2003 FIAT BARCHETTA Owners Manual

56
ABS
(where fitted)
The vehicle is fitted with an ABS
braking system, which prevents the
wheels from locking when braking,
makes the most of road grip and gives
the best control when emergency
braking under difficult road conditions.
The driver can tell the ABS system
has come into play when he feels the
brake pedal pulsating slightly and the
system gets noisier.
This should not be interpreted as a
fault in the brakes; on the contrary it
is a sign that the ABS system is work-
ing: it tells the driver that the vehicle
is travelling at the limit of its road grip
and that he should alter his speed to
fit the type of road surface.
The ABS system is an addition to the
basic braking system. If there is a mal-
function, the system turns off auto-
matically and only the ordinary brakes
continue to work.If a failure occurs, and consequently
the anti-lock function is not effective,
the braking system will continue to
work as usual.
If you have never driven a vehicle
with ABS before, you should practice
using the system on slippery terrain,
obviously with the necessary safety
precautions and keeping to the High-
way Code of the country you are in.
It is also a good idea to read the fol-
lowing information carefully.
The advantage in using the ABS sys-
tem is that it continues to give you
maximum manoeuvrability even when
braking hard in conditions of poor grip
by preventing the wheels locking.
You should, however, not expect the
braking distance to always decrease:
for example surfaces with gravel or
fresh snow on a slippery road will in
fact increase the braking distance.To exploit the ABS system to the full
in the event of necessity, you should
take heed of the following advice:
The ABS exploits the tyre-
road grip available to the
full, but it cannot improve it; you
should therefore take every care
when driving on slippery surfaces,
and not take unnecessary risks.
WARNING
If the ABS system cuts in it
is a sign that the grip be-
tween the tyre and the road surface
has reached the limit: you must
slow down to match the speed to
the road grip available.
WARNING

57
Braking while cornering always re-
quires extreme care even when using
ABS.
The most important advice to follow
is the following:If you follow these tips you will be
able to brake better in any situation.
IMPORTANTVehicles fitted with
ABS may only be fitted with wheel
rims, tyres and brake pads of the make
and model approved by the vehicle
manufacturer.
An Electronic Brake Distributor
EBD integrates the ABSsystem and
uses the control unit and sensors of
theABSsystem to increase perfor-
mance of the brake system.
If there is a fault, the warn-
ing light >will light up on
the dashboard. At this point, reduce
speed and go to a Fiat Dealership
to have your vehicle checked and
put right immediately.
WARNING
When the ABS cuts in, and
you feel the brake pedal
pulsating, do not remove your foot,
but keep it pressed. In doing so you
will stop in the shortest amount of
space possible under the current
road conditions.
WARNING
The car is fitted with an
electronic braking device
(EBD). If the >and xwarning
light turn on at the same time, this
means that there is an EBD system
fault. In this case violent braking
may be accompanied by early rear
wheel locking with the possibility of
skidding. Drive the car extremely
carefully to the nearest Fiat Deal-
ership to have the system checked.
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
If the xbrake fluid low
warning light comes on,
stop the vehicle immediately and
contact the nearest Fiat Dealership.
Fluid leaks from the hydraulic sys-
tem, in fact, can compromise brake
system operation, both traditional
systems and systems with ABS.
WARNING

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

62
EOBD SYSTEM
The EOBD system (European On
Board Diagnosis) performs a non-stop
diagnosis of the components linked to
the emissions, it also warns the user
about the component current deterio-
ration conditions, by turning on the pi-
lot lamp
Uon the instrument panel.
Purpose of system is:
– keeping system efficiency under con-
trol;
– warning about emission increases
due to car malfunction;
– warning about the necessity of re-
placing deteriorated components. System also avails itself of a connector
that can be interfaced with a proper in-
strumentation, enabling to read error
codes stored in the control unit, to-
gether with a set of specific engine di-
agnosis and operation parameters. This
inspection can be also carried out by
traffic control agents. IMPORTANTAfter eliminating the
problem, yourFiat Dealershipwill
run a bench test to fully check the sys-
tem. In some cases, a long road test
may be required.
If the pilot lamp
Udoes
not turn on when the ig-
nition key is turned to the
MAR position, or if, when run-
ning, the fixed or blinking light
turns on, please contact as soon
as possible the Fiat Dealership.
Pilot light
Ufunctionality can be
inspected by the special equip-
ment available with the traffic
control agents. Comply with the
regulations current in the Coun-
try where your are driving.

63
CELLULAR PHONE SETUP
(where fitted)
Your vehicle may be equipped with
an optional cellular phone system con-
sisting of:
– a dual function speaker (sound sys-
tem and cellular phone) located under
the dashboard on the right-hand side;– a dual function, electrically-oper-
ated aerial (sound system and cellular
phone) A-fig. 78located in the rear
right-hand part of the vehicle;
– wiring and ten-pin connector A-
fig. 79(to power and connect to the
dual function speaker) and connection
to dual function aerial Blocated in the
front part of the central tunnel. To ac-
cess the components, remove the
screws and flap C.The wiring diagram is:
Nelectronic earth
Rpositive (+30) protected by
15A fuse no. 10 (in fuse car-
rier)
GNlight positive (+), protected
by 10A fuse no. 2 (in fuse car-
rier)
ARkey positive (+), protected by
15A fuse no. 1 (in fuse carri-
er)
LNdual function speaker on
right-hand door (–)
BRdual function speaker on
right-hand door (+)
fig. 78
P5S10003m
fig. 79
P5S10038m