2012 FIAT FREEMONT ECU

8. To remove the slack from the lap belt, pull upwardon the shoulder portion of the seat belt. 9. To release the seat belt, push the red button on the
buckle.
WARNING!
Be certain that the seat cushion is
locked securely into position before us-
ing the seat . Otherwise, the seat will not provide
the proper stability for child seats and/or passen-
gers. An improperly latched seat cushion could
cause serious injury.
Children Too Large For Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder
belt comfortably and whose legs are long enough to
bend over the front of the seat when their back is
against the seatback should use the lap/shoulder belt in
a rear seat.
• Make sure that the child is upright in the seat.
• The lap portion should be low on the hips and as snug as possible.
• Check belt fit periodically. A child's squirming or slouching can move the belt out of position.
• If the shoulder belt contacts the face or neck, move the child closer to the center of the vehicle. Never
allow a child to put the shoulder belt under an arm or
behind their back.
(fig. 131) Booster Seat(fig. 132)
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WARNING!
 Improper installation can lead to fail-
ure of an infant or child restraint . It
could come loose in a collision.The child could be
badly injured or killed. Follow the manufacturer's
directions exactly when installing an infant or
child restraint .
 A rearward-facing child restraint should only
be used in a rear seat . A rearward-facing child
restraint in the front seat may be struck by a
deploying passenger air bag, which may cause
severe or fatal injury to the infant .
Here are some tips on getting the most out of
your child restraint:
• Before buying any restraint system, make sure that it has a label certifying that it meets all applicable Safety
Standards. FIAT also recommends that you make
sure that you can install the child restraint in the
vehicle where you will use it before you buy it.
• The restraint must be appropriate for your child's weight and height. Check the label on the restraint
for weight and height limits.
• Carefully follow the instructions that come with the restraint. If you install the restraint improperly, it may
not work when you need it.
• Buckle the child into the seat according to the child restraint manufacturer's directions.
WARNING!
When your child restraint is not in use,
secure it in the vehicle with the seat belt
or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave it
loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or accident ,
it could strike the occupants or seatbacks and
cause serious personal injury.
ISOFIX — Child Seat Anchorage System
Your vehicle's second row passenger seats are
equipped with the child restraint anchorage system
called ISOFIX. The ISOFIX system provides for the
installation of the child restraint without using the
vehicle's seat belts, instead securing the child restraint
using lower anchorages and upper tether straps from
the child restraint to the vehicle structure.
ISOFIX-compatible child restraint systems are now
available. However, because the lower anchorages are
to be introduced over a period of years, child restraint
systems having attachments for those anchorages will
continue to have features for installation using the
vehicle's seat belts. Child restraints having tether straps
and hooks for connection to the top tether anchorages
have been available for some time. For some older child
restraints, many child restraint manufacturers offer
add-on tether strap kits or retrofit kits. You are urged
to take advantage of all the available attachments pro-
vided with your child restraint in any vehicle.
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seating position, adjust the head restraint to the up-
ward position and route the tether strap between the
head restraint posts underneath the head restraint.
Then, attach the hook to the tether anchor located on
the back of the seat. Finally, tighten all three straps as
you push the child restraint rearward and downward
into the seat, removing slack in the straps according to
the child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
NOTE:
• Ensure that the tether strap does not slip into the
opening between the seatbacks as you remove slack in
the strap.
• When using the ISOFIX attaching system to install a
child restraint, please ensure that all seat belts not
being used for occupant restraints are stowed and out
of reach of children. Remind all children in the vehicle
that the seat belts are not toys and that they should not
play with them. In addition, never leave unattended
children in the vehicle.
WARNING!
Improper installation of a child restraint
to the ISOFIX anchorages can lead to
failure of an infant or child restraint . The child
could be badly injured or killed. Follow the manu-
facturer's directions exactly when installing an
infant or child restraint . Installing Child Restraints Using The Vehicle
Seat Belt
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with an Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
or a cinching latch plate to secure a Child Restraint
System (CRS). These types of seat belts are designed to
keep the lap portion of the seat belt tight around the
child restraint so that it is not necessary to use a
locking clip. The ALR will make a ratcheting noise if you
extract the entire belt from the retractor and then
allow the belt to retract into the retractor. For addi-
tional information on ALR, refer to “Automatic Locking
Mode” description under “Seat Belts in Passenger Seat-
ing Positions” section. The chart below defines the
seating positions with an Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) or a cinching latch plate.
