2007 Lancia Thesis Owner handbook (in English)

88
FRONT AND SIDE
AIRBAGS
The car is equipped with front
(Multistage) airbags for the driver
(fig. 86) and passenger B(fig. 87),
front side bags C (fig. 88), window
bags D(fig. 89) and (where provid-
ed) rear side bags E(fig. 90).
“SMART BAG” SYSTEM
(FRONT MULTISTAGE AIRBAGS)
Description and operation
The front air bag (driver and pas-
senger) is a safety device which
comes into action in the event of a
front/angled impact.
fig. 86
L0A0067b
For proper mounting, proceed as
follows:
– remove the upper tether on the
back of the child's restraint system;
– remove the black plate on the
child's seat back and loosen the
three knob screws completely;
– check whether the release lever B
(fig. 85) is at rest position (inward);
– identify the brackets A(fig. 85)
and mount the child restraint system
with the retainers C(fig. 85) aligned
to the brackets;
– push the child restraint system
until hearing the locking clicks;
– check for proper locking by mov-
ing the child's seat with force: the
built-in safety mechanism actually
inhibit improper coupling with just
one coupling locked.
With this configuration, the child is
secured also by the car seat belts
(fig. 85).
To apply car seat belts to child's
seat, refer to the child's seat hand-
book.It consists of an instantly inflatable
bag housed in a special compart-
ment located:
– in the centre of the steering wheel
on the driver’s side A (fig. 86);
– in the dashboard on the passen-
ger’s side (larger bag) B(fig. 87).
fig. 87
L0A0068b
fig. 88
L0A0069b

89
The front airbag (driver and pas-
senger) has been designed to protect
the occupants in the event of head-
on/angled collision of medium-high
severity, by placing a soft bag
between the passenger and the steer-
ing wheel or the dashboard.
In case of head-on collision, an
electronic control unit processes the
signals from deceleration sensor
and, when required, triggers the
inflation of the cushion according to
the severity of the collision.
fig. 89
L0A0070b
The cushion immediately inflates,
placing itself as a soft protective bar-
rier between the body of the front
passengers and the structure that
could cause injuries. Immediately
after, the cushion deflates.
The front air bag (driver and pas-
senger) is not a replacement for the
use of seat belts but rather a com-
plement. We recommend that seat
belts are worn at all times as pre-
scribed by legislation in Europe and
most other countries world-wide. A
passenger not wearing the seat belt
may crash into the bag before it is
fully inflated. In this case the protec-
tion is considerably decreased.
fig. 90
L0A0071b
Front air bags are designed to pro-
tect car’s passengers in front/angled
crashes and therefore non-activation
in other types of collisions (side col-
lisions, rear-end shunts, roll-overs,
etc…) is not a system malfunction.
For impacts against very
deformable or mobile objects (traffic
sign poles, heaps of gravel or snow,
etc…), rear impacts (e.g. car crash-
ing into the back), side impacts,
wedging under other vehicles or bar-
riers (e.g. under a truck or guard
rail), the airbag does not offer addi-
tional protection with respect to the
seat belts and may even be undesir-
able.
The fact that the airbag is not trig-
gered in these situations, this does
not signify a malfunction.

90
SEVERE DANGER:
The car is
equipped with
front passenger’s airbag, do not
place the child restraint seat on
the front seat. The inflation of the
airbag could cause even fatal
injury. If required, always deacti-
vate the passenger’s front airbag
when a child seat is placed on the
front seat. The passenger’s seat
shall be set as backwards as pos-
sible to prevent accidental con-
tacts between the child restraint
system and the dashboard.
Although it may not be pre-
scribed by law, we recommend
reactivating the airbag as soon as
it is no longer necessary to carry
children to provide better protec-
tion to adult passengers.
AIRBAGPASSENGER’S FRONT AIRBAG
The passenger’s airbag was
designed and calibrated to protect a
person wearing seat belts.
When fully inflated the bag will fill
most of the space between the dash-
board and the passenger.MANUALLY DEACTIVATING
THE PASSENGER’S FRONT
AIRBAG
The passenger’s front airbag can be
deactivated if it is absolutely neces-
sary to carry a child in the front pas-
senger seat.
Deactivation/reactivation takes
place with ignition key at STOPand
operating it in the special key switch
A(fig. 91) on the dashboard on the
passenger side.
You can reach the switch only if
the door is opened.
fig. 91
L0A0072b

91
Only turn the switch
when the engine is not
running and the ignition
key is removed.
The key switch has two possible
positions:
1)Passenger’s front airbag active
(position ON
P): instrument panel
warning light Foff. Do not carry
children on the front seat.
2)Passenger’s front airbag deacti-
vated (position OFFF): instru-
ment panel warning light Fon. A
child may be carried on the front
seat, protected with a specific
restraint system.
The Fwarning light on the
instrument panel will stay on until
the passenger front airbag is reacti-
vated.
The side airbag will work although
the front airbag is deactivated.
The key can be inserted and
removed from the switch with the
door open in any of the two posi-
tions. IMPORTANTTo receive the best
system protection in the event of an
accident, you have to seat in proper
position (fig. 92).
fig. 92
L0A0256b

