2008 SMART FORTWO COUPE dashboard

Occupant safety
>> Safety.
53 Emergency Tensioning Devices
(ETDs) and seat belt force limiters
The seat belts are equipped with Emergency
Tensioning Devices and seat belt force limit

ers.
Emergency Tensioning Devices are designed
to activate in the following cases:
• in frontal or rear
end impacts exceeding
the system deployment threshold
• if the restraint systems are operational and
functioning correctly
• in collisions with high vehicle deceleration/
acceleration in the longitudinal or lateral
direction, e.g. a head
on collision or a side
collision
• on passenger side when the seat is occu

pied and the seat belt is fastened
• in collisions in lateral direction on the side
of the vehicle that is struck
• independently of the front air bagsWhen activated, Emergency Tensioning Devic

es remove slack from the seat belts in such a
way that the seat belts fit more snugly against
the body. Seat belt force limiters, when acti

vated, reduce the force exerted by the seat
belts on occupants during a crash.
• Pregnant women should also always use
a lap
shoulder belt. The lap belt
portion should be positioned as low as
possible on the hips to avoid any
possible pressure on the abdomen.
• Never place your feet on the instru

ment panel, dashboard or on the seat.
Always keep both feet on the floor in
front of the seat.
• When using a seat belt to secure infant
or toddler restraints or children in
booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.

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
>> Safety.
57
• Given the considerable deployment
speed, required inflation volume, and
the textile structure of the air bags,
there is the possibility of abrasions or
other, potentially more serious inju

ries resulting from air bag deployment.
• Air bags and Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) are designed to func

tion on a one
time
only basis. An air
bag or ETD that has deployed must be
replaced.
• Do not pass seat belts over sharp
edges. They could tear.
• Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat
belts.
• No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or
removing any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steer

ing wheel hub, passenger front air bag
cover, outboard sides of the seat back

rests,
and installation of additional
electrical/electronic equipment on or
near SRS components and wiring. Keep
area between air bags and occupants
free from objects (e.g. packages,
purses, umbrellas, etc.).
• Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade

quate protection.
• Do not hang hangers on the coat hooks
or handles over the door. These items
may turn into projectiles and cause
head and other injuries when the head

thorax air bag is deployed.
• Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.
• Never place your feet on the instru

ment panel, dashboard, or on the seat.
Always keep both feet on the floor in
front of the seat.
• In addition, improper repair work on
the SRS creates a risk of rendering the
SRS inoperative or causing unintended
air bag deployment. Work on the SRS
must therefore only be performed by
qualified technicians. Contact an
authorized smart center.
• For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the air bag
unit or Emergency Tensioning Devices
(ETDs), our safety instructions must be
followed. These instructions are avail

able from any authorized smart center.

Fuses
>> Practical hints.
283 Replacing a fuse
The fuse box is located on the driver’s side
below the dashboard.
>From the fuse chart (

page 284), deter

mine which fuse belongs to the malfunction

ing accessory or componant.
>Remove the respective fuse.
>Replace the defective fuse with a new one of
the same amperage.
Fuse boxFront side1
w
Fuse
R1
R9 Backup fuse slotsRear side
x
;
Fuse P54.15
2977
31
P54.15
2978
31
P54.15
2979
31