2003 FIAT BARCHETTA belt

26
GROUP 2 (fig. 24)
Children from 15 kg can be secured
directly with the vehicle seat belts. The
child seat has the purpose of posi-
tioning the child correctly with respect
to the seat belt so that the diagonal
section crosses the child’s chest (nev-
er the child’s throat) and the hori-
zontal section fits snugly on the child’s
hips (and not the child’s abdomen). GROUP 3 (fig. 25)
Children from 22 kg up only require
a cushion to lift them. The size of the
child’s chest no longer requires a sup-
port to space the child’s back from the
seat back.
Children taller than 1.5 m can wear
seat belts like adults.To sum up the safety precau-
tions to follow when transporting
children:
1) Child restraint systems should be
installed on the rear seat as this is the
most protected area in the vehicle in
the event of a crash.
2) Attain to the instructions for fas-
tening the specific child restraint sys-
tem you are using which must be pro-
vided by the manufacturer. Keep the
child restraint system installation in-
structions with this the vehicle docu-
ments and with this Handbook. Nev-
er use a child restraint system without
installation instructions.
3) Always check the seat belt is well
fastened by pulling the webbing.
4) Only one child can secured to a
child restraint at a time. Never carry
two children in one restraint system.
5) Always check the seat belts do
not fit around the child’s throat.
6) While travelling, do not let the
child sit incorrectly or release the
belts.
7)Passengers should never carry
children or babies on their laps. No-
one, however strong they are, can
hold a child in the event of a crash.
8) Replace the child restraint system
after an accident.
fig. 24
P5S00749m
fig. 25
P5S00750m
The figure is only an exam-
ple. Attain to the instruc-
tions for fastening the specific child
restraint system you are using.
WARNING
The figure is only an exam-
ple. Attain to the instruc-
tions for fastening the specific child
restraint system you are using.
WARNING

27
PRETENSIONERS
To render the protective action of
the seat belts even more effective, Fi-
at barchetta is fitted with pretension-
ers. These devices “feel” that a violent
collision is in progress via a sensor, and
pull back a few inches of webbing. In
this way the pretensioner ensures that
the belt is adhering perfectly to the
body before the belt begins to hold
back the wearer. When the preten-
sioner has been triggered the retrac-
tor will lock. The seat belt cannot be
drawn back up even when guiding it
manually.
When the pretensioner is triggered
as small amount of smoke will be pro-
duced. This smoke is not harmful and
does not indicate the principle of fire.The pretensioner does not require
any maintenance or lubrication. Any
modification of its original state inval-
idates its efficiency. If, as the result of
exceptional natural occurrences
(floods, sea storms etc.), the device is
soaked through with water and mud,
it must be replaced.
The pretensioner will give maximum
protection when the seat belt adheres
snugly to the wearer’s chest and hips.
Operations involving
banging, vibrations or
heating (exceeding 100°C
for a maximum of 6 hours) in the
area around the pretensioner
may trigger or damage the de-
vice. Vibrations from rough road
surfaces or accidental jolting
caused by mounting pavements
etc. do not have any effect on the
pretensioner. If, however, you
need any assistance, go to a Fiat
Dealership.
The pretensioner can only
be used once. After a colli-
sion that has triggered it, have it re-
placed at a Fiat Dealership. The de-
vice will last for 10 years from the
date of production given on the ad-
hesive label: the pretensioner must
be replaced when this date is
reached.
WARNING
Pretensioners do not re-
quire lubrication or main-
tenance. Under no circumstances
should the components of the pre-
tensioner be tampered with as this
could affect the correct operation
of these devices. If any interven-
tions are necessary, contact your Fi-
at Dealership.
WARNING

HAZARD LIGHTS
(red) (flashing)
When the hazard lights
are on.AIRBAG OR
PRETENSIONER
FAILURE (red)
When the system is not working
properly or has been triggered.
SEAT BELTS NOT
FASTENED (red)
When the driver’s seat
belt is not fastened properly. CATALYTIC
CONVERTER HOT
(red) (where fitted)
When the temperature of the cat-
alytic converter is extremely high: the
warning light will go out as soon as the
temperature drops to normal.
32
<
f¬
r
When you turn the ignition
key to the MAR position
this light comes on. It should, how-
ever, go out after about four sec-
onds. If the light stays on or comes
on while the car is moving, stop at
once and have the car seen to at a
Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
The lighting of warning
light >when the engine is
running normally indicates a fault
in the ABS system only. In this case,
the braking system will still be ef-
fective without the anti-lock device.
In these conditions EBD system op-
eration can be reduced. Also in this
case we recommend immediately
taking the car to a Fiat Dealership
avoiding sudden braking to have
the system checked.
WARNING

