2008 SMART FORTWO COUPE ECU

Occupant safety
>> Safety.
69
If you are using a rear
facing child restraint
system on the passenger seat, you must verify
that the passenger front air bag is
deactivated. When the passenger front air bag
is deactivated, the57 indicator
lamp is illuminated (

page 64).Top tether
Top tether permits an additional connection
between a child restraint system and the pas

senger seat. Proper usage of the top tether,
in accordance with instructions provided by
the child restraint manufacturer, can further
reduce the risk of injuries.
The top tether anchorage is located on the
floor of the cargo compartment. The top
tether guide for the top tether strap is locat

ed above, on the head restraint.
1
Top tether guide
2
Passenger seat
3
Top tether anchorage
3
Top tether anchorage
4
Top tether hook
5
Top tether strap of the child restraint
system
>Thread top tether strap
5 into top tether
guide
1 from the front and lead it to the
rear over the head restraint.
>Attach top tether hook
4 in top tether
anchorage
3 on the floor of the cargo
compartment.
Position shoulder belt across chest and
shoulder, not face or neck. A booster seat
may be necessary to achieve proper seat
belt positioning for children over 41 lbs
until they reach a height where a
lap
shoulder belt fits properly without a
booster.
When the child restraint is not in use,
remove it from the vehicle or secure it
with the seat belt to prevent the child
restraint from becoming a projectile in
the event of an accident.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured
in a child restraint system. Unsupervised
children in a child restraint system may
use vehicle equipment and may cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.P91.20
2176
31

Occupant safety
70
>> Safety.
i
If you are using divider plus*, the hooks of
the top tether and the divider plus* are at

tached to the same anchorage.
>Fit the restraint system with top tether.
Always follow the manufacturer's assembly
instructions!G
Warning!
After installing top tether straps, make
sure that the seat backrests are in an
upright position and are properly locked.
Check for secure locking by pushing and
pulling on the seat backrests. If a seat
backrest is not properly locked, the seat
backrest could fold. The child seat would
no longer be properly supported or posi

tioned to provide its intended benefit.

Seats
92
>> Controls.G
Warning!
All seat adjustments, as well as fastening
of seat belts, must be done before the
vehicle is operated.G
Warning!
When adjusting the seat, make sure that
no one becomes trapped.
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while
driving. Adjusting the seat while driving
could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the
seat backrest in an excessively reclined
position as this can be dangerous. You
could slide under the seat belt in a colli

sion. If you slide under the seat belt, it
could apply force at the abdomen or neck,
potentially causing serious or fatal inju

ries. The seat backrest and seat belts
provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a position that is as upright
as possible and seat belts are properly
positioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you
can correctly fasten your seat belt
(
page 98).
Observe the following points:
• Adjust the seat backrest until your
arms are slightly angled when holding
the steering wheel.
• Adjust the seat to a comfortable
seating position that still allows you to
reach the accelerator/brake pedal
safely. The position should be as far to
the rear as possible, consistent with
ability to properly operate controls.
• Never place hands under the seat or
near any moving parts while a seat is
being adjusted.
Failure to do so could result in an acci

dent and/or serious personal injury.
Observe the notes on the air bag system
(
page 54).
G
Warning!
Children 12 years old and under must be
seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint,
toddler restraint, or booster seat recom

mended for the size and weight of the
child. For additional information, see
"Children in the vehicle" (

page 65).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries
is significantly increased if the child re

straints are not properly secured in the
vehicle and/or the child is not properly
secured in the child restraint.

Seat belts
98
>> Controls.
Fastening the seat beltsG
Warning!
Always fasten your seat belt before driv

ing off. Always make sure your passenger
is properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely
severity in an accident. You and your
passenger should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your inju

ries can be considerably more severe
without your seat belt properly buckled.
Without your seat belt buckled, you are
much more likely to hit the interior of the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be
seriously injured or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of
injury or death is lessened if you are
wearing your seat belt. The air bags can
only provide the protection they where
designed to afford if the occupants are
using their seat belts (

page 54).
G
Warning!
Children 12 years old and under must be
seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint,
toddler restraint, or booster seat recom

mended for the size and weight of the
child. For additional information, see
"Children in the vehicle" (

page 65).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries
is significantly increased if the child re

straints are not properly secured in the
vehicle and/or the child is not properly
secured in the child restraint.
G
Warning!
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be
sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
correctly restrained with a separate seat
belt. Never use a seat belt for more than
one person at a time.

