126
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
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 remember
that if the key is at STOP, no safety
system (air bags or pretensioners) is
triggered in the event of an impact; in
this case, failure to come into action
cannot be considered as a sign that
the system is not working properly.
WARNING
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 MAR, the warning
light
“(with passenger’s front air bag
active) turns on and flashes for few
seconds to remind that passenger’s air
bag will be deployed in a crash, af-
ter which it should go off.
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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133
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
Roof rack/ski rack
Remove the roof rack or the ski rack from
the roof as soon as they are no longer
used. These accessories lower air pene-
tration and adversely affect consumption
levels. When needing to carry particular-
ly voluminous objects, preferably use a
trailer.
Electric devices
Use electric devices only for the amount
of time needed. Rear heated window, ad-
ditional headlights, windscreen wipers and
heater fan need a considerable amount of
energy, therefore increasing the require-
ment of current increases fuel consump-
tion (up to +25% in the urban cycle).
Climate control
The air conditioner is an additional load
which greatly affects the engine leading to
higher consumption (on average up to
+20%). When the temperature outside
the car permits it, use the air vents where
possible.
Spoilers
The use of non-certified aerodynamic
items may adversely affect air drag and
consumption levels.DRIVING STYLE
Starting
Do not warm the engine with the car at
a standstill or at idle or high speed: under
these conditions the engine warms up
much more slowly, increasing electrical
consumption and emissions. It is therefore
advisable to move off immediately, slow-
ly, avoiding high speeds. This way the en-
gine will warm faster.
Unnecessary actions
Avoid accelerating when waiting at traffic
lights or before switching off the engine.
This and also double declutching is ab-
solutely pointless on modern cars and al-
so increase consumption and pollution.
Gear selection
As soon as the conditions of the traffic and
road allow, use a higher gear. Using a low
gear to obtain brilliant performance in-
creases consumption.
In the same way improper use of a high
gear increases consumption, emissions an
engine wear.CONTAINING
RUNNING COSTS
Here are some suggestions which may
help you to keep the running costs of your
car down and lower the amount of toxic
emissions released into the atmosphere.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Car maintenance
Have checks and adjustments carried out
in accordance with the “Service schedule”.
Tyres
Check the pressure of the tyres routine-
ly at an interval of no more than 4 weeks:
if the pressure is too low, consumption
levels increase as resistance to rolling is
higher.
Unnecessary loads
Do not travel with too much luggage
stowed in the boot. The weight of the car
(especially when driving in town) and its
trim greatly affects consumption and sta-
bility.
127-138 Punto GDX GB 31-07-2008 17:27 Pagina 133
138
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
CAR INACTIVITY
If the car is to be left inactive for longer
than a month, the following precautions
should be noted:
❒ park the car in covered, dry and if pos-
sible well-ventilated premises;
❒ engage a gear;
❒ check that the handbrake is not en-
gaged;
❒disconnect the battery negative termi-
nal and check the battery charge. This
check is to be repeated every three
months. Recharge if the optical indica-
tor shows a dark colour without the
central green area;
❒ clean and protect the painted parts us-
ing protective wax;
❒clean and protect the shiny metal parts
using special compounds readily avail-
able;
❒ sprinkle talcum powder on the rubber
windscreen and rear window wiper
blades and lift them off the glass;
❒ slightly open the windows;
❒cover the car with a cloth or perforat-
ed plastic sheet. Do not use sheets of
non-perforated plastic as they do not
allow moisture on the car body to
evaporate;
❒inflate tyres to +0.5 bar above the nor-
mal specified pressure and check it at
intervals;
❒ if you don’t disconnect the battery from
the electric system, check its charge
every month and recharge it if the op-
tical indicator shows a dark colour
without the central green area;
❒ do not drain the engine cooling system.
IMPORTANT Where relevant, switch off
the car alarm with the remote control.
Keep your speed down when
snow chains are fitted. Do
not exceed 50 km/h. Avoid
potholes, steps and pave-
ments and avoid also to dri-
ve for long distances on
roads not covered with snow to pre-
vent damaging the car and the
roadbed.
WARNING
Tyres 195/55 R16 87H and
205/45 R17 88V cannot be
fitted with snow chains.
