2012 Citroen C3 eco

8
106
SAFETY
AIRBAGS


The airbags do not operate when
the ignition is switched off.

This equipment will only deploy
once. If a second impact occurs
(during the same or a subse-
quent accident), the airbag will
not be deployed again.
Impact detection zones


A.
Front impact zone.

B.
Side impact zone.
Deployment of the airbag(s) is
accompanied by a slight emis-
sion of harmless smoke and a
noise, due to the activation of
the pyrotechnic cartridge incor-
porated in the system.
This smoke is not harmful, but
sensitive individuals may experi-
ence slight irritation.
The noise of the detonation may
result in a slight loss of hearing
for a short time.

Front airbags

System which protects the driver and
front passenger in the event of a seri-
ous front impact in order to limit the risk
of injury to the head and chest.
The driver's airbag is fi tted in the centre
of the steering wheel; the front passen-
ger's airbag is fi tted in the dashboard
above the glove box.

Deployment
The airbags are deployed simultane-
ously, unless the passenger's front
airbag is deactivated, in the event of
a serious front impact applied to all or
part of the front impact zone A
, in the
longitudinal centreline of the vehicle on
a horizontal plane and directed from the
front to the rear of the vehicle.
The front airbag infl ates between the
head-thorax of the front occupant of the
vehicle and the dashboard to cushion
their forward movement.
System designed to maximise the safety
of the occupants (with the exception of
the rear centre passenger) in the event
of violent collisions. It supplements the
action of the force-limiting seat belts
(with the exception of the rear centre
passenger).
If a collision occurs, the electronic de-
tectors record and analyse the front and
side impacts sustained in the impact
detection zones:


- in the case of a serious impact, the
airbags are deployed instantly and
protect the occupants of the vehicle
(with the exception of the rear centre
passenger); immediately after the
impact, the airbags defl ate rapidly
so that they do not hinder visibility
or the exit of the occupants,

- in the case of a minor or rear impact
or in certain roll-over conditions, the
airbags will not be deployed; the
seat belt alone is suffi cient to pro-
vide optimum protection in these
situations.

8
SAFETY













For the airbags to be fully
effective, observe the following
safety rules:
Sit in a normal upright position.
Wear a correctly adjusted seat belt.
Do not leave anything between the
occupants and the airbags (a child,
pet, object...). This could hamper the
operation of the airbags or injure the
occupants.
After an accident or if the vehicle has
been stolen or broken into, have the
airbag systems checked.
All work on the airbag system must be
carried out by a CITROËN dealer or a
qualifi ed workshop.
Even if all of the precautions mentioned
are observed, a risk of injury or of minor
burns to the head, chest or arms when
an airbag is deployed cannot be ruled
out. The bag infl ates almost instantly
(within a few milliseconds) then de-
fl ates within the same time discharging
the hot gas via openings provided for
this purpose.
Front airbags
Do not drive holding the steering wheel by its spokes or resting your hands on
the centre part of the wheel.
Passengers must not place their feet on the dashboard.
If possible, do not smoke as deployment of the airbags can cause burns or
the risk of injury from a cigarette or pipe.
Never remove or pierce the steering wheel or hit it violently.



Lateral airbags
Use only approved covers on the seats, compatible with the deployment the
lateral airbags. For information on the range of seat covers suitable for your
vehicle, you can contact a CITROËN dealer (see "Practical information - §
Accessories").
Do not fi x or attach anything to the seat backs (clothing...). This could cause
injury to the chest or arms if the lateral airbag is deployed.
Do not sit with the upper part of the body any nearer to the door than necessary.

Curtain airbags
Do not fi x or attach anything to the roof. This could cause injury to the head if
the curtain airbag is deployed.
If fi tted on your vehicle, do not remove the grab handles installed on the roof,
they play a part in securing the curtain airbags.

9
111
DRIVING








GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR *

System which reduces fuel consumption
by advising the driver to change up on
vehicles fi tted with a manual gearbox.


Operation

The system intervenes only when driv-
ing economically.
Depending on the driving situation and
your vehicle's equipment, the system
may advise you to skip one or more
gears. You can follow this instruc-
tion without engaging the intermediate
gears.
The gear recommended should not
be considered compulsory. In fact, the
confi guration of the road, the amount
of traffi c and safety remain determining
factors when choosing the best gear.
Therefore, the driver remains responsi-
ble for deciding whether or not to follow
the advice given by the system.
This function cannot be deactivated.
In the case of driving which
makes particular demands on
the performance of the engine
(fi rm pressure on the accelerator
pedal, for example, when over-
taking...), the system will not
recommend a gear change.
The system never suggests:


- engaging fi rst gear,

- engaging reverse gear,

- engaging a lower gear.