Driver Center Passenger
CRS Lock CRS Lock CRS Lock
First Row N/A N/A ALR
Second Row ALR ALR ALR
• N/A — Not Applicable
• ALR — Automatic Locking Retractor
Installing a Child Restraint with a Cinching Latch Plate:
1. To install a child restraint with a cinching latch plate,
first, pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the
retractor to route it through the belt path of the
child. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you
hear a “click.”
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WARNING!
 Child Restraint Anchorages are de-
signed to withstand only those loads im-
posed by correctly-fitted child restraints. Under
no circumstances are they to be used for adult
seat belts, harnesses or for attaching other items
or equipment to the vehicle.
 An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead
to increased head motion and possible injury to
the child. Use only the anchor positions directly
behind the child seat to secure a child restraint
top tether strap. SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM
(SRS) — AIR BAGS
This vehicle has Advanced Front Air Bags for both the
driver and front passenger as a supplement to the seat
belt restraint systems. The driver's Advanced Front Air
Bag is mounted in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger's Advanced Front Air Bag is mounted in the
instrument panel, above the glove compartment. The
words SRS AIRBAG are embossed on the air bag
covers. (fig. 138)
NOTE:
These air bags are certified to the new
regulations for Advanced Air Bags.
(fig. 137) Seat Track Release Lever
(fig. 138)Advanced Front Air Bag And Knee Bolster Locations
1 — Driver And Passenger Advanced Front Air Bags
2 — Knee Bolsters (for versions/markets, where
provided)
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(Continued)
 Do not use accessory seat covers or place ob-
jects between you and the side air bags; the
performance could be adversely affected and/or
objects could be pushed into you, causing serious
injury.
Knee Impact Bolsters (for versions/markets,
where provided)
The Knee Impact Bolsters help protect the knees of
the driver and the front passenger, and position front
occupants for the best interaction with the Advanced
Front Air Bags.
Along with seat belts and pretensioners, Advanced
Front Air Bags work with the knee bolsters to provide
improved protection for the driver and front passenger.
Side air bags also work with seat belts to improve
occupant protection.
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize
the risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
WARNING!
Infants in rear-facing child restraints
should never ride in the front seat of a
vehicle with a passenger Advanced Front Air Bag.
An air bag deployment can cause severe injury or
death to infants in that position.
Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle
seat belt properly (see Section on Child Restraints)
should be secured in the rear seat in child restraints or
belt-positioning booster seats. Older children who do
not use child restraints or belt-positioning booster
seats should ride properly buckled up in the rear seat.
Never allow children to slide the shoulder belt behind
them or under their arm.
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it
properly.
All occupants should always wear their lap and shoul-
der belts properly.
The driver and front passenger seats should be moved
back as far as practical to allow the Advanced Front Air
Bags room to inflate.
Do not lean against the door or window. If your vehicle
has side air bags, and deployment occurs, the side air
bags will inflate forcefully into the space between you
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• The Air Bag Warning Light remains on after the fourto eight-second interval.
• The Air Bag Warning Light comes on intermittently or remains on while driving.
NOTE: If the speedometer, tachometer, or any en-
gine related gauges are not working, the Occupant
Restraint Controller (ORC) may also be disabled. The
air bags may not be ready to inflate for your protection.
Promptly check the fuse block for blown fuses. Refer to
the label located on the inside of the fuse block cover
for the proper air bag fuses. See your authorized dealer
if the fuse is good.
EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR)
This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder
(EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in
certain crash or near crash-like situations, such as an
air bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that
will assist in understanding how a vehicle’s systems
performed. The EDR is designed to record data related
to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short
period of time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in
this vehicle is designed to record such data as:
• How various systems in your vehicle were operating;
• Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened;
• How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
• How fast the vehicle was traveling. These data can help provide a better understanding of
the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.
