108
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROL
SAFETY
DEVICES
To manually deactivate the
passenger’s front airbag and
the Side Bag (where provided), refer
to paragraph “Multifunctional re-
configurable display” in section
“Dashboard and controls”.
WARNING
MANUAL DEACTIVATION OF
FRONT AIRBAG AND SIDE
BAGON PASSENGER’S SIDE
(where provided)
Whenever a child needs to be carried on
the front seat, the passenger’s front airbag
and the Side Bag (where provided) must
be deactivated.
The warning light
“on the instrument
panel stays on steadily until the passenger’s
front airbag and the Side Bag (where pro-
vided) are re-activated.
SIDE AIR BAGS
(where fitted)
(Side bag - Window
bag)
SIDE BAGS fig. 19
They are formed of an instantaneously-in-
flating cushion housed in the back rest of
front seats and their task is to increase
protection of the occupants in the event
of a side crash of medium-high severity.
Covers for Side bag seats are available at
Lineaccessori Fiat.
The side air bag is not a replacement of
but complementary to the use of belts,
which should always be worn, as specified
by law in Europe and most non European
countries.
IMPORTANT In the event of side crash,
you can obtain the best protection by the
system keeping a correct position on the
seat, allowing thus a correct window bag
unfolding.
Do not cover the back rest of
front seats with trims or cov-
ers there are not set for the use of side
bags.
WARNING
WINDOW BAGS fig. 20
They are “curtain” cushions located be-
hind the side coverings of the roof and
covered by proper finishings, studied for
the head protection to offer the best pro-
tection to the front and rear occupants
in the event of side crash, thanks to the
wide cushion inflation surface.
fig. 19F0H0147m
fig. 20F0H0148m
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109
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
IMPORTANT The front air bags and/or
side bags may be deployed if the car is sub-
ject to heavy knocks or accidents involv-
ing the underbody area, such as for ex-
ample violent shocks against steps, kerbs
or low obstacles, falling of the car in big
holes or sags in the road.
IMPORTANT When the air bag inflates
it emits a small amount of dusts. These
dusts are harmless and is not the begin-
ning of a fire; then the unfold cushion sur-
face and the car interiors can be covered
by a dusty remains: this dust can irritate
skin and eyes. In case of contact, wash
yourself using neutral soap and water.
The air bag system has a validity of 14
years as to the pyrotechnic charge, and 10
years as to the twisted contact. As this
date approaches, contact Fiat Dealership
to have it replaced.
IMPORTANT Should an accident occur in
which any of the safety devices is activat-
ed, take the car to a Fiat Dealership to
have the devices activated replaced and to
have the system checked.
All check, repair and replacement opera-
tions concerning the air bags must only be
carried out c/o Fiat Dealership.If you are having the car scrapped, have
the air bag system deactivated at a Fiat
Dealership first. If the car changes own-
ership, the new owner must be informed
of the method of use of air bags and the
above warnings and also be given this
“Owner handbook”.
IMPORTANT The triggering of preten-
sioners, front air bags and front side bags
is decided in a differentiated manner. The
failure to deploy one or more of them
does not mean that the system is not
working properly.
Never rest head, arms and
elbows on the door, on the
windows and in the window bag area
to prevent possible injuries during the
inflation phase.
WARNING
Never put head, arms and el-
bows out of the window.
WARNING
If warning light ¬does not
come on when turning the
key to MAR or if it stays on when
travelling it could indicate a failure in
restraint systems; in this case air bags
or pretensioners could not trigger in
the event of an accident, or in a re-
stricted numbers of cases they could
trigger accidentally. Stop the car and
contact Fiat Dealership to have the
system checked immediately.
WARNING
GENERAL WARNINGS
Do not cover the back rest of
front seats with trims or cov-
ers there are not set for the use of side
bags.
WARNING
Always keep your hands on
the steering wheel rim when
driving, so that if the air bag is trig-
gered, it can inflate without meeting
any obstacles which could cause seri-
ous harm to you. Do not drive with
the body bent forwards, keep the seat
back rest in the erect position and
lean your back well against it.
