GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
You should read this chapter sitting comfortably in
your new Fiat barchetta. This way you can see the parts
described in the manual at a glance and immediately
check what you have just read for yourself.
In short, you will become more familiar with your
Fiat barchetta and its controls and other features. Lat-
er, when you start the engine and join the traffic you
will make a host of other pleasant discoveries.
DASHBOARD ...................................................................... 7
INSTRUMENT PANEL ...................................................... 8
SYMBOLIS ............................................................................. 9
THE FIAT CODE SYSTEM ............................................... 11
ELECTRONIC ALARM ..................................................... 13
IGNITION SWITCH ......................................................... 17
INDIVIDUAL SETTINGS .................................................. 18
SEAT BELTS ......................................................................... 21
TRANSPORTING CHILDREN IN SAFETY ................ 24
PRETENSIONERS ............................................................... 27
INSTRUMENTS ................................................................... 28INDICATOR AND WARNING LIGHTS .................... 30
HEATING AND VENTILATION ................................... 34
MANUAL CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM ................. 36
STEERING COLUMN STALKS ....................................... 38
CONTROLS ......................................................................... 40
INTERIOR EQUIPMENT .................................................. 42
DOORS ................................................................................. 44
HOOD ................................................................................... 46
HARD TOP .......................................................................... 49
WIND STOP ........................................................................ 51
BONNET .............................................................................. 53
BOOT .................................................................................... 55
HEADLIGHTS ...................................................................... 55
ABS ......................................................................................... 56
AIRBAG ................................................................................. 58
EOBD SYSTEM .................................................................... 62
CELLULAR PHONE SETUP ............................................. 63
AT THE FILLING STATION ........................................... 64
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT ......................... 66
For more detailed information, see “Index”.
6
7
DASHBOARD
The presence and position of the instruments and warning and indicator lights may vary according to the version of the car.
1.Directional air vents -2.Outside lights command stalk - 3.Instrument, indicator and warning light panel - 4.Windscreen
washer and wiper stalk -5.Air vent for sending air to the windscreen - 6. Glove compartment -7.Hazard light switch -
8. Car radio - 9. Heating, ventilation and climate control system - 10.Horn - 11.Lever for locking the steering wheel in
place 12. Air bag for the driver - 13.Lever for opening the bonnet
fig. 1
P5S10031m
19
Once you have let go of the lever,
check the seat is firmly locked in the
runners by trying to move it back and
forth. Failure to lock the seat in place
could result in the seat moving unex-
pectedly with obvious dangerous con-
sequences.
Adjusting the reclining seat back
Lift lever Band tilt the back into the
position required. After releasing the
lever, check that the back is locked
properly into position by trying to tilt
it backwards and forwards.
Tipping the seat back forwards
To make it easier to get at the hood
housing, the front seats can be tipped
forwards
To tip the seat back, turn knob Cto-
wards the dashboard.HEAD RESTRAINTS fig. 13
These may be height adjusted by
pulling them upwards or pushing them
downwards.STEERING WHEEL fig. 14
The wheel can only be ad-
justed while the car is sta-
tionary.
WARNING
The steering wheel is height ad-
justable:
1)move lever Ato position 1;
2) adjust the steering wheel;
3) return the lever to position2to
lock the wheel in place again.
fig. 13
P5S00628m
fig. 14
P5S00629m
Remember that the head
restraints should be adjust-
ed to support the back of your head
and not your neck. They only per-
form their protective function in
case of an accident when they are
in this position.
WARNING
38
STEERING
COLUMN STALKS
LEFT-HAND STALK
The left-hand stalk brings together
the outside light and direction indica-
tor controls.
The outside lights can only come on
if the ignition key is at MAR.
When the outside lights are turned
on, the instrument panel and the var-
ious controls mounted on the dash-
board light up.Side and taillights fig. 35
These come on when you turn
knurled switch from O to 6. Instru-
ment panel indicator light 3comes
on.
Dipped beam headlights fig. 36
These come on when you turn the
knurled switch from 6to 2.Main-beam headlights fig. 37
These come on when you press the
stalk towards the dashboard while the
knurled switch is at 2.
Instrument panel indicator light 1
comes on.
To turn off the main-beam headlights,
pull the stalk back towards the steer-
ing wheel
fig. 35
P5S00644m
fig. 36
P5S00645m
fig. 37
P5S00646m
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
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
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