NOTE:
EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if
a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data are re-
corded by the EDR under normal driving conditions
and no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age, and crash
location) are recorded. However, other parties, such as
law enforcement, could combine the EDR data with
the type of personally identifying data routinely ac-
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is
required, and access to the vehicle or the EDR is
needed. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other
parties, such as law enforcement, that have the special
equipment, can read the information if they have access
to the vehicle or the EDR.
Transporting Pets
Air Bags deploying in the front seat could harm your
pet. An unrestrained pet will be thrown about and
possibly injured, or injure a passenger during panic
braking or in an accident.
Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in pet har-
nesses or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.
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The best protection against carbon monoxide entry
into the vehicle body is a properly maintained engine
exhaust system.
Whenever a change is noticed in the sound of the
exhaust system, when exhaust fumes can be detected
inside the vehicle, or when the underside or rear of the
vehicle is damaged, have a competent mechanic inspect
the complete exhaust system and adjacent body areas
for broken, damaged, deteriorated, or mispositioned
parts. Open seams or loose connections could permit
exhaust fumes to seep into the passenger compart-
ment. In addition, inspect the exhaust system each time
the vehicle is raised for lubrication or oil change.
Replace as required.
SAFETY CHECKS YOU SHOULD MAKE
INSIDE THE VEHICLE
Seat Belts
Inspect the seat belt system periodically, checking for
cuts, frays, and loose parts. Damaged parts must be
replaced immediately. Do not disassemble or modify
the system.
Front seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a
collision. Rear seat belt assemblies must be replaced
after a collision if they have been damaged (i.e., bent
retractor, torn webbing, etc.). If there is any question
regarding belt or retractor condition, replace the seatbelt.Air Bag Warning Light
The light should turn on and remain on for four to six
seconds as a bulb check when the ignition switch is first
turned ON. If the light is not lit during starting, or if the
light stays on, flickers, or turns on while driving, have
the system checked by an authorized dealer.
Defroster
Check operation by selecting the defrost mode and
place the blower control on high speed. You should be
able to feel the air directed against the windshield. See
your authorized dealer for service if your defroster is
inoperable.
Floor Mat Safety Information
Always use floor mats designed to fit the footwell of
your vehicle. Use only floor mats that leave the pedal
area unobstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position and interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle in other
ways.
WARNING!
Pedals that cannot move freely can
cause loss of vehicle control and increase
the risk of serious personal injury.
 Always make sure that floor mats are properly
attached to the floor mat fasteners.
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(Continued)
 Never place or install floor mats or other floor
coverings in the vehicle that cannot be properly
secured to prevent them from moving and inter-
fering with the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
 Never put floor mats or other floor coverings
on top of already installed floor mats. Additional
floor mats and other coverings will reduce the
size of the pedal area and interfere with the
pedals.
 Check mounting of mats on a regular basis.
Always properly reinstall and secure floor mats
that have been removed for cleaning.
 Always make sure that objects cannot fall into
the driver footwell while the vehicle is moving.
Objects can become trapped under the brake
pedal and accelerator pedal causing a loss of
vehicle control.
 If required, mounting posts must be properly
installed, if not equipped from the factory.
Failure to properly follow floor mat installation
or mounting can cause interference with the
brake pedal and accelerator pedal operation
causing loss of control of the vehicle. PERIODIC SAFETY CHECKS YOU SHOULD
MAKE OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE
Tires
Examine tires for excessive tread wear and uneven
wear patterns. Check for stones, nails, glass, or other
objects lodged in the tread or sidewall. Inspect the
tread for cuts and cracks. Inspect sidewalls for cuts,
cracks and bulges. Check the wheel nuts for tightness.
Check the tires (including spare) for proper cold infla-
tion pressure.
Lights
Have someone observe the operation of exterior lights
while you work the controls. Check Turn Signal and
High Beam Indicator Lights on the instrument panel.
Door Latches
Check for positive closing, latching, and locking.
Fluid Leaks
Check area under vehicle after overnight parking for
fuel, engine coolant, oil, or other fluid leaks. Also, if
gasoline fumes are detected or if fuel, power steering
fluid, or brake fluid leaks are suspected, the cause
should be located and corrected immediately.
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