2009 Alfa Romeo 8C airbag

2
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
Seat belts .......................................................................................................................... 18
Front airbags ....................................................................................................................... 26
VDC system ........................................................................................................................ 33
ASR system (electronic anti-skid device) .................................................................................. 34
ABS and EBD systems .......................................................................................................... 36
Fuel cut-out inertia switch ..................................................................................................... 38

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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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ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
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. CAUTION
SERIOUS DANGER
If you need to carry a child in a
rearward-facing child seat on the front
passenger seat, you must deactivate
the front passenger airbag using
the key switch. Make sure that the
airbag has been deactivated, checking
that the LED on the roof above the
words “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF”
is permanently illuminated (see the
chapter “Passenger airbag manual
deactivation switch”). In addition,
move the passenger seat as far back
as possible in order to prevent the child
seat from touching the dashboard.
GROUPS 0 AND 0+
Children weighing up to 13 kg must be
transported in a rearward-facing booster baby
seat, which provides head support and thereby
avoids neck strain in the case of sudden
decelerations.
The rocker is secured by the vehicle seat belts as
shown in the figure, and must restrain the child
with its own safety harness.

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A
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
GROUP 3
Children weighing between 22 and 36 kg have
a chest circumference such that the extra seat
cushion is not necessary. The illustration shows
how the child should be positioned on the rear
seat.
Children taller than 1.50 m can use the seat
belts like adults.
CAUTION
Figures are purely illustrative.
Secure the child seat according to the
instructions provided with the product.
Below are the main safety rules to follow
when transporting children:
- When deactivating the front passenger
airbag, always check that the LED
A on the
roof panel above the words “PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF” illuminates permanently.
- strictly follow the instructions provided
with the child seat. Keep the instructions
in the vehicle together with the documents
and this manual. Only use the child seat
specifi cally designed for this vehicle,
included in the Alfa Romeo accessory line
and available at the Authorised Service
Centres of the Manufacturer’s Network.
- always pull on the seat belt to check that it
has locked in place;- all restraint systems must be used by a
single passenger only; never carry two
children in the same seat;
- always check that the seat belts are not
resting against the child’s neck;
- do not allow the child to sit improperly or
unfasten the seat belt /child seat safety
harness while travelling;
- do not carry children in your arms, even
new born children. Nobody would be able to
hold onto a child in the event of a collision;
- in the event of an accident, replace the
child seat with a new one.

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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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CAUTION
Never remove the steering
wheel. If necessary, have this
operation performed at an Authorised
Service Centre of the Manufacturer’s
Network.
In the case of low-severity head on collisions
(in which the restraining action of the seat belts
provides adequate protection), the airbags will
not be activated.
The airbags do not activate in the event of rear
and side collisions, as they do not provide any
supplementary protection.
Therefore, an airbag failure to activate in these
cases is not indicative of a system malfunction. “SMART BAG” SYSTEM
(MULTISTAGE FRONT
AIRBAGS)
The front airbags (driver’s and passenger’s) are
safety devices which activate in the event of a
head-on collision.
They consist of an instantaneously inflating bag
contained in a special housing:
- in the centre of the steering wheel on the
driver side;
- in the dashboard and with a larger size bag
(full size airbag) on the passenger side.
The front airbags (driver’s and passenger’s) are
safety devices designed to protect the occupants
in the event of head-on collisions of medium-high
severity. They act by placing a cushion (airbag)
between the occupant and the steering wheel or
the dashboard.
In the event of a collision, an ECU processes
the deceleration signals and activates, when
necessary, airbag deployment.
The airbag inflates almost instantaneously and
positions itself between the front passengers and
potentially harmful structures of the vehicle. The
airbags deflate immediately afterwards.Both are dual-stage airbags, therefore, their
deployment depends on the impact severity. In
low-severity collisions, the airbag inflates less
than in high-severity collisions.
CAUTION
In the event of a collision,
any occupants not wearing their
seat belt will be thrown forward
and will come into contact with the
airbag before it is fully inflated. This
reduces the protection offered by the
airbag. The front airbags (driver’s and
passenger’s, with passenger seated)
are not a substitute for the seat belts
but work in combination with them.
As a consequence, the seat belts must
always be worn as provided for by
applicable legislation in Europe and in
most non-European countries.

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ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
CAUTION
Do not apply stickers or other
objects on the steering wheel or on the
passenger-side airbag housing. Do not
place any items on the passenger-side
dashboard (e.g. mobile phones) since
they might hinder proper opening of
the passenger airbag and consequently
cause injury to the occupants.
DRIVER’S FRONT
AIRBAG
It consists of an instantly inflatable cushion
housed in a dedicated space in the centre of the
steering wheel.PASSENGER’S FRONT
AIRBAG
The passenger’s airbag has been designed
and calibrated to enhance the protection level
provided to a person wearing the seat belt.
Therefore, when fully deployed, it fills the largest
part of the space between the passenger and the
dashboard.

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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.