116
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG
fig. 15
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion
contained into a special recess in the
dashboard, this cushion has a volume big-
ger than that of the driver.
fig. 14F0R0099m
fig. 15F0R0100m
The airbags are not deployed in the event
of collisions of low severity (for which the
withholding action of the seat belts is suf-
ficient). For this reason, the seat belt must
be worn at all times. In the case of side
collisions, the seat belts hold occupants in
the correct position and prevent being
thrown out of the car by a very violent
collision.
DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG fig. 14
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion
contained in a special recess in the cen-
tre of the steering wheel.
Do not apply stickers or oth-
er objects on the steering
wheel, passenger side airbag cover or
side upholstery on roof. Do not place
objects on the passenger side dash-
board because these could interfere
with the correct opening of the airbag
(e.g. mobile phones) and cause severe
injury to occupants.
WARNINGIn the event of a collision, a person not
wearing a seat belt may be thrown for-
ward and con into contact with the bag
before it has fully opened. The protection
offered by the cushion is reduced in such
a case.
Front air bag may not be activated in the
following situations:
❒in collisions against highly deformable
objects not affecting the car front sur-
face (e.g. bumper collision against guard
rail, etc.);
❒jamming of the car underneath other
vehicles or protective barriers (e.g. un-
derneath a truck or a guard rail); in this
case, the bags would offer no addition-
al protection with respect to the seat
belt and their deployment is unneces-
sary. No deployment in such cases is
consequently not the sign of a fault.
120
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
Always drive holding your
hands on the steering wheel
rim so that the airbag can inflate
freely in the case of need. Do not dri-
ve with your body bent forward. Keep
your back straight against the back
rest.
WARNING
Airbags may be deployed if
another vehicle crashes if the
key is inserted and at MAR also if the
engine is not running and the car is
stationary. For this reason, children
must never sit on the front seat, even
if the car is not moving. On the oth-
er hand, if the key is inserted and at
STOP, none of the safety devices
(airbag or pretensioners) will be de-
ployed in a collision. Non deployment
of the devices in this case does not in-
dicate a system fault.
WARNING
Do not wash the seats with
pressurised water or steam
(by hand or in automatic seat wash-
ing stations).
WARNING
The airbag deployment
threshold is higher than that
of the pretensioners. For collisions in
the range between the two thresh-
olds, it is normal for only the preten-
sioners to be activated.
WARNING
Do not hook rigid objects to
the coat hooks and to the
support handles.
WARNING
Airbags do not replace seat
belts but increase their effi-
ciency. Furthermore, since front
airbags are not deployed in low speed
collisions, side collisions, rear-end
shunts or roll-overs, the occupants are
only protected by the seat belts which
must be fastened at all times.
WARNING
When the key is turned to
MAR warning light F(with
passenger front airbag activate) will
blink for a few seconds to remind you
that the airbag will be deployed in the
event of a collision after which it
should go out.
WARNING
Have the airbag system
checked by a Fiat Dealership
if the car was stolen, if theft was at-
tempted, or if the car was subjected
to vandalism or flooding.
WARNING
122
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
ENGINE STARTING
The car is provided with an electronic en-
gine lock device: refer to “The Fiat CODE
system” paragraph in “Dashboard and
controls” if you cannot start the engine.
The engine may be noisier during the first
seconds of operation, particularly after a
long period of inactivity. This is charac-
teristic of hydraulic tappets, the timing sys-
tem chosen to reduce the number of ser-
vicing interventions and does effects nei-
ther functionality nor reliability.
It is advisable not to demand
maximum performance from
your car (e.g. excessive accel-
erations, long distances at top
rpm, excessive intense braking, etc.) as
soon as the engine is started.
Do not leave the key in the ig-
nition switch with the engine
off to avoid unnecessary con-
sumption of electricity which
could drain the battery. It is dangerous
to run the engine in closed environ-
ments.
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 brake
booster 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 FOR
PETROL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒put the gear lever into 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.
124
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.
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.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 demand to performance for the
first few kilometres. Wait until the en-
gine coolant gauge starts moving.
Remember that the brake
booster and power steering
are not operational until the
engine has been started,
therefore much effort than usual is re-
quired on the brake pedal and steering
wheel.
Never jump start the engine
by pushing, towing or driving
downhill. This could cause a
flow of fuel into the catalyt-
ic converter and damage it beyond re-
pair.
125
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CARHANDBRAKE fig. 1
The handbrake lever is located between
the two front seats.
Pull the lever upwards to operate the
handbrake. Four or five notches are nor-
mally sufficient to lock the car on flat ter-
rain, while nine or ten may be necessary
on a steep slope with the car loaded.