Seat belts
100
>> Controls. Proper use of seat belts
• Do not twist the seat belt when fastening.
• Adjust the seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible to
the middle of the shoulder (it should not
touch the neck). Never pass the shoulder
portion of the seat belt under your arm.
• Position the lap belt as low as possible on
your hips (over hip joint) and not across the
abdomen.
• Place the seat backrest in a position that is
as upright as possible.
• Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.• Do not fasten a seat belt around a person
and another object at the same time. When
using a seat belt to secure infant or toddler
restraints or children in booster seats,
always follow the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions.
• Check your seat belt during travel to make
sure that it is properly positioned.
• Make sure that the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care to maintain a snug
fit when wearing loose clothing.
G
Warning!
Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not allow the seat belt to get caught in
the door or in the seat adjustment mech

anism. This could damage the seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effec

tiveness of the seat belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
the y m ay no t be abl e to p r ovid e a de qu a te
protection.
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that
were highly stressed in an accident must
be replaced. Contact an authorized smart
center.

Soft top system (cabrio only)
116
>> Controls.
Removing the side rails>Open the retractable soft top.
>Open the rear soft top.
>Open the driver’s and passenger door when
conditions are safe to do so.
>Open the tailgate.
1
Release lever
2
Side rail
>Push release lever
1 of side rail
2 back

ward.
Side rail
2 can be lifted at the rear end,
but remains secured.
>Push release lever
1 backward again.
1
Lifting
2
Removing
>Carry out the following steps when condi

tions are safe to do so.
>First lift the side rail at rear end
1 and
then remove it in the direction of arrows
2. P77.30
2381
31

Driving and parking
>> Controls.
125
>Properly stop and park the vehicle.
>Depress the brake pedal.
>Pull up the parking brake lever as many
notches as possible (

page 125).
When the ignition is switched on or the
engine is running, the brake warning
lamp; (USA only) or3 (Canada only)
in the instrument cluster comes on.
>Release the brake pedal.
Parking brake
The parking brake serves to secure the vehi

cle against rolling away when it is stationary
or parked.
1
Parking brake lever
2
Release button
>Applying: Pull up parking brake lever
1 as
many notches as possible.
When the ignition is switched on or the
engine is running, the brake warning
lamp; (USA only) or3 (Canada only)
in the instrument cluster comes on.
> Releasing: Depress the brake pedal.
>Pull up slightly on parking brake lever1
and press release button
2.>Push parking brake lever
1 down as far as
it will go.
When the ignition is switched on or the
engine is running, the brake warning
lamp; (USA only) or3 (Canada only)
in the instrument cluster goes out.
G
Warning!
Engaging the parking brake while the
vehicle is in motion can cause the rear
wheels to lock up. You could lose control
of the vehicle and cause an accident. In
addition, the vehicle’s brake lights do not
light up when the parking brake is
engaged.P42.20
2346
31
G
Warning!
Getting out of your vehicle with the
transmission not fully engaged in park
positionP is dangerous. When the engine
is shut off and the brakes are released,
the vehicle can be moved freely with the
gear selector lever in all positions ex

cept park position P. Also, when parked
on an incline, park positionP alone may
not prevent your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition
to shifting to park positionP.
When parked on an incline, always turn
the front wheels towards the road curb.

Transmission
>> Controls.
129 Shifting procedure
The transmission selects individual gears
automatically, depending on:
• the gear selector lever
positionD(

page 129)
• the position of the accelerator
(

page 131)
• the vehicle speed
• uphill or downhill grades
Press release button
1 (
page 128) to
disengage the gear selector lever lock when
moving the gear selector lever from
•P toR,N, orD
•R toP
•N toR orP
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine until
the operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extend

ed period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. Otherwise, the the drivetrain could
be damaged, which is not covered by the smart
Limited Warranty.
With manual gearshiftingM selected
(

page 132), you can use the gear selector
lever or steering wheel gearshift control
1
to change the gears manually.
Gear selector lever positions
1 Model passion only.
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position when
the vehicle is parked. Place the
gear selector lever in park
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not
intended to serve as a brake when
the vehicle is parked.
Rather, the driver should always
set the parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
park positionP to secure the
vehicle.
The key can only be removed from
the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in park positionP.
With the key removed, the gear
selector lever is locked in park
positionP.