2011 Alfa Romeo MiTo Owner handbook (in English)

128GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
–
NO
NO
YES
YES
YESYES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NOContact an Alfa Romeo
Authorised Service
Repair damaged
wheel
Contact an Alfa Romeo
Authorised Service
–
–
–
(*) Given as an alternative in the Owner Handbook and available in Lineaccessori Alfa Romeo.
(**) Not cross switched (tyres must stay on the same side).
In order to use the system properly, refer to the following table when you have to change wheels/tyres:
Operation Presence of sensor Indication fault Operation
Alfa Romeo Authorised
Service
–
Wheel change
with small spare wheel
Wheel change
with winter tyres
Wheel change
with winter tyres
Wheel change
with others of different size (*)
Wheel cross switching
(front/rear) (**)

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR129
1AT THE FILLING STATION
Switch off the engine before refuelling.
PETROL ENGINES
Only use unleaded petrol. The petrol octane rating (RON) must not
be lower than 95.
In order to prevent damage to the catalytic converter never intro-
duce even the smallest amount of leaded petrol, even in the event
of an emergency.
DIESEL ENGINES
Only use diesel fuel compliant with European specification EN590.
The use of other products or mixtures may damage the engine
beyond repair and consequently invalidate the warranty.
Operation at low temperatures
If the outside temperature is very low, the diesel thickens due to
the formation of paraffin clots with consequent defective operation
of the fuel supply system. In order to avoid these problems, dif-
ferent types of diesel are distributed according to the season: sum-
mer type, winter type and arctic type (cold, mountain areas).
If refuelling with diesel fuel whose features are not suitable for
the temperature of use, it is advisable to mix TUTELA DIESEL ART
additive with the fuel, in the proportions shown on the container.
Pour the additive into the tank before the fuel.When using or parking the vehicle for a long time in the mountains
or cold areas, it is advisable to refuel using locally available fuel.
In this case, it is also advisable to keep the tank over 50% full.
FUEL FILLER CAP
Opening
1) Open the flap A-fig. 82 pulling it outwards, keep the cap B
still, insert the ignition key in the lock and turn it anti-clockwise.
2) Turn the cap anti-clockwise and extract it. The cap has a de-
vice C retaining it to the flap so it cannot be lost. When refilling,
attach the cap to the flap D.
fig. 82A0J0327m

The catalytic converter and particulate filter (DPF)
reach very high temperatures during operation.
Do not park on grass, dry leaves, pine needles or
other flammable material: fire risk.
130GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CAR
Closing
1) Fit the cap (complete with key) and turn it clockwise until it
clicks once or more.
2) Turn the key clockwise and extract it, then close the flap.
The hermetic seal may cause a slight increase in pressure in the
tank. A suction noise when you release the cap is therefore entirely
normal.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
The devices for limiting petrol engine emissions are: catalytic con-
verter, Lambda sensors and anti-evaporation system.
The devices for curtailing diesel engine emissions are the follow-
ing: oxidising catalytic converter, exhaust gas recirculation system
(E.G.R.) and particulate filter (DPF).
DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER (DPF)
(for versions/markets, where provided)
This is a mechanical filter, fitted in the exhaust system, which al-
most completely eliminates carbon particle emissions.
Keep naked flames or lighted cigarettes away from
the fuel filler hole as there is a danger of fire. Do
not bend too close to the hole either so as not to
breathe in harmful vapours.

SAFETY131
2
Seat belts.................................................................... 132
S.B.R. system............................................................... 133
Pretensioners............................................................... 135
Carrying children safely ................................................. 138
Fitting “Universal” child seat .......................................... 139
“Isofix” child restraint assembly setup .............................. 143
Front Airbags ............................................................... 146
Side Air bags (Side bag - Window bag) ............................ 149

132SAFETY
SEAT BELTS
USING THE SEAT BELTS
Wear the belt keeping the chest straight and rested against the back-
rest. To fasten the seat belts, hold tongue A-fig. 1 and insert it into
buckle B, until the locking click is heard.
If the seatbelt jams when pulling it out, let it rewind for a short
stretch and then pull it out again without jerking.
To unfasten the seat belts, press button C. Guide the seat belt
with your hand while it is rewinding, to prevent it from twisting.
fig. 1A0J0101mfig. 2A0J0102m
Never press button C-fig. 1 when travelling.
The rear seat is fitted with inertia seat belts with three anchor points
and reel. Fasten the rear seat belts as shown in fig. 2.

