132
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
The key-operated switch has two posi-
tions fig. 27:
❒side air bag activated (ONposition
Õ): warning light Àon instrument
panel off; it is absolutely prohibited to
carry a child on the rear seats;
❒side air bag deactivated (OFFposi-
tion
À): warning light Àon instru-
ment panel on; it is possible to trans-
port children protected by proper re-
straints on the front seat.
fig. 27F0C0154m
SERIOUS DANGER: In pres-
ence of small size occupants
(children, etc.) on the rear
seats, it is necessary to deac-
tivate the rear side bags
through the apposite deactivation
switch located in the boot.
WARNINGMANUAL DEACTIVATION
OF REAR SIDE BAGS
(where provided)
Certain versions are fitted with rear side
bags (that can be deactivated) to protect
the chest of rear passengers.
For deactivation: operate the key switch
(with ignition key) located in the boot un-
der the rear shelves as shown in the fig-
ure. The switch can be reached only with
tailgate open.
IMPORTANT Operate the switch only
when the engine is stopped and the igni-
tion key is removed.
133
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
Remember that with the key
engaged and at MAR, even
with the engine not running, the air
bags may be triggered on a stationary
car if it is bumped by another moving
car. Therefore, never seat children on
the front seat even when the car is
stationary. On the other hand, re-
member that with the key at STOP
no safety system (air bags or preten-
sioners) is triggered in the event of an
impact; in this case, failure to come
into action cannot be considered as a
sign that the system is not working
properly.
WARNINGGENERAL WARNINGS
If when turning the ignition
key to MAR, the warning
light ¬does not turn on or if it stays
on when travelling (together with the
message on the display) there could
be a failure in safety systems; in this
event air bags or pretensioners could
not trigger in case of impact or, in a
minor number of cases, they could
trigger accidentally. Contact Fiat
Dealership immediately to have the
system checked.
WARNING
Do not cover the backrest of
front and rear seats with
trims or covers that are not suitable
to be used with side bags.
WARNING
Never travel with objects on
your lap, in front of your
chest or with a pipe, pencil, etc. be-
tween your lips; injury may result in
the event of the air bag being trig-
gered.
WARNING
Always keep your hands on
the steering wheel rim when
driving, so that if the air bag is trig-
gered, it can inflate without meeting
any obstacles which could cause seri-
ous harm to you. Do not drive with
the body bent forwards, keep the seat
back rest in the erect position and
lean your back well against it.
WARNING
If the car has been stolen or
an attempt to steal it has
been made, if it has been subjected to
vandals or floods, have the air bag
system checked by Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
134
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
When the ignition key is
turned to MAR, the warning
light
F(with passenger’s front air
bag deactivation switch at ON) turns
on and flashes for few seconds to re-
mind that the passenger’s air bag will
be deployed in a crash, after which
it should go off.
WARNING
When the ignition key is
turned to MAR, the warning
light
À(with the rear side bag de-
activation switch at ON) turns on and
flashes for few seconds to remind that
the rear side bags will be deployed in
a crash, after which it should go off.
WARNING
Do not wash the seat back
rest with pressurised water
or steam (by hand or at automatic
seat washing stations).
WARNING
The front air bag is triggered
for shocks greater in magni-
tude than the pretensioners. For im-
pacts between these two thresholds,
it is therefore normal that only the
pretensioners are triggered.
WARNING
Do not hook rigid objects to
the coat hooks and to the
support handles.
WARNING
The air bag does not substi-
tute the seat belts, but only
increases their effectiveness. More-
over, since the front air bags do not
come into operation in the event of
front impact at low speed, side colli-
sions, bumps from behind or over-
turning, in these circumstances the
occupants would only be protected
by the seat belts which must therefore
always be fastened.
WARNING
135
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
ENGINE STARTING ............................................................ 136
PARKING .................................................................................. 139
USING THE MANUAL GEARBOX .................................. 140
USING THE “SELESPEED” GEARBOX .......................... 141
CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS ................................. 149
TOWING TRAILERS ............................................................. 151
SNOW TYRES ......................................................................... 154
SNOW CHAINS ..................................................................... 155
CAR INACTIVITY ................................................................. 156
C C
O O
R R
R R
E E
C C
T T
U U
S S
E E
O O
F F
T T
H H
E E
C C
A A
R R
ENGINE STARTING
The car is fitted with an electronic engine
lock device: if the engine fails to start, see
the paragraph “The Fiat CODE system” in
section “Dashboard and controls”.
The engine may be noisier than usual dur-
ing the first seconds of operation, espe-
cially after it has not been used for a while.
This characteristic feature of the hydraulic
tappet system does not compromise func-
tionality or reliability. This timing system
for petrol engines was adopted to limit
servicing.
Engine starting is guaranteed up to a min-
imum temperature of -18°C (Italy and
Middle Europe) and -20°C (North Eu-
rope).
