Volkswagen Tiguan Owners Manual: PASSENGER AIR BAG   light

Fig. 68 PASSENGER AIR BAG   light on the instrument panel.

Read and follow the introductory information and safety information first⇒Introduction to the subject 

On	Location	Possible cause	Solution
	Instrument cluster	Airbag and belt pretensioner system malfunction.	See your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility immediately to have the system checked.
	Instrument panel ⇒ Fig. 68	Airbag system malfunction.	See your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility immediately to have the system checked.
Front passenger airbag turned off by Advanced Airbag System.	Check if the airbag must stay turned off.

The PASSENGER AIR BAG light will come on and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced Airbag System on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic control unit.

If the bulb for the PASSENGER AIR BAG light burns out, the airbag indicator light ⇒ Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System  will come on and signal a malfunction in the Advanced Airbag System. Although the burned-out bulb will not change the way the front airbag on the passenger side works, it will no longer be possible to use the PASSENGER AIR BAG light to make sure that the airbag on/off status is correct for the occupant on the front passenger seat. Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.

The PASSENGER AIR BAG light will blink for about 5 seconds when:

• the ignition is switched on and

• the weight-sensing mat, which switches the front seat passenger's front Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a change in the status of the front passenger seat.

After the PASSENGER AIR BAG light stops blinking, always make sure that the airbag status (on or off) as shown by the PASSENGER AIR BAG light is proper for the size, age, and weight of the occupant on the front passenger seat. Always make sure that the safety belt for the front passenger seat is properly fastened.

The PASSENGER AIR BAG light will show the status of the front seat passenger's front Advanced Airbag System a few seconds after the ignition has been switched on and the airbag monitoring light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR BAG light:

• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied;

• will stay on if the combined weight of an infant up to about 1 year of age in one of the rearward-facing or forward-facing child restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, with which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified, is detected by the weight-sensing mat in the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your vehicle's compliance with the US Safety Standard, see ⇒ Child restraints and the Advanced front airbag system .

• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as registered by the weight-sensing mat.

The PASSENGER AIR BAG light must come on and stay on if the ignition is on and...

• a car bed has been installed on the front passenger seat, or

• a rearward-facing child restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat, or

• a forward-facing child restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat,

• and if the weight registered on the front passenger seat is equal to or less than the combined weight of a typical 1 year-old infant and one of the rearward-facing or forward-facing child restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.

If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front passenger airbag will not deploy, and the PASSENGER AIR BAG light will stay on.

Never install a rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat. The safest place for a child in any kind of child restraint is on the rear seat ⇒ Advanced Airbag System, infants, child restraints and children on the front seat  and ⇒ Child safety and child restraints .

If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes on.

If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes on when one of the conditions listed above is met, be sure to check the light regularly to make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG light stays on continuously whenever the ignition is on. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light does not come on and stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so AND

• reactivate the airbag system by turning the ignition off for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on again;

• remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make sure that the child restraint is properly installed and that the safety belt for the front passenger seat has been correctly routed around or through the child restraint as described in the child restraint manufacturer's instructions;

• make sure that the switchable locking feature on the safety belt for the front passenger seat has been activated and that the safety belt has been pulled tight,

• make sure that things that may increase the weight of the child and child seat are not being transported on the front passenger seat;

• make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is not blocked. Shake the safety belt buckle on the front passenger seat back and forth;

• make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety belt buckles and that they are not obstructed;

• if a strap is being used to tie the child seat to the front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on the seat.

If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does not come on...

If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does not come on and does not stay on continuously (when 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. Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.

The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT come on...

The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT come on when the ignition is on and an adult is sitting in a proper seating position on the front passenger seat. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes on and stays on under these circumstances, make sure that:

• the adult on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the center of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the backrest and the backrest is not reclined;

• the adult is not taking weight off the seat by holding on to the passenger assist handle above the front passenger door or supporting their weight on the armrest or holding onto the assist handle on the instrument panel;

• the safety belt is being properly worn and that there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt webbing;

• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause an incorrect reading or impression on the weight-sensing mat under the upholstery of the seat have been taken off the front passenger seat.

• the optional safety belt extender has not been left in the safety belt latch for the front passenger seat.

Warning

If the status of the Advanced Airbag System has changed while the vehicle is moving, the PASSENGER AIR BAG light blinks for about 5 seconds to catch the driver's attention. If this happens, always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the steps described above.

Warning

If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light does not go off when an adult who is not very small is sitting on the front passenger seat after taking the steps described above, make sure the adult is properly seated and restrained at one of the rear seating positions.

• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility before transporting anyone on the front passenger seat.

• If the weight-sensing mat in the front passenger seat detects an empty seat, the front airbag on the passenger side will be turned off, and the PASSENGER AIR BAG light will stay on.

• If the optional safety belt extender is left in the buckle for the front safety belt, or the front passenger safety belt itself is buckled and the front passenger seat is not occupied, the PASSENGER AIR BAG light will come on.