2008 FIAT DOBLO Owners Manual

88GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
To use the side ramp, fig. 138,
open the side sliding door, take han-
dle Aand take out the ramp as shown
by the arrow until locking it.
IMPORTANTMax. side ramp car-
rying capacity is 60 kg.
When you have finished, take handle
Aand refit the side ramp into its hous-
ing making it sliding as shown by the
arrow fig. 138.
fig. 138
F0A0234b
HEADLIGHTS
ADJUSTING THE
HEADLIGHT BEAM
The correct positioning of the head-
light beams is very important for the
comfort and safety, not only of the
person driving the vehicle but also all
other road users.
This is also covered by a specific law.
To ensure you and other drivers
have the best visibility conditions when
travelling with the headlights on, the
headlights must be set properly.
Have the headlight positioning
checked at a Fiat Dealershipand ad-
justed if necessary.SLANT COMPENSATION
The vehicle is fitted with an electri-
cal device for correcting the headlight
slant. The device can be operated with
ignition key at MARand dipped
beams on.
When the vehicle is loaded, it
“slopes” backwards. This means that
the headlight beam rises. In this case,
it is necessary to return it to the cor-
rect position.
Proceed as follows:
– hold button B-fig. 139pressed to
increase by one position (e.g.: 0➟1,
1➟2, 2➟3);
– hold button Apressed to decrease
by one position (e.g.: 3➟2, 2➟1, 1➟0).
Display Cshows the positions dur-
ing the adjustment.
0y
1∆
70
22: 1 10
7
7B
AC
fig. 139
F0A0085b
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89GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
ABS
The vehicle can be fitted with an ABS
braking system, which prevents the
wheels from locking when braking,
makes the most of road grip and gives
the best control when emergency
braking under difficult road conditions.
The driver can tell the ABS system
has come into play because the brake
pedal pulsates slightly and the system
gets noisier.
This should not be interpreted as a
fault in the brakes; on the contrary it
is a sign that the ABS system is work-
ing: it tells the driver that the vehicle
is travelling at the limit of its road grip
and that he should alter his speed to
fit the type of road surface.
The ABS system is an addition to the
basic braking system. If there is a mal-
function, the system turns off auto-
matically and only the ordinary brakes
continue to work.If a failure occurs, and consequently
the anti-lock function is not effective,
the braking system will continue to
work as usual.
If you have never driven a vehicle
with ABS before, you should practice
using the system on slippery terrain,
obviously with the necessary safety
precautions and keeping to the High-
way Code of the country you are in.
It is also a good idea to read the fol-
lowing information carefully.
The advantage in using the ABS sys-
tem is that it continues to give you
maximum manoeuvrability even when
braking hard in conditions of poor grip
by preventing the wheels locking.
You should, however, not expect the
braking distance to always decrease:
for example surfaces with gravel or
fresh snow on a slippery road will in
fact increase the braking distance. Correct positions as a function
of the load
0- one or two occupants in the
front seats.
1- five occupants.
2- five occupants + load in boot.
3- driver + maximum permissible
load stowed in boot.
Check the headlight
beam position every time
you change the load to be
carried.
HEADLIGHT ADJUSTMENT
ABROAD
Headlights are orientated as to drive
inside the country of origin before sell-
ing the vehicle. When travelling in
countries with opposite driving direc-
tion, you need to cover the headlight
areas according to the Road Code of
the country you are travelling in.
001-105 Doblo GB 16-12-2008 14:22 Pagina 89

90GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
To exploit the ABS system to the full
in the event of necessity, you should
take heed of the following advice:
Braking while cornering always re-
quires extreme care even when using
ABS.
The most important advice to follow
is this The ABS exploits the
road hold available as
much as possible but can-
not increase it. You should always
drive carefully on slippery sur-
faces and avoid any unnecessary
risks.
If the ABS system cuts in
it is a sign that the grip
between the tyre and the
road surface has reached the lim-
it: you must slow down to match
the speed to the road grip avail-
able.
If there is a fault, the in-
strument panel warning
light >will come on. At
this point, reduce speed and go to
a Fiat Dealership to have your ve-
hicle checked and put right im-
mediately.
