2009 Alfa Romeo 8C warning

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GENERAL WARNINGS
REGARDING THE USE OF
THE SEAT BELTS
CAUTION
It is mandatory for the driver
and passengers to properly use the
restraint systems of the vehicle.
CAUTION
To help ensure optimal
protection, you are advised to keep the
seatback in the most upright position
and the seat belt close to your chest
and pelvis. If the seat belt is loose,
in the event of an accident you would
move too far forward and could be injured. Travelling with the seatback
too far reclined could be dangerous:
even if the seat belts are fastened,
they may not work correctly.
The seat belt itself may not be close
enough to your body and, if it is
in front of you, it could cause neck
wounds or other injuries in an accident.
What is more, in an accident, the lower
section of the seat belt could press
against the upper part of your stomach
rather than the pelvic area, causing
serious internal injuries.
CAUTION
Always fasten the seat belts.
Travelling without the seat belts fastened increases the risk of serious
injury in the event of a collision, even
with the airbags. In the event of a
collision, the seat belts reduce the
possibility of the vehicle occupants
being thrown against the parts of the
passenger compartment or out of the
vehicle. The airbags are designed to
work in combination with the seat
belts, not to substitute them.
The front airbags only activate in the
event of head-on collisions of medium
or high severity. They will not be
activated if the vehicle rolls over, or in
the event of rear or low severity head-
on collisions.
CAUTION
Do not fasten your seat belt
using the buckle for the other seat:
in the event of an accident, the lower
portion of the seat belt could press
against the upper part of your stomach
rather than the pelvic area and cause
serious internal injuries.

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How to keep seat belts effi cient
1) Always use the seat belts with the belt
completely fl at, not twisted; Make sure
the seat belt can move freely and is not
obstructed by anything.
2) The seat belts must be replaced following
every pretensioner activation and whenever
the belt itself shows visible damages or
abrasions.
3) Wash the seat belts by hand using water
and neutral soap, rinse them and let
them dry in the shade. Do not use strong
detergents, bleaches or colorants and any
other chemical substance that could weaken
the fi bres.
4) Make sure the belt winders do not get wet:
they will operate properly only if they do
not undergo water infi ltration. SAFE TRANSPORT OF
CHILDREN
For optimal protection in the event of a collision,
all occupants must be seated and wearing
appropriate restraint systems. This applies also
to children.
This is mandatory according to Directive
2003/20/EC in all the member states of the
European Union.
Children’s heads are proportionally heavier and
larger than those of adults, while their bones
and muscles are relatively undeveloped. For this
reason, restraint systems different from adult
seat belts must be used.The results of research conducted on the best
child protection are summarised in the European
Regulation ECE-R44 which, in addition to making
restraint systems mandatory, divides them into
five groups:
Group 0 - weights up to 10 kg
Group 0+ - weights up to 13 kg
Group 1 9-18 kg weight
Group 2 15-25 kg weight
Group 3 22-36 kg weight
For the purposes of restraint systems, children
taller than 1.50 m and heavier than 36 kg are
considered equivalent to adults and must wear
the standard seat belts normally.
WARNING: Given the particular shape of the
vehicle seats, only one type of child seat can be
used and is available at the Authorised Service
Centres of the Manufacturer’s Network.

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CAUTION
If the passenger airbag
system is active, do not sit a child in a
rearward-facing child seat on the front
vehicle seat. The airbag activation in
the event of a collision may cause fatal
injury to the child, regardless of the
collision severity.
FRONT AIRBAGSThe vehicle is equipped with 2 airbags (2 front
ones) and electronically controlled pretensioners
for all of the seat belts.
The system components are the following:1) Electronic control unit2) Dual-stage front passenger’s airbag 3) Passenger’s airbag deactivation switch4) Passenger’s front seat belt pretensioner5) Driver’s front seat belt pretensioner
6) Airbag system failure warning light7) Dual-stage front driver’s airbag8) Clock Spring9) Diagnostic socket10)
Left-hand front Crash Zone Sensor
11)
Right-hand front Crash Zone Sensor.
12)
Passenger’s airbag deactivation warning
light
The vehicle is equipped with multistage front
airbags for the driver and the passenger.

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A
PASSENGER’S AIRBAG
MANUAL DEACTIVATION
SWITCH
If you have to carry a child on the front
passenger seat, always deactivate the airbag on
the passenger’s side before installing a rearward-
facing child seat. The device may be deactivated
by operating (with the ignition key) the relative
key switch located on the right-hand side of the
dashboard. The switch is accessible with open
door only.
Vehicles manufactured for the US, Canadian,
Japanese and Australian markets are not
equipped with this device.The key switch has two positions:
1) passenger’s airbag on: (
ON position)
led
A off; carrying children on the front
passenger seat on rearward facing child
seats is strictly prohibited.
2) passenger’s airbag off: (
OFF position)
led
A on; children may travel in the
front passenger seat if they are suitably
protected by specific rearward-facing
restraint systems.
The LED A on the roof remains permanently on
until the passenger airbag is reactivated.
With open door the key can be fitted in or
removed in both positions.
CAUTION
When the passenger side airbag
is deactivated, because a person
considered by the laws in force to be at
risk is travelling and must therefore be
protected by an additional restraining
system, the passenger will not have
the additional protection of the airbag
in the event of a collision.
WARNING: Only deactivate the airbag when
a person at risk is being carried, and always
reactivate it at the end of the journey.
WARNING: The airbag system has a service
life of 14 years. When this expiry date is
approaching, contact an Authorised Service
Centre of the Manufacturer’s Network.