- You press the accelerator pedal
moderately.
Example:


- You are in third gear.

- The system may suggest that you
engage a higher gear, if appropriate.

*
According to engine.
The information appears in the form
of an arrow in the instrument panel
screen.
Depending on your vehicle's equipment,
this arrow may be accompanied by the
recommended gear.

9
115
DRIVING
Reverse

To engage reverse, the vehicle must
be immobilised with your foot on the
brake.


)
Select position R
.


Stopping the vehicle
Operatin
g fault

With the ignition on, if this
warning lamp comes on and
AUTO
fl ashes, accompa-
nied by an audible signal and a mes-
sage in the multifunction screen, this
indicates a gearbox fault.
Have it checked by a CITROËN dealer
or a qualifi ed workshop. There is an audible signal on
engagement of reverse.
At low speed, if reverse gear is request-
ed, the N
warning lamp fl ashes and the
gearbox goes into neutral automatically.
To engage reverse, put the gear lever
into position N
, then to position R
. Before doing anything under the
bonnet, ensure that the gear le-
ver is in neutral (position N
) and
that the parking brake is ap-
plied.
For all parking situations, you
must apply the parking brake

to immobilise the vehicle. When immobilising the vehicle
with the engine running, you
must put the gear lever into
neutral (position N
).
Before switching off the engine:


- change to position N
to be in neutral,
or

- leave the vehicle in gear; in this case
the vehicle cannot be moved.
Reinitialisation(5-speed electronic gearbox)

Following disconnection of the battery, it
is necessary to reinitialise the gearbox.


)
Switch on the ignition.

AUTO
and - -
appear in the
instrument panel.


)
Select position N
.

)
Press the brake pedal.

)
Wait for around 30 seconds until N

or a gear appears in the instrument
panel.

)
Move the gear lever to position A
,
then to position N
.

)
With your foot still on the brake pedal,
start the engine.
The gearbox is operational again.
In exceptional circumstances,
the gearbox may need an au-
tomatic reinitialisation: starting
and gear changing are no lon-
ger possible.

AUTO
and - -
appear in
the instrument panel.
Follow the procedure described
above.

9
118
DRIVING
Manual operation



)
Select position M
for sequential

changing of the four gears.

)
Push the lever towards the +
sign to
change up a gear.

)
Pull the lever towards the -
sign to
change down a gear.
It is only possible to change from one
gear to another if the vehicle speed and
engine speed permit; otherwise, the
gearbox will operate temporarily in au-
tomatic mode.

D
disappears and the gears
engaged appear in succes-
sion on the instrument panel.
If the engine speed is too low
or too high, the gear selected
fl ashes for a few seconds, then the ac-
tual gear engaged is displayed.
It is possible to change from position D

(automatic) to position M
(manual) at
any time.
When the vehicle is stationary or moving
very slowly, the gearbox selects gear M1

automatically.
The sport and snow programmes do not
operate in manual mode.
Invalid value during manual
operation
This symbol is displayed if a
gear is not engaged correctly
(selector between two posi-
tions).

Stopping the vehicle

Before switching off the engine, you
can engage position P
or N
to place the
gearbox in neutral.
In both cases, apply the parking brake
to immobilise the vehicle.
If the lever is not in position P
,
when the driver's door is opened
or approximately 45 seconds af-
ter the ignition is switched off, a
message appears in the multi-
function screen.


)
Return the lever to position P
;
the message disappears.
There is a risk of damage to the
gearbox:


- if you press the accelera-
tor and brake pedals at the
same time,

- if you force the movement
of the gear lever from the
P
position to another position
when the battery is fl at.


Operating fault

When the ignition is on, the
lighting of this warning lamp,
accompanied by an audible
signal and a message in the multifunc-
tion screen, indicates a gearbox fault.
In this case, the gearbox switches to
back-up mode and is locked in 3rd gear.
You may feel a substantial knock when
changing from P
to R
and from N
to R
.
This will not cause any damage to the
gearbox.
Do not exceed 60 mph (100 km/h), local
speed restrictions permitting.
Contact a CITROËN dealer or a quali-
fi ed workshop as soon as possible.
To reduce fuel consumption
when at a prolonged standstill
with the engine running (traffi c
jam...), put the gear lever in the
N
position and apply the parking
brake.