When the ABS cuts in,
and you feel the brake
pedal pulsating, do not re-
move your foot, but keep it
pressed. In doing so you will stop
in the shortest amount of space
possible under the current road
conditions.
If you follow these tips you will be
able to brake better in any situation.
IMPORTANTVehicles fitted with
may only be fitted with wheel rims,
tyres and brake pads of the make and
model approved by the vehicle man-
ufacturer.
The system is completed with an
EBD electronic brake force distribu-
tor which increases the brake system
performance and employs the ABS
control unit and sensors.
The vehicle is fitted with
an electronic braking de-
vice (EBD). The >and
xwarning light will come on at
the same time when the engine
is running to indicate that there
is an EBD system failure. In this
case violent braking may be ac-
companied by early rear wheel
locking with the possibility of
skidding. Drive the vehicle ex-
tremely carefully to the nearest
Fiat Dealership to have the sys-
tem checked.
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91GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
The cushion immediately inflates,
placing itself as a protection between
the body of the front occupants and
the structure that could cause injuries.
Immediately after, the cushion deflates.
The front air bag (driver and pas-
senger) is not a replacement of but
complementary to the use of belts,
which should always be worn, as spec-
ified by law in Europe and most non-
European countries.
In case of crash, a person not wear-
ing the seat belt moves forward and
may come into contact with the cush-
ion while it is still inflating. Under this
circumstance the protection offered
by the airbag is reduced.
Front airbags may not activate in the
following situations:
– in collisions against highly de-
formable objects not affecting the ve-
hicle front surface (e.g. bumper colli-
sion against guard rail); If the xbrake fluid low
warning light comes on,
stop the vehicle immedi-
ately and contact the nearest Fi-
at Dealership. Fluid leaks from
the hydraulic system, in fact, can
compromise brake system oper-
ation, both traditional systems
and systems with ABS.FRONT AND SIDE
AIRBAGS
The vehicle can be fitted with front
air bags for the driver and passenger
and with side bags.
FRONT AIRBAGS
Front airbags (driver and passenger)
have been designed to protect the oc-
cupants in the event of head-on crash-
es of medium-high severity, by plac-
ing the cushion between the occupant
and the steering wheel or dashboard.
Front airbags are designed to protect
vehicle’s occupants in front crashes
and therefore non-activation in other
types of collisions (side collisions, rear
shunts, roll-overs, etc.) is not a system
malfunction.
In case of crash, an electronic con-
trol unit, when required, triggers the
inflation of the cushion according to
the severity of the collision. Warning light >alone,
with the engine running,
normally indicates a fault
in the ABS system only. In this
case, the braking system is still ef-
ficient, though without the anti-
locking device. Under these con-
ditions, performance of the EBD
system may be reduced. Also in
this case, you are advised to go
immediately to the nearest Fiat
Dealership, driving in such a way
to avoid sharp braking to have
the system checked.
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92GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
– in case of wedging under other ve-
hicles or protective barriers (for ex-
ample under a truck or guard rail), the
air bag is not triggered as it offers no
additional protection compared with
the seat belts, consequently it would
be pointless.
Therefore, failure to come into ac-
tion in the above circumstance does
not mean that the system is not work-
ing properly.At their maximum inflation, their vol-
ume fills most of the space between
the steering wheel and the driver and
between the dashboard and the pas-
senger.
In minor crashes (for which the re-
straining action of the seat belts is suf-
ficient), the air bags are not deployed.
Also in this case it is of vital impor-
tance to wear the seat belts since in
case of front crash they guarantee
proper positioning of the occupant.DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG
fig. 140
It consists of an instant-inflating cush-
ion contained in a special recess in the
centre of the steering wheel.
PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR
BAG fig. 141
It consists of an instant-inflating cush-
ion contained in a special recess in the
dashboard; its volume is bigger than
the driver’s one.
Do not apply stickers or
other objects to the
steering wheel or to the
air bag cover on the passenger’s
side or on the side roof lining.
Never put objects on the dash-
board on passenger side since
they could interfere with proper
air bag inflation.
