Get Parts, accessories, repairs, and modifications -> Repairs and other things that can affect Advanced Airbag performance Guide for Volkswagen Passat SUV Seventh Generation (2010-2014)

Repairs and other things that can affect Advanced Airbag

performance

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

Repairs and modifications of front bumpers, doors, front seats, head-

liners and the chassis can affect proper airbag performance and

should be performed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or author-

ized Volkswagen Service Facility. These vehicle areas can contain

important parts of the airbag system.

Components of the airbag system can be damaged during removal,

assembly and repair activities on the airbag system itself or related

components. Damage to airbag parts can prevent the system from

working properly in a collision.

Observe all regulations so that the effectiveness of the airbag is not

affected and to prevent disassembled parts from causing injuries and

pollution. Authorized Volkswagen dealers, authorized Volkswagen

Service Facilities, and other qualified workshops are familiar with the-

se regulations.

Changing the vehicle's suspension system can change the way that

the airbag system works in a crash. For example, using tire-rim com-

binations not approved by Volkswagen, lowering the vehicle, chang-

ing the stiffness of the suspension, including the springs, suspension

struts, shock absorbers etc. can change the forces that are measured

by the airbag sensors and sent to the electronic control unit. Some

suspension changes can, for example, increase the force levels

measured by the airbag sensors and sent 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 Advanced

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 unap-

proved tire-rim combinations can change airbag performance

and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.

Never install suspension components that do not have the

same performance characteristics as the components originally

installed on your vehicle.

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 passenger 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.

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 passenger

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 colli-

sions in which the front airbag would otherwise be triggered

earlier to help protect an unrestrained front seat passenger.

Always remove the safety belt extender when it is not needed

and stow it safely.

Never use the safety belt extender to secure a child restraint.

WARNING

Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center con-

sole can cause safety belt buckle to send the wrong infor-

mation to the airbag control unit and prevent the Advanced Air-

bag System from working properly.

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 de-

ploying an airbag unexpectedly:

Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the airbag sys-

tem.

All work on the airbag system, steering wheel, instrument

panel, front seats or electrical system (including the installation

of audio equipment, mobile telephones and CB radios, etc.)

should be performed by authorized Volkswagen dealers or au-

thorized Volkswagen Service Facilities. They have the neces-

sary manuals, training, and special equipment.

The airbag system can be activated only once. After an air-

bag has inflated, it must be replaced.

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 effective-

ness in a crash.

Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to be installed in

your vehicle.

Undeployed airbag modules and safety belt pretensioners are

classified as Perchlorate Material. Special handling may apply – see

http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. Obey all appli-

cable legal requirements regarding handling and disposal of the vehi-

cle or parts of its restraint system, including airbag modules and safe-

ty belts with pretensioners. Authorized Volkswagen dealers and au-

thorized Volkswagen Service Facilities are familiar with the require-

ments, 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

¤ Please first read and note the introductory information and

heed the WARNINGS

This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR). The

main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-

like situations, such as an airbag deployment or hitting a road obsta-

cle, data that will assist in understanding how a vehicle's systems

performed. The EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle

dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time, typically

30 seconds or less. The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record

such data as:

How various systems in your vehicle were operating;

Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buck-

led/fastened;

How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or

brake pedal; and,

How fast the vehicle was traveling.

These data can help provide a better understanding of the circum-

stances in which crashes and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are

recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no

data are recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no

personal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location) are rec-

orded. However, other parties, such as law enforcement, could com-

bine the EDR data with the type of personally identifying data routine-

ly acquired during a crash investigation.

To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required, and

access to the vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle

manufacturer, other parties, such as law enforcement, that have the

special equipment, can read the information if they have access to

the vehicle or the EDR.

Parts, accessories, repairs, and modifications -> Repairs and other things that can affect Advanced Airbag performance for Your Volkswagen Passat SUV Seventh Generation (2010-2014)

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