SAFETY133
2
IMPORTANT The backrest is correctly secured when the “red band”
B-fig. 3 on the backrest lowering levers A disappears. This red band
indicates that the backrest is not secured.
IMPORTANT After putting the seats back in their travel position,
restore the seat belt position to make them ready for use.S.B.R. SYSTEM
(Seat Belt Reminder)
This system comprises of a buzzer, which in conjunction with the
the driver and front passenger if their seat belts have not been
fastened.
On some versions there is also a panel (provided as an alterna-
tive to the warning lights on the instrument panel) located above
the rear view mirror (fig. 4), which warns front and back seat
passengers through acoustic and visual signals if their seat belts
have not been fastened.
Contact an Alfa Romeo Authorised Service Provider to deactivate
this system permanently. The S.B.R. system can only be reactivated
via the display Set Up Menu (see chapter “1”).
Make sure the backrest is properly secured on both
sides (red bands B-fig. 3 not visible) to prevent it
from moving forward in the event of sharp brak-
ing, which may cause injuries to passengers.
fig. 4A0J0339mfig. 3A0J0182m

134SAFETY
The warning lights can be red and green and they operate as fol-
lows (fig. 4):
❍1=front left seat (driver's condition for left-hand drive versions)
❍2=rear left seat (passenger)
❍3=rear centre seat (passenger)
❍4=rear right seat (passenger)
❍5=front right seat (passenger's condition for left-hand drive
versions)
Front seats (warning light no. 1 = driver and
no. 5 = passenger)
Driver
If the driver is the only occupant and his seat belt is unfastened,
when 20 km/h is exceeded or when travelling at a speed from 10
to 20 km/h for longer than 5 seconds, an acoustic reminder se-
quence will be started for front seats, consisting of a tone for 6 sec-
onds followed by a 90 second beep. The warning light will blink.
The warning lights will stay on fixed at the end of the cycle until
the engine is stopped. The acoustic reminder will be interrupted im-
mediately when the driver's seat belt is fastened and the warning
light will turn green. The reminder cycle (acoustic and visual) will
be repeated as described above and the red warning light will flash
if the seat belt is unfastened again while travelling.
Passenger
A similar situation arises for the front passenger, except that the
warning lights becomes green and the signal also stops when the
passenger leaves the car. In the event that both front seat belts are
unfastened with the vehicle in motion, a few seconds apart, the
acoustic signal refers to the most recent event, while both warning
lights display a visual signal independently of one another.
Rear seats (warning light no. 2, no. 3 and no. 4)
For rear seats, the reminder cycle is run only when any seat belt
is unfastened (red flashing warning light). In this condition, the
warning light referred to the seat belt which has been unfastened
will become red and blink for approximately 30 seconds. There is
also an acoustic signal.
The visual indication (red flashing) will start and stop independently
for each warning light if several seat belts are unfastened. The warn-
ing light will become green when the relevant seat belt is fas-
tened again.
After about 30 seconds from the last reminder, the warning lights
for rear seats will switch off, independently of the belt conditions
(red or green).
IMPORTANT NOTES
The warning lights are all off if all seat belts (front and rear) are
already fastened when the ignition key is turned on MAR.
All warning lights will light up when at least one belt goes from fas-
tened to unfastened or vice versa.

SAFETY135
2
PRETENSIONERS
The vehicle is equipped with front seat belt pretensioners, which
draw back the seat belts by several centimetres in the event of a
strong frontal impact. This guarantees the perfect adherence of the
seat belts to the occupant’s bodies before the retention action be-
gins.
The activation of the pretensioners can be detected from the re-
traction of the belt towards the reel.
The vehicle also features a second pretensioning device (fitted near
the kick plate): The activation of this device is indicated by the
shortening of the metal cable.
A small amount of smoke may be produced during the activation
of the pretensioners. This smoke is in no way toxic and does not
indicate an outbreak of fire.
IMPORTANT To obtain the highest degree of protection from the ac-
tion of the pretensioning device, wear the seat belt, keeping it close
to the chest and pelvis.
The pretensioner does not require any maintenance or greasing:
anything that modifies its original condition invalidates its efficiency.
If, due to unusual natural events (floods, sea storms, etc.), the de-
vice has been affected by water and mud, it must be replaced.
The pretensioner can only be used once.
Once it has activated contact an Alfa Romeo
Authorised Service Provider to have it replaced.
The expiry date of the device is shown on the label in the
glove compartment: Contact an Alfa Romeo Authorised
Service Provider when the time comes to replace the de-
vice.
Operations which lead to shocks, vibrations or lo-
calised heating (over 100
°C for a maximum of 6
hours) in the area around the pretensioners may
damage or trigger them. These devices are not affected
by vibrations caused by irregularities of the road surface
or low obstacles such as kerbs, etc. Contact an Alfa Romeo
Authorised Service Provider for any assistance.
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
action in case of front crash.