2012 FIAT 500 automatic transmission

Cold Weather Operation
To prevent possible engine damage while starting at low
temperatures, this vehicle will inhibit engine cranking
when the ambient temperature is less than –22° F (–30° C)
and the oil temperature sensor reading indicates an
engine block heater has not been used. An externally-
powered electric engine block heater is available as
optional equipment or from your authorized dealer.
The messageplug in engine heater will be displayed in the
instrument cluster when the ambient temperature is below
5° F (–15° C) at the time the engine is shut off as a reminder
to avoid possible crank delays at the next cold start.
CAUTION!
Use of the recommended SAE 5W-30 oil and adher-
ing to the prescribed oil change intervals is important
to prevent engine damage and ensure satisfactory
starting in cold conditions.
If Engine Fails To Start
WARNING!
Never pour fuel or other flammable liquids into the
throttle body air inlet opening in an attempt to start
the vehicle. This could result in a flash fire causing
serious personal injury.
CAUTION!
•Do not attempt to push or tow your vehicle to get
it started. Vehicles equipped with an automatic
transmission cannot be started this way. Unburned
fuel could enter the catalytic converter and once
the engine has started, ignite and damage the
converter and vehicle.
(Continued)
208 STARTING AND OPERATING

CAUTION! (Continued)
•To prevent damage to the starter, do not continu-
ously crank the engine for more than 15 seconds at
a time. Wait 10 to 15 seconds before trying again.
After Starting
The idle speed will automatically decrease as the engine
warms up.
MANUAL TRANSMISSION — IF EQUIPPED
Five-Speed Manual Transmission
WARNING!
You or others could be injured if you leave the
vehicle unattended without having the parking
brake fully applied. The parking brake should al-
ways be applied when the driver is not in the vehicle,
especially on an incline.Fully press the clutch pedal before you shift gears. As you
release the clutch pedal, lightly press the accelerator
pedal.
NOTE:
To shift into REVERSE from NEUTRAL, lift the
ring under the knob and, at the same time move the
gearshift lever to the right and then backward.
Shift Lever
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 209

Downshifting
Proper downshifting will improve fuel economy and
prolong engine life.
CAUTION!
If you skip more than one gear while downshifting
or downshift at too high a vehicle speed, you could
damage the engine, transmission, or clutch.
To maintain a safe speed and prolong brake life, shift
down to second or first gear when descending a steep
grade.
When turning a corner or driving up a steep grade,
downshift early so that the engine will not be
overburdened.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION — IF EQUIPPED
CAUTION!
Damage to the transmission may occur if the follow-
ing precautions are not observed:
•Move the shift lever into PARK only after the
vehicle has come to a complete stop.
•Shift into or out of REVERSE only after the
vehicle has come to a complete stop and the engine
is at idle speed.
•Do not move the shift lever between PARK, RE-
VERSE, NEUTRAL, or DRIVE when the engine is
above idle speed.
•Before moving the shift lever into any gear, make
sure your foot is firmly pressing the brake pedal.
NOTE: You must press and hold the brake pedal while
shifting out of PARK.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 211

WARNING!
It is dangerous to move the shift lever out of PARK or
NEUTRAL if the engine speed is higher than idle
speed. If your foot is not firmly pressing on the brake
pedal, the vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or
in reverse. You could lose control of the vehicle and
hit someone or something. Only shift into gear when
the engine is idling normally and when your foot is
firmly pressing the brake pedal.
Key Ignition Park Interlock
This vehicle is equipped with a Key Ignition Park Inter-
lock which requires the shift lever to be placed in PARK
prior to rotating the key fob to the LOCK/OFF position.
The key fob can only be removed from the ignition when
the ignition is in the LOCK/OFF position, and once
removed, the shift lever is locked in PARK.
Brake/Transmission Shift Interlock System
This vehicle is equipped with a Brake Transmission Shift
Interlock System (BTSI) that holds the shift lever in the
PARK position when the ignition switch is in the LOCK/
OFF position. To move the shift lever out of the PARK
position, the ignition switch must be turned to the
ON/RUN position (engine running or not) and the brake
pedal must be pressed.
Six-Speed Automatic Transmission
The shift lever position display (located in the instrument
panel cluster) indicates the transmission gear range. You
must press the brake pedal to move the shift lever out of
the PARK position (Refer to “Brake/Transmission Shift
Interlock System” in this section). To drive, move the shift
lever from PARK or NEUTRAL to the DRIVE position.
The electronically-controlled transmission provides a
precise shift schedule. The transmission electronics are
self-calibrating; therefore, the first few shifts on a new
212 STARTING AND OPERATING

