Volkswagen Tiguan Owners Manual: How to tell if the front passenger front airbag is on or off

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

Passenger front airbag

Regardless of safety belt use, the front airbag of the front seat passenger will be turned off if the weight on the this seat is less than the amount programmed in the electronic control unit.

The front airbag on the passenger side of the front seat will also be turned off if the weight registered on the seat (by the weight-sensing mat) is less than or equal to the combined weight of

- a typical 1 year-old infant and

- any of the child restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 for which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is certified.

For a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your vehicle's compliance with U.S. Safety Standard 208, see ⇒ Child restraints and Advanced Airbags . The PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes on and stays on to tell you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off.

Passenger front airbag active

• Switch on the ignition.

• The weight-sensing mat registers the weight on the front passenger seat. If that weight is above the reference value, the passenger front airbag will be switched on by the Advanced Airbag control unit.

• If the ignition is on, and the  PASSENGER AIR BAG light in the instrument panel does not come on the passenger front airbag is generally active. If the OFF light has burned out (see below), you will be unable to tell whether the passenger front airbag is active or not.

Using child restraints on the front passenger seat

The airbag on the front passenger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride. Because of this danger, and because children are generally better protected on the rear seat when properly restrained for their age and size, we strongly advise that you always place children on the rear seat ⇒ Child safety and child restraints . For a list of the child restraints used to certify compliance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle with the suppression requirements of FMVSS 208, see ⇒ Child restraints and the Advanced front airbag system .

For more information, see Child safety and child restraints ⇒ Child safety and child restraints ; note ⇒  below!

How do I know when the passenger front airbag has been turned off by the control unit?

The PASSENGER AIR BAG light in the instrument panel will come on and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic control unit. Unless the yellow OFF light comes on and stays on, the passenger front airbag is still active ⇒ PASSENGER AIR BAG light .

For safety reasons, you must never use a child restraint system on the front passenger seat unless the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes on and stays on, perhaps in combination with the indicator light in the instrument cluster. If the passenger front airbag were to deploy in an accident, it would severely injure and possibly kill the child in the restraint system. If the bulb for the PASSENGER AIR BAG light burns out, the airbag indicator light will come on and signal a malfunction of 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.

Danger!

A front seat passenger, especially an infant or small child, will be seriously injured and can even be killed if sitting too close to the airbag when it deploys.

• All vehicle occupants and especially children must be restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the interior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or improperly restrained child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with an inflating airbag.

• A child in a rearward-facing child seat installed on the front passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the front airbag inflates.

• The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or infant carrier with great force and will smash the child seat and the child against the seat backrest, center armrest, door, or roof.

• Accident statistics show that children are safer on the rear seat than on the front seat.

• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of the rear seating positions provides the highest degree of protection for infants and small children in most accident situations.

• For their own safety, all children, especially 12 years and younger, must always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their age and size.

• When installing a child restraint, always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Warning

To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes on and stays on whenever a child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched on. Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install it properly at one of the seating positions on the rear seat if the PASSENGER AIR BAG light does not stay on. Have the airbag system inspected immediately by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.

• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use of a towel, foam cushion or something similar to properly position the child restraint, make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat.

• Otherwise, install the child restraint system on the rear seat!

Warning

Changes in the weight on the passenger seat while driving can switch the passenger front airbag on or off so that it does not deploy when it should or deploys when it should not, resulting in an increased risk of serious personal injury.

• Do not carry anything on your lap or transport things on the passenger seat. Things on the passenger seat can increase the weight registered by the weight-sensing mat, sending the wrong information to the airbag control unit. These objects can also cause serious personal injury if the airbag inflates.

• Never reduce weight on the passenger seat by holding the handle above the passenger door, supporting body weight on the armrest, or by holding the grab handle.

• Always make sure that a child restraints has been correctly registered by the weight-sensing mat. If the status of the Advanced Airbag System has changed while the vehicle is moving, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 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 to make sure that the airbag on/off status is correct for the passenger riding on the front passenger seat.