91
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
SEAT BELTS ........................................................................... 92
S.B.R. SYSTEM ....................................................................... 93
PRETENSIONERS.................................................................. 94
CARRYING CHILDREN SAFELY...................................... 97
PRESETTING FOR MOUNTING THE
“UNIVERSAL ISOFIX” CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM ..... 102
FRONT AIR BAGS................................................................ 103
SIDE AIR BAGS .................................................................... 106
S S
A A
F F
E E
T T
Y Y
D D
E E
V V
I I
C C
E E
S S
94
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
PRETENSIONERS
To increase the efficiency of the seat belts,
the car is fitted with pretensioners. These
devices, in the event of a violent crash,
rewind the seat belts a few centimetres.
In this way they ensure that the seat belt
adheres perfectly to the wearer before the
restraining action begins.
The seat belt locks to indicate that the de-
vice has intervened; the seat belt cannot
be drawn back up even when guiding it
manually.
IMPORTANT To obtain the highest de-
gree of protection from the action of the
pretensioning device, wear the seat belt
keeping it firmly close to the chest and
pelvis.
A small amount of smoke may be pro-
duced. This smoke is in no way toxic and
presents no fire hazard.
The pretensioner does not require any
maintenance or greasing.
Anything that modifies its original condi-
tions invalidates its efficiency.
If due to unusual natural events (floods,
seas storm, etc.) the device has been af-
fected by water and mud, it must neces-
sarily be replaced.LOAD LIMITERS
To increase passenger’s safety, the front
seat belt reels contain a load limiter which
allows controlled sag in such a way as to
dose the force acting on the chest and
shoulders during the belt restraining ac-
tion in case of front crash.The pretensioner can only
be used once. After a colli-
sion that has triggered it, have it re-
placed at a Abarth Dealership. Pre-
tensioner validity is indicated on the
label in the glove compartment: the
pretensioners should be replaced at a
Abarth Dealership as this date ap-
proaches.
WARNING
Operations which lead to
knocks, vibrations or localised
heating (over 100°C for a
maximum of 6 hours) in the
area around the pretensioners may
cause damage or trigger them. These
devices are not affected by vibrations
caused by irregularities of the road sur-
face or low obstacles such as kerbs, etc.
Contact a Abarth Dealership for any
assistance.
96
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
For maximum safety, keep
the back of your seat up-
right, lean back into it and make sure
the seat belt fits closely across your
chest and hips. Make sure that the
seat belts of the front and rear pas-
sengers are fastened at all times! You
increase the risk of serious injury or
death in a collision if you travel with
the belts unfastened.
WARNING
Under no circumstances
should the components of
the seat belts and pretensioners be
tampered with or removed. Any op-
eration should be carried out by qual-
ified and authorised personnel.
Always contact a Abarth Dealership.
WARNING
If the belt has been subject-
ed to heavy stress, for ex-
ample after and accident, it should be
changed completely together with
the anchors, anchor fastening screws
and the pretensioners. In fact, even if
the belt has no visible defects, it could
have lost its resilience.
WARNING
Never travel with a child sit-
ting on the passenger’s lap
with a single belt to protect them
both. Do not fasten other objects to
the body.
WARNING
HOW TO KEEP THE SEAT
BELTS ALWAYS IN EFFICIENT
CONDITIONS
Observe the following:
❒always use the belt with the tap taut and
never twisted; make sure that it is free
to run without impediments;
❒after a serious accident, replace the belt
being worn at that time, even if it does
not appear damaged. Always replace
the seat belts if pretensioners have
been activated;
❒to clean the belts, wash by hand with
neutral soap, rinse and leave to dry in
the shade. Never use strong deter-
gents, bleach or dyes or other chemi-
cal substance that might weaken the fi-
bres;
❒prevent the reels from getting wet:
their correct operation is only guaran-
teed if water does not get inside;
❒replace the seat belt when showing sig-
nificant wear or cut signs.For optimal protection in the event of a
crash, all passengers must be seated and
wearing adequate restraint systems.
This is even more important for children.
This prescription is compulsory in all EC
countries according to EC Directive
2003/20/EC.
Compared with adults, their head is pro-
portionally larger and heavier than the rest
of the body, while the muscles and bone
structure are not completely developed.
Therefore, correct restraint systems are
necessary, other than adult seat belts. The
results of research on the best child re-
straint systems are contained in the Euro-
pean Standard EEC-R44. This Standard en-
forces the use of restraint systems classi-
fied in five groups:Group 0 - 0-10 kg in weight
Group 0+ - 0-13 kg in weight
Group 1 9-18 kg in weight
Group 2 15-25 kg in weight
Group 3 22-36 kg in weight
As it may be noted, the groups overlap
partly and in fact, in commerce it is pos-
sible to find devices that cover more than
one weight group.
All restraint devices must bear the certi-
fication data, together with the control
brand, on a solidly fixed label which must
absolutely never be removed.
97
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CARRYING CHILDREN SAFELY
108
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
IINDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
Always keep your hands on
the steering wheel rim when
driving, so that if the air bag is trig-
gered, it can inflate without meeting
any obstacles which could cause seri-
ous harm to you. Do not drive with
the body bent forwards, keep the seat
back rest in the erect position and
lean your back well against it.
WARNING
Remember that with the key
engaged and at MAR, even if
the engine is not running, the air bags
may be triggered on a stationary car
if it is bumped by another moving car.