49
HARD TOP
(where fitted)
The hard top is fitted with a heated
rear window and should be used in-
stead of the hood during the winter.
USEFUL TIPS
Before fitting the hard top, fold the
hood into its housing properly and an-
chor the hood housing cover to its
safety devices.
Remove the seat belts from the slots
in the seat backs and tip the seat backs
forward.
Position and remove the hard top
with the side windows fully lowered
or the doors open. Get another per-
son to help you to support the hard
top on the right and left.
If repairs or maintenance are neces-
sary, take the car to a Fiat Dealer-
ship.FITTING
1)Make sure the hard top’s fitting
handles on the windscreen transom
are turned inwards.
2)Remove the side inner panels A-
fig. 62from the hard top covering by
unscrewing the fixing screws.
3) Lift the hard top and move it over
the car.
4) Lower the hard top, and fit pins A-
fig. 63into anchorage points Bon the
car (for the sole purpose of better
showing anchorage points Bin fig. 63
the guard on the car has been re-
moved).5)Rest the front of the hard top on
the windscreen transom.
6)Insert hooks Cin holes Dand se-
cure the rear of the hard top to the
car using levers E.
7)Fit side panels A-fig. 62by in-
serting tongue Binto its position in
the hard top upholstery and fix them
into position with screw C.
fig. 63
P5S00734m
fig. 62
P5S00735m

58
AIR BAG
Description and operation
The front airbag (driver and passen-
ger) is a safety device which is imme-
diately triggered in the event of a front
impact.
It consists of an instantly inflatable
bag housed in a special compartment
located:
– in the centre of the steering wheel
on the driver’s side;
– in the dashboard on the passen-
ger’s side (larger bag).
The front airbag (driver and passen-
ger) is a device which protects the oc-
cupants of the car during a head-on
collision of a medium-high degree. The system was designed to protect
from injury caused by the body crash-
ing to the steering wheel or the dash-
board.
In a collision, an electronic control
unit processes the signals from a de-
celeration sensor and, where required,
inflates the airbag.
The bag inflates instantly and acts as
a soft protective barrier between the
front seat passengers and the struc-
tures in front of them that could cause
injury. The bags deflate immediately af-
terwards.
A passenger not wearing the seat
belt may crash into the bag before it is
fully inflated. In this case, the protec-
tion is considerably decreased.
The airbag, as a consequence, is not
a replacement for the use of seat belts
but rather a complement. We rec-
ommend that seat belts are worn at all
times as prescribed by legislation in Eu-
rope and most other countries world-
wide. In the event of front collisions at low
speed, the restraining action of the
seat belts is sufficient and the airbag
is not inflated.
For impacts against very deformable
or mobile objects (traffic sign poles,
heaps of gravel or snow, parked vehi-
cles), side impacts, wedging under oth-
er vehicles or barriers (e.g. under a
truck or guard rail), the airbag is not
necessary and may even be undesir-
able. In the event of frontal impacts in-
volving, for example, the mudguard
against a guard-rail, the airbags are not
triggered as they would not offer ad-
ditional protection with respect to the
seat belts and may be undesirable.
The fact that the airbag is not trig-
gered in these situations, this does not
signify a malfunction.
fig. 76
P5S00671m

