2011 Abarth 500 Owner handbook (in English)

64
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
The reel may lock when the car is parked
on a steep slope: this is perfectly normal.
Furthermore, the reel mechanism locks
the belt if it is pulled and in the event of
sudden braking, collisions and on high
speed bends.
The rear seat is fitted with inertial seat
belts with three anchor points and reel.
S.B.R. SYSTEM
The car is provided with the S.B.R. (Seat
Belt Reminder) system, which warns the
driver and the front passenger if the seat
belt is not buckled, as follows:
❒warning light continuous activation of the beeper for
the first 6 seconds;
❒warning light activation of the beeper for the next 96
seconds;
For permanent deactivation, contact
Abarth Dealership.
the S.B.R. system CAN also be reset
through the set-up menu.
SEAT BELTS
USING THE SEAT BELTS fig. 1
Wear the belt keeping the chest straight
and rested against the backrest.
To fasten the seat belts, hold the tongue
Aand insert it into the buckle B, until
hearing the locking click. At removal, if it
jams, let it rewind for a short stretch, then
pull it out again without jerking.
Press button Cto release the belt. Ac-
company the belt while it is being re-
wound to prevent twisting. Through the
reel, the belt automatically adapts to the
body of the passenger wearing it, allowing
freedom of movement.
fig. 1F0S060Ab
Never press button C when
travelling.
WARNING
Remember that, in the event
of a violent collision, the
passengers of the rear seats who do
wear seat belts, besides exposing
themselves to a significant danger,
represent a danger for the passengers
of the front seats.
WARNING

65
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
PRETENSIONERS
To increase the efficiency of the seat belts,
the car is fitted with front pretensioners.
These devices, in the event of a violent
crash, rewind the seat belts a few cen-
timetres. 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 device
has intervened; the seat belt cannot be
drawn back up even when guiding it man-
ually.
This car is provided with a second pre-
tensioner (in the sill board area). Its acti-
vation is signalled by the shortening of the
metallic cable.
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 pretension-
er does not require any maintenance or
greasing. Anything that modifies its origi-
nal conditions invalidates its efficiency. If
due to unusual natural events (floods, seas
storm, etc.) the device has been affected
by water and mud, it must necessarily be
replaced.LOAD LIMITERS
To increase passenger’s safety, the reels
contain a load limiter which allows con-
trolled sag in such a way as to dose the
force acting on the chest and shoulders
during the belt restraining action in case
of front crash.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
FOR USING THE SEAT BELTS
The driver is responsible for respecting
and ensuring that all the other occupants
of the car also respect the local laws in
force in relation to the use of seat belts.
Always fasten the seat belts before start-
ing off.
Seat belts must also be used by pregnant
women: risk will be significantly reduced
for both the expectant mother and the
child in the event of an accident. Pregnant
women must position the lower part of
the belt very low down so that it passes
under the abdomen (see fig. 2). The pretensioner can only
be used once. Go to a Abarth
Dealership to have it replaced after
is has been deployed. The expiration
date is shown on the label on the
door edge: refer to the Abarth Deal-
ership when it’s time to replace the
device.
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.

66
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
fig. 2F0S061Ab
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. Always fasten the seat
belts on both the front and the rear
seats. Travelling without seat belts
will increase the risk of severe injury
and even death in the event of an ac-
cident.
Never disassemble or tamper with the
seat belt or pretensioner components.
All interventions must be performed
by qualified and authorised person-
nel only. Always go to a Abarth Deal-
ership.
WARNINGIMPORTANT Each seat belt may only be
used by a single person: do not carry chil-
dren on your lap with one seat belt pro-
tecting both fig. 4. In general, do not place
any objects between the person and belt. IMPORTANT The belt must not be twist-
ed. The upper part must cross the shoul-
der and the chest diagonally. The lower
part must fit the hips (as shown in fig. 3)
rather than the abdomen of the passen-
ger. Do not use devices (clips, etc.) to hold
the seat belt away from your body.
fig. 3F0S062Abfig. 4F0S063Ab
If the belt has been subject-
ed to heavy stress, for ex-
ample after an 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

67
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
SEAT BELTS MAINTENANCE
Observe the following:
❒always use the belt with the tap taut and
never twisted; make sure that it is free
to run without impediments;
❒replace the belt after an accident of a
certain severity even if it does not ap-
pear damaged. Always replace the belt
if the pretensioners were deployed.
❒to clean the belt, wash by hand with wa-
ter and mild soap, rinse and leave to dry
in the shade. Do not use strong deter-
gents, bleach, paints or any other sub-
stance which could damage the belt fi-
bres;
❒keep the reels dry: correct operation
may only be ensured if the reels are dry;
❒replace the seat belt when showing sig-
nificant wear or cut signs.
CARRYING CHILDREN
SAFELY
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.
A child’s head is larger and heavier in pro-
portion to his/her body and the child’s
muscular and bone structures are not ful-
ly developed.
For this reason, they require restraint sys-
tems which are different from those used
by adults to protect them in the event of
an accident.
The research results in relation to the best
protection for children is illustrated in Eu-
ropean Regulation ECE-R44 which divides
the restraint systems into five groups in
addition to making their use compulsory:
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
SEVERE DANGER: Do not
arrange child seats facing
backwards on the front seat
if the passenger’s airbag is
on. Deployment of the
airbag in an accident could
cause fatal injuries to the baby. It is
advisable to carry children on the rear
seat, which is the most protected po-
sition in the event of an accident.
Child seats must not be fitted on the
front seat of cars provided with pas-
senger air bag, whose deployment in
an accident could cause fatal injuries
to the baby. If necessary, children can
stay on the front seat, if the passen-
ger’s airbag can be disabled. Verify
that the airbag is actually deactivat-
ed, observing the warning light
Fon
the dashboard (see “Front airbag -
passenger side” at paragraph “Front
airbags”). Move the passenger’s seat
as far back as possible to avoid con-
tact between the cradle and the dash-
board.
WARNING