WARNING
127-138 Punto GDX GB 31-07-2008 17:27 Pagina 138
139
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
GENERAL WARNINGS ..................................................... 140
LOW BRAKE FLUID............................................................ 140
HANDBRAKE ON................................................................ 140
AIR BAG FAILURE................................................................ 141
ENGINE COOLANT HIGH TEMPERATURE................ 141
LOW BATTERY CHARGE................................................. 142
LOW ENGINE OIL PRESSURE.......................................... 142
EXHAUSTED OIL ................................................................ 142
“DUALDRIVE” ELECTRIC POWER
STEERING FAILURE............................................................. 142
INCOMPLETE DOOR LOCKING.................................... 143
LOW ENGINE OIL LEVEL ................................................ 143
SEAT BELTS NOT FASTENED.......................................... 143
EBD SYSTEM FAILURE........................................................ 143
INJECTION SYSTEM FAILURE
(DIESEL VERSIONS) ............................................................ 144
ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM FAILURE (EOBD)
(PETROL VERSIONS) ......................................................... 144
FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG DEACTIVATED.......... 145
ABS SYSTEM FAILURE......................................................... 145
FUEL RESERVE....................................................................... 145
GLOW PLUG WARMING ................................................ 146
GLOW PLUG WARMING FAILURE............................... 146
WATER IN DIESEL FUEL FILTER..................................... 146CAR PROTECTION SYSTEM FAILURE
FIAT CODE ........................................................................... 146
EXTERNAL LIGHTS FAILURE........................................... 147
REAR FOGLIGHTS............................................................... 147
GENERIC FAILURE INDICATION ................................. 147
DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER CLOGGED
(Multijet versions).................................................................. 148
ESP SYSTEM FAILURE ........................................................ 148
BRAKE PAD WEAR ............................................................ 148
HILL HOLDER FAILURE .................................................... 148
CHECK TYRE PRESSURE .................................................. 149
LOW TYRE PRESSURE ...................................................... 149
TYRE PRESSURE UNSUITABLE FOR SPEED ................ 150
SIDELIGHTS AND LOW BEAMS..................................... 150
FOLLOW ME HOME........................................................... 150
FRONT FOG LIGHTS.......................................................... 151
LEFT-HAND DIRECTION INDICATOR........................ 151
RIGHT-HAND DIRECTION INDICATOR.................... 151
“DUALDRIVE” ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ..........151
CRUISE CONTROL ............................................................ 151
MAIN BEAM HEADLIGHTS............................................... 151
POSSIBLE PRESENCE OF ICE ON THE ROAD ........... 152
LIMITED RANGE ................................................................. 152
ASR SYSTEM ......................................................................... 152
SPEED LIMIT EXCEEDED .................................................. 152
WW W
A A
R R
N N
I I
N N
G G
L L
I I
G G
H H
T T
S S
A A
N N
D D
M M
E E
S S
S S
A A
G G
E E
S S
139-152 Punto GDX GB 31-07-2008 17:27 Pagina 139
141
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
FAILURE 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.
¬If when turning the ignition
key to MAR, the warning
light
¬does not turn on or stays on
when travelling there could be a fail-
ure in safety systems; in this event air
bags or pretensioners could not trig-
ger in case of impact or, in a minor
number of cases, they could trigger
accidentally. Contact Fiat Dealership
immediately to have the system
checked.
WARNING
The failure of the warning
light
¬(warning light off) is
indicated by intermittent blinking of
the warning light
“that signals front
passenger airbag deactivated.
WARNING
HIGH TEMPERATURE
ENGINE COOLANT
FLUID (red)
Turning the ignition key to MARthe
warning light turns on, but it should go off
after few seconds.
The warning light turns on when the en-
gine is overheated.
If the warning light comes on, proceed as
follows:
❒normal driving conditions: stop
the car, switch off the engine and
check whether the water level in the
reservoir is not below the MIN mark.
Otherwise wait for few seconds to al-
low the engine cooling, then open
slowly and carefully the cap, top up
coolant and check whether its level is
falling between MIN and MAX marks
in the reservoir. Check visually any
leak. If, when restarting, the warning
light comes on again, contact a Fiat
Dealership.
ç
139-152 Punto GDX GB 31-07-2008 17:27 Pagina 141
LOW ENGINE OIL
PRESSURE (red)
EXHAUSTED OIL (red)
(Multijet versions with
DPF)
Low engine oil pressure
Turning the ignition key to MARthe
warning light turns on, but it should go out
as soon as the engine is started.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
v
If the warning light vturns on when the car is trav-
elling (on certain versions together
with the message on the display) stop
the engine immediately and contact
a Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
“DUALDRIVE” ELEC-
TRIC POWER STEERING
FAILURE (red)
Turning the ignition key to MARthe
warning light turns on, but it should go off
after few seconds.
If the warning light stays on, you will not
have the steering assistance and the effort
on the steering wheel will be increased,
steering is however possible. Contact Fi-
at Dealership.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
g
142
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
❒Car heavy duty(e.g.: towing trailer
uphill of fully laden car): decrease
speed, if the warning light stays on,
stop the car. Wait for 2 or 3 minutes
leaving the engine on and slightly ac-
celerated to further activate the cir-
culation of the coolant fluid, then
switch the engine off. Check proper
coolant level as described previously.
