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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112
KNOW YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETYCORRECT USE
OF THE CARWARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGESI
IN
AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
If, when the ignition key is at MAR, warning light
Y
re-
mains lit together with warning light
U
turn the key to
STOP and then back to MAR; if the warning light remains
on, try with the other keys provided with the car.
If you are still unable to start the engine, perform the emer-
gency start-up procedure (see “Emergency start-up” in “In
an emergency” chapter) and contact a Fiat Dealership.
STARTING PROCEDURE FOR DIESEL
VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒
engage the handbrake;
❒
put the gearshifting lever into neutral;
❒
turn the ignition key at MAR: the warning lights
m
and
Y
on the instrument panel will turn on;
❒
wait for the warning lights
Y
and
m
to turn off.
The hotter the engine is, the quicker this will happen;
❒
press the clutch pedal all the way down without touch-
ing the accelerator;
❒
turn the ignition key to AVV as soon as the warning lightm
turns off. Waiting too long will waste the work
done by the glow plugs.
Release the key as soon as the engine starts.
IMPORTANT With cold engine, the accelerator must
be entirely released when turning the ignition key to
position AVV.If the engine does not start at the first attempt, return
the ignition key to STOP before repeating starting.
If, when the ignition key is at MAR, the instrument panel
warning light
Y
remains lit, turn the key to STOP
and then back to MAR; if the warning lights remain on,
try with the other keys provided with the car.
If you still cannot start the engine, contact a Fiat Dealership.
Warning light
m
will flash for 60 seconds
after starting or during prolonged cranking
to indicate a fault to the glow plug heating
system. You can use the car as usual if the engine
starts but you should contact a Fiat Dealership as
soon as possible.
HOW TO WARM UP THE ENGINE AFTER IT
HAS JUST STARTED
Proceed as follows:❒
drive off slowly, letting the engine turn at medium speed.
Do not accelerate abruptly;
❒
do not demand maximum performance for the first few
kilometres. Wait until the engine temperature coolant
gauge starts moving.
111-122 PANDA EN 7-10-2009 15:01 Pagina 112
113KNOW
YOUR VEHICLE
SAFETYCORRECT USE
OF THE CARWARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGES
IN
AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
F0Z0037m
fig. 116
PARKING THE VEHICLEProceed as follows:❒
stop the engine and engage the handbrake;
❒
engage a gear (on a slope, engage first gear if the vehi-
cle is parked uphill or reverse if it is parked downhill)
and leave the wheels steered.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a stone if the car is
parked on a steep slope.
Do not leave the key in the ignition switch at MAR to pre-
vent draining the battery. Always remove the key when
leaving the car. Never leave children unattended in the car.
Always remove the ignition key when leaving the car
and take it out with you.
HANDBRAKE fig. 116
The handbrake lever is located between the two front
seats. Pull the handbrake lever upwards until the car can-
not be moved. STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition key to STOP while the engine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a taxing drive, you should allow the
engine to “catch its breath” before turning it off by let-
ting it idle to allow the temperature in the engine com-
partment to fall.
Never bump start the engine by pushing,
towing or coasting downhill. This could
cause a flow of fuel into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it beyond repair.A quick burst on the accelerator before
turning off the engine serves absolutely no
practical purpose, it wastes fuel and is dam-
aging especially to turbocharged engines.
EMERGENCY START-UP
If the instrument panel warning light
Y
stays on with fixed
light, the emergency start-up can be performed by using
the CODE card code (see chapter “In an emergency”).
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114
KNOW YOUR
VEHICLE
SAFETYCORRECT USE
OF THE CARWARNING LIGHTS
AND MESSAGESI
IN
AN EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
F0Z0060m
fig. 117
USING THE MANUAL GEARBOXTo engage the gears, press the clutch pedal fully and shift
the gearshifting lever into one of the required positions
(the diagram for gear engagement is shown on the knob,
fig. 117).
IMPORTANT The car can only be put into reverse gear
when it has stopped moving completely. With the engine
running, wait for at least 2 seconds with the clutch pedal
fully pressed before engaging reverse to prevent damage
to the gears and grating.
To engage reverse R from neutral, lift the sliding ring A un-
der the knob and shift the lever to the right and back. Four or five clicks are generally enough when the car is on
level ground while nine or ten may be required if the car
is on a steep slope or laden.
IMPORTANT If this is not the case, contact a Fiat
Dealership to have the handbrake adjusted.
When the handbrake lever is pulled up and the ignition key
is at MAR, the instrument panel warning light
x
will
turn on.
Proceed as follows to release the handbrake:
❒
slightly lift the handbrake and press the release button
A;
❒
keep button A pressed and lower the lever. The warn-
ing light
x
on the instrument panel will turn off.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out this operation
to prevent the car from moving accidentally.
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