Therefore, never seat children on the
front seat even when the car is sta-
tionary. On the other hand remember
that if the key is at STOP, no safety
system (air bags or pretensioners) is
triggered in the event of an impact; in
this case, failure to come into action
cannot be considered as a sign that
the system is not working properly.
WARNING
Do not wash the seat back
rest with pressurised water
or steam (by hand or at automatic
seat washing stations).
WARNING
The front air bag is triggered
for shocks greater in magni-
tude that the pretensioners. For im-
pacts between these two thresholds,
it is therefore normal that only the
pretensioners are triggered.
WARNING
Do not hook rigid objects to
the coat hooks and to the
support handles.
WARNING
The air bag does not substi-
tute the seat belts, but only
increases their effectiveness. More-
over, since the front air bags do not
come into operation in the event of
front impact at low speed, side colli-
sions, bumps from behind or over-
turning, in these circumstances the
occupants would only be protected
by the seat belts which must therefore
always be fastened.
WARNING
When the ignition key is
turned to MAR, the warning
light “(with passenger’s front air bag
active) turns on and flashes for few
seconds to remind that passenger’s air
bag will be deployed in a crash, af-
ter which it should go off.
WARNING
If the car has been stolen or
an attempt to steal it has
been made, if it has been subjected to
vandals or floods, have the air bag
system checked by Abarth Dealership.
WARNING
123
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
AIR BAG FAILURE (red)
Turning the ignition key in the
MARposition the warning
light turns on, it has to turn off
after a few seconds.
If the warning light does not turn off this
indicates a failure in the air bag system.
The display visualizes the specific message.
¬
If the ¬warning light does
not turn on while turning the
ignition key in the MAR position or
if it stays lighted while the car is in
motion there may be a failure in the
restraint systems; in this case the air
bags or the pretensioners may be de-
activated in the event of a collision
or, in a limited number of cases, ac-
tivate incorrectly. Before going on re-
fer to the Abarth Dealership in order
to have the system immediately in-
spected.
WARNING
The ¬warning light failure
(light off ) is signalled by the
flashing for over the normal 4 seconds
of the light “that signals that the
passenger-side air bag is deactivated.
WARNING
ENGINE COOLANT
HIGH TEMPERATURE
(red)
Turning the ignition key in the
MARposition the warning light turns on,
it has to turn off after a few seconds.
The light turns on when the engine is
overheated.
If the light turns on the following steps
must be followed:
❒if in normal driving conditions:
stop the vehicle, turn off the engine
and check that the water level in the
reservoir is not under the MINmark.
In this case wait a few minutes in or-
der to let the engine cool down, then
open slowly and very carefully the tap,
fill up with the coolant, making sure
that the coolant level is between the
MINand MAXmarks on the reser-
voir. Besides visually check the pres-
ence of possible leaks of coolant. If the
light turns on again after starting up
the engine refer to the Abarth Deal-
ership.
ç
❒in case of demanding use of the
vehicle(for example during uphill
hauling of trailers or when the vehi-
cle is fully loaded): slow down and, if
the light stays on, halt the car. Stop for
2 or 3 minutes keeping the engine on
and slightly revved up in order to
favour the active circulation of the
coolant, after that turn off the engine.
Check the level of the coolant in the
reservoir as previously described.
IMPORTANT In case of very exacting
routes it is advisable before turning off the
engine to keep it on and slightly revved up
for a few minutes.
The display visualizes the specific message.
199
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
Rear window washer
– control ............................................ 49
– fluid level ........................................ 168
Rear window wiper............................. 174
Rearview mirrors
– door mirrors ................................. 32
– driving mirror ................................ 31
Refuelling............................................... 89
Rev counter .......................................... 14
Roof rack/ski rack .............................. 73
Rubber hoses ....................................... 174
Safety devices ..................................... 91
Seat adjustment ................................... 28
Seat belts
– general instructions ..................... 95
– load limiters ................................... 94
– maintenance .................................. 97
– use ................................................... 92
Seats
– adjustment ..................................... 28
– cleaning ........................................... 179
– tilting (rear seats).......................... 29
Snow chains ......................................... 119
Sound system ...................................... 121Speedometer ....................................... 14
Starting the engine
– emergency start-up ...................... 134
– ignition switch ............................... 13
– stopping the engine....................... 111
– warming up the engine ................ 111
Steering.................................................. 186
Steering column lock ......................... 12
Steering wheel (adjustment) ............ 31
Sunroof.................................................. 62
Sun visors ............................................. 61
Suspensions .......................................... 186
Symbols ................................................. 7
Tailgate ................................................ 68
Technical specifications ..................... 181
Third brake light ................................. 145
Top speeds ........................................... 191
Towing the car .................................... 159
Towing trailers
– tow hook installation ................... 118
T.P.M.S. system.................................... 84
Transmission ........................................ 185
Tyre pressure ...................................... 189
Oddment compartments .................. 60
Paint ..................................................... 177
Performance ........................................ 191
Plates
– bodywork paint
identification plate ....................... 183
– model plate ................................... 182
Pollen filter ........................................... 170
Power socket ...................................... 60
Pretensioners ...................................... 94
Protecting the environment ............. 90
Puddle/door light................................. 55
Radio transmitters and cellular
telephones ......................................... 89
Rain sensor............................................ 50
Rear ceiling lights
– bulb replacement ........................... 143
– control ............................................ 56
Rear doors emergency lock device . 81
Rear fog lights
– bulb replacement .......................... 143
– control button .............................. 55