2007 FIAT SEICENTO warning

58GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
The switch has two positions:
1) Passenger side airbag activated:
(position ON
P), instrument panel
warning light off. Do not carry chil-
dren on the front seat.
2)Passenger side airbag deactivated:
(position OFF F), instrument panel
warning light on. A child can be car-
ried on the front seat with a suitable
restraint system.
The instrument panel warning light
Fwill stay on until the passenger
side airbag is reactivated. GENERAL WARNINGS
The front airbags (on driver and pas-
senger side, where fitted) can be trig-
gered if the car is subjected to strong
knocks or impacts underneath, e.g. vi-
olent crashes into steps, kerbs or fixed
projections from the ground, falling to
large holes or dips in the road.
When the airbag inflates it emits heat
and a small amount of smoke. This is
harmless and does not indicate the be-
ginning of a fire.
The air bag system has a validity of
14 years as concerns the pyrotechnic
charge and 10 years as concerns the
coil contact (see the plate located on
the front left door post near door
hinges).
As these dates approach, contact Fi-
at Dealershipto have them replaced.After an accident which triggered the
airbags, go to a Fiat Dealershipto
have the entire safety system, the elec-
tronic control unit, the seat belts and
the pretensioners replaced. The Fiat
Dealershipwill also check the in-
tactness of the electrical system.
Any diagnostic, repair or replace-
ment operations concerning the airbag
system must exclusively be carried out
at a Fiat Dealership.
If you are having the car scrapped,
have the airbag system deactivated at
a Fiat Dealershipfirst.
If the car changes hands, the new
owner must be made aware of the in-
dications given above and be given this
Owner Handbook.
Pretensioners and front airbags are
triggered by the electronic control
unit according to different types of im-
pacts. Missed triggering of the system,
consequently, does not indicate a fault
in the system.

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.

60GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
Correct operation of
the front airbags and the
pretensioners is guaran-
teed as long as the car is not
overloaded.
The airbag does not re-
place seat belts but
rather increases their ef-
fectiveness. Furthermore, the
front airbag is not fired in the
event of low speed front colli-
sions, side collisions, rear-end
shunts and roll-overs. In these
cases, the passengers are only
protected by the seat belts which
for this reason must be fastened
at all times. EOBD SYSTEM
The EOBD (European On Board Di-
agnosis) system continuously monitors
the car emission system components.
Furthermore, the system warns the
driver of deterioration concerning the
emission system components by
means of the Uwarning light on the
instrument panelThe objective is to:
– monitor system efficiency;
– warn when failures can increase
emissions over the threshold estab-
lished by the European regulations;
– warn of the need to replace dete-
riorated components.
Furthermore, the system is equipped
with a connector for interfacing with
specific tools used to read the error
codes stored in the control unit mem-
ory along with a set of diagnostic and
engine specific parameters. This check can also be performed by
traffic controller agents.
Contact a Fiat Dealer-
ship as soon as possible if
the Uwarning light ei-
ther does not come on when the
key is turned to MAR or comes
on, with fixed or flashing light,
when travelling.
IMPORTANTAfter eliminating
the problem, your Fiat Dealership
will run a bench test to fully check the
system. In some cases, a long road
test may be required.

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.

70DRIVING YOUR CAR
STARTING
THE ENGINE1)Ensure that the handbrake is up.
2)Put the gear lever into neutral.
3)Press the clutch pedal fully down,
without pressing the accelerator.
4) Turn the ignition key to AVV and
let it go the moment the engine starts.
If warning lights ¢stay on when the
key is turned to MARturn the key to
STOPand then back to MAR. If the
light does not go off, try with the
other keys.If you are still unable to start the en-
gine, perform the emergency start-up
procedure (see
INANEMERGENCY) and
call your Fiat Dealership.
IMPORTANTDo not leave the ig-
nition key at MARwhen the engine is
off.
HOW TO WARM UP
THE ENGINE AFTER IT
HAS JUST STARTED
– Begin to move forward slowly let-
ting the engine turn at medium revs.
Do not accelerate abruptly.
– Do not push the engine to its limit
for the first few kilometres.
D D D D
R R R R
I I I I
V V V V
I I I I
N N N N
G G G G

Y Y Y Y
O O O O
U U U U
R R R R

C C C C
A A A A
R R R R
It is dangerous to let the
engine run in a garage or
other closed area. The
engine consumes oxygen and
gives off carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide and other poisonous
fumes.
Do not touch the high
voltage cables (spark plug
leads) when the engine is
running.
IMPORTANT Do not press down
the accelerator before starting the en-
gine.

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
INANEMERGENCY. 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.

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

80DRIVING YOUR CAR
LOOKING AFTER EMISSION
CONTROL DEVICES
The correct use of pollution control
devices not only ensures respect for
the environment but also has an effect
on the car’s performance. Keeping
these devices in good condition is
therefore a fundamental rule for dri-
ving that is easy on your pocket and
on the environment too.
The first step to take is to follow the
Service Schedule to the letter.
If your car has a petrol engine use
only unleaded petrol.
If you have trouble starting, do not
keep turning the ignition key for long
periods. Be especially careful to avoid
bump starting the car by pushing, tow-
ing or rolling down hill: these are all
manoeuvres that can damage the cat-
alytic exhaust. For emergency starts
use only an auxiliary battery.If the engine begins to “lose its
smoothness” when travelling, con-
tinue your journey but reduce the de-
mands you are making on the engine
and go to a Fiat Dealershipas soon
as you can.
When the instrument panel fuel re-
serve warning light comes on, fill up as
soon as possible. A low level of fuel
can cause an uneven supply of fuel to
the engine with the inevitable increase
in the temperature of the exhaust gas
and serious damage to the catalytic
converter.
Never run the engine with one or
more spark plugs disconnected, even
for testing purposes.
Do not warm up the engine by let-
ting it idle for a while before moving
off unless the outside temperature is
very low and, even in this case, only
do so for less than 30 seconds.Do not install other heat shields
and do not remove those already fit-
ted to the catalytic converter and
exhaust pipe.
When functioning nor-
mally the catalytic con-
verter reaches high tem-
peratures. For this reason do not
park the car over flammable ma-
terial (grass, dry leaves, pine nee-
dles etc.): fire hazard.
Ignoring the above rules
may lead to fire.
Do not allow anything to
be sprayed onto the cat-
alytic converter, Lambda
sensor or exhaust pipe.