2012 SMART FORTWO COUPE Owners Manual

G
WARNING
Modifications to or work improperly
conducted on restraint systems (such as
seat belts and anchors, Emergency
Tensioning Devices, seat belt force
limiters or air bags) or their wiring, as
well as tampering with interconnected
electronic systems, can lead to the
restraint
systems no longer functioning as
intended. Air bags or Emergency
Tensioning Devices, for example, could
deploy inadvertently or fail to deploy in
accidents in which they otherwise should
deploy (although the deceleration
threshold for air bag deployment is
exceeded). Therefore, never modify the
restraint systems. Do not tamper with
electronic components or their software. G
WARNING
In the event that the SRS indicator lamp
6 comes on while driving or does not
come on at all, the SRS self-check has
detected

a malfunction. For your safety, we
strongly recommend that you immediately
but safely pull the vehicle off of the
roadway and stop driving. Contact an
authorized smart center immediately to
have the system checked; otherwise the SRS
may not deploy when needed in an accident,
which could result in serious or fatal
injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly and
unnecessarily which could also result in
injury.
In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended air bag
deployment. Work on the SRS must therefore
only be performed by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized smart
center. If it is necessary to modify an air
bag system to accommodate a person with
disabilities, contact your local authorized
smart center. Seat belts
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint

systems is required by law in all
50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S.
territories and all Canadian provinces and
territories.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts
fastened whenever the vehicle is being
operated.
For more information, see “Fastening the
seat belts” ( Y page 62).
i For information on infants and
children traveling with you in the
vehicle and restraint systems for infants
and children, see “Children in the
vehicle” ( Y page 42). G
WARNING
Always fasten your seat belt before driving.
Always
make sure all of your passengers are
properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely
severity in an accident. You and your
passenger should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled.
Without your seat belt buckled, you are
much more likely to hit the interior of the
vehicle or be ejected from it. You can be
seriously injured or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury
or death is lessened if you are properly
wearing your seat belt. Air bags can only
protect you if you are properly wearing
your seat belt. G
WARNING
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined
position as this can be dangerous. You
could slide under the seat belt in a Occupant safety
31
>> Safety.
Z

collision. If you slide under it, the belt
would apply force at the abdomen or neck,
causing
serious or even fatal injuries. The
seat backrest and seat belt provide the best
restraint when the wearer is in a position
that is as upright as possible and the belt
is properly positioned on the body. G
WARNING
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Make
sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
correctly restrained with a separate seat
belt.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. G
WARNING
Seat belts of a vehicle involved in an
accident must be inspected by smart. Only
then is it possible to determine whether
the seat belts were damaged or stressed in
the accident. Damaged or stressed seat
belts may not properly protect you in a
subsequent accident.
Only use seat belts which have been
approved by smart.
Do not make any modifications to the seat
belts. This can lead to unintended
activation of the Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) or to their failure to
activate when necessary.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not

be able to provide adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized smart
center. G
WARNING
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY
R Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this section, as that could result in serious
injuries in case of an accident.
R Each

occupant should wear their seat belt
at all times, because seat belts help
reduce the likelihood of and potential
severity of injuries in accidents,
including rollovers. The integrated
restraint system includes SRS (driver
front air bag, passenger front air bag,
head-thorax air bags) and Emergency
Tensioning Devices (ETDs) with seat belt
force limiters.
The system is designed to enhance the
protection provided by secured seat
belts in certain frontal and side
impacts.
R Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your
shoulder. Doing so may cause your body to
move too far forward in a frontal crash,
which would increase the chance of head
and neck injuries. The seat belt would
also apply too much force to the ribs or
abdomen, which could severely injure
internal organs such as your liver or
spleen.
R Never wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as
these might cause injuries.
R Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdomen.
If the lap seat belt is positioned across
your abdomen, it could cause serious
injuries in a crash.
R Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat belt
around a person and another person or
other objects at the same time.
R Seat belts should not be worn twisted. In
a crash, you would not have the full width
of the seat belt to manage impact forces.
The twisted seat belt against your body
could cause injuries.
R Pregnant women should also always use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion 32
Occupant safety
>> Safety.

