2009 FIAT PANDA Owners Manual

104
KNOW YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
AIR BAGThe car is fitted with front air bags (for versions/markets
where provided) for the driver and the passenger and front
side bags (side bag – window bag).
FRONT AIR BAGS
The front driver/passenger air bags have been designed to
protect the occupants in the event of head-on crashes of
medium-high severity, by placing the cushion between the
occupant and the steering wheel or dashboard.
Front air bags are designed to protect car’s passengers in
head-on crashes and therefore non-activation in other
types of collisions (side collisions, rear shunts, roll-overs,
etc.) is not a system malfunction.
An electronic control unit will make the bag inflate in the
event of a front crash.
The bag will inflate instantaneously placing itself between
the front passengers’ body and the structures which could
cause injury. It will deflate immediately afterwards.
Driver and passenger front airbags are not a replacement
of but complementary to the seat belts, which should al-
ways be worn, as specified by law in Europe and most non-
European countries.
In the event of an impact, those not wearing a seat belt will
move forward and come into contact with the bag which
is still inflating. The protection offered by the air bag cush-
ion is reduced in such a case.Front air bags may not be activated in the following situ-
ations:
❒
in collisions against highly deformable objects not af-
fecting the car front surface (e.g. bumper collision against
guard rail, etc.);
❒
car wedging under other vehicles or protective barri-
ers (e.g. trucks or guard rails);
they could not provide any additional protection compared
with seat belts, so their activation would be improper.
Therefore, failure to come into action in the above cir-
cumstances does not mean that the system is not work-
ing properly.
Do not apply stickers or other objects to
the steering wheel, to the passenger’s side
air bag cover side or on the side roof lining. Nev-
er put objects (e.g. mobile phones) on the pas-
senger’s side dashboard since they could interfere
with proper air bag inflation and also cause seri-
ous injury to the passengers.
WARNING
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105KNOW YOUR
VEHICLESAFETYCORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
F0Z0693m
fig. 111
F0Z0057m
fig. 112
DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG fig. 111
It consists of an instant inflating bag contained in a special
recess in the centre of the steering wheel.
PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG fig. 112
This consists of an instant inflating bag contained in a spe-
cial recess in the dashboard: this bag has a larger volume
than that of the driver’s. The driver’s and passenger’s front air bags have been de-
signed and calibrated to protect front seat occupants wear-
ing seat belts.
At their maximum inflation, their volume fills most of
the space between the steering wheel and the driver and
between the dashboard and the passenger.
The airbags are not deployed in the event of minor front
collisions (for which the withholding action of the seat belts
is sufficient). Safety belts must always be worn. In the event
of front crash they guarantee correct positioning of
the passenger.
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106
KNOW YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
F0Z0170m
fig. 113
IMPORTANT Only operate the switch with the engine off
and the ignition key removed.
The key-operated switch has two positions, fig. 113:❒
passenger’s front air bag activated (position ON
P):
warning light
F
on instrument panel off; it is absolutely
forbidden to carry a child on the front seat.
❒
front passenger air bag deactivated, warning light on (po-
sition OFF
F
): warning light
F
on instrument panel
on; child protected by special restraint system can be
carried on the front seat.
The warning
F
light on the instrument panel remains
on constantly until the passenger’s air bag is reactivated.
Deactivation of the passenger’s front air bag does not in-
hibit operation of the side air bag.
SERIOUS DANGER: never place cradle
child seats facing backwards on the front
passenger’s seat of cars fitted with pas-
senger’s air bag. Deployment of the airbag
in an accident could cause fatal injuries
to the baby. Always deactivate the passenger air
bag when placing a child seat on the front seat.
Move the passenger’s seat as far back as possi-
ble to avoid contact between the child seat and
the dashboard. Although this is not mandatory by
law, the air bag should be immediately reactivat-
ed when children are no longer carried to ensure
better protection for adults.
WARNING
MANUALLY DEACTIVATING
THE PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG
Should it be absolutely necessary to carry a child on the
front seat, the passenger’s front air bag on the car can be
deactivated.
Deactivation/reactivation takes place with ignition key at
STOP and operating it in the special key switch in the glove
compartment.
The key can be fitted and removed in both positions.
091-110 PANDA EN 7-10-2009 13:46 Pagina 106

107KNOW YOUR
VEHICLESAFETYCORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
F0Z0058m
fig. 114
F0Z0059m
fig. 115
IMPORTANT In the event of side crash, you can obtain
the best protection by the system keeping a correct po-
sition on the seat, allowing thus a correct window bag
deployment.
IMPORTANT The front air bags and/or side bags may be de-
ployed if the car is subject to heavy collisions or accidents
involving the underbody area, such as for example violent
shocks against steps, kerbs or low obstacles, falling of the car
in big holes or sags in the road.
IMPORTANT A small amount of dust will be released
when the air bags are deployed. The dust is harmless
and does not indicate the beginning of a fire. Furthermore,
the surface of the deployed bag and the interior of the
car may be covered with residual dust. This dust can irri-
tate skin and eyes.
SIDE AIRBAGS
(Side bag – Front Window bag)SIDE BAG fig. 114
It consists of an instant inflation bag housed in the back-
rest of the front seat and increases protection of the pas-
sengers’ chest in the event of a side crash of medium-high
severity.WINDOW BAG fig. 115The two “curtain” window bags are located behind the
side roof upholstery and are covered by special trimming.
They were designed to protect the head of front and rear
passengers in case of side collisions, thanks to the wide
cushion inflation surface.
091-110 PANDA EN 7-10-2009 13:46 Pagina 107

