130
CORRECT USE
OF THE
VEHICLE
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
VEHICLE
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
If you are having the vehicle scrapped,
have the air bag system deactivated at a Fi-
at Dealership first. If the vehicle changes
ownership, the new owner must be in-
formed of the method of use of air bags
and the above warnings and also be given
this “Owner Handbook”.
IMPORTANT The triggering of preten-
sioners, front air bags and side bags is de-
cided in a differentiated manner by the
electronic control unit, depending on the
type of crash. The failure to deploy one or
more of them does not mean that the sys-
tem is not working properly.
Never rest head, arms and
elbows on the door, on the
windows and in the window bag area
to prevent possible injuries during in-
flation phase.
WARNING
Never lean head, arms and
elbows out of window.
WARNING
GENERAL WARNINGS
If when turning the key to
MAR the warning light ¬
does not turn on or if it stays on when
travelling (together with the message
on the multifunction display, where
provided) 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 acciden-
tally. Contact Fiat Dealership imme-
diately 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
131
CORRECT USE
OF THE
VEHICLE
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
VEHICLE
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
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
Remember that with the key
engaged and at MAR, even if
the engine is not running, the air bags
may be triggered on a stationary ve-
hicle if it is bumped by another mov-
ing vehicle. Therefore, never seat chil-
dren on the front seat even when the
vehicle is stationary. On the other
hand remember that if the key is at
STOP, no safety system (air bags or
pretensioners) 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
If the vehicle 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
When the ignition key is
turned to MAR, the warning
light F(with passenger’s front air
bag active) turns on and flashes for
few seconds to remind that passen-
ger’s air bag will be deployed in a
crash, after which it should go off.
WARNING
134
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
VEHICLE
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE VEHICLE
ENGINE
STARTING
The vehicle is fitted with an electronic en-
gine lock device: if the engine fails to start,
see the paragraph “The Fiat CODE sys-
tem” in section “Dashboard and controls”.
We recommend that during
the initial period you do not
drive to full vehicle perfor-
mance (e.g.: excessive accel-
eration, long journeys at top speed,
sharp braking, etc.).
When the engine is switched
off never leave the key into
the ignition switch to prevent
pointless current absorption
from draining the battery.
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
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
STARTING PROCEDURE
Proceed as follows:
❒engage the handbrake;
❒put the gear lever into 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 pressing the accelerator;
❒turn the ignition key to AVVas soon
as warning light
mturns off. If you
wait too long you will lose the bene-
fit of the work done by the glow plugs.
Release the key as soon as the engine
starts.
135
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
VEHICLE
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE VEHICLE
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, the in-
strument panel warning light
Yremains
lit together with warning light
mturn
the key to STOPand then back to MAR;
if the warning lights remain on, try with
the other keys provided with the vehicle.
IMPORTANT If the instrument panel
warning light
Ystays on glowing steadi-
ly, contact immediately Fiat Dealership.
IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition key
to MARwhen the engine is off.
The warning light
mwill
flash for 60 seconds at start-
up or during prolonged crank-
ing to indicate a fault in the
glow plug heating system. You can use
the vehicle as usual if the engine starts
but you should contact Fiat Dealership
as soon as possible.
HOW TO WARM UP THE
ENGINE AFTER IT HAS JUST
STARTED
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.
Remember that the servo-
brake and power steering are
not operational until the en-
gine has been started, there-
fore much effort than usual is required
on the brake pedal and steering wheel.
Never bump start the engine
by pushing, towing or coast-
ing downhill as this could
cause fuel to flow into the
catalytic exhaust system and damage
it beyond repair.
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.
A quick burst on the acceler-
ator before turning off the en-
gine serves absolutely no
practical purpose, it wastes
fuel and is damaging especially to tur-
bocharged engines.
136
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
VEHICLE
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE VEHICLEWhen 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 the
release button A;
❒keep button Apressed and lower the
lever. Warning light xwill turn off.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out
this operation to prevent the vehicle mov-
ing accidentally.
IMPORTANT Pull the handbrake only
when the vehicle is stationary or, with
vehicle running only if the hydraulic sys-
tem is failing. Should it be necessary to
use the handbrake with the vehicle run-
ning, pull it slowly to prevent rear axle
locking and vehicle side skid as a conse-
quence.
PARKING THE VEHICLE
Proceed as follows:
❒stop the engine and engage the hand-
brake;
❒engage a gear (on a slope, engage
first gear if the vehicle is faced uphill
or reverse if it is faced downhill) and
leave the wheels steered.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a
stone if the vehicle is parked on a steep
slope. Do not leave the key in the igni-
tion switch to prevent draining the bat-
tery. Always remove the key when you
leave the vehicle.
HANDBRAKE fig. 1
The handbrake lever is located on the left-
hand side of the driver’s seat.
Pull the handbrake lever upwards until the
vehicle cannot be moved. Four or five
clicks are generally enough when the ve-
hicle is on level ground while nine or ten
may be required if the vehicle is on a steep
slope or laden.
IMPORTANT If this is not the case, con-
tact Fiat Dealership to have the handbrake
adjusted.
Never leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle. Always
remove the ignition key when leaving
the vehicle and take it out with you.