should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.
R Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep
both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
R When using a seat belt to secure infant or
toddler restraints or children in booster
seats, always follow the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions. Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs)
and seat belt force limiters
The seat belts are equipped with
Emergency Tensioning Devices and seat
belt force limiters.
Emergency Tensioning Devices are
designed to activate in the following
cases:
R in frontal or rear-end impacts
exceeding the system deployment
threshold
R if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly
R in collisions with high vehicle
deceleration/acceleration in the
longitudinal direction, e.g. a head-on
collision
R on passenger side when the seat is
occupied and the seat belt is fastened
R independently of the front air bags
When activated, Emergency Tensioning
Devices

remove slack from the seat belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Seat belt force
limiters, when activated, reduce the force
exerted by the seat belts on occupants
during a crash.
When the emergency tensioning device is
triggered, the SRS indicator lamp 6 in
the instrument cluster illuminates, see
“SRS indicator lamp” ( Y page 166). G
WARNING
Once they have been triggered, Emergency
Tensioning
Devices will no longer function
properly and must be replaced. smart
recommends that you visit a qualified
workshop to have this done. In particular,
work relevant to safety or on safety-related
systems must be carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop.
Comply with safety regulations when
disposing of Emergency Tensioning
Devices. These regulations are available at
any smart center.
The belt force limiter is designed to
operate in unison with the front air bag,
which absorbs a portion of the seat belt’s
decelerating forces, distributing the load
over a larger area.
In the event of a head-on or rear-end
collision, the emergency tensioning
device is activated if the vehicle is
decelerated or accelerated sufficiently in
the longitudinal direction at the start of
impact with the ignition switched on. Air bags
Air bags can reduce the severity of
injuries in serious collisions, e.g. in a
head-on collision or a side impact. G
WARNING
Air bags are designed to reduce the
potential of injury in certain frontal
impacts (front air bags and knee bags), or
side impacts (head-thorax air bags,
window

curtain air bags and thorax-pelvis
air bags) which may cause significant
injuries. However, no system available
today can completely eliminate injuries
and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust is neither injurious to your
health, nor does it indicate a fire in the
vehicle. The dust might cause some Occupant safety
33
>> Safety.
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temporary breathing difficulty for people
with asthma or other breathing trouble. To
avoid this, you may wish to get out of the
vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you
have any breathing difficulty but cannot
get out of the vehicle after the air bag
inflates, then get fresh air by opening a
window or door. G
WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for
the driver and passenger to always be in a
properly

seated position and to wear their
respective seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated
position with your back against the
backrest. Fasten your seat belt and ensure
it is properly positioned on your body.
Since the air bag inflates with
considerable speed and force, a proper
seating and hands on steering wheel
position will help to keep you at a safe
distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it
inflates extremely quickly and with great
force:
R Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.
R Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper
operation of vehicle controls. The
distance from the center of the driver’s
breastbone to the center of the air bag
cover on the steering wheel must be at
least 10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by
adjustments to the seat. If you have any
problems, please contact an authorized
smart center.
R Do not lean your head or chest close to the
steering wheel or dashboard. R
Keep
hands on the outside of the steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms inside
the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when the driver’s front air bag inflates.
R Adjust the passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.
R Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
head-thorax air bag (cabriolet) or
thorax-pelvis side air bag (coupé)
inflates. This could result in serious
injuries or death should the head-thorax
air bag (cabriolet) or thorax-pelvis side
air bag (coupé) be deployed. Always sit
as upright as possible, wear the seat belt
properly and use an appropriately sized
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for the size
and weight of the child.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.
i Air bags are designed to deploy only in
certain frontal impacts (front air bags
and knee bags), or side impacts (head-
thorax air bags, window curtain air bags
and thorax-pelvis air bags) which
exceed preset thresholds. Only during
these events will they provide their
supplemental protection.
The driver and passenger should always
wear their seat belts. Otherwise it is not
possible for air bags to provide their
supplemental protection.
In case of other types of impacts and
impacts below air bag deployment
thresholds, air bags will not deploy. The
driver and passenger will then be
protected to the extent possible by a 34
Occupant safety
>> Safety.