CAUTION!
Towing the vehicle, coasting, or driving for any other
reason with the transmission in NEUTRAL can result
in severe transmission damage. Refer to “Recre-
ational Towing” in “Starting And Operating” and
“Towing A Disabled Vehicle” in What To Do In
Emergencies” for further information.
DRIVE
This range should be used for most city and highway
driving. It provides the smoothest upshifts and down-
shifts, and the best fuel economy. The transmission
automatically upshifts through all forward gears. The
DRIVE position provides optimum driving characteris-
tics under all normal operating conditions.
When frequent transmission shifting occurs (such as
when operating the vehicle under heavy loading condi-
tions, in hilly terrain, traveling into strong head winds, orwhile towing heavy trailers), use the AutoStick
mode
(described below) to select a lower gear range. Under
these conditions, using a lower gear range will improve
performance and extend transmission life by reducing
excessive shifting and heat buildup.
During cold temperatures, transmission operation may
be modified depending on engine and transmission
temperature as well as vehicle speed. This feature im-
proves warm up time of the engine and transmission to
achieve maximum efficiency. Normal operation will re-
sume once the transmission temperature has risen to a
suitable level.
Transmission Limp Home Mode
Transmission function is monitored electronically for
abnormal conditions. If a condition is detected that could
result in transmission damage, Transmission Limp Home
Mode is activated. In this mode, the transmission remains
in third gear regardless of which forward gear is selected.
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 217

•If a downshift would cause the engine to over-speed,
that shift will not occur until it is safe for the engine.
An audible beep will sound if an inappropriate gear is
selected.
•The transmission will automatically upshift when nec-
essary to prevent engine over-speed.
•Mostly the transmission will stay in the manually
selected ratio, however:
If the system detects powertrain overheating, the
transmission will revert to a special automatic shift
mode and remain in that mode until the powertrain
cools off.
If the system detects a problem, it will disable the
AutoStick mode and the transmission will return to
the automatic mode until the problem is corrected.
DRIVING ON SLIPPERY SURFACES
Acceleration
Rapid acceleration on snow covered, wet, or other slip-
pery surfaces may cause the driving wheels to pull
erratically to the right or left. This phenomenon occurs
when there is a difference in the surface traction under
the front (driving) wheels.
WARNING!
Rapid acceleration on slippery surfaces is dangerous.
Unequal traction can cause sudden pulling of the
front wheels. You could lose control of the vehicle
and possibly have a collision. Accelerate slowly and
carefully whenever there is likely to be poor traction
(ice, snow, wet mud, loose sand, etc.).
220 STARTING AND OPERATING

Automatic Transmission – If Equipped
The Sport mode increases steering feedback to the driver
with slight increase in effort and changes the transmis-
sion shift schedules for more aggressive shifting. This
driving mode is useful while driving on twisty roads
where more steering precision is desired in spirited
cornering.
1. To activate the Sport mode, press the SPORT button.Once activated, a SPORT message will be displayed in
the instrument cluster.
2. Press the SPORT button again to return to the standard
driving mode.
SPORT Button
5
STARTING AND OPERATING 227

HSA Activation Criteria
The following criteria must be met in order for HSA to
activate:
•Vehicle must be stopped.
•Vehicle must be on a 2.5% (manual transmission) or
7% grade or greater (automatic transmission) hill.
•Gear selection matches vehicle uphill direction (i.e.,
vehicle in NEUTRAL (manual transmission), vehicle
facing uphill is in forward gear; vehicle backing uphill
is in REVERSE gear).
WARNING!
There may be situations on minor hills (i.e., less than
8%), with a loaded vehicle, or while pulling a trailer,
when the system will not activate and slight rolling
may occur. This could cause a collision with another
vehicle or object. Always remember the driver is
responsible for braking the vehicle.
Disabling/Enabling HSA
If you wish to turn the HSA system on or off, it can be
done using the Customer Programmable Features in the
Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). Refer to
“Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC)” in “Un-
derstanding Your Instrument Panel” for further
information.
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
This system enhances directional control and stability of
the vehicle under various driving conditions. ESC cor-
rects for oversteering or understeering of the vehicle by
applying the brake of the appropriate wheel to assist in
counteracting the oversteering or understeering condi-
tion. Engine power may also be reduced to help the
vehicle maintain the desired path. ESC uses sensors in
the vehicle to determine the vehicle path intended by the
driver and compares it to the actual path of the vehicle.
When the actual path does not match the intended path,
232 STARTING AND OPERATING