IMPORTANT If this is not the case, con-
tact Fiat Dealership to have the handbrake
adjusted.
When the handbrake lever is pulled up
and the ignition key is atMAR, the in-
strument panel warning light
xwill turn
on.
PARKING THE CAR
Proceed as follows:
❒stop the engine and engage the hand-
brake;
❒engage a gear (on a slope, engage first
gear if the car is faced uphill or reverse
if it is faced downhill) and leave the
wheels steered.
If the car is parked on a steep slope, it is
further advisable to block the wheels with
a wedge or stone. Do not leave the key in
the ignition switch to prevent draining the
battery. Always remove the key when you
leave the car.
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
fig. 1F0R0103m
Proceed as followed to release the hand-
brake:
❒slightly lift the handbrake and press re-
lease button A;
❒hold button Apressed and lower the
lever. Warning light xon the instru-
ment panel will go out.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out
this operation to prevent the car from
moving accidentally.
131
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IMPORTANT When snow tyres are used
with a max speed index below the one
that can be reached by the car (increased
by 5%), place a notice in the passenger’s
compartment, plainly in the driver’s view
which states the max permissible speed of
the snow tyres (as per EC Directive).
All four tyres should be the same (brand
and track) to ensure greater safety when
driving and braking and better driveability.
Remember that it is inappropriate to
change the direction of rotation of tyres.SNOW CHAINS
Use of snow chains should be in compli-
ance with local regulations.
The snow chains may be applied only on-
to the front wheel tyres (drive wheels).
Use of Lineaccessori Fiat snow chains is
recommended.
Check the tension of the chains after the
first few metres have been driven.
IMPORTANT With snow chains, use the
accelerator with extreme care to prevent
or to limit as much as possible slipping of
the driving wheels that could cause chain
breaking resulting in damages to the car
body or mechanical components.
IMPORTANT Use low-clearance 9 mm
snow chains.
SNOW TYRES
Use snow tyres of the same size as the
normal tyres provided with the car.
Fiat Dealership will be happy to provide
advice concerning the most suitable type
of tyre for the customer’s requirements.
For the type of tyre to be used, inflation
pressures and the specifications of snow
tyres, follow the instructions given in para-
graph “Wheels” in section “Technical
specifications”.
The performance of these tyres is con-
siderably reduced when the tread depth
is less than 4 mm. Replace them in this
case.
Due to their specific features, the perfor-
mance of snow tyres is much lower than
that of normal types in normal conditions
or long motorway stretches. Limit per-
formance according the use for which they
were approved.
The max speed for snow
tyres with “Q” marking is
160 km/h; 190 km/h for tyres with “T”
marking and 210 km/h for tyres with
H marking. The Road Traffic Code
speed limits must however be always
strictly observed.
WARNING
137
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
INCOMPLETE DOOR
LOCKING (red)
On certain versions the warn-
ing light turns on when one or more
doors or the tailgate are not properly
shut.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
A buzzer will sound when doors/tailgate
are open and the car is moving.
´
EBD FAILURE
(red) (amber)
Warning lights
xand >lit at the same
time with the engine running indicates an
EBD system failure or that the system is
not available. Early locking of the rear
wheels may occur in the event of violent
braking causing the car to swerve. Drive
very carefully to a Fiat Dealership to have
the system inspected.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
x>
SEAT BELTS NOT
FASTENED
(red)
The warning light on the display
will light up when the car is moving and the
driver’s seat belt is not correctly fastened.
The warning light will blink and a buzzer will
sound if the front seat belts are not cor-
rectly fastened. The buzzer of the S.B.R.
(Seat Belt Reminder) system may only be
switched off by a Fiat Dealership. On some
versions the system may be reactivated
from the setup menu.<
147
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
IMPORTANT Never connect the negative
terminals of the two batteries directly:
sparks could ignite explosive gas released
from the battery. If the auxiliary battery is
installed on another car, prevent acciden-
tal contact between metallic parts of the
two cars.BUMP STARTING
Never jump start the engine by pushing,
towing or driving downhill. This could
cause a flow of fuel into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it beyond repair.
IMPORTANT Remember that the brake
booster and the power steering system
are not operating until the engine is start-
ed, a greater effort will therefore be re-
quired to press the brake pedal or turn
the steering wheel.REPLACING A WHEEL
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Wheel changing and correct use of the
jack and spare wheel call for some pre-
cautions as listed below.
Indicate that the car is sta-
tionary according to the laws
in force: hazard lights, triangle, etc.
Passengers should leave the car, par-
ticularly if it is very loaded and wait
for the wheel to be changed away
from on-coming traffic. Apply the
handbrake.
WARNING