68
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
All restraint devices must bear the certi-
fication data, together with the control
mark, on a solidly fixed label which must
absolutely never be removed.
Over 1.50 m in height, from the point of
view of restraint systems, children are
considered as adults and wear the seat
belts normally. Lineaccessori Abarth in-
cludes child restraint systems for each
weight group.
These devices are recommended having
been specifically designed for Abarth cars.
GROUP 0 and 0+
Babies up to 13 kg must be carried facing
backwards on a cradle seat, which, sup-
porting the head, does not induce stress
on the neck in the event of sharp decel-
eration.
The cradle is restrained by the car seat
belts, as shown in fig. 5and in turn it must
restrain the child with its own belts.
fig. 5F0S064Ab
GROUP 1
Starting from 9 kg to 18 kg in weight, chil-
dren may be carried facing forwards, with
seat fitted with front cushion, through
which the car seat belt restrains both child
and seat fig. 6.
fig. 6F0S065Ab
The figures are indicative for assembly purposes only. Refer to the
instructions supplied with the child restraint.
Some child restraint systems for weight group 0 and 1 have a rear attachment to
the car seat belts and its own seat belts for securing the child. Due to their weight,
they may be dangerous if incorrectly mounted (e.g. if fastened to the car seat belts
with a cushion in between). Follow the assembly instructions carefully.
WARNING

69
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
GROUP 3
For children from 22 kg to 36 kg the size
of the child’s chest no longer requires a
support to space the child’s back from the
seat back.
Fig. 8shows proper child seat position-
ing on the rear seat.
Children taller than 1.50 m can wear seat
belts like adults.
fig. 8F0S067Ab
The figures are indicative for
assembly purposes only. Re-
fer to the instructions supplied with
the child restraint.
WARNING
GROUP 2
Children from 15 to 25 kg may use the car
seat belts directly fig. 7.
The child seat is only needed to position
the child correctly with respect to the
belts so that the diagonal section crosses
the child’s chest and never the neck and is
snug on the hips not the abdomen.
fig. 7F0S066Ab
The figures are indicative for
assembly purposes only. Re-
fer to the instructions supplied with
the child restraint.
WARNING

70
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
PASSENGER SEAT COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATIONS ON
CHILD’S SEAT USE
The Abarth complies with the new European Directive 2000/3/EC which gov-
erns the arrangement possibilities for child restraints on the various seats of the car
as shown in the following table:
Passenger PassengerGroup Weight ranges front rear
Group 0, 0+ up to 13 kg U U
Group 1 9-18 kg U U
Group 2 15-25 kg U U
Group 3 22-36 kg U U
Key:
U = suitable for child restraint systems of the “Universal” category, according to Eu-
ropean Standard ECE-R44 for the specified “Groups”.Below is a summary of the rules of safety
to be followed for carrying children:
❒Install the child seats on the rear seat,
which is the most protected position in
the event of an accident.
❒If the passenger’s air bag is deactivated,
always check the amber warning light
“on the instrument panel to make
sure that it has actually been deactivat-
ed.
❒Carefully follow the instructions sup-
plied with the child restraint system
which are mandatory by law. Keep the
instructions in the car along with the
other papers and this handbook. Do
not use child seats without instructions.
❒Always check the seat belt is well fas-
tened by pulling the belt.

71
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
❒Only one child is to be strapped to each
retaining system.
❒Always check the seat belts do not fit
around the child’s throat.
❒While travelling, do not let the child sit
incorrectly or release the belts.
❒Never carry children on your lap, even
newborns. No-one can hold a child in
the case of an accident.
❒In case of an accident, replace the
child’s seat with a new one.
Do not arrange child seats on
the front seat in cars fitted
with passenger’s airbag. Children must
never travel on the front seat.
WARNING
The Lineaccessori Abarth includes the
Universal Isofix “Duo Plus” child seat.
For any further installation/use detail, re-
fer to the “Instructions Manual” of the
child seat.
ISOFIX CHILD
RESTRAINT
ASSEMBLY SETUP
This car is preset for mounting the Uni-
versal Isofix child restraint system, a new
European standardised system for carry-
ing children safely.
It is possible to mount at the same time
both the traditional restraint system and
Isofix one. An example of child seat is
shown in fig. 9. The Universal Isofix child’s
seat covers weight group: 1. The other
weight groups are covered by the specif-
ic Isofix child seat, which can be used on-
ly if specifically designed, tested and ho-
mologated for this car (see car list pro-
vided with the child seat).
Due to its different anchoring system, the
child’s seat shall be anchored to the prop-
er lower metal rings A-fig. 10, set be-
tween rear seat back and cushion. After
removing the rear shelf, secure the up-
per belt (provided with the child’s seat) to
ring B-fig. 11set between the rear back-
rest and the boot floor.
Remember that in case of Universal Isofix
child’s seat, you can only use all those
seats approved with the marking ECE
R44/03 “Universal Isofix”.
fig. 9F0S068Ab