properly fastened seat belt. A properly
fastened seat belt is also needed to
provide the best possible protection in
a rollover.
We
caution you not to rely on the presence
of the air bags in order to avoid wearing
your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of
your passenger that you replace deployed
air bags and repair any malfunctioning
air bags to make sure the vehicle will
continue to provide supplemental crash
protection for occupants.
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs)
and air bag G
WARNING
R Damaged
seat belts or seat belts that have
been highly stressed in an accident must
be replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Only use seat belts
installed or supplied by an authorized
smart center.
R Air bags and Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) contain Perchlorate
material, which may require special
handling and regard for the environment.
Check with your local government’s
disposal guidelines. California
residents, see http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/
HazardousWaste/Perchlorate/index.cfm .
R Given the considerable deployment
speed, required inflation volume, and
the textile structure of the air bags,
there is the possibility of abrasions or
other, potentially more serious injuries
resulting from air bag deployment.
R Air bags and Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) are designed to function
on a one-time-only basis. An air bag or
ETD that has deployed must be replaced.
R Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear. R
Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat
belts.
R No

modifications of any kind may be made
to any components or wiring of the SRS.
This includes changing or removing any
component or part of the SRS, the
installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, passenger front air bag cover,
outboard sides of the seat backrests, and
installation of additional electrical/
electronic equipment on or near SRS
components and wiring. Keep area
between air bags and occupants free from
objects (e.g. packages, purses,
umbrellas, etc.).
R Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate
protection.
R Do not hang hangers on the coat hooks or
handles over the door. These items may
turn into projectiles and cause head and
other injuries when the head-thorax air
bag is deployed.
R Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not touch
them.
R Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
R In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended air
bag deployment. Work on the SRS must
therefore only be performed by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized smart
center.
R For your protection and the protection of
others, when scrapping the air bag unit
or Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs),
our safety instructions must be followed.
These instructions are available from
any authorized smart center. Occupant safety
35
>> Safety. Z

How an air bag operates
An air bag is inflated in a matter of
milliseconds. If an air bag is triggered,
the SRS indicator lamp
6 in the
instrument cluster illuminates.
! If the air bags are activated, you will
hear a loud noise and some dust may be
generated. The explosion fundamentally
represents no risk to your hearing.
An
inflated air bag slows down and reduces
the movement of the occupant. When the
occupant makes contact with a front air bag
or head-thorax air bag (cabriolet only),
hot gas flows out of the inflated front air
bags and head-thorax air bags (cabriolet
only). This reduces the load on the
occupant’s head and upper body. These air
bags are consequently deflated after the
accident.
Driver front air bag/passenger front air
bag The front air bags are designed to reduce
the potential of injury in certain frontal
impacts.
Driver front air bag and passenger front
air bag are deployed
R
at the start of an accident with high
vehicle

deceleration in the longitudinal
direction
R independently of other air bags in the
vehicle being deployed
R never in the event of a rollover, unless
high vehicle deceleration in the
longitudinal direction is detected
i The front air bags in this vehicle have
been designed to inflate in two stages.
This allows the air bag to have different
rates of inflation that are based on the
rate of relevant vehicle deceleration
and a fastened or unfastened seat belt as
assessed by the air bag control unit.
On the passenger side, the front air bag
deployment is additionally influenced by the passenger’s weight category as
identified by the Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(Y page 39).
The

lighter the passenger side occupant,
the higher the vehicle deceleration rate
required for the second stage inflation
of the air bag.
The air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s
deployment thresholds. In such instances,
the seat belts are designed to protect you.
The passenger air bag will only be
deployed if
R the system, based on OCS weight sensor
readings, senses that the passenger seat
is occupied and the 4 0
indicator lamp is not lit (Y page 41)
R the impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold
The driver front air bag is located in the
steering wheel housing, the passenger
front air bag above the glove box. :
Driver front air bag
; Passenger front air bag36
Occupant safety
>> Safety.