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ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
CAUTION
All the inspections, repair and
replacement operations on the airbags
must be performed by an Authorised
Service Centre of the Manufacturer’s
Network.
WARNING: To scrap the vehicle, please
contact an Authorised Service Centre of the
Manufacturer’s Network to have the system
deactivated.
WARNING: If the vehicle is sold, the new owners
must be provided with the above described
instructions for use and warnings, and they must
also be provided with the “Owner’s Manual”.
GENERAL WARNINGS
CAUTION
When the ignition key is turned
to the MAR position, the warning
light illuminates, but it must turn
off after approx. 5 seconds. If the
warning light does not illuminate, if it
remains lit or illuminates while driving,
immediately contact an Authorised
Service Centre of the Manufacturer’s
Network.
CAUTION
When the ignition key is
turned to MAR, the LED on the roof
panel above the words “PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF” (with front passenger
airbag deactivation switch set to
ON) illuminates for about 4 seconds,
then flashes for 4 seconds to remind
you that the passenger airbag will be
activated in the event of a collision,
and then goes off.
CAUTION
In the event of a collision
with consequent airbag deployment,
contact an Authorised Service Centre
of the Manufacturer’s Network for
replacement of the entire safety
system, electronic control unit, seat
belts, pretensioners, and to have the
vehicle electrical system checked.

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A
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
VDC SYSTEMThe vehicle is equipped with the anti-yawing
control system VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control)
which incorporates all the control systems: ABS,
EBD, ASR and MSR. This system is equipped
with a model that predicts the vehicle behaviour
with great accuracy. The system is capable of
detecting whether the driver is about to lose
control of the vehicle. In this case, it can activate
the brake calipers individually and engine
control, in order to create a torque sufficient to
resist the vehicle yawing moment.ACTIVATION
The VDC and ASR systems are integrated in one
single function and are automatically activated
every time the engine is started; they can be
deactivated by pressing the button
A for about
1 second. Press the button
A again to reactivate
the systems.
The amber colour warning light
on the
instrument panel flashes during all the operating
phases.FAILURE SIGNALS
In the event of a malfunction, the system
is automatically disabled and cannot be
reactivated. This condition is signalled while
driving by the amber warning light on the
instrument panel that illuminates together with
the message “VDC failure - Go to workshop”.
When the engine is started, the system
malfunction is indicated by the illumination of
the warning light .
WARNING: In the event of a malfunction
and with the VDC deactivated, the vehicle
behaves as if it were not equipped with this
system: however, we recommend that you
contact an Authorised Service Centre of the
Manufacturer’s Network to have the system
checked.

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WARNING: If you have to tow the vehicle with
2 wheels raised, ensure that the ignition key
is in the STOP position. Otherwise, with VDC
activated, the relative control unit will store a
malfunction, resulting in the illumination of the
warning lights
on the instrument panel and
on the display: this requires the intervention
of an Authorised Service Centre of the
Manufacturer’s Network to correct the system
malfunction.
WARNING: In low- and medium-grip conditions
(e.g., rain, snow, ice, sand, etc.) it is advisable
not to use SPORT mode, even with the VDC
activated.
WARNING: Driving on parabolic curves will
deactivate the system.
ASR SYSTEM (ELECTRONIC ANTI-
SKID DEVICE)The ASR system avoids driving wheels skidding
during acceleration through the engine control
unit (spark advance delay, engine throttle
opening reduction and fuel injection cut) and the
rear brakes.
The action of the ASR system enhances vehicle
stability and improves active safety while driving,
specially under the following conditions:
inside wheel skidding when cornering due
to dynamic load variations or excessive
acceleration
excessive power transmitted to the
wheels, also in relation to the road surface
conditions acceleration on slippery, snow-covered or icy
roads
grip loss on wet road surface
(aquaplaning).
In normal conditions (SPORT mode off), the ASR
system increases stability in low and medium
grip conditions, while with SPORT mode active
the system favours traction, thereby optimising
vehicle performance on dry asphalt.

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A
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
ACTIVATION
The VDC and ASR systems are integrated in one
single function and are automatically activated
every time the engine is started; they can be
deactivated by pressing the button
A for about
1 second.
Press the button
A once again to reactivate the
systems.
The amber colour warning light
on the
instrument panel flashes during all the operating
phases.FAULT INDICATORS
In the event of a malfunction, the system
is automatically disabled and cannot be
reactivated. This condition is signalled while
driving by the amber symbol
on the display
that illuminates together with the message “ASR
failure - Go to workshop”.
MSR FUNCTION (ENGINE
BRAKING TORQUE
ADJUSTMENT)
The ASR system also controls the engine braking
torque when the accelerator pedal is released
under low grip conditions (e.g., snow, ice etc.):
in these conditions, the high braking torque of
the engine may cause instability of the vehicle.The system, using the same sensors as the ABS
system, detects the skidding of one or both
of the driving wheels when the accelerator is
released and opens the motor-driven throttle for
the engine fuel system. This reduces the braking
torque and resets the maximum grip conditions
for the driving wheels.
WARNING: However, the maximum deceleration
that can be obtained with the engine brake still
depends on the tyre grip on the road. Snow or ice
obviously reduce grip values.