WARNING
fig. 1F0N0073m
USING THE MANUAL
GEARBOX
To engage the gears, press the clutch ped-
al fully and shift the gear lever into one of
the required positions (the diagram is
shown on the knob fig. 2).
To engage the 6th gear (where provided)
move the gearshift lever pressing slightly
rightwards to prevent engaging the 4th
gear accidentally. Do the same for shifting
from 6th to 5th gear.
IMPORTANT The vehicle can only be put
into reverse gear when it has stopped
moving completely. With the engine run-
ning, before engaging the reverse, wait at
least 2 seconds with the clutch pedal ful-
ly down to prevent damage and grating of
the gears.
146
IN AN
EMERGENCY
VEHICLE
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
VEHICLE
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
GENERAL WARNINGS
Turning on of warning light is accompa-
nied by specific message and/or by buzzer
sound where provided by instrument pan-
el. These indications are concise and
cautionaryand shall not be considered
as exhaustive and/or as an alternative to
the specifications contained in this Own-
er Handbook which shall always be read
through carefully and thoroughly. In case
of failure indication always refer to the
specifications contained in this sec-
tion.
IMPORTANT Failure indications displayed
are divided into two categories: very se-
riousand less seriousfailures.
Very seriousfailures are indicated by a
repeated and prolonged warning “cycle”.
Less seriousfailures are indicated by a lim-
ited warning “cycle”.
The warning cycle of both failure cate-
gories can be stopped by pressing button
MODE. The instrument panel warning
light will stay on until eliminating the fault.
As concerns messages relevant to the ver-
sions equipped with Dualogic gearbox, see
the attached Supplement.LOW BRAKE FLUID
LEVEL (red)
HANDBRAKE ON (red)
Turning the ignition key to MARthe
warning light turns on, but it should go off
after few seconds.
Low brake fluid level
The warning light turns on when the lev-
el of the brake fluid in the reservoir falls
below the minimum level, due to possi-
ble leak in the circuit.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
x
If the warning light xturns
on when travelling (on cer-
tain versions together with the mes-
sage on the display) stop the vehicle
immediately and contact Fiat Deal-
ership.
WARNING
Handbrake on
The warning light turns on when the hand-
brake is on.
On certain versions, if the vehicle is mov-
ing the buzzer will also sound.
IMPORTANT If the warning light turns on
when travelling, check that the handbrake
is not engaged.
147
IN AN
EMERGENCY
VEHICLE
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
VEHICLE
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
AIR BAG FAILURE
(red)
Turning the ignition key to
MARthe warning light turns on, but it
should go off after few seconds.
The warning light stays on glowing steadi-
ly if there is a failure in the air bag system.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
¬If when turning the ignition
key to MAR, the warning
light ¬does not turn on or stays on
when travelling there could be a fail-
ure in safety systems; in this event air
bags or pretensioners could not trig-
ger 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
The failure of the warning
light ¬(warning light off) is
also indicated by the flashing for
more than the normal 4 seconds of
the passenger’s front air bag deacti-
vated warning light F.
WARNING
HIGH TEMPERATURE
ENGINE COOLANT
FLUID (red)
Turning the ignition key to MARthe
warning light turns on, but it should go off
after few seconds.
The warning light turns on when the en-
gine is overheated.
If the warning light comes on, proceed as
follows:
❒normal driving conditions: stop
the vehicle, switch off the engine and
check whether the water level in the
reservoir is not below the MIN mark.
Otherwise wait for few seconds to al-
low the engine cooling, then open
slowly and carefully the cap, top up
coolant and check whether its level is
falling between MIN and MAX marks
in the reservoir. Check visually any
leak. If, when restarting, the warning
light comes on again, contact a Fiat
Dealership.
ç
148
IN AN
EMERGENCY
VEHICLE
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
VEHICLE
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
LOW ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE (red)
EXHAUSTED OIL (red)
(where provided)
Low engine oil pressure
Turning the ignition key to MARthe
warning light turns on, but it should go out
as soon as the engine is started.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
v
If the warning light v
turns on when the vehicle is
travelling (on certain versions to-
gether with the message on the dis-
play) stop the engine immediately
and contact a Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
❒heavy duty(e.g.: towing trailer uphill
of fully laden vehicle): decrease speed,
if the warning light stays on, stop the
vehicle. Wait for 2 or 3 minutes leav-
ing the engine on and slightly acceler-
ated to further activate the circulation
of the coolant fluid, then switch the
engine off. Check proper coolant lev-
el as described previously.
IMPORTANT Under severe use of the ve-
hicle, keep the engine on and slightly ac-
celerated for few minutes before switch-
ing it off.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
LOW BATTERY
CHARGE (red)
Turning the ignition key to
MARthe warning light turns on, but it
should go out as soon as the engine is
started (with the engine running at idle
speed a brief delay in going out is allowed).
If the warning light stays on glowing steadi-
ly or flashing: contact immediately Fiat
Dealership.
w
Exhausted oil
The warning light with turn on flashing to-
gether with the message on the display
(where provided) when the system de-
tects that the engine oil is exhausted.After the first indication, at each engine
starting the warning light vwill go on
flashing for about 60 seconds and then
every 2 hours until oil is changed.
If warning light vflash-
es, contact Fiat Dealership
immediately to have oil changed and
instrument panel warning light turned
off.
WARNING