59
AIRBAG PASSENGER SIDE
(where fitted)
The passenger side airbag was de-
signed and calibrated to protect a per-
son wearing seat belts.
When fully inflated, the bag will fill
most of the space between the dash-
board and the passenger. Manual deactivation
The passenger side airbag can be de-
activated if it is absolutely necessary to
carry a child in the front passenger
seat.
Turn the specific switch fig. 77
which can be reached by opening the
passenger side door with the ignition
key. The switch has two positions:
1 - Passenger side airbag on: (posi-
tion ON
P) instrument panel warn-
ing light off. Do not carry children on
the front seat.
2 -Passenger side airbag off: (posi-
tion OFFF) instrument panel warn-
ing light on. A child can be carried on
the front seat with a suitable restraint
system.
The instrument panel warning light
Fwill stay on until the passenger
side airbag is reactivated.
SEVERE DANGER:
if the car has a front
airbag on passenger side, do not
place the child seat on the front
seat.
WARNING
fig. 77
P5S10010m

60
GENERAL WARNINGS
The front airbags can be trig-
gered if the car is subjected to
considerable crashes or involved
in an accident concerning the un-
derbody areas, such as a violent
impact against steps, kerbs or
projecting objects fastened to the
ground, falling into large holes or
dips in the road surface.
A small amount of powder and
smoke is freed when the airbags
are triggered. This is not harmful
and does not indicate the princi-
ple of a fire.
Go to a Fiat Dealership as soon
as possible if the warning light
comes on when travelling (to sig-
nal a fault) to have the problem
repaired.
The airbag system is guaranteed
for ten years. Contact a Fiat
Dealership as the expiry data ap-
proaches.
After an accident which trig-
gered the airbags, go to a Fiat
Dealership to have the entire
safety system, the electronic con-
trol unit, the seat belts and thepretensioners replaced. The
Dealership will also check the in-
tactness of the electrical system.
Any diagnostic, repair or re-
placement operations concerning
the airbag system must exclu-
sively be carried out at a Fiat
Dealership.
If you are having the car
scrapped, have the airbag system
deactivated at a Fiat Dealership
first.
If the car changes hands, the
new owner must be made aware
of the indications given above and
be given this Owner Handbook.
The pretensioners and front
airbags are activated by the elec-
tronic control unit according to
the type of impact. Consequent-
ly, missed activation of one or
more system components does
not indicate a fault in the system.
The instrument panel
warning light
¬should
come on when the ignition key is
turned to MAR and go out after ap-
proximately four seconds. Immedi-
ately, contact a Fiat Dealership if
the warning light either does not
come on or stays on or comes on
when travelling.
WARNING
When the passenger’s front
airbag is active (passenger
front airbag deactivation switch at
ON), the
Fwarning light will
come on for approximately four
seconds and flash for other four
seconds when the ignition key is
turned to MAR to remind the driver
than the passenger’s front and side
airbags (where fitted) will be fired
in the event of a crash. The warn-
ing light should go out immediate-
ly afterwards.
WARNING

61
Do not apply stickers or
other objects to the steer-
ing wheel or to the dashboard on
the passenger’s side. Do not travel
with objects on your lap or in front
of you nor with a pipe, pencil or
similar between your lips; you could
seriously hurt yourself if the airbag
inflates in a collision.
WARNING
The correct operation of
the front airbags and pre-
tensioners is only ensured if the car
is not overloaded.
WARNING
The airbag does not replace
seat belts but rather in-
creases their effectiveness. Further-
more, the front airbag is not fired in
the event of low speed front colli-
sions, side collisions, rear-end shunts
and roll-overs. In these cases, the
passengers are only protected by
the seat belts which for this reason
must always be fastened.
WARNING
Always drive with both
hands on the rim of the
steering wheel so that the airbag is
free to inflate during a head-on col-
lision, and protect you from serious
injury. Do not drive with your body
bending towards the steering wheel,
but sit in an upright position with
your back resting against the seat.
WARNING
If an attempt has been
made to steal the car, or if
it has actually been stolen or has
been vandalised in any way or sub-
jected to flooding, have the airbag
system checked over at a Fiat Deal-
ership.
WARNING
It is important to remember
that when the ignition key
is turned to MAR even if the engine
is off, the air bag can be fired when
the car is stationary if it hit by an-
other vehicle travelling at suitable
speed. As a consequence, Fiat rec-
ommends sitting children in their
specific retainer system on the back
seat, which is the most protected
position ossible. On the contrary,
the air bags will not be fired in the
car is crashed into when the key is
not insered or turned. Consequent-
ly, in this case, the fact that the
asystem is not fired does not indi-
cate a fault.
WARNING