108
KNOW YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
Wash with mild soap and water in the event of exposure.
The expiration date of the explosive charge and the coil
contact wire are shown on a specific label on the door
edge. Contact a Fiat Dealership to have the devices re-
placed when the expiry date approaches.
IMPORTANT Should an accident occur in which any
of the safety devices is activated, take the car to a Fiat
Dealership to have the activated devices replaced and to
have the system checked.
Every control, repair and replacement operations con-
cerning the air bags must only be carried out at a Fiat
Dealership.
If case of car scrapping, have the air bag system deacti-
vated at a Fiat Dealership first. If the car changes owner-
ship, the new owner must be informed of the method of
use of air bags and the above warnings and also be given
this “Owner Handbook”.
Never rest head, arms and elbows on the
door, on the windows and in the window
bag area to prevent possible injuries during infla-
tion phase.
WARNING
Never lean head, arms and elbows out of
window.
WARNING
IMPORTANT Pretensioners, front air bags and side bags
are triggered in a differentiated manner, depending on the
type of crash. Failure to deploy of one of the devices does
not necessarily indicate a system malfunction.
091-110 PANDA EN 7-10-2009 13:46 Pagina 108

109KNOW YOUR
VEHICLESAFETYCORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
GENERAL WARNINGS
If when turning the key to MAR the warn-
ing light
¬
does not turn on or if it stays
on when travelling, there could be a failure in safe-
ty systems; in this event air bags or pretensioners
may not be deployed in case of impact or, in a mi-
nor number of cases, they deploy accidentally.
Contact a Fiat Dealership immediately to have
the system checked.
WARNING
Do not cover the backrest of front seats
with trims or covers that are not suitable
to be used with side bags.
WARNING
Never travel with objects on your lap, in
front of your chest or with a pipe, pencil,
etc. between your lips; injury may result in the
event of the air bag being triggered.
WARNING
Always drive keeping your hands on the
steering wheel rim so that the air bag can
inflate freely in the case of need. Do not drive with
your body bent forward. Keep your back straight
against the backrest.
WARNING
Air bags may be deployed if another vehi-
cle crashes into the car, if the key is insert-
ed and at MAR also if the engine is not running and
the car is stationary. For this reason, children must
never sit on the front seat, even if the car is not
moving. On the other hand, whenever the key is
positioned on STOP, the safety devices (air bags or
pretensioners) do not deploy after a collision. In
this case non-deployment of these devices does not
indicate a system malfunction.
WARNING
091-110 PANDA EN 7-10-2009 13:46 Pagina 109

110
KNOW YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETY
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
The front air bag is triggered in case of
stronger shocks with respect to that of pre-
tensioners. For collisions in the range between the
two thresholds, it is normal for only the preten-
sioners to be activated.
WARNING
Do not hook rigid objects to the coat
hooks and to the support handles.
WARNING
The air bag does not replace seat belts but
increases their efficiency. Furthermore,
since front air bags are not deployed in low speed
collisions, side collisions, rear-end shunts or roll-
overs, the passengers are only protected by the
seat belts which must be fastened at all times.
WARNING
If the car has been stolen or in case of at-
tempt to steal it, if it has been subjected
to vandals or floods, have the air bag system
checked by Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
Do not wash the seats with water or pres-
surized vapour (hand washing or auto-
matic seat washing stations).
WARNING
Turning the ignition key to MAR, the warn-
ing light
F
(airbag on passenger’s side en-
abled) goes on and flashes for a few seconds, thus
reminding the passenger that the airbag on his/her
side will deploy in the event of a collision, then it
switches off.
WARNING
091-110 PANDA EN 7-10-2009 13:46 Pagina 110

111KNOW
YOUR VEHICLE
SAFETY
WARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN
AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
CORRECT USE OF THE CAR
STARTING PROCEDURE FOR PETROL
VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:❒
engage the handbrake;
❒
place the gearshifting lever in neutral;
❒
press the clutch pedal all the way down without touch-
ing the accelerator;
❒
turn the ignition key to
AVV
and let it go as soon as
the engine starts.
If the engine does not start at the first attempt, return
the ignition key to
STOP
before repeating starting.
STARTING THE ENGINEThe car is fitted with an electronic engine lock device:
if the engine fails to start, see the paragraph “The Fiat
CODE system” in section “Know your vehicle”.
The engine may be noisier during the first few seconds of
operation, especially after a long period of inactivity. This
characteristic feature of the hydraulic tappet system does
not compromise functionality or reliability: the system de-
vised for your car was designed to limit maintenance
interventions.
It is dangerous to let the engine run in en-
closed spaces. The engine consumes oxy-
gen and engine exhaust contains carbon dioxide,
carbon monoxide and other toxic gasses.
WARNING
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
We recommend that during the initial pe-
riod you do not drive to full car perfor-
mance (e.g.: excessive acceleration, long
journeys at top speed, sharp braking, etc.).When the engine is switched off never leave
the key into the ignition switch to prevent
useless current absorption from draining the
battery.
Remember that the servo-brake and pow-
er steering are not operational until the
engine has been started, therefore much effort
than usual is required on the brake pedal
and teering wheel.
WARNING
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