2008 SMART FORTWO COUPE steering

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
60
>> Safety.
i
The front air bags in this vehicle have
been designed to inflate in two stages. This
allows the air bag to have different rates of
inflation that are based on the rate of relevant
vehicle deceleration and a fastened or unfas

tened seat belt as assessed by the air bag
control unit.
On the passenger side, the front air bag
deployment is additionally influenced by the
passenger’s weight category as identified by
the Occupant Classification System (OCS)
(
page 60).
The lighter the passenger side occupant, the
higher the vehicle deceleration rate required
for the second stage inflation of the air bag.
The air bags will not deploy in impacts which
do not exceed the system’s deployment
thresholds. In such instances, the seat belts
are designed to protect you.The passenger air bag will only be deployed if
• the system, based on OCS weight sensor
readings, senses that the passenger seat is
occupied and the 57 indicator
lamp is not lit (

page 64).
• the impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold.
The driver front air bag is located in the
steering wheel housing, the passenger front
air bag above the glove box.
1
Driver front air bag
2
Passenger front air bag
Occupant Classification SystemThe O
ccupant C
lassification S
ystem (OCS)
automatically turns the passenger front air
bag on or off based on the classified occupant
weight category determined by weight sensor
readings from the passenger seat.
i
The system does not deactivate the head

thorax air bag, the seat Emergency Tension

ing Devices, and the seat belt force limiters.
Occupants must sit properly belted in a posi

tion that is as upright as possible with their
back against the seat backrest and feet on the
floor to be correctly classified. If the occu

pant's weight is transferred to another object
in the vehicle (e.g. by leaning on armrests),
the OCS may not be able to properly approxi

mate the occupant’s weight category. P91.60
3287
31

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.

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.

Lighting>> Controls.
105
>Switching on: Push the combination switch
in the direction of arrow
1 or
2.
The corresponding turn signals flash.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampL orK in the instrument
cluster flashes.
The combination switch resets automati

cally after major steering wheel movement.
i
To signal minor directional changes such
as changing lanes, push the combination
switch only to the point of resistance and
release. The corresponding turn signals will
flash three times.
Coming home functionVehicles without rain
light sensor:
The interior lamps come on and then go out
again after 12 seconds every time when you
lock or unlock the vehicle.
Vehicles with rain
light sensor*:
In addition to the interior lamps, the exterior
lamps come on and then go out again after
12 seconds depending on the brightness of
the ambient light when you lock or unlock the
vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle
>Remove the key from the starter switch.
>Exit the vehicle.
>Press button
ª
on the key.
The vehicle is locked.
The interior and exterior
1 lamps come on
and then go out again after 12 seconds.
When returning to the vehicle
>Press button
©
on the key either once or
twice.The vehicle is either selectively or globally
unlocked.
The interior and exterior
1 lamps come on
and then go out again after 12 seconds.
Front fog lamps
1 Vehicles with rain
light sensor
G
Warning!
Vehicles with rain
light sensor*:
In low ambient lighting or foggy condi

tions, only switch from positionU
toB with the vehicle at a standstill in
a safe location. Switching fromU
toB will briefly switch off the head

lamps. Doing so while driving in low ambi

ent lighting conditions may result in an
accident.

Driving and parking
124
>> Controls.
Reversing the vehicle!
Shift the transmission into reverse gearR
only when the vehicle is stopped in order to
avoid damaging the transmission.
You can drive in reverse gear at a speed of up
to9mph (15km/h).
>Depress the brake pedal.
>Press the release button (

page 122) to
disengage the gear selector lever lock.>Move the gear selector lever to reverse
gearR.
appears in the transmission position
indicator.
>Release the brake pedal.
>Carefully depress the accelerator.
ParkingG
Warning!
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible materials such as grass, hay
or leaves can come into contact with the
hot exhaust system, as these materials
could be ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury or
damage to the drivetrain as a result of
vehicle movement, before turning off the
engine and leaving the vehicle always:
• Keep right foot on the brake pedal.
• Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.
• Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
• Slowly release the brake pedal.
• When parked on an incline, always turn
the front wheels towards the road curb.
• Turn the key in the starter switch to
position0 and remove.
Take the key with you and lock the vehicle
when leaving.G
Warning!
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake servo and
the steering system. In this case, it is
important to keep in mind that a consid

erably higher degree of effort is neces

sary to brake and steer the vehicle.

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.

Transmission
132
>> Controls. Driving off uphill
Your vehicle has a hill start assist system.
On uphill grades the hill start assist system
maintains the pressure in the brake system
for approximately one second after you have
released the brake pedal. Therefore, you can
start off smoothly without the vehicle moving
immediately after releasing the brake pedal.>Release the brake pedal.
>Apply sufficient pressure to the accelera

tor.
!
After approximately one second, the hill
start assist system stops braking the vehicle,
which then can roll backwards. If you open the
driver’s door within this time, the hill start as

sistance is deactivated and a warning signal
sounds.
i
The hill start assist system is inactive if
you start off with the parking brake set.
Manual gearshiftingWith manual gearshiftingM selected, system

controlled automatic gearshifting is switched
off and you need to change the gears by up

shifting or downshifting manually using the
gear selector lever or the steering wheel
gearshift control
1.
!
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.
G
Warning!
The hill start assist system is not
designed to function as a parking brake
and does not prevent the vehicle from
moving when parked on an incline.
Always set the parking brake in addition
to shifting to park positionP.1 Model passion only.