In the event of side collisions at low
speed, the restraining action of the
seat belts is sufficient and the airbag
is not inflated. Also in this case it is
of vital importance to wear the seat
belts since in case of side crash they
guarantee proper positioning of the
passenger and prevent the occupants
to be pitched out of the car in case of
violent crashes.
The front and rear side bag is not a
replacement for the use of seat belts
but rather a complement. We rec-
ommend that seat belts are worn at
all times as prescribed by legislation
in Europe and most other countries
world-wide.
92
SIDE AIRBAGS
(SIDE BAG - WINDOW BAG)
Purpose of the side airbags is to
increase passenger protection in the
event of a side impact of medium to
high severity.
Side airbags consist of two types of
instantly inflatable bags:
– the side bags housed in the front
seat bags C (fig. 88) and (where
provided) in the side stuffing of the
rear seats E (fig. 90). This solution
ensures that the bag is always in an
optimal position with respect to the
passenger, regardless of the seat
position;– the window bags, which are “cur-
tain” cushions located behind the
side coverings of the roof and cov-
ered by proper finishings such to
allow the cushion unfolding down-
wards; this solution, studied for the
head protection, allows offering the
best protection to the front and rear
passengers in the event of side crash,
thanks to the wide cushion inflation
surface.
In In the event of a side collision
the electronic control unit processes
the signals coming from a decelera-
tion sensor and, if required, fire the
bags.
The bags inflate instantly and act
as a soft protective barrier between
the body of the passengers and the
car door. Bags deflate immediately
afterwards.

IMPORTANT If the ¬warning
light does not turn on when turning
the ignition key to MARor if it stays
on when travelling, (together with
message on display) this could indi-
cate 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 restrict-
ed number of cases, they could trig-
ger accidentally. Stop the car and
contact Lancia Dealershipto have
the system checked immediately.
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 on the front
let door). As these dates approach, con-
tact Lancia Dealershipto have them
replaced.
IMPORTANTAfter an accident
which triggered the airbags, go to a
Lancia Dealershipto have the
entire safety system, the electronic
control unit, the seat belts and the
pretensioners replaced and to have
the electrical system checked. Never lean head, arms
and elbows out of the
window.Operation of the front bags is not
disabled by the passenger’s front
airbag and rear side bag deactiva-
tion switch.
IMPORTANTIn the event of side
crash, you can obtain the best pro-
tection by the system keeping a cor-
rect position on the seat, allowing
thus a correct window bag unfold-
ing.IMPORTANTThe front airbags
and/or front and rear side bags can
be triggered if the car is involved in
hard impacts or collisions in the area
of the underbody, such as for exam-
ple violent impacts against steps,
kerbs or projecting objects fixed to
the ground or if the car falls into
large pot-holes or dips in the road
surface.
IMPORTANTWhen the airbag is
fired it emits a small amount of
powder and smoke. This is not
harmful and does not indicate the
beginning of a fire. Furthermore the
surface of the inflated bag and the
passenger compartment may be cov-
ered with powder residues. This
powder may irritate skin and eyes.
In the event of exposure, wash with
mild soap and water.
93
Never rest head, arms
and elbows on the door,
on the windows and in the
window bag area to prevent pos-
sible injuries during the inflation
phase.

94
fig. 93
L0A0272b
Any diagnostic, repair or replace-
ment operations concerning the
airbag system must exclusively be
carried out at a Lancia Dealership.
If you are having the car scrapped,
have the airbag system deactivated
at a Lancia Dealershipfirst.
If the car changes hands, the new
owner must be made aware of the
indications given above and be given
this Owner Handbook.
IMPORTANTPretensioners, front
airbags and side bags are activated
by the electronic control unit
according to the type of impact.
Consequently, missed activation of
one or more system components
does not indicate a fault in the sys-
tem.MANUALLY DEACTIVATING
THE REAR SIDE BAGS
(where provided)
Side bags, protecting the chest of
the rear passengers, can be deacti-
vated as follows.
Use the ignition key to operate the
key switch A(fig. 93) located on the
right side of the boot. This switch
can be reached only with tailgate
open.The key switch has two positions:
1)Passenger’s front airbag active
(position ON
Õ): instrument panel
warning light
Àoff. Do not carry
children on the front seat.
2)Passenger’s front airbag deacti-
vated (position OFF
À): instrument
panel warning light
Àon. A child
may be carried on the front seat,
protected with a specific restraint
system.
IMPORTANTThe car is delivered
with rear side bags deactivated
(position OFF
À) and instrument
panel warning light
Àon.
Operate the switch only
when the engine is
stopped and the ignition
key is removed.
SEVERE DANGER:
In presence of
small size occu-
pants (children, etc.) on the rear
seats, it is necessary to deactivate
the rear side bags through the
apposite deactivation switch
located in the boot.
AIRBAG

95
GENERAL NOTES
Do not apply stickers or
other objects to the steer-
ing wheel, to the passen-
ger's airbag cover or to the roof
side cover. Do not place objects
(like mobile phones) on the dash-
board on passenger side since
they could interfere with proper
passenger's airbag deployment
and cause severe injuries.
If the ¬warning light
does not turn on when
turning the ignition key to
MAR or if it stays on when travel-
ling (together with message on dis-
play), this could indicate a failure
in safety retaining systems; under
this condition air bags or preten-
sioners could not trigger in the
event of collision or, in a restricted
number of cases, they could trig-
ger accidentally. Stop the car and
contact Lancia Dealership to have
the system checked immediately.
Do not cover the back
rest of front and rear seats
with trims or covers there
are not set for the use of side bags.
Do not travel with
objects on your lap or in
front of you nor with a
pipe, pencil or similar between
your lips. You could seriously
hurt yourself if the airbag inflates
in a collision.
Always drive with both
hands on the rim of the
steering wheel so that the
airbag is free to inflate during a
head-on collision and protect you
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 has been vandalised in anyway
or subjected to flooding, have the
airbag system checked over at a
Lancia Dealership.
It is important to
remember that the airbag
can be fired even when
the car is stationary if it is hit by
another vehicle travelling at suit-
able speed. As a consequence,
never sit children in the front
seat, even if the car is not moving.
On the contrary, the airbags will
not be fired if the car is crashed
into when the key is not inserted
or turned. Consequently, in this
case, the fact that the system is
not fired does not indicate a fault.