2008 SMART FORTWO COUPE ESP

Instrument cluster (kilometers)
>> At a glance.
37
Function
Page
1
Selecting display for status
indicator
Setting digital clock
138
138
2
Left indicator lamp display
with:
¡Low beam headlamp
indicator lamp
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator lamp
HCombination low tire
pressure/TPMS
malfunction telltale
=SRS indicator lamp
102
104
239
245
246
3
LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp
247
4
vESP
® warning lamp
243
Function
Page
5
KRight turn signal
indicator lamp
247
6
Speedometer
7
Right indicator lamp display
with:
GEPS* warning lamp
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp
-ABS indicator lamp
3Brake warning lamp
243
242
237
238
8
Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination
Setting digital clock
141
138
9
Right center indicator lamp
display with:
PEngine oil pressure
indicator lamp
DCoolant temperature
warning lamp
242
241
Function
Page
a
Multifunction display with:
• Fuel level display
• Transmission position
indicator
• Main odometer display or,
when active, distance to
next maintenance service
• Digital clock
• Outside temperature
display
136
137
136
138
136
b
Status indicator with:
• Trip odometer display
• Maintenance service
interval display
• Reserve fuel indicator
139
139
136
c
Left center indicator lamp
display with:
–Battery indicator lamp
238

Occupant safety
>> Safety.
55
The deployment of the air bags tempo

rarily releases a small amount of dust
from the air bags. This dust is neither in

jurious to your health, nor does it indi

cate a fire in the vehicle. The dust might
cause some temporary breathing diffi

culty for people with asthma or other
breathing trouble. To avoid this, you may
wish to get out of the vehicle as soon as it
is sa f e to do so. If you h a ve an y bre a th in g
difficulty but cannot get out of the vehi

cle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
G
Warning!
To reduce the risk of injury when the
front air bags inflate, it is very important
for the driver and passenger to always be
in a properly seated position and to wear
their respective seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated posi

tion with your back against the backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and ensure it is
properly positioned on your body
(
page 98).
Since the air bag inflates with consider

able speed and force, a proper seating
and hands on steering wheel position will
help to keep you at a safe distance from
the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi

tion or too close to the air bag can be
seriously injured or killed by an air bag
as it inflates extremely quickly and with
great force:
• Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.
• Adjust the driver’s seat as far as pos

sible rearward, still permitting proper
operation of vehicle controls. The dis

tance from the center of the driver’s
breastbone to the center of the air bag
cover on the steering wheel must be at
least 10 inches (25 cm) or more. You
should be able to accomplish this by
adjustments to the seat. If you have any
problems, please contact an autho

rized smart center.
• Do no t l e an yo ur he a d or che st cl ose to
the steering wheel or dashboard.

Occupant safety
56
>> Safety.
i
Air bags are designed to deploy only in
certain frontal impacts (front air bags), and in
side impacts (head
thorax air bags) which
exceed preset thresholds. Only during these
events will they provide their supplemental
protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible
for air bags to provide their supplemental
protection.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts
below air bag deployment thresholds, air bags
will not deploy. The driver and passenger will
then be protected to the extent possible by a
properly fastened seat belt. A properly fas

tened seat belt is also needed to provide the
best possible protection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of
the air bags in order to avoid wearing your
seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your
passenger that you replace deployed air bags
and repair any malfunctioning air bags to
make sure the vehicle will continue to provide
supplemental crash protection for occupants.Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs) and
air bag
• Keep hands on the outside of the steer

ing wheel rim. Placing hands and arms
inside the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when the driver’s front air bag
inflates.
• Adjust the passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.
• Occupants, especially children, should
always sit as upright as possible,
properly use the seat belts and use an
appropriately sized infant restraint,
toddler restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight
of the child.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important
that you make the buyer aware of this
safety information. Be sure to give the
buyer this Operator’s Manual.
G
Warning!
• Damaged seat belts or seat belts that
were highly stressed in an accident
must be replaced and their anchoring
points must also be checked. Only use
seat belts installed or supplied by an
authorized smart center.
• Air bags and Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) contain Perchlorate
material, which may require special
handling and regard for the environ

ment. Check with your local govern

ment’s disposal guidelines. California
residents, see http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/
Hazardous Waste/Perchlorate/
index.cfm.

Occupant safety
58
>> Safety. How the air bag operates
The air bag is inflated in a matter of
milliseconds. If the air bag is triggered, the
SRS indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
illuminates.
!
If the air bags are activated, you will hear
a loud noise and some dust may be generated.
The explosion fundamentally represents no
risk to your hearing.
The inflated air bag slows down and reduces
the movement of the occupant. When the
occupant makes contact with the air bag, hot
gas flows out of the inflated front air bags and
head
thorax air bags. This reduces the load
on the occupant’s head and upper body. These
air bags are consequently deflated after the
accident.Head
thorax air bags
G
Warning!
There is a possibility for a head
thorax
air bag related injury if occupants, espe

cially children, are not properly seated
or restrained when next to a head
thorax
air bag which needs to deploy rapidly in a
side impact in order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury,
please follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children,
should never place their bodies or
lean their heads in the area of the
door where the head
thorax air bag
inflates. This could result in serious
injuries or death should the head

thorax air bag be deployed.
(2) Always sit as upright as possible,
properly use the seat belts, and for all
children 12 years old or under, use an
appropriately sized infant restraint,
toddler restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight
of the child.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.G
Warning!
Only use seat covers which have been
tested and approved by smart for your
vehicle model. Using other seat covers
may interfere with or prevent the deploy

ment of the head
thorax air bags.
Contact an authorized smart center for
availability.

Occupant safety
>> Safety.
67
A statement by the child restraint manufac

turer of compliance with these standards can
be found on the instruction label on the
restraint and in the instruction manual
provided with the restraint.
When using any infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat be sure to carefully
read and follow all manufacturer’s instruc

tions for installation and use.
Please read and observe warning labels
affixed to the inside of the vehicle and to
infant or child restraints.
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.
The infant or child restraint must be
properly secured with the vehicle’s seat
belt fully in accordance with the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.
Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
head
thorax air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the head
thorax air bag be triggered.
Always sit as upright as possible, prop

erly use the seat belt and use an appro

priately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended
for the size and weight of the child.
Children can be killed or seriously
injured by an inflating air bag. Note the
following important information when
circumstances require you to place a
child in the passenger seat:
• Your vehicle is equipped with air bag
technology designed to turn off the
passenger front air bag in your vehicle
when the Occupant Classification Sys

tem senses the weight of a typical
12
month
old child or less along with
the weight of an appropriate child re

straint on the passenger seat.
• A child in a rear
facing child restraint
on the passenger seat may be seriously
injured or even killed if the passenger
front air bag inflates in a collision.
• If you install a rear
facing child
restraint on the passenger seat, make
sure that the57 indicator
lamp is illuminated, indicating that the
passenger front air bag is deactivated.

Driving safety systems
72
>> Safety.
i
In winter operation, the maximum effec

tiveness of the ABS, the hydraulic brake
assistant and the ESP
® is only achieved with
winter tires (

page 208) or snow chains* as
required.
Antilock brake system (ABS)The A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem (ABS) regulates the
brake pressure so that the wheels do not lock
during braking. This allows you to maintain the
ability to steer your vehicle.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will
respond even to light brake pressure.
The ABS indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (

page 34) comes on when you switch
on the ignition. It goes out when the engine is
running.Braking
At the instant one of the wheels is about to
lock up, a slight pulsation can be felt in the
brake pedal, indicating that the ABS is regu

lating the brake pressure.
>Keep firm and steady pressure on the brake
pedal while experiencing the pulsation.
Continuous, steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and the ability to steer
the vehicle.
A pulsating brake pedal can be an indication
of hazardous road conditions and functions as
a reminder to take extra care while driving.
G
Warning!
The following factors increase the risk of
accidents:
• Excessive speed, especially in turns
• Wet and slippery road surfaces
• Following another vehicle too closely
The driving safety systems described in
this section cannot reduce these risks or
prevent the natural laws of physics from
acting on the vehicle.
Always adapt your driving style to the
prevailing road and weather and traffic
conditions and keep a safe distance to
other road users and objects on the
street.
G
Warning!
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead.
Pumping the brake pedal defeats the
purpose of the ABS and significantly
reduces braking effectiveness.

Driving safety systems
>> Safety.
73
Emergency brake maneuver
>Keep continuous full pressure on the brake
pedal.
Electronic Stability Program
(ESP)Your vehicle is equipped with the E
lectronic
S
tability P
rogram (ESP
®). The ESP
® is opera

tional as soon as the engine is running and it
monitors the vehicle’s traction (force of ad

hesive friction between the tires and the road
surface) and handling.
The ESP
® recognizes when a wheel is spinning
or if the vehicle starts to skid.
By applying brakes to the appropriate wheel
and by limiting the engine output, the ESP
®
works to stabilize the vehicle.
The ESP
® is especially useful while driving off
and on wet or slippery road surfaces.
The ESP® also stabilizes the vehicle during
braking and steering maneuvers.
The ESP® warning lampv in the instrument
cluster flashes when the ESP
® is engaged.
G
Warning!
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the
hydraulic brake assistant and the ESP
®
are also switched off.
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the
wheels may lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability and extend

ing the braking distance.
G
Warning!
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws
of physics from acting on the vehicle, nor
can it increase braking or steering effi

ciency beyond that afforded by the con

dition of the vehicle brakes and tires or
the traction afforded. The ABS cannot
prevent accidents, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns,
following another vehicle too closely, or
hydroplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and
skillful driver can prevent accidents. The
capabilities of an ABS equipped vehicle
must never be exploited in a reckless or
dangerous manner which could jeopar

dize the user’s safety or the safety of
others.

Driving safety systems
74
>> Safety. The ESP
® warning lampv in the instrument
cluster comes on when you switch on the igni

tion. It goes out when the engine is running.
Depending on the driving situation, the ESP
®
• will reduce the speed,
• selectively brakes individual wheels,
• equalizes the speed of the driven wheels,
• stabilizes the vehicle when braking,
• assists you in evasive maneuvers on all
roads.
G
Warning!
If the ESP
® warning lampv in the
instrument cluster flashes, proceed as
follows:
• While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.
• While driving, ease up on the accelera

tor.
• Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents
resulting from excessive speed.
G
Warning!
The ESP
® cannot prevent the natural laws
of physics from acting on the vehicle, nor
can it increase the traction afforded. The
ESP
® cannot prevent accidents, including
those resulting from excessive speed in
turns, or hydroplaning. Only a safe,
attentive, and skillful driver can prevent
accidents. The capabilities of an ESP
®
equipped vehicle must never be exploited
in a reckless or dangerous manner which
could jeopardize the user’s safety or the
safety of others.