2015 Abarth 500 belt

PRETENSIONERS
The car is equipped with front seat
belts pretensioners, that reduce slack in
the belts in the event of a severe frontal
impact. This guarantees the perfect
adherence of the seat belts to the
occupants' bodies before the
restraining action begins.
The retractors lock to indicate that the
pretensioner has intervened.
This car is also equipped with a second
pretensioner (fitted in the kick plate
area). Its activation is signalled by the
shortening of the metal cable.
A slight discharge of smoke may be
produced during the activation of the
pretensioner which is not harmful and
does not indicate any fire hazard.
IMPORTANT To obtain the highest
degree of protection from the action of
the pretensioner, wear the seat belt
tight to the chest and pelvis.
The pretensioner does not require any
maintenance or lubrication: any
changes to its original conditions will
invalidate its efficiency. If, due to
unusual natural events (floods, sea
storms, etc.), the device has been
affected by water and mud, it must be
replaced.
67)
15)
LOAD LIMITERS
To increase passenger safety, the front
seat belt retractors contain a load
limiter which allows the force acting on
the chest and shoulders to be
modulated during the belt restraining
action in the event of a frontal impact.
GENERAL
INSTRUCTIONS FOR
USING THE SEAT BELTS
The driver must comply with (and have
all car passengers follow) any local
regulations in force concerning the use
of seat belts. Always fasten the seat
belts before setting off.
68) 69) 70)
Seat belts are also to be worn by
pregnant women: the risk of injury in
the case of accident is greatly reduced
for them and the unborn child if they
are wearing a seat belt.Pregnant women must position the
lower part of the belt very low down so
that it passes over the pelvis and under
the abdomen (see fig. 76 ). The best
way to protect the unborn child is
to protect the mother. When a seat belt
is worn properly, it is more likely that
the unborn child will not be hurt in
a crash. For pregnant women, as for
anyone, the key to making seat belts
effective is wearing them properly.76AB0A0060
103

The belt must not be twisted. The
upper part must pass over the shoulder
and cross the chest diagonally. The
lower part must adhere to the pelvis
fig. 77, not to the abdomen of the
occupant. Never use devices (clips,
clamps, etc.) that hold the seat belt
away from your body.
IMPORTANT Each seat belt must be
used by only one person. Never travel
with a child sitting on the passenger's
lap and a single belt to protect them
both fig. 78. In general, do not place
any objects between the person and
the belt.SEAT BELTS
MAINTENANCE
For keeping the seat belts in efficient
conditions, observe the following:
❒always use the seat belt well
stretched and never twisted; make
sure that it is free to run without
obstructions;
❒replace the belt after an accident of a
certain severity even if it does not
appear to be damaged. Always
replace the belt if the pretensioners
were deployed;
❒hand wash the seat belts with water
and mild soap, rinse and leave to dry
in the shade. Never use strong
detergents, bleach, paints or any
other substance which could
damage the belt fibres;❒prevent the retractors from getting
wet: their correct operation is only
guaranteed if water does not get
inside;
❒replace the seat belt when there is
wear or cuts.
WARNING
67) The pretensioner may be used
only once. Contact an Abarth
Dealership to have it replaced
after it has been deployed.
68) For maximum safety, keep the
back of your seat upright, lean
back into it and make sure the
seat belt fits closely across your
chest and pelvis. Always fasten
the seat belts on both the front
and the rear seats! Travelling
without wearing seat belts will
increase the risk of serious injury
or even death in the event of an
accident.
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SAFETY

69) Removing or otherwise
tampering with seat belt and
pretensioner components is
strictly prohibited. Any operations
on these components must be
performed by qualified and
authorised technicians. Always
contact an Abarth Dealership.
70) If the belt has been subjected to
a high level of stress, for example
after an accident, it must be
completely replaced together with
the attachments, attachment
fixing screws and the
pretensioner. In fact, even if the
belt has no visible defects, it could
have lost its resilience.
IMPORTANT
15) Operations which lead to
impacts, vibrations or localised
heating (over 100°C for a
maximum of six hours) in the area
around the pretensioner may
damage or deploy it. Contact an
Abarth Dealership should
intervention be necessary on
these components.
CARRYING
CHILDREN SAFELY
For optimal protection in the event of an
impact, all occupants must be seated
and wearing adequate restraint
systems, including newborn and
children!
This prescription is compulsory in all EC
countries according to EC Directive
2003/20/EC.
Compared with an adult, a child's head
is larger and heavier in proportion to
their body and the child's muscular and
bone structures are not fully developed.
Therefore, correct restraint systems
other than adult seat belts are
necessary to reduce as much as
possible the risk of injuries in case of
accident, braking or sudden
manoeuvre.
Children must be seated safely and
comfortably. Depending on the
characteristics of the child restraint
systems used, you are advised to keep
children in rear facing child restraint
systems for as long as possible (at least
until 3–4 years old), since this is the
most protected position in the event of
an impact.
71) 72) 73)
16)
The choice of the most suitable child
restraint device depends on the weight
of the child; there are various types of
child restraint systems and you are
advised always to choose the one that
is most suitable for the child.
When over 1.50 m in height, from the
point of view of restraint systems,
children are considered as adults and
wear seat belts normally.
In Europe the characteristics of child
restraint systems are ruled by the
regulation ECE-R44, dividing them into
five weight groups:
Group Weight range
Group0 upto10kg
Group 0+ up to 13 kg
Group 1 9-18 kg
Group 2 15-25 kg
Group 3 22-36 kg
105

FITTING
"UNIVERSAL" CHILD
RESTRAINT SYSTEM
(with seat belts)
GROUP 0 and 0+
75)
Babies up to 13 kg must be carried
with a rear facing child restraint system
of a type as shown in fig. 79 which,
supporting the head, does not induce
stress on the neck in the event of
sudden decelerations.
The child restraint system is secured by
the car seat belts, as shown in fig. 79
and it must restrain the child in turn
with its own belts.GROUP 1
74) 75)
Children of weight from 9 to 18 kg may
be carried in forward facing child
restraint systems fig. 80.GROUP 2
75)
Children from 15 to 25 kg may use the
car seat belts directly fig. 81.
In this case, the child restraint system is
used to position the child correctly
with respect to the seat belts so that
the diagonal belt section crosses the
child’s chest and not the neck, and the
lower part is snug on the pelvis not
the abdomen.
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GROUP 3
75)
For children between 22 and 36 kg,
there are dedicated restraint systems
that allow the seat belt to be worn
correctly.
The fig. 82 shows the correct child
positioning on the rear seat.
Children over 1.50 m in height can wear
seat belts like adults.
WARNING
74) Child restraint systems with
Isofix anchorages are available,
which allow them to be secured to
the seat safely without using the
car seat belts. See paragraph
"Isofix child restraint system
setup" for the fitting instructions.
75) The figure is indicative for fitting
purposes only. Fit the child
restraint system according to the
instructions, which must be
included.
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SAFