Improper vehicle modifications and repairs affect the performance of the airbag system and cause malfunctions and severe personal injuries.
x Never store, mount or attach objects, such as cup holders or phone cradles, on or next to the airbag module covers or within the airbag deployment zones.
x Objects on or near the surface where airbags are located can come loose and cause seri-ous personal injury if the airbag deploys.
Operating fluids and equipment

Leaking operating fluids can pollute the environment. Collect leaking operating fluids in suitable containers and dispose of them properly in accordance with applicable environmental laws and regula-tions.
Repairs and technical modifications

unit. Some suspension changes can, for example, increase the force levels measured by the airbag sensors and send to the electronic control unit and make the airbag system deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if the changes had not been made. Other kinds of changes may reduce the force levels measured by the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploying when it should.
Never install leather upholstery on a vehicle that originally had cloth upholstery. Never install cloth upholstery on a vehicle that originally had leather upholstery. The weight-sensing mat for the Ad-vanced Airbag system will not work properly if different upholstery is installed on the passenger seat than the upholstery originally installed on the vehicle when it was originally manufactured.
WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can change airbag performance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
x Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance characteris-tics as the components originally installed on your vehicle.
x Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved by Volkswagen.
WARNING
Leaving the optional safety belt extender attached to the safety belt buckle on the front pas-senger seat when the safety belt is not being used will prevent the Advanced Airbag System from working properly and can increase the risk of serious personal injury in a collision.
x Leaving the extender attached to the safety belt buckle when the front seat is occupied and the safety belt is not being used will signal to the airbag control unit that the front pas-senger seat is occupied and that the safety belt is being used. The electronic control unit for the airbag system will then receive incorrect information that will
– cause the safety belt pretensioner to deploy unnecessarily in collisions and
– cause the front passenger airbag to deploy later in collisions in which the front airbag would otherwise be triggered earlier to help protect an unrestrained front seat passenger.
x Always remove the safety belt extender when it is not needed and stow it safely.
x Never use the safety belt extender to secure a child restraint.
WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center console can cause safety belt buckle to send the wrong information to the airbag control unit and prevent the Advanced Airbag System from working properly.
x Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety belt buckles and that they are not obstructed.

WARNING
Improper care and servicing, and improper modification and repair work, can increase the risk of personal injury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
x Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the airbag system.
x All work on the airbag system, steering wheel, instrument panel, front seats or electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment, cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.) should be performed by authorized Volkswagen dealers or authorized Volkswagen Ser-vice Facilities. They have the necessary manuals, training, and special equipment.
x The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag has inflated, it must be replaced.
x Use only original equipment airbags approved by Volkswagen. Have them installed by a trained technician who has the necessary tools and diagnostic equipment to properly replace any airbag in your vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash.
x Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to be installed in your vehicle.
Undeployed airbag modules and safety belts pretensioners are classified as Perchlorate Mate-rial – Special handling may apply. Obey all legal requirements regarding handling and disposal of these components – see http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. Obey all applicable legal requirements regarding handling and disposal of the vehicle or parts of its restraint system, including airbag modules and safety belts with pretensioners. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and authorized Volkswagen Service Facilities are familiar with the requirements, and we recommend that you have them perform this service for you.
Notice about data recorded by the Event Data Recorder and vehicle
control modules

Volkswagen will not access the EDR and/or similar data or give it to others - unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the vehicle has been leased) agrees, or;
x upon the official request by the police;
x upon the order of a court of law or a government agency; or
x for the defense of a lawsuit through the judicial discovery process.
Volkswagen may also use the data for research about vehicle operation and safety performance or provide the data to a third party for research purposes without identifying the specific vehicle or infor-mation about the identity of its owner or lessee.
Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of electronic control modules for various vehicle systems, such as engine management, emission control, airbags, and safety belts.
These electronic control modules record data during normal vehicle operation that may be needed by trained technicians for diagnostic and repair purposes. The recording capability of these modules is limited to data (no sound is recorded). Only a small amount of data is actually recorded over a very limited period of time, or stored when a system fault is detected by a control module. Some of the data stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction, or braking, as well as restraint system use and perfor-mance in the event of a crash. Stored data can also only be read and downloaded with special equip-ment that is directly connected to the vehicle.
Using the mobile phone without a vehicle integrated antenna - some
important things to know

Therefore we strongly recommend that you use your cellular telephone in your vehicle only when it is properly attached to an appropriate cradle mounted on a base plate on the instrument panel.
Because of the large number and variety of cellular telephones on the market and the frequency with which new models are introduced, Volkswagen does not offer cradles for cellular telephones. Please check with the manufacturer of the cellular telephone that you plan to use.
WARNING
A mobile phone on the seat, instrument panel or in other places can be thrown around the inside of the vehicle during a sudden braking maneuver, a crash or other accident and injure vehicle occupants.
x Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cup holders, telephone brack-ets, note pads, navigation systems, large, heavy or bulky objects) on the doors, on the wind-shield, over or near the area marked “AIRBAG” on the steering wheel, instrument panel, backrests or between these areas and the occupant. Such objects could cause serious injury in a collision, especially if an airbag inflates.
WARNING
Using a mobile phone or CB radio inside the vehicle without a properly installed and separate outside antenna can be dangerous to your health and that of your passengers because the electromagnetic radiation energy that mobile phones and CB radios emit may be above es-tablished limits. This also applies if the outside antenna is not installed properly.
x Always keep the mobile phone antenna at least 8 inches (20 cm) away from pacemakers. Heart specialists advise that mobile phones can adversely affect the way of pacemakers work.
x Never carry a mobile phone that is switched on in the breast pocket directly over the pacemaker.
x If you suspect there may be interference with a pacemaker or other medical device, switch the mobile phone off immediately.

Consumer Information

x Replacement parts may not be readily available.
x DVD navigation systems for vehicles built for the United States and Canada will not necessarily work in Europe, and may not work in other countries outside of North America.
NOTICE
Volkswagen is not responsible for mechanical damage that may result from substandard fuel or service or the unavailability of Genuine Volkswagen parts.
x Volkswagen is not responsible if the vehicle does not meet the respective legal require-ments in other countries and continents.
Radio antenna and reception