The driver and passenger front
airbags have been designed and cali-
brated to protect a person wearing
seat belts.
fig. 140
F0A0711b
fig. 141
F0A0409b
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93GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
Manual deactivation
The passenger side airbag can be de-
activated if it is absolutely necessary to
carry a child in the front passenger
seat.
Deactivation / reactivation shall be
carried out with ignition device at
STOP. Turn the specific switch fig.
142on the dashboard on passenger
side with the ignition key.IMPORTANTOperate the switch
only with engine off and ignition key
removed.
The switch fig. 142has two posi-
tions:
– Passenger front airbag on: (position
ON P): instrument panel warning
light
Foff. Do not carry children on
the front seat.
– Passenger front airbag off: (position
OFF F): instrument panel warning
light Fon. A child can be carried on
the front seat with a suitable restraint
system.
Warning light Fon the cluster
stays on permanently until the pas-
senger’s airbag is reactivated.
Deactivation of the passenger’s front
air bag does not inhibit operation of
the side air bag.SERIOUS DANGER:
With passenger’s
air bag active (ON),
never place child’s seats with the
cradle facing backwards since the
air bag activation could cause to
the child 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 ad-
justed in the most backward po-
sition to prevent any contact be-
tween child’s seat and dashboard.
Even if not compulsory by law,
you are recommended to reac-
tivate the air bag immediately as
soon as child transport is no
longer necessary.
ON OFF
PASS.
AIR BAG
fig. 142
F0A0213b
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94GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
SIDE BAG
It consists of an instant-inflation cush-
ion housed in the back rest of the
front seat to increase protection of
the occupants’ chest in the event of a
side crash of medium-high severity.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The front and/or side airbags can be
triggered if the vehicle is subjected to
strong knocks or impacts underneath,
e.g. violent 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 a
small amount of dusts. These dusts are
harmless and is not the beginning of a
fire; then the unfold cushion surface
and the vehicle interiors can be cov-
ered by a dusty remains: this dust can
irritate skin and eyes. In case of con-
tact, wash yourself using neutral soap
and water.
The air bag system has a validity of
14 years as to the pyrotechnic charge,
and 10 years as to the coil contact (see
the plate in the glove compartment).
As this date approaches, contact Fi-
at Dealershipto have it replaced.
fig. 143
F0A0517b
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 Deal-
ership will also check the intactness 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 vehicle
scrapped, have the airbag system de-
activated at a Fiat Dealershipfirst.
If the vehicle changes hand, the new
owner must be made aware of the in-
dications given above and be given this
Owner Handbook.
001-105 Doblo GB 16-12-2008 14:22 Pagina 94

95GETTING TO KNOW YOUR VEHICLE
Pretensioners, front airbags and side
airbags are triggered by the electron-
ic control unit according to different
types of impacts. Missed triggering of
the system, consequently, does not in-
dicate a fault in the system.
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 sys-
tems; in this event air bags or
pretensioners could not trigger in
case of impact or, in a minor
number of cases, they could trig-
ger accidentally. Contact Fiat
Dealership immediately to have
the system checked.When the passenger’s
front airbag is active (pas-
senger front airbag deac-
tivation switch at ON), the
F
warning light will come on for ap-
proximately four seconds and
flash for other four seconds when
the ignition key is turned to MAR
to remind the driver than the
passenger’s front and side airbags
(where fitted) will be fired in the
event of a crash. The warning
light should go out immediately
afterwards.
If an attempt has been
made to steal the vehicle,
or if it has actually been
stolen or has been vandalised in
any way or subjected to flooding,
have the airbag system checked
over at a Fiat Dealership.The front air bag is trig-
gered for shocks greater
in magnitude that the
pretensioners. For impacts be-
tween these two thresholds, it is
therefore normal that only the
pretensioners are triggered.
Do not apply stickers or
other objects to the
steering wheel or to the
dashboard on the passenger’s
side. Do not travel with objects
on your lap or in front of you nor
with a pipe, pencil or similar be-
tween your lips; you could seri-
ously hurt yourself if the airbag
inflates in a collision.
001-105 Doblo GB 16-12-2008 14:22 Pagina 95