WARNING
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110
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROL
SAFETY
DEVICES
If the car has been stolen or
an attempt to steal it has
been made, if it has been subjected to
vandals or floods, have the air bag
system checked by Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
Remember that with the key
engaged and in the MAR po-
sition, even with the engine not run-
ning, the air bags may be triggered on
a stationary vehicle if it is bumped by
another moving car. Therefore, nev-
er seat children on the front seat even
when the vehicle is stationary. On the
other hand remember that if the key
is at STOP, no safety system (air bags
or pretensioners) is triggered in the
event of an impact; in these case, fail-
ure to come into action cannot be
considered as a sign that the system
is not working properly.
WARNING
Never travel with objects on
your lap, in front of your
chest or with a pipe, pencil, etc. be-
tween your lips; injury may result in
the event of the air bag being trig-
gered.
WARNING
When the ignition key is
turned to the MAR position,
the warning light “(with passenger’s
front air bag deactivation (with pas-
senger air bag active) turns on and
flashes for few seconds to remind that
passenger’s air bag will be deployed
in a crash, after which it should go off.
WARNING
Do not wash the seat back
rest with pressurised water
or steam (by hand or at automatic
seat washing stations).
WARNING
The front air bag is triggered
for shocks greater in magni-
tude than the pretensioners. For im-
pacts between these two thresholds,
it is therefore normal that only the
pretensioners are triggered.
WARNING
Do not hook rigid objects to
the coat hooks and to the
support handles.
WARNING
The air bag does not substi-
tute the seat belts, but only
increases their effectiveness. More-
over, since the front air bags do not
come into operation in the event of
front impact at low speed, side colli-
sions, bumps from behind or over-
turning, in these circumstances the
occupants would only be protected
by the seat belts which must therefore
always be fastened.
WARNING
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111
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
ENGINE STARTING ............................................................ 112
PARKING ................................................................................ 114
USING THE GEARBOX...................................................... 115
CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS ................................ 116
TOWING TRAILERS ........................................................... 117
SNOW TYRES ....................................................................... 120
SNOW CHAINS ................................................................... 121
CAR INACTIVITY ............................................................... 122
CC C
O O
R R
R R
E E
C C
T T
U U
S S
E E
O O
F F
T T
H H
E E
C C
A A
R R
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
ENGINE STARTING
The car is fitted with an electronic engine
lock device. If the engine fails to start, see
paragraph “Fiat CODE system” in section
“Dashboard and controls”.
The engine may be noisier than usual dur-
ing the first seconds of operation, espe-
cially after it has not been used for a while.
This characteristic feature of the hydraulic
tappet system does not compromise func-
tionality or reliability. The system devised
for the Fiat Idea was designed to limit
maintenance interventions.
STARTING PROCEDURE
FOR PETROL VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒Ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒Put the gear lever into neutral;
❒Press the clutch pedal down to the
floor without touching the accelera-
tor;
❒Turn the ignition key to AVVand let
it go the moment the engine starts.
If the engine does not start at the first at-
tempt, return the ignition key to STOP
before repeating starting.
If, when the ignition key is on MAR, warn-
ing light
Yremains lit together with
warning light U, turn the key to STOP
Running the engine in con-
fined areas is extremely dan-
gerous. The engine consumes oxygen
and produces carbon monoxide
which is a highly toxic and lethal gas.
WARNINGand then back to MAR; if the warning light
remains on, try with the other keys pro-
vided with the car.
If you are still unable to start the engine,
perform the emergency start-up proce-
dure (see “Emergency start-up” in section
“In an emergency”) and contact Fiat Deal-
ership.
IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition key
at MARwhen the engine is off.
STARTING PROCEDURE FOR
Multijet VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒Ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒Put the gear lever into neutral;
❒Turn the ignition key to MAR: the
warning lights m, Uand
Ywill
light up on the instrument panel;
❒Wait for the warning lights Yand
m. The hotter the engine is, the
quicker this will happen;
❒Press the clutch pedal down to the
floor without touching the accelera-
tor; We recommend that during
the initial period you do not
drive to full vehicle perfor-
mance (e.g.: excessive accel-
eration, long journeys at top speed,
sharp braking, etc.).
When the engine is switched
off never leave the ignition
key in the MAR position to
prevent pointless current ab-
sorption from draining the battery.
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
❒Turn the ignition key to AVVas soon
as warning light m goes out. If you wait
too long you will lose the benefit of
the work done by the glow plugs. Re-
lease the key as soon as the engine
starts.
IMPORTANT With cold engine, the ac-
celerator pedal shall be completely re-
leased while turning the ignition key to
AVV.