136
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
STARTING PROCEDURE FOR
PETROL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒pull up the handbrake;
❒set the gear lever to neutral;
❒press the clutch pedal down to the
floor without touching the accelerator;
❒turn the ignition key to AVVand let
it go the moment the engine starts.
If the engine does not start at the first at-
tempt, return the ignition key to STOP
before repeating starting.
If, when the ignition key is at MAR, warn-
ing light
Yremains lit together with
warning light U, turn the key to STOP
and then back to MAR; if the warning light
remains on, try with the other keys pro-
vided with the car.
We recommend that during
the initial period you do not
drive to full car performance
(e.g.: excessive acceleration,
long journeys at top speed, sharp brak-
ing, etc.).
Running the engine in con-
fined areas is extremely dan-
gerous. The engine consumes oxygen
and produces carbon monoxide
which is a highly toxic and lethal gas.
WARNING
When the engine is switched
off never leave the ignition key
at MARto prevent pointless
current absorption from drain-
ing the battery.
If you are still unable to start the engine,
perform the emergency start-up proce-
dure (see “Emergency start-up” in section
“In an emergency”) and contact Fiat Deal-
ership.
IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition key
at MARwhen the engine is off.
137
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
STARTING PROCEDURE
FOR DIESEL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒ pull up the handbrake;
❒set the gear lever to neutral;
❒turn the ignition key to MAR. The
warning lights
mand Yon the in-
strument panel will turn on;
❒wait for the warning lights Yand mto turn off. The hotter the engine is, the
quicker this will happen;
❒press the clutch pedal down to the
floor without touching the accelerator;
❒turn the ignition key to AVVas soon
as warning light mturns off. If you
wait too long you will lose the benefit
of the work done by the glow plugs. Re-
lease the key as soon as the engine
starts.IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition key
at MARwhen the engine is off.
The warning light
mwill
flash for 60 seconds at start-
up or during prolonged crank-
ing to signal a fault in the glow
plug heating system. You can use the
car as usual if the engine starts but you
should contact a Fiat Dealership as
soon as possible.
IMPORTANT With cold engine, the ac-
celerator pedal shall be completely re-
leased while turning the ignition key to
AVV.
If the engine does not start at the first at-
tempt, return the ignition key to STOP
before repeating starting.
If, when the ignition key is at MAR, warn-
ing light
Yon the instrument panel stays
on, turn the key to STOPand then back
to MAR; if the warning light remains on,
try with the other keys provided with the
car.
If you still cannot start the engine, contact
Fiat Dealership.
138
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition to STOPwhile the en-
gine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a taxing drive, you
should allow the engine to “catch its
breath” before turning it off by letting it
idle to allow the temperature in the en-
gine compartment to fall.
Never bump start the engine
by pushing, towing or coasting
downhill as this could cause
fuel to flow into the catalytic
exhaust system and damage it beyond
repair.
Remember that the servo-
brake and power steering
are not operational until the engine
has been started, therefore much ef-
fort than usual is required on the
brake pedal and steering wheel.
WARNING
A quick burst on the acceler-
ator before turning off the en-
gine serves absolutely no prac-
tical purpose, it wastes fuel
and is damaging especially to tur-
bocharged engines.
HOW TO WARM UP
THE ENGINE AFTER IT
HAS JUST STARTED
(petrol and diesel engines)
Proceed as follows:
❒Drive off slowly, letting the engine turn
at medium revs. Do not accelerate
abruptly;
❒Do not drive at full performance for the
initial kilometres. Wait until the coolant
temperature gauge starts moving.
EMERGENCY START-UP
If the instrument panel warning light
Ystays on with fixed light, contact Fiat Deal-
ership.
139
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
PARKING THE CAR
Proceed as follows:
❒ Stop the engine and engage the hand-
brake;
❒Engage a gear (first if the car is faced up-
hill or reverse if it is faced downhill) and
leave the wheels steered.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a stone
if the car is parked on a steep slope. Do
not leave the ignition key at MARto pre-
vent draining the battery. Always remove
the key when you leave the car.HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever is located between
the two front seats.
Pull the handbrake lever upwards until the
car cannot be moved.
Four or five clicks are generally enough
when the car is on level ground while nine
or ten may be required if the car is on a
steep slope or laden.
IMPORTANT If this is not the case, con-
tact Fiat Dealership to have the handbrake
adjusted.
In cars fitted with front armrest, lift the
latter so that it does not hinder the hand-
brake engaging procedure.When the handbrake lever is pulled up
and the ignition key is at MAR, the in-
strument panel warning light
xwill turn
on.
To release the handbrake:
❒slightly lift the handbrake and press re-
lease button A-fig. 1;
❒keep button Apressed and lower the
lever. Warning light xwill turn off.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out
this operation to prevent the car from
moving accidentally.
fig. 1F0C0059m
Never leave children unat-
tended in the car. Always re-
move the ignition key when leaving
the car and take it out with you.
WARNING