2008 SMART FORTWO COUPE child seat

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)
>> Controls.
113 Opening and closing the retract

able soft top
You can open and close the retractable soft
top when the vehicle is either stationary or in
motion.
!
To avoid damaging the seals, do not trans

port any objects with sharp edges which can
stick out of the retractable soft top.
Do not open the retractable soft top if there is
snow or ice on the roof, as this could result in
malfunctions.
If you cannot open or close the retractable
soft top due to a malfunction contact Roadside
Assistance or an authorized smart center.
G
Warning!
Never operate the retractable soft top if
there is the possibility of anyone being
harmed by the opening or closing proce

dure.
G
Warning!
The retractable soft top is made out of
fabric. In the event of an accident, the
fabric may tear. This may result in an
opening in the roof.
In a vehicle rollover, occupants not
wearing their seat belts or not wearing
them properly may be thrown out of the
opening. Such an opening also presents a
potential for injury for occupants wear

ing their seat belts properly as entire
body parts or portions of them may pro

trude from the passenger compartment.
G
Warning!
When leaving the vehicle, always remove
the key from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle,
or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
A child’s unsupervised access to a
vehicle could result in an accident and/or
serious personal injury.

What to do if ...
>> Practical hints.
245
Passenger front air bag off indicator lamp
Illuminates when the passenger front air bag
is deactivated:
• with the ignition switched on and if OCS
senses that the passenger seat occupant is
classified as being up to or less than the
weight of a typical 12
month
old child in a
standard child restraint.
• with the ignition switched on, if the OCS
senses that the passenger seat is not occu

pied.
Goes out:
• after approximately 4 seconds if the OCS
senses that the passsenger seat is occu

pied with a person with the weight of a
typical adult or someone larger than a
small individual.Seat belt telltale
Illuminates constantly:
• for a maximum of 6 seconds after starting
the engine.
Regardless of whether the seat belt is fas

tened or not, the seat belt telltale always
comes on and remains lit for 6 seconds af

ter starting the engine.
• when the driver’s seat belt is unfastened.
An additional warning chime sounds for a
maximum of 6 seconds after starting the en

gine or until the driver’s seat belt is fas

tened.
G
Warning!
If the57indicator lamp
illuminates and remains illuminated with
the weight of a typical adult or someone
larger than a small individual on the pas

senger seat, do not have any passenger
use the passenger seat until the system
has been repaired.G
Warning!
If the57indicator lamp
does not illuminate or remains out with
the weight of a typical 12
month
old
child in a standard child restraint or less
on the passenger seat, do not transport a
child on the passenger seat until the
system has been repaired.

What to do if ...
>> Practical hints.
247
The subsequent self check of the safety
systems yields the following results:
Scenario 1:
The SRS indicator lamp goes out after a
maximum of 4 seconds:
No malfunction detected. The supplemental
restraint system is operational.
Scenario 2:
The SRS indicator lamp goes out after a maxi

mum of 4 seconds for approximately 1 second,
then it comes on again and stays on:
There is a malfunction in the supplemental
restraint systems. The air bags or Emer

gency Tensioning Devices could deploy un

expectedly or fail to deploy in an accident.
>Do not sit on the passenger seat; this ap

plies particularly to children.
>Have the system checked at an authorized
smart center.
!
If the SRS indicator lamp comes on while
driving, have the system checked at an autho

rized smart center immediately.
It is possible that the air bag and the emer

gency tensioning device could be activated
unintentionally or will not function in the event
of an accident.Turn signal indicator lamp(s)
Flash(es):
• when the ignition is switched on:
• the corresponding turn signal is switched
on.
• the hazard warning flasher is switched on.
>If the turn signal indicator lamp(s) do(es)
not illuminate, have the turn signal indica

tor lamp(s) checked at an authorized smart
center.