146
GETTING
TO KNOW
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
STARTING
AND DRIVING
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING AND
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
CONTENTS
FRONT AIRBAGS
The car is provided with multistage front air bags (“Smart bag”)
for driver and passenger.
“SMART BAG” SYSTEM
(MULTISTAGE FRONT AIR BAGS)
The front driver/passenger air bags are designed to protect occu-
pants in the event of head-on crashes of medium-high severity,
by placing the bag between the occupant and the steering wheel
or dashboard.
The air bag do not replace, but rather complement the use of seat
belts, which should always be worn. In the event of an impact,
someone not wearing a seat belt could move forward and come
into contact with a bag which is still in the opening phase. The pro-
tection offered by the bag is reduced in such a case.
Front air bags may not be activated in the following situations:
❍front collisions against highly deformable objects not affect-
ing the front surface of the car (e.g. bumper collision against
guard rail, etc.);
❍car penetration under other vehicles or protective barriers (e.g.
trucks or guard rails);
in these instances they could not provide any additional protec-
tion compared with seat belts, so their deployment would not be
useful. In these cases, non-deployment of the airbag does not nec-
essarily indicate a system malfunction.
FRONT AIR BAG ON DRIVER’S SIDE fig. 106
This is located in a dedicated compartment in the centre of the steer-
ing wheel.
Do not apply stickers or other objects to the steer-
ing wheel, passenger side air bag cover or upper
side upholstery. Do not place objects on the pas-
senger side dashboard because these could interfere with
the correct opening of the air bag and cause severe injury
to occupants.
fig. 106A0K0080m
Always drive with your hands on the steering wheel
rim so that the air bag can inflate freely if need-
ed. Do not drive with your body bent forward.
Keep your back straight against the backrest.
131-150 Alfa Giulietta EN 4ed 27-04-2010 11:15 Pagina 146
150
GETTING
TO KNOW
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
STARTING
AND DRIVING
IN AN
EMERGENCY
SERVICING AND
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
CONTENTS
If the warning light ¬does not turn on when the key
is turned to MAR, or if it stays on when travelling (to-
gether with the message on the display on some ver-
sions), there could be a failure in the restraint systems. If
this is the case, the air bags or pretensioners may not be de-
ployed in the event of an accident or, less likely, they may
be deployed accidentally. Do not drive the car and contact
a Alfa Romeo Authorised Service Provider to have the sys-
tem checked immediately.
The expiry dates of the pyrotechnic charge and
clock contact are shown in the plate installed in-
side the glove compartment. Go to an Alfa Romeo
Authorised Service Provider when the time to have them
replaced approaches.
Do not travel with objects on your lap, in front of
your chest, or between your lips (e.g. pipes, pen-
cils, etc.): you may be seriously injured in the event
of a crash with air bag deployment.
If someone tries to steal or damage your car, and
in the event of floods, have the air bag system
checked by an Alfa Romeo Authorised Service
Provider.
With the ignition key inserted and turned to MAR,
the air bags can be deployed also with the car at
a standstill, if it is hit by another vehicle even if the
engine is off. For this reason, children must never sit on
the front seat, even if the car is not moving. Remember
that no safety device (airbag or pretensioner) will be de-
ployed in a crash if the key is inserted and turned to the
STOP position. Failure to deploy in such cases must not
be considered a sign of malfunction.
When the ignition key is turned to MAR, the “
warning light turns on (front airbag on passenger’s
side enabled) and will blinks for a few seconds as
a reminder that the passenger airbag will be deployed
in the event of a crash and then go off.
The front air bags are deployed in the event of
more severe collisions than those required for de-
ploying the pretensioners.
For collisions in the range between the two thresholds, it
is normal for only the pretensioners to be activated.
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