If the engine does not start at the first at-
tempt, return the ignition key to STOP
before repeating starting.
If, when the ignition key is on MAR, warn-
ing light
Yremains lit, turn the key to
STOPand then back to MAR; if the
warning light remains on, try with the oth-
er keys provided with the car.
If you still cannot start the engine, contact
Fiat Dealership.
IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition key
at MARwhen the engine is off.The warning light
mwill
flash for 60 seconds at start-
up or during prolonged crank-
ing to signal a fault in the
glow plug heating system. You can use
the car as usual if the engine starts but
you should contact a Fiat Dealership
as soon as possible.
HOW TO WARM UP
THE ENGINE AFTER
IT HAS JUST STARTED
(petrol and Multijet versions)
Proceed as follows:
❒Drive off slowly, letting the engine turn
at medium revs. Do not accelerate
abruptly;
❒Do not drive at full performance for
the initial kilometres. Wait until the
coolant temperature gauge starts
moving.
STOPPING THE ENGINE
Turn the ignition to STOPwhile the en-
gine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a taxing drive, you
should allow the engine to “catch its
breath” before turning it off by letting it
idle to allow the temperature in the en-
gine compartment to fall.Never bump start the engine
by pushing, towing or coast-
ing downhill. This could cause
fuel to flow into the catalyt-
ic exhaust system and damage it be-
yond repair.
A quick burst on the acceler-
ator before turning off the en-
gine serves absolutely no
practical purpose, it wastes
fuel and is damaging especially to tur-
bocharged engines.
Remember that the servo-
brake and power steering
are not operational until the engine
has been started, therefore much ef-
fort than usual is required on the
brake pedal and steering wheel.
WARNING
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114
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
PARKING
Proceed as follows:
❒stop the engine and engage the hand-
brake;
❒engage a gear (on a slope, engage first
gear if the car is faced uphill or reverse
if it is faced downhill) and leave the
wheels steered.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a stone
if the car is parked on a steep slope. Avoid
leaving the car parked with a wheel on the
sidewalk or steered against the kerb. Do
not leave the ignition key at MARto pre-
vent draining the battery. Always remove
the key when you leave the car.
HANDBRAKE
The handbrake lever is located between
the two front seats.
Pull the handbrake lever upwards until the
car cannot be moved.
Four or five clicks are generally enough
when the car is on level ground while nine
or ten may be required if the car is on a
steep slope or laden.
IMPORTANT If this is not the case, con-
tact Fiat Dealership to have the handbrake
adjusted.When the handbrake lever is pulled up
and the ignition key is at MARthe panel
warning light
xwill come on.
To release the handbrake:
❒slightly lift the handbrake and press re-
lease button A-fig. 1;
❒keep button Apressed in and lower
the lever. Warning light xwill go out.
Press the brake pedal when carrying out
this operation to prevent the car from
moving accidentally.
IMPORTANT If the handbrake lever tends
to approach the end of stroke (slot on
central console), contact Fiat Dealership
to have the handbrake adjusted.
fig. 1F0H0149m
Never leave children unat-
tended in the car. Always re-
move the ignition key when leaving
the car and take it out with you.
WARNING
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115
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
USING THE GEARBOX
To engage the gears, press the clutch ped-
al fully and shift the gear lever into one of
the required positions (the diagram is
shown on the knob).
IMPORTANT The car can only be put in-
to reverse gear when it has stopped mov-
ing completely. With the engine running,
before engaging the reverse, wait at least
2 seconds with the clutch pedal fully down
to prevent damage and grating of the
gears.
To engage 6
thgear (where fitted), press the
lever to the right to prevent engaging 4th
gear by mistake. A similar action is re-
quired to shift down from 6thto 5th
To engage reverse Rfrom neutral, lift the
sliding ring A-fig. 2-3under the knob and
shift the lever to the right and back (only
for petrol versions).
For Multijet versions, just shift lever to the
right and back.
fig. 2F0H0150mfig. 3F0H0353m
To change gears properly
you must push the clutch
pedal fully down. It is therefore es-
sential that there is nothing under the
pedals: make sure mats are lying flat
and do not get in the way of the ped-
als.
WARNINGDo not drive with your hand
resting on the gear lever as
the force exerted, even if
slight, could lead over time to
premature wear on the gearbox inter-
nal components.
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