Knee bags
:
Driver’s knee bag
; Passenger knee bag
The knee bags are designed to provide
increased protection for the driver and
passenger against the risk of injuries to
the knees, thighs and lower legs. The knee
bags are located on the lower instrument
panel. They are designed to operate
together
with the front air bags in certain
frontal impacts if the system determines
that air bag deployment can offer
additional protection to that provided by
the seat belts. Knee bags operate best in
conjunction with a properly positioned
and fastened seat belts.
Head-thorax air bags (cabriolet only) G
WARNING
There is a possibility for a head-thorax air
bag
related injury if occupants, especially
children, are not properly seated or
restrained when next to a head-thorax air
bag which needs to deploy rapidly in a side
impact in order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury,
please follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should never place their bodies
or

lean their heads in the area of
the door where the head-thorax
air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should the head-thorax air
bag be deployed.
(2) Always sit as upright as possible, properly use the seat
belts, and for all children
12 years old or under, use an
appropriately sized infant
restraint, toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for
the

size and weight of the child.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly. G
WARNING
Only use seat covers which have been tested
and approved by smart for your vehicle
model.

A seat cover must have a deployment
control seam for the head-thorax air bag.
Using other seat covers may interfere with
or prevent the deployment of the head-
thorax air bags. Contact an authorized
smart center for availability.
If activated, the head-thorax air bags are
intended to provide increased protection
for the head and thorax (but not arms) of the
occupants on the side of the vehicle that is
struck.
The head-thorax air bags are deployed
R on the side of the vehicle that is struck
(when passenger side is struck only if the
seat is occupied)
R at the start of an accident with high
vehicle deceleration or acceleration
acting in a lateral direction, e.g. a side
impact
R regardless of whether or not the seat belt
is in use
R independently of the front air bags
being deployed
R independently of the emergency
tensioning device
The head-thorax air bags are integrated
into the driver and passenger seat
backrests. Occupant safety
37
>> Safety. Z

:
Head-thorax air bag
Window curtain air bags and thorax-
pelvis side air bags (coupé only) G
WARNING
There is a possibility for a thorax-pelvis
side air bag related injury if occupants,
especially children, are not properly
seated
or restrained when next to a thorax-
pelvis side air bag which needs to deploy
rapidly in a side impact in order to do its
job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury,
please follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should never place their bodies
or

lean their heads in the area of
the door where the thorax-pelvis
side air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or
death should the thorax-pelvis
side air bag be deployed.
(2) Always sit as upright as possible, properly use the seat
belts, and for all children
12 years old or under, use an
appropriately sized infant
restraint, toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for
the

size and weight of the child.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly. G
WARNING
Only use seat covers which have been tested
and approved by smart for your vehicle
model.

A seat cover must have a deployment
control seam for the thorax-pelvis side air
bag. Using other seat covers may interfere
with or prevent the deployment of the
thorax-pelvis side air bags. Contact an
authorized smart center for availability.
Window curtain air bags
Window curtain air bags are designed to
provide increased protection for the head,
but not the chest or arms.
Window curtain air bags are deployed
R on the impacted side of the vehicle
R in instances with a high rate of lateral
vehicle deceleration or acceleration
R independently of the front air bags
R regardless of whether the passenger seat
is occupied
R in a rollover if the system determines
that air bag deployment can offer
additional protection to that provided
by the seat belt.
The window curtain air bags are integrated
into the inner side of the roof frame. They
run above the doors from the A-pillar to the
B-pillar. :
Window curtain air bags
Thorax-pelvis side air bags
Thorax-pelvis side air bags are designed
to provide increased protection for the
thorax and pelvis, but not the arms. 38
Occupant safety
>> Safety.