2007 Alfa Romeo 159 steering

74
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
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DASHBOARD
AND
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Turning the knurled ringA-fig. 54it
is possible to increase the sensitivity of
the rain sensor, obtaining a quicker
change from stationary (no wiping)
when the windscreen is dry, to first con-
tinuous speed (continuous, slow). A fur-
ther stroke will confirm operation.
Operating the windscreen washer with
the rain sensor activated (stalk at posi-
tion1-fig. 54) the normal washing
cycle is performed at the end of which
the rain sensor resumes its normal au-
tomatic function.
Removing the electronic key from the
ignition device, the rain sensor is deac-
tivated and the next time the engine is
started it will not be reactivated even if
the stalk has remained in position 1-
fig. 54. In this case to activate the rain
sensor, simply move the stalk to 0or2
and then back to 1.
When the rain sensor is reactivated in
this way, the wiper performs one stroke,
even if the windscreen is dry, to indicate
that reactivation has occurred. “Smart washing” function
Pulling the lever towards the steering
wheel (unstable position) operates the
windscreen washer.
Keeping the stalk pulled with just one
movement it is possible to operate the
washer jet and the wiper at the same
time; the wiper actually comes into op-
eration automatically when the stalk is
pulled for more than half a second.
The wiper stops working 3 strokes after
releasing the stalk; a further stroke af-
ter about 6 seconds will complete the
wiping operation.
RAIN SENSOR
(where provided)
The rain sensor A-fig. 55, located be-
hind the driving mirror, is an electronic de-
vice combined with the windscreen wiper
which has the purpose of automatically
adjusting the number of wipes to intensi-
ty of the rain. All the other functions con-
trolled by the right-hand stalk remain un-
changed.
The rain sensor is activated automati-
cally moving the right-hand stalk to po-
sition1-fig. 54and it has a range of
adjustment that gradually varies be-
tween wiper stationary (no wiping)
when the windscreen is dry, to wiper
at second speed (continuous, medium
wiping) with heavy rain.
A0E0227mfig. 55

107
SAFETY
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
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EMERGENCY
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DASHBOARD
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In this event, to adjust the headlight
slant use control A-fig. 101set on the
button control panel near the steering
wheel.
If the car is fitted with bixenon head-
lights, headlight aiming is electronic and
therefore control Ais not present.Control has four positions corresponding
to the loads given below:
❒position0: one or two passenger on
front seats and kerb weight (includ-
ing full fuel tank, tools and acces-
sories);
❒position1: five passengers;
❒position2: five passengers and boot
fully loaded (about 50 kg);
❒position3: driver plus 300 kg load
completely stored into the boot.
IMPORTANT Check headlight slant
each time the transported load changes.
FRONT FOG LIGHT
ADJUSTMENT
Contact Alfa Romeo Authorized Services
to have the headlights correctly adjusted.
A0E0226mfig. 101
HEADLIGHT ADJUSTMENT
ABROAD
The dipped beam headlights are adjust-
ed for circulation in the country in which
the car is marketed. In countries with
opposite circulation, to avoid glaring on-
coming vehicles, proceed as follows:
❒remove headlight cover (see para-
graph “Dipped beam headlights” in
section “In an emergency”);
❒move lever A-fig. 102aside;
A0E0050mfig. 102

122
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LIGHTS AND
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TECHNICAL
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DASHBOARD
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The car can be equipped with the
T.P.M.S. (Tyre Pressure Monitoring Sys-
tem). This system consists of a radio-fre-
quency sensor, installed on each wheel
(on the rim inside the tyre) that sends
pressure information to the control unit.IMPORTANT NOTES
Failure indications will not be stored and
therefore will not be displayed when
turning the engine off and on again. If
failure persists, the control unit will send
warning indications to the instrument
panel only after a few seconds when the
car is moving.
Tyre pressure should be checked with
tyres cold. Should it become necessary
for whatever reason to check pressure
with hot tyres, do not reduce pressure
although it is higher than the prescribed
value but repeat the check when tyres
are cold (see section “Wheels” in sec-
tion “Technical Specifications”).
TYRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM -
T.P.M.S. (where provided)
The T.P.M.S. does not
exempt the driver from
checking tyre pressure, includ-
ing the space-saver spare
wheel (where provided) at
regular intervals.
WARNING
T.P.M.S. cannot indicate sudden tyre
pressure drops (e.g.: tyre burst). In this
event, brake the car cautiously and
avoid sudden steering.
The T.P.M.S. system requires special
equipment. Consult Alfa Romeo Autho-
rized Services to know what type of ac-
cessories are compatible with the sys-
tem (wheels, wheel caps, etc.). Using
other accessories could cause system
malfunctioning. Due to inflation valve
special characteristics, use only tyre re-
pair sealants approved by Alfa Romeo;
other sealants could cause system mal-
functioning.

142
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SAFETY
DEVICES
FRONT AIR BAGS
The car is fitted with front multistage air
bags (“Smart bags”) for the driver and
the passenger and with knees air bag
for the driver and for the passenger
(where provided).The front air bags (driver and passen-
ger) and knees air bags (driver and pas-
senger) are not a replacement of but
complementary to the use of belts,
which should always be worn, as spec-
ified by law in Europe and most non Eu-
ropean countries.
In case of crash, a person not wearing
the seat belt moves forward and may
come into contact with the cushion while
it is still inflating. Under this circum-
stance the protection offered by the air
bag is reduced.
“SMART BAG” SYSTEM
(FRONT MULTISTAGE AIR
BAGS)
The front air bags (driver and passen-
ger) and knees air bags (driver and pas-
senger) have been designed to protect
the occupants in the event of head-on
crashes of medium-high severity, by plac-
ing cushions between the occupant and
the steering wheel or dashboard.
In case of crash, an electronic control
unit, when required, triggers the infla-
tion of the cushions that inflate, as a pro-
tection, between the body of the front
occupants and the structure that could
cause injuries. Immediately after, the
cushions deflate.