IMPORTANT Under severe use of the
car, keep the engine on and slightly accel-
erated for few minutes before switching it
off.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
LOW BATTERY
CHARGE (red)
Turning the ignition key to
MARthe warning light turns on, but it
should go out as soon as the engine is
started (with the engine running at idle
speed a brief delay in going out is allowed).
If the warning light stays on glowing steadi-
ly or flashing: contact immediately Fiat
Dealership.
w
Exhausted oil
The warning light with turn on flashing to-
gether with the message on the display
when the system detects that the engine
oil is exhausted.
After the first indication, at each engine
starting the warning light
vwill go on
flashing for about 60 seconds and then
every 2 hours until oil is changed.
If warning light vflash-
es, contact Fiat Dealership
immediately to have oil changed and
instrument panel warning light turned
off. To prevent serious damage to the
engine the oil must be changed with-
in 1000 km from when this warning
light first starts flashing. Failure to
do so may adversely affect the valid-
ity of the warranty.
WARNING
139-152 Punto GDX GB 31-07-2008 17:27 Pagina 142
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.
´
143
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
INEFFICIENT
EBD
ELECTRONIC
BRAKING
DISTRIBUTOR
(red)
(amber)
The turning on at the same time of warn-
ing lights
xand >with the engine run-
ning indicates an EBD system failure or
that the system is unavailable; in this case
heavy braking may cause the rear wheels
to lock before time, with the possibility of
skidding. Drive with the utmost care to
the nearest Fiat Dealership to have the
system checked.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
x>
LOW ENGINE OIL
LEVEL (red)
(where required)
Turning the ignition key to MAR,
the warning light on the dial turns on but it
should go off after few seconds.
The warning light (if any) on the dial comes
on when the engine oil level falls below the
minimum level. Restore proper oil level
(see “Checking levels” in section “Car
maintenance”).
On certain versions the dedicated mes-
sage is displayed.
k
SEAT BELTS NOT
FASTENED
(red)
The warning light on the dial
turns on glowing steadily with car station-
ary and driver’s or passenger’s seat belt not
fastened correctly. The warning light will
turn on flashing together with the buzzer
when, with car moving, driver’s or passen-
ger’s seat belt are not fastened correctly.
The S.B.R. (Seat Belt Reminder) buzzer can
only be excluded by Fiat Dealership. On
certain versions the system can be reacti-
vated through the set-up menu.<
139-152 Punto GDX GB 31-07-2008 17:27 Pagina 143
If, turning the ignition key to
MAR, the warning light Udoes not turn on or if it turns
on glowing steadily or flash-
ing when travelling (on certain versions
together with the message on the dis-
play), contact Fiat Dealership as soon
as possible. Warning light Uoperation
can be checked by traffic agents by
proper equipment. Comply with laws
and regulations of the country where
you are driving.
If the light flashes, it is necessary to release
the accelerator pedal to lower the speed
of the engine until the warning light stops
flashing; continue the journey at moder-
ate speed, trying to avoid driving condi-
tions that may cause further flashing and
contact Fiat Dealership as soon as possi-
ble. EOBD engine control system
failure
Under normal conditions, turning the ig-
nition key to MAR, the warning light turns
on, but it should go out as soon as the en-
gine is started. The initial turning on indi-
cates that the warning light is working prop-
erly. If the warning light stays on or turns
on when travelling:
❒glowing steadily: means a fault in the
supply/ignition system which could
cause high emissions at the exhaust,
possible lack of performance, poor
handling and high consumption levels.
On certain versions the dedicated mes-
sage is displayed.
In these conditions it is possible to con-
tinue driving without however requiring
heavy effort or high speed from the en-
gine. Prolonged use of the car with the
warning light on may cause damages. Con-
tact Fiat Dealership as soon as possible.
The warning light goes off if the fault dis-
appears, but it is still stored by the system.
❒flashing: indicates the possibility of
damage to the catalyst (see “EOBD
system” in section “Dashboard and
controls”).
144
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
INJECTION SYSTEM
FAILURE
(Multijet versions -
amber)
EOBD SYSTEM
FAILURE (petrol
versions - amber)
Injection system failure
Under normal conditions, turning the ig-
nition key to MAR, the warning light turns
on but it should go off after engine start-
ing.
If the warning light stays on or turns on
when travelling, means a fault in the sup-
ply/ignition system which could cause high
emissions at the exhaust, possible lack of
performance, poor handling and high con-
sumption levels.
On certain versions the dedicated message
is displayed.
In these conditions it is possible to con-
tinue driving without however requiring
heavy effort or high speed from the en-
gine. In any case, contact Fiat Dealership
as soon as possible.
U
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