9
119
DRIVING
The Stop & Start system puts the engine
temporarily into standby - STOP mode -
during stops in the traffi c (red lights,
traffi c jams, or other...). The engine
restarts automatically - START mode -
as soon as you want to move off. The
restart takes place instantly, quickly and
silently.
Perfect for urban use, the Stop & Start
system reduces fuel consumption and
exhaust emissions as well as the noise
level when stationary.
Operation


- with a manual gearbox
, at speeds
below 12 mph (20 km/h), when you
put the gear lever into neutral, and
you release the clutch pedal.

- with a 5 or 6-speed electronic
gearbox
, at speeds below 5 mph
(8 km/h), when you press the brake
pedal or put the gear lever in posi-
tion
N
.
Going into engine STOP mode
The "ECO"
warning lamp comes
on in the instrument panel and
the engine goes into standby:

For your comfort, during parking
manoeuvres, STOP mode is not
available for a few seconds after
coming out of reverse gear.
STOP mode does not affect the
functionality of the vehicle, such
as for example, braking, power
steering...
Never refuel with the engine in
STOP mode; you must switch
off the ignition with the key.

A time counter calculates the sum of the periods in STOP
mode during a journey. It
rests itself to zero every
time the ignition is switched
on with the key.
Special cases: STOP mode not
available
STOP mode is not invoked when:


- the driver's door is open,

- the driver's seat belt is not fastened,

- the vehicle has not exceeded 6 mph
(10 km/h) since the last engine start
using the key,

- the engine is needed to maintain a
comfortable temperature in the pas-
senger compartment,

- demisting is active,

- some special conditions (battery
charge, engine temperature, braking
assistance, ambient temperature...)
where the engine is needed to as-
sure control of a system.
The "ECO"
warning lamp fl ashes
for a few seconds then goes off.

This operation is perfectly normal.


STOP & START

9
120
DRIVING

Going into engine START mode
The "ECO"
warning lamp goes
off and the engine starts:


- with a manual gearbox
, when you
depress the clutch pedal,

- with a 5-speed or 6-speed elec-
tronic gearbox
:


●
gear lever in position A
or M
, when
you release the brake pedal,

●
or gear lever in position N
and the
brake pedal released, when you
move the gear lever to position A

or M
,

●
or when you engage reverse gear.


Special cases: START invoked
automatically
For reasons of safety and for your com-
fort, START mode is invoked automati-
cally when:


- you open the driver's door,

- you unfasten the driver's seat belt,

- the speed of the vehicle exceeds
7 mph (11 km/h) with the electronic
gearbox system,

- some special conditions (battery
charge, engine temperature, brak-
ing assistance, ambient tempera-
ture...) where the engine is needed
for control of a system.
Deactivation

At any time, press the "ECO OFF"
switch
to deactivate the system.
This is confi rmed by the switch warn-
ing lamp coming on accompanied by a
message in the screen.

If the system has been deacti-
vated in STOP mode, the engine
restarts immediately.


Reactivation

Press the "ECO OFF"
switch again.
The system is active again; this is
confi rmed by the switch warning lamp
going off, accompanied by a message
in the screen.

The system is reactivated auto-
matically at every new start using
the key.
The "ECO"
warning lamp fl ashes
for a few seconds, then goes off.

This operation is perfectly normal.




With a manual gearbox in STOP
mode, if you engage a gear with-
out fully depressing the clutch
pedal, a message is displayed
asking you to fully depress the
clutch pedal so that the engine
can restart.

9
121
DRIVING

Operating fault Maintenance

In the event of a fault with the system,
the "ECO OFF"
switch warning lamp
fl ashes then comes on continuously.
Have it checked by a CITROËN dealer
or a qualifi ed workshop.
In the event of a fault in STOP mode,
the vehicle may stall. It is then neces-
sary to switch off the ignition and start
the engine again using the key.
Before doing anything under the
bonnet, deactivate the Stop &
Start system to avoid any risk of
injury resulting from automatic
operation of START mode.

The Stop & Start system makes
use of advanced technology. All
work on this type of battery must
be done by a CITROËN dealer
or a qualifi ed workshop.
This system requires a battery with a
special specifi cation and technology
(reference numbers available from a
CITROËN dealer or a qualifi ed work-
shop).
Fitting a battery not listed by CITROËN
introduces the risk of malfunction of the
system.