143
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SAFETY
DEVICES
DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion
contained in a special recess in the cen-
tre of the steering wheelfig. 14. Front air bags may not be activated in
the following situations:
❒front collisions against highly de-
formable objects not affecting the car
front surface (e.g. bumper collision
against guard rail, etc.);
❒in case of wedging under other ve-
hicles or protective barriers (for ex-
ample under a truck or guard rail);
❒the air bag is not triggered as it offers
no additional protection compared with
the seat belts, consequently it would
be pointless. Therefore, failure to come
into action in the above circumstance
does not mean that the system is not
working properly.
Do not apply stickers
or other objects to the
steering wheel or to the air
bag cover on the passenger’s
side or on the side roof lining.
Never put objects (e.g. mobile
phones) on the dashboard on
passenger side since they
could interfere with proper
passenger air bag inflation and
also cause serious injury.
WARNING
A0E0077mfig. 14

145
WARNING
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SAFETY
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MANUAL DEACTIVATION (where provided) OF PASSENGER’S
FRONT AIR BAG , KNEES AIR BAG (where provided) AND
PASSENGER’S FRONT SIDE BAG DRIVER’S AND
PASSENGER’S KNEES AIR
BAG (where provided)
Knees air bag consists of an instant-in-
flating cushion housed into a special
compartment provided for the purpose
under the steering wheel for the driver
fig. 16and into the lower part of the
dashboard for the passenger fig. 17,
to give further protection in the event of
frontal crash.
A0E0092mfig. 17A0E0079mfig. 16
Should it be absolutely necessary to car-
ry a child on the front seat, the pas-
senger’s front air bag, knees air bag
(where provided) and the side bag can
be deactivated. Deactivation/activation
shall be performed (with key removed
from ignition device) using the key
switch set on the right side of dashboard
fig. 18. You can reach the switch on-
ly if the door is opened. When the door
is open, the metal insert of the key can
be inserted and removed in both posi-
tions.IMPORTANTOperate the switch on-
ly when the engine is not running and
the ignition key is removed.
The key-operated switch has two posi-
tions:
❒passenger's front air bag and knees
air bag (where provided) and side
bag activated (ONposition
P):
warning light
Fon front ceiling light
panel off; it is absolutely prohibited
to carry a child on the front seat;
A0E0062mfig. 18

149
WARNING
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SAFETY
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GENERAL WARNINGS
If when fitting the key
into the ignition device,
the warning light
¬does not
turn on or if it stays on when
travelling (on certain versions
together with the message on
the display) there could be a
failure in safety systems; in
this event air bags or preten-
sioners could not trigger in
case of impact or, in a minor
number of cases, they could
trigger accidentally. Contact
Alfa Romeo Authorized Ser-
vices immediately to have the
system checked.
WARNING
Do not cover the back-
rest of front seats with
trims or covers that are not
suitable to be used with side
bags.
WARNING
Never travel with ob-
jects on your lap, in
front of your chest or with a
pipe, pencil, etc. between 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 triggered,
it can inflate without meeting
any obstacles which could
cause serious 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 Alfa Romeo
Authorized Services.
WARNING
Remember that with
the key fitted into the
ignition device and engine off,
the air bags may be triggered
on a stationary car if it is
bumped by another moving
car. Therefore, never seat chil-
dren on the front seat even
when the car is stationary. On
the other hand remember that
if the key is not fitted into the
ignition device, no safety sys-
tem (air bags or pretension-
ers) is triggered in the event
of an impact; in this case, fail-
ure to come into action cannot
be considered as a sign that
the system is not working
properly.
WARNING

152
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND
CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
STARTING PROCEDURE FOR
PETROL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒ Ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒Put the gear lever neutral;
❒Fit the electronic key into the ignition
device to stop limit;
❒Press the clutch (or brake) pedal down
to the floor without pressing the ac-
celerator;
❒Press button START/STOPand re-
lease it as soon as the engine starts.
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 braking, etc.).
Running the engine in
confined areas is ex-
tremely dangerous. The engine
consumes oxygen and pro-
duces carbon monoxide which
is a highly toxic and lethal gas.
WARNING
When the engine is
switched off never leave
the electronic key into the
ignition device to prevent point-
less current absorption from
draining the batter.STARTING PROCEDURE FOR
DIESEL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒Ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒Put the gear lever neutral;
❒fit the electronic key down into the
ignition device until it stops. The in-
strument panel warning light
m
will turn on;
❒Wait for the warning light mto
turn off. The hotter the engine is, the
quicker this will happen;
❒Press the clutch (or brake) pedal
down to the floor without pressing the
accelerator;
❒Press button START/STOPas soon
as warning light
mgoes out. If you
wait too long you will lose the ben-
efit of the work done by the glow
plugs. Release the button as soon as
the engine starts.
ENGINE STARTING
The car is fitted with an electronic engine
immobilising system. If the engine fails
to start, see paragraph “Alfa Romeo
CODE system” in section “Dashboard
and controls”.
IMPORTANTTampering with the ig-
nition device can cause unrequired steer-
ing lock.
IMPORTANT Fit completely the elec-
tronic key into the ignition device until
it locks into place.
IMPORTANT Never take the elec-
tronic key out of the ignition device while
the car is moving unless you have to car-
ry out an emergency removal (see para-
graph “Removing the electronic key from
the ignition device in an emergency”),
this ensures that the steering column lock
is deactivated while the car is moving
(e.g.: towing the car).