
95
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
MANUALLY DEACTIVATING
THE PASSENGER’S FRONT
AIR BAG
Should it be absolutely necessary to car-
ry a child on the front seat, the passenger’s
air bag on the car can be deactivated.
Deactivation/reactivation takes place with
ignition key at STOPand operating it in
the special key switch in the glovebox.
The key can be fitted and extracted in
both positions.
IMPORTANT Operate the switch only
when the engine is not running and the ig-
nition key is removed. PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG
fig. 17
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion
contained in a special recess in the dash-
board; its volume is bigger than the dri-
ver’s one.
fig. 17F0G0057m
SERIOUS DANGER: Never
place cradle child’s seats on
the front passenger seat of
cars fitted with passenger
air bag. Air bag activation
could cause serious injuries,
even mortal. In the case of need, al-
ways 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 compulsory by
law, you are recommended to reacti-
vate the air bag immediately as soon
as child transport is no longer neces-
sary.
WARNING
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96
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
SIDE AIR BAGS
(Side bag - Window
bag)
SIDE BAG fig. 19
It consists of an instant inflation cushion
housed in the back rest of the front seat
and has the task to increase protection
of the occupants’ chest in the event of a
side crash of medium-high severity.
The key-operated switch has two posi-
tions fig. 18:
❒passenger’s front air bag activated (ON
position P): warning light Fon in-
strument cluster off; it is absolutely pro-
hibited to carry a child on the front
seat.
❒passenger’s front air bag deactivated
(OFFposition F): warning light F
on instrument cluster on; it is possible
to carry a child protected by special re-
straint system on the front seat.
The warning light Fon the cluster stays
on permanently until the passenger’s air
bag is reactivated.
Deactivation of the passenger’s front air
bag does not inhibit operation of the side
air bag.
fig. 19F0G0058mfig. 18F0G0170m
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98
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
GENERAL WARNINGS
If when turning the key to
MAR the warning light ¬
does not turn on or if it stays on when
travelling 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 num-
ber of cases, they could trigger acci-
dentally. Contact Fiat Dealership im-
mediately to have the system
checked.
WARNING
Do not cover the backrest of
front seats with trims or cov-
ers 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
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 car
if it is bumped by another moving car.
Therefore, never seat children on the
front seat even when the car is sta-
tionary. On the other hand remem-
ber that if the key is at STOP, no safe-
ty system (air bags or pretensioners)
is triggered in the event of an impact;
in this case, failure to come into ac-
tion cannot be considered as a sign
that the system is not working prop-
erly.
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
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99
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
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 that 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
When the ignition key is
turned to the MAR position,
the warning light F(with passen-
ger’s front air bag deactivation switch
in the ON position) turns on and
flashes for few seconds to remind that
the passenger’s air bag will be de-
ployed in a crash, after which it
should go off.
WARNING
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STARTING PROCEDURE
FOR PETROL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒put the gear lever in 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 Uturn the key to STOP
STOP and then back to MAR; if the warn-
ing light remains on, try with the other
keys provided with the car.
If you are still unable to start the engine,
perform the emergency start-up proce-
dure (see “Emergency start-up” in “In an
emergency” chapter) and contact Fiat
Dealership.
STARTING
THE ENGINE
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: the system devised
for the Fiat Panda was designed to limit
maintenance interventions.
102
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF 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.).
When the engine is switched
off never leave the ignition
key in the MAR position to
prevent pointless current ab-
sorption 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
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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, turn the key to
STOPand then back to MAR; if the
warning light remains on, try with the oth-
er keys provided with the car.
If you still cannot start the engine, contact
Fiat Dealership.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.
EMERGENCY START-UP
If the instrument panel warning light
Ystays on with fixed light, the emergency
start-up can be performed by using the
CODE card code (see section “In an
emergency”). STARTING PROCEDURE
FOR DIESEL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒ Ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒ 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 touching the accelerator;
❒Turn the ignition key to AVVas soon
as warning light
mgoes out. If you
wait too long you will lose the benefit
of the work done by the glow plugs.
Release the key as soon as the engine
starts.
IMPORTANT With cold engine, the ac-
celerator pedal shall be completely re-
leased while turning the ignition key to
AVV.
103
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
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 car as usual if the engine starts but
you should contact Fiat Dealership as
soon as possible.
Never bump start the engine
by pushing, towing or coast-
ing downhill. These opera-
tions could cause fuel to flow
into the catalytic exhaust system and
damage it beyond repair.
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PARKING
Proceed as follows:
❒ Stop the engine and engage the hand-
brake;
❒engage a gear (1stif 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
prevent draining the battery, always re-
move the ignition key when leaving the
car.
Never leave children unattended in the
car. Always remove the ignition key when
leaving the car and take it out with you.HANDBRAKE fig. 1
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.
When the handbrake lever is pulled up
and the ignition key is at MAR, the in-
strument panel warning light xwill turn
on. STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition to STOPwhile the en-
gine is idling.
IMPORTANT After 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.
fig. 1F0G0037m
104
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
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.
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114
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
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 classes
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 car im-
mediately and contact Fiat Dealer-
ship.
WARNING
Handbrake on
The warning light turns on when the hand-
brake is on.
On certain versions, if the car is moving
the buzzer will also sound.
IMPORTANT If the warning light turns on
when travelling, check that the handbrake
is not engaged.
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.
¬
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