2007 FIAT 600 steering

53GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
After travelling a few
kilometres, check that
the screws securing the
attachments are tight.
Never exceed the per-
mitted weight (see
TECH-
NICAL SPECIFICATIONS). SLANT COMPENSATION
When the car is loaded, it slopes
backwards. This means that the head-
light beam rises. In this case, it is nec-
essary to return it to the correct po-
sition.
The headlight beam adjuster is lo-
cated inside the car on the right side
of the steering column fig. 78.
Position 0- one or two occupants in
the front seats.
Position 1- five occupants.
Position 2- five occupants + load in
boot.
Position 3- driver + maximum per-
missible load stowed in boot.
Be careful not to knock
objects on the roof rack
when opening the tail-
gate.
HEADLIGHTS
ADJUSTING THE
HEADLIGHT BEAM
The correct positioning of the head-
light beams is very important for the
comfort and safety, not only of the
person driving the car but also all
other road users.
This is also covered by a specific law.
To ensure you and other drivers
have the best visibility conditions
when travelling with the headlights on,
the headlights must be set properly.
Have the headlight positioning
checked at a Fiat Dealershipand
adjusted if necessary.
fig. 78
P4Q01016Check the positioning of
the headlight beams
every time you change
the load to be carried.
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 53

56GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
Warning light >alone,
with the engine running,
normally indicates a fault
in the ABS system only. In this
case, the braking system is still
efficient, though without the
anti-locking device. Under these
conditions, performance of the
EBD system may be reduced.
Also in this case, you are advised
to go immediately to the nearest
Fiat Dealership, driving in such a
way to avoid sharp braking to
have the system checked. FRONT AIRBAGS
The car is fitted with front air bags
(for versions/markets where applica-
ble) for the driver and the passenger.
FRONT AIR BAGS fig. 80
The front air bag (driver and pas-
senger) has been designed to protect
the occupants in the event of head-
on crashes of medium-high severity,
by placing the cushion between the oc-
cupant and the steering wheel or dash-
board.
Front air bags are designed to pro-
tect car’s occupants in front crashes
and therefore non-activation in other
types of collision (side collisions, rear
shunts, roll-overs, etc.) is not a system
malfunction.In case of front crash, an electronic
control unit, when required, triggers
the inflation of the cushion.
The cushion immediately inflates,
placing itself as a protection between
the body of the front occupants and
the structure that could cause injuries.
Immediately after, the cushion deflates.
The front air bag (driver and pas-
senger) is 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-
European countries.
In case of crash, a person not wear-
ing the seat belt moves forward and
may come into contact with the cush-
ion while it is still inflating. Under this
circumstance the protection offered
by the air bag is reduced.
Front air bag can be activated in the
following situations:
– in collisions against highly
deformable objects not affecting
the vehicle front surface (e.g.
bumper collision against guard
rail); If the xbrake fluid low
warning light comes on,
stop the vehicle immedi-
ately and contact the nearest
Fiat Dealership. Fluid leaks from
the hydraulic system, in fact, can
compromise brake system oper-
ation, both traditional systems
and systems with ABS.
fig. 80
P4Q00074
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 56

57GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
Do not apply stickers or
other objects to the
steering wheel or to the
passenger's air bag cover or on
the side roof lining. Never apply
objects on the dashboard on pas-
senger side (e.g. mobile phones)
since they could interfere with
proper passenger air bag inflation
and cause severe injuries. – car wedging under other vehicles
or protective barriers (for
example under a truck or guard
rail);
as it offers no additional protection
compared with the seat belts, conse-
quently, it would be pointless. There-
fore, failure to come into action in the
above circumstances does not mean
that the system is not working prop-
erly.FRONT AIRBAG
PASSENGER SIDEThe 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 control switch un-
der the middle of the dashboard be-
tween the sound system compart-
ment and the oddment compartment
fig. 81with the ignition key to deac-
tivate the airbag. SERIOUS DAN-
GER: Never place
cradle child’s seats
on the front passenger seat of
cars fitted with passenger air bag.
Air bag activation could cause se-
rious injuries, even mortal. In the
case of need, always deactivate
the passenger’s air bag when a
child’s seat is placed on the front
seat. The front passenger’s seat
shall be adjusted in the most
backward position to prevent any
contact between child’s seat and
dashboard. Even if not compul-
sory by law, you are recom-
mended to reactivate the air bag
immediately as soon as child
transport is no longer necessary.
fig. 81
P4Q00183
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 57

59GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
If the ¬warning light
does not turn on when
turning the ignition key
to MAR or if it stays on when
travelling, this could indicate a
failure in safety retaining sys-
tems; under this condition air
bags or pretensioners could not
trigger in the event of collision
or, in a restricted number of
cases, they could trigger acci-
dentally. Stop the car and con-
tact Fiat Dealership to have the
system checked immediately.
Do not travel with ob-
jects on your lap or in
front of you. Do not hold
a pipe, a pencil or similar be-
tween your lips. You could seri-
ously hurt yourself if the airbag
inflates in a collision. The warning light Fshould come on for ap-
proximately four seconds
and then flash for other four sec-
onds when the passenger side
airbag deactivation switch is
turned to ON and the ignition
key is turned to MAR to remind
you that the passenger side
airbag will be fired in the event of
an accident. The warning light
should then go out.
Always drive with both
hands on the rims of the
steering wheel so that the
airbag is free to inflate during a
head-on collision and protection
yourself 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. If an attempt has been
made to steal the car or if
it has actually been stolen
or vandalised in any way or sub-
jected to flooding, have the
airbag system checked at a Fiat
Dealership.
Please note that airbags
can be triggered when
the engine is running also
if the car is stationary and an-
other vehicle crashes into it at
suitably high speed. As a conse-
quence, never sit children in the
front seat, also when the car is
still. On the other hand, the
airbags will not be fired if the car
is stationary and the key is not
turned. Missed operation in these
circumstances does not indicate
a fault.
The failure of the ¬
warning light is also indi-
cated by the flashing for
more than the normal 4 seconds
of the passenger’s front air bag
deactivated warning light
F. In
addition the air bag system will
deactivate automatically the pas-
senger’s air bags (front and side
where provided). In this event,
warning light
¬could not indi-
cate safety systems failures. Con-
tact Fiat Dealership immediately
to have the system checked.
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:49 Pagina 59

61GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
ELECTRICAL POWER
STEERING SYSTEM
IMPORTANT The electrical
power steering system only works
when the ignition key is at MAR.
A new electrically controlled power
steering system called EPAS (Electri-
cal Power Assisted Steering) is fitted
in the Fiat 600.
The EPAS system is operated by an
electric motor and consists of only
two parts: a steering column with
built-in electric motor and an elec-
tronic control unit.
The control unit processes the data
from the various sensors located in
the car and converts the signals into
commands for the power steering
motor to reduce the effect on the
steering wheel both when parking and
when cornering.
P4Q00503
fig. 82
1)Electronic power assisted steering control unit;
2)Car speed sensor;
3)Injection control unit;
4)Electric power steering motor;
5)Electrical power steering unit.
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 61

62GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
The system is programmed at the
factory to ensure variable degrees of
assistance according to the require-
ments. In other words, power is in-
creased for parking and reduced as
the car’s speed increases.
The EPAS system only works when
the engine is running to avoid deploy-
ing the battery accidentally. Further-
more, it is equipped with a self-test
function to detect faults and incorrect
signals.
IMPORTANTThe steering wheel
may stiffen slightly in parking manoeu-
vres requiring a great deal of steering:
this is normal and caused by the
power steering motor overheat pro-
tection system tripping. The problem
does not require servicing and the
electric power steering system will
work normally the next time the car
is used.If the warning light comes on, see
chapter
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR,
paragraph
WARNING LIGHTS.
FIAT 600 VAN
The version herein illustrated differs
from Fiat 600 saloon described in this
handbook for the different size of the
boot and the availability of two front
seats only.
Load recommendations
Fiat 600 Van has been designed and
approved on the basis of several set
maximum values:
– kerb weight
– payload
– gross vehicle weight
– total weight on the front axle
– total weight on the rear axle
– towable weight.
Each of these limits must be borne
in mind and must never be exceeded
under any circumstances. It is absolutely forbidden
to carry out whatever af-
ter-market operation in-
volving steering system or steer-
ing column modifications (e.g.: in-
stallation of anti-theft Device)
that could badly affect perfor-
mance and safety, cause the lapse
of warranty and also result in
non-compliance of the car with
homologation requirements.
001-069 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 62

71DRIVING YOUR CAR
EMERGENCY START-UP
If the Fiat CODE system fails to
recognise that code transmitted by
the ignition key (instrument panel
warning light ¢on) the emergency
start-up can be performed by using
the CODE card code.
See the
IN AN EMERGENCY. A quick burst on the ac-
celerator before turning
off the engine serves ab-
solutely no practical purpose and
wastes fuel.
IMPORTANTAfter a taxing drive
it is better to allow the engine to
“catch its breath” before turning it off,
by letting it idle to allow the temper-
ature in the engine compartment to
fall.
PARKING
Switch off the engine, pull up the
handbrake and put the car in 1st gear
if the car is pointing uphill, reverse if
downhill.
If the car is parked on a steep gradi-
ent it is a good idea to use a stone or
wedge to block the wheels.
Do not leave the ignition key at
MARbecause it drains the battery.
Always remove the key when you
leave the car. Bump starting by push-
ing, towing or rolling
downhill must be avoided
at all costs. This way of starting
could cause a rush of fuel into the
catalytic exhaust pipe and dam-
age it beyond repair.
Remember that as long
as the engine is not run-
ning, the power brakes
and power steering do not work.
You therefore have to use con-
siderably more effort on both the
brake pedal and the steering
wheel. SWITCHING OFF
THE ENGINE
Turn the key to STOPwhile the
engine is idling.
Never leave unsuper-
vised children in the car.
070-082 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 71

72DRIVING YOUR CAR
HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever is between the
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. IMPORTANTIf this is not the
case, go to a Fiat Dealership to
have the handbrake adjusted.
Instrument panel warning light x
will come on when the handbrake
lever is pulled up and the ignition key
is at MAR.
To release the handbrake:
1)Slightly lift the hand brake and
press release button A-fig. 1;
2)keep the button pressed in and
lower the lever. Warning light xwill
go out;
3)to prevent accidental movement
of the car, this procedure should be
carried out with the brake pedal
pressed down.
STEERING LOCK LEVER
Use the brake pedal to lock the bot-
tom end. HOW TO USE
THE GEARS
The lever positions for the different
gears are shown in fig. 2(this diagram
is also on the gear knob).
Press the clutch fully.
To put the car in reverse (R), wait
until the car has stopped and, from
neutral: move the lever to the right
and back.
fig. 1
P4Q00078
fig. 2
P4Q00079
070-082 Seicento GB 22-11-2007 10:50 Pagina 72