Volkswagen Tiguan Owners Manual: Important safety instructions for using child seats

Fig. 73 Never let babies or older children ride in a vehicle while sitting on the lap of another passenger.

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

Proper use of child seats greatly reduces the risk of injury in collision or other kind of accident!

All children, especially those 12 years and younger, must always ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age and size.

Always use the right child seat for each child and always use it properly.

Always carefully follow the child seat manufacturer's instructions on how to route the safety belt properly through the child seat and how to restrain the child in the child seat.

When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child seat, you must first activate the switchable locking feature on the safety belt to help prevent the child seat from moving ⇒ Installing child restraints with a safety belt .

Push the child seat down with your full weight to get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than about 1 inch (2.5 cm).

Important additional information about installing a child restraint system on the front passenger seat:

If you must install a child restraint on the front passenger seat in exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and heed the important information and warnings in the section of this manual that begins on ⇒ Child restraints and the Advanced front airbag system .

There are also additional adjustments that must be made in order to be able to properly install a child restraint on the front seat:

Set the safety belt upper anchorage for the front passenger seat so that the available safety belt is long enough to properly install the child restraint. Always follow the child restraint manufacturer's installation instructions ⇒ .

Move the front passenger seat to the highest position in the seat's up and down adjustment range and to rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child restraint and make sure the backrest is in the upright position ⇒ .

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.

Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag System, all children, especially those 12 years and younger, must always ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age and size.

Danger!

Never install rearward-facing child seats or infant carriers on the front passenger seat.

• A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates – even with an Advanced Airbag System.

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

• Always install rearward-facing child seats and infant carriers on the rear seat.

Warning

Not using a child seat, using the wrong child seat, or improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious personal injury and death in a collision or other emergency situation.

• All vehicle occupants and especially children must always be restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle.
  • An unrestrained or improperly restrained child can be injured or killed by being thrown against the inside of the vehicle or by being ejected from it during a sudden maneuver or impact.
  • An unrestrained or improperly restrained child is at much greater risk of injury or death by being struck by an inflating airbag.

• Commercially available child seats are required to comply with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
  • When buying a child restraint, select one that fits your child and the vehicle.
  • Only use child restraint systems that fully contact the flat portion of the seat cushion. The child restraint must not tip or lean to either side. Volkswagen does not recommend using child seats that rest on legs or tubular frames. They do not provide adequate contact with the seat.
  • Always heed all legal requirements pertaining to the installation and use of child seats and carefully follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the seat you are using.

• For safety reasons, children under 4 ft. 9 in (57 inches or 1.45 meters) may not wear safety belts. Children must always be restrained by a proper child restraint system. Otherwise, they could sustain injuries to the abdomen and neck areas during sudden braking maneuvers or accidents.

• Never let more than one child occupy a child seat.

• Never let babies or older children ride in a vehicle while sitting on the lap of another passenger.
  • Holding a child in your arms is never a substitute for a child restraint system.
  • The strongest person could not hold the child with the forces that exist in an accident. The child will strike the interior of the vehicle and can also be struck by another passenger.
  • The child and the passenger can also injure each other in an accident.

Warning

Forward-facing child seats installed on the front passenger's seat can interfere with the airbag when it inflates and cause serious injury to the child.

• Always install child seats on the rear seat.

• If exceptional circumstances require the use of a forward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being require the following special precautions to be taken:
  • Always make sure that the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front passenger seat with a front and side airbag.
  • Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with the child seat or carrier.
  • Never install a child restraint without a properly attached top tether strap if the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the top tether strap to be used.
  • Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very near the instrument panel.
  • Always set the safety belt upper anchorage to the adjustment position that permits proper installation in accordance with the child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
  • Always move the passenger seat to the highest position in the up and down adjustment range and move it back to the rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child restraint.
  • Always make sure that nothing is in the way that prevents the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore and aft adjustment range.
  • Always make sure that the backrest is in the upright position.
  • Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
  • Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 9 light comes on and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.

• Always buckle the child seat firmly in place even if a child is not sitting in it. A loose child seat can fly around during a sudden stop or in a collision.

• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child restraint in a vehicle. See ⇒ Safety belts , ⇒ Airbag system , and ⇒ Child safety and child restraints .

Warning

To reduce the risk of serious injury, always 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.

• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light does not stay on, perform the checks described ⇒ PASSENGER AIR BAG light .

• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR BAG light does not stay on.

• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.