Get Safety -> Sitting properly and safely Guide for Volkswagen Golf 4 Door 2023

✓

Engine coolant level → page 251, Engine cool-

ant

Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen

Service Facility for more information.

✓

Brake fluid level → page 255, Brake fluid

Tire pressure → page 260, Tires and wheels

Sitting properly and safely

Vehicle lighting necessary for driving safety

→ page 112, Lights:

Introduction

— Turn signals

— Low beams and high beams

— Taillights

Number of seats

The vehicle has a total of 5 seating positions: 2 in

front and 3 in the rear. Each seating position has

a safety belt.

— Brake lights

— License plate lights

Information about replacing light bulbs → page 230,

Replacing light bulbs.

WARNING

Improper seating positions increase the risk of se-

vere or fatal injuries in a crash or other accidents,

especially when the airbag deploys.

WARNING

Driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal

drugs, narcotics and some medications may cause

collisions and other accidents, severe personal in-

juries and even death.

All occupants must sit properly and be properly

restrained at all times.

Never let more people ride in the vehicle than

there are seating positions with safety belts

available.

Alcohol, illegal drugs, narcotics and some medi-

cations may severely affect perception, reaction

times and safe driving, which may result in the

loss of vehicle control.

Always secure children in the vehicle with an

approved and suitable restraint system appro-

priate for their age, weight, and height

→ page 64, Child safety and child restraints.

WARNING

Always keep your feet on the floor in front of

Always observe traffic rules and posted speed lim-

its and use common sense. Your good judgment

can mean the difference between arriving safely at

your destination and being seriously injured in

a crash or other kind of accident.

the seat. Never rest them on the seat, instru-

ment panel, out of the window, etc. The airbag

system and safety belt will not be able to pro-

tect you properly and can even increase the risk

of injury in a crash.

WARNING

Disregarding the safety-related checklist may lead

to accidents and injuries.

Always adjust seat, safety belts, and head re-

straints properly before driving and make sure that

all passengers are properly restrained.

Please note and follow the points listed in the

checklist.

Push the passenger seat as far back as possible.

Always be sure that there are at least 10 inches

(25 cm) between the front passenger's breast-

bone and the instrument panel.

NOTICE

Volkswagen is not responsible for mechanical dam-

age that may result from substandard fuel or service

or the unavailability of Genuine Volkswagen parts.

Always adjust the driver's seat and the steering

wheel so that there are at least 10 inches

(25 cm) between your breastbone and the

steering wheel.

Regular service and maintenance of your vehi-

cle is important both for operational and driv-

Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily

ing safety and to help prolong your vehicle's service

life. Always follow the scheduled maintenance inter-

vals in the → Warranty and Maintenance, especially

for changing the brake fluid. Hard use, frequent

stop-and-go driving, driving in very dusty areas, and

other factors may make it necessary to have the ve-

hicle serviced more frequently. Ask an authorized

push the pedals all the way to the floor while

keeping your knee(s) slightly bent. The distance

to the instrument panel in the knee area must

be at least 4 inches (10 cm).

If these requirements cannot be met for physi-

cal reasons, contact an authorized Volkswagen

dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Fa-

Sitting properly and safely

cility to see whether adaptive equipment is

available.

WARNING

Some kinds of cigarette lighters can be lit uninten-

tionally, or crushed causing a fire that can result in

serious burns and vehicle damage.

Always hold the steering wheel on the outside

of the steering wheel rim with your hands at the

9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce

the risk of personal injury if the driver's airbag

inflates.

Always make sure that there are no lighters in

the seat tracks or near other moving parts be-

fore adjusting the seats.

Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock

position or with your hands at other places in-

side the steering wheel rim or on the steering

wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel the

wrong way can cause serious injuries to the

hands, arms, and head if the driver's airbag in-

flates.

Before closing a storage compartment, always

make sure that no cigarette lighter can be acti-

vated, crushed, or otherwise damaged.

Never leave a cigarette lighter in a storage com-

partment, on the instrument panel, or in other

places in the vehicle. Heat buildup in the pas-

senger and luggage compartment of a parked

vehicle can result in temperatures in the vehicle

that are much higher than the outside tempera-

tures, particularly in summer. High tempera-

tures could cause the cigarette lighter to catch

fire.

Pointing the steering wheel toward your face

decreases the ability of the driver's airbag to

help protect you in a collision.

Never drive with backrests reclined or tilted

back farther than necessary to drive comforta-

bly. The farther back the backrests are tilted,

the greater the risk of injury caused by incorrect

positioning of the safety belts and improper

seating position.

Examples of improper seating posi-

tions

Never drive with the front seat passenger back-

rest tilted forward. If the front airbag deploys,

the front backrest can be forced backward and

injure passengers on the rear seat.

Please read the introductory information and

heed the Warnings and Notice

on page 33.

Sit as far back as possible from the steering

wheel and the instrument panel.

Not wearing or improperly fastening safety belts in-

creases the risk of severe or fatal injuries. Safety

belts can work only when they are properly posi-

tioned on the body. An improper seating position

significantly impairs the protection provided by

safety belts. This can cause severe or even fatal inju-

ries. Improper seating positions also increase the

risk of serious injury or death when an airbag de-

ploys and strikes an occupant who is not in the

proper seating position. The driver is responsible for

all passengers and especially children riding in the

vehicle.

Always sit upright with your back against the

backrest with the front seats properly adjusted.

Never lean against or place any part of your

body too close to the area where the airbags are

located.

Rear seat passengers who are not properly seat-

ed and restrained are more likely to be seriously

injured in a crash.

WARNING

Improper adjustment of the seats can cause acci-

dents and severe injuries.

The following are only some examples of seating po-

sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury or

death.

Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is mov-

ing. Your seat may move unexpectedly and you

could lose control of the vehicle. In addition,

you will not be in the correct seating position

while adjusting the seats.

Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:

— Never stand up in the vehicle.

— Never stand on the seats.

Adjust the front seat height, angle and longitu-

dinal direction only if the seat adjustment area

is clear.

— Never kneel on the seats.

— Never ride with the seat backrest reclined.

— Never lean up against the instrument panel.

— Never lie down on the rear seat.

— Never sit on the edge of the seat.

— Never sit sideways.

The adjustment of the front seats must not be

restricted by things in the footwell in front or

behind the seats.

Safety

— Never lean out the window.

Contact your authorized Volkswagen dealer or au-

thorized Volkswagen Service Facility or call the

Volkswagen Customer CARE Center at

1-800-822-8987 for information about possible

modifications to your vehicle.

— Never put your feet out the window.

— Never put feet on the instrument panel.

— Never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back

of the seat.

For your own safety and to reduce injuries in the

event of sudden braking maneuvers or accidents,

Volkswagen recommends the following seating po-

sitions:

— Never ride in the footwell.

— Never sit or stand on an armrest.

— Never ride without your safety belt properly fas-

tened.

Applies to all vehicle occupants:

— Never ride in the luggage compartment.

— Adjust head restraints so that the upper edge of

the head restraint is at least at eye level or higher.

Position the back of your head as close as possi-

ble to the head restraint → fig. 21 (dotted line).

WARNING

Contact with parts of the vehicle interior can cause

serious personal injury in a crash.

— Push the head restraint completely down for

short people, even if the top of the head is then

below the upper edge of the head restraint.

Always make sure that all vehicle occupants

stay in a proper seating position and are proper-

ly restrained whenever the vehicle is moving.

— Tall people should pull the head restraint all the

way up.

Improper seating positions increase the risk of

serious and fatal injury, especially when an air-

bag deploys and strikes a passenger in an im-

proper seating position.

— Adjust the seat backrest angle to an upright posi-

tion so that your back is in full contact with it

when the vehicle is moving.

— Always keep both feet on the floor and in the

footwell whenever the vehicle is moving.

Proper seating position

— Always adjust and fasten safety belts properly

→ page 36, Safety belts.

Please read the introductory information and

Driver - seat and steering wheel adjustment:

heed the Warnings and Notice

on page 33.

— Adjust the steering wheel so that there are at

least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering

wheel and your breast bone

→ fig. 21 A , → page 103, Steering wheel. When

adjusting the proper distance to the steering

wheel, grasp the top of the steering wheel with

your elbows slightly bent.

— Always hold the steering wheel on the outside of

the steering wheel rim with your hands at the

9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce

the risk of personal injury if the driver's airbag in-

flates.

Fig. 21 Proper safety belt positioning and head re-

straint adjustment. The driver should never sit closer

than 10 inches (25 cm) from the steering wheel.

— Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock

position or with your hands at other places inside

the steering wheel rim or on the steering wheel

hub. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way

can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms, and

head if the driver's airbag inflates.

The following describes the proper seating positions

for the driver and passengers.

If you have a physical impairment or condition that

prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat

with the safety belt properly fastened and reaching

the pedals, special modifications to your vehicle may

be necessary. Only the proper seating position en-

sures optimum protection by the safety belt and air-

bag.

— Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering

wheel cover points at your chest and not at your

face. Pointing the steering wheel toward your

face decreases the ability of the driver's airbag to

help protect you in a collision.

— Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily

push the pedals all the way to the floor while

Sitting properly and safely

keeping your knee(s) slightly bent. The distance to

the instrument panel in the knee area must be at

least 4 inches (10 cm) → fig. 21 B .

Always secure children in the vehicle with a re-

straint system appropriate for their age, weight

and height → page 64, Child safety and child

restraints.

— Adjust the seat height so that the top point of the

steering wheel can be reached.

Always fasten safety belts correctly before driv-

ing off and make sure that all passengers are

properly restrained.

— Always keep both feet in the footwell so that you

are in control of the vehicle at all times.

Never attach the safety belt to the buckle of an-

other seat. Attaching the safety belt to the

wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effective-

ness and can cause serious personal injury.

Passenger - front seat adjustment:

— Push the passenger seat as far back as possible in

order to ensure optimum protection if the airbag

is deployed.

Never let any objects or liquids get into the

safety belt latch and prevent it from working

properly.

Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is

moving. Doing so will increase your risk of being

injured or killed.

Safety belts

Introduction

Never strap more than one person, including

small children, into any single safety belt.

Properly worn safety belts are the single most effec-

tive means of reducing the risk of serious injury and

death in a collision or other accident.

Never let children or babies ride sitting on your

lap, and never place a safety belt over a child

sitting on your lap.

Damage to safety belts reduces their overall effec-

tiveness and increases the risk of serious personal

injury and death whenever the vehicle is being used.

Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects

in or on your clothing, such as eyeglasses, pens,

keys, etc., as these may cause injury.

Check the condition of all safety belts and buckles

regularly.

Several layers of heavy clothing (such as a coat

worn over a sports jacket) may interfere with

proper positioning of the safety belt and reduce

the overall effectiveness of the system.

If a safety belt shows damage to webbing, hard-

ware, retractors, or buckles, have the safety belt re-

placed by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an au-

Never use comfort clips or devices that create

slack in the shoulder belt. However, special clips

may be required for the correct use of some

child restraint systems.

thorized Volkswagen Service Facility →

WARNING

Safety belts offer optimum protection only

when the seat backrest is upright and belts are

correctly positioned on the body.

Not wearing a safety belt or wearing an improperly

positioned safety belt increases the risk of severe

personal injury or death. Safety belts offer opti-

mum protection only when they are used properly.

WARNING

Properly worn safety belts are the single most

effective means of reducing the risk of serious

injury and death in a collision or other accident.

For this reason, always wear your safety belt

properly and make sure all passengers wear

their safety belts properly as well whenever the

vehicle is moving.

Damage to safety belts reduces their overall effec-

tiveness and increases the risk of serious personal

injury and death whenever the vehicle is being

used.

Never let safety belts become damaged by be-

ing caught in the door or seat hardware.

The driver must always make sure that every

Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and dam-

aged safety belt hardware can break in an acci-

dent.

person in the vehicle is properly seated on

a seat of his or her own, properly fastens the

safety belts belonging to that seat before the

vehicle starts to move, and keeps the belts

properly fastened while riding in the vehicle.

This applies even when just driving around

town. Therefore, always wear your safety belts

and make sure that everybody in your vehicle is

properly restrained.

Inspect belts regularly for damage. If webbing,

hardware, buckles, or retractors are damaged,

have the belts replaced immediately with the

correct replacement belts approved by Volkswa-

gen for your vehicle, model, and model year.

Safety

Safety -> Sitting properly and safely for Your Volkswagen Golf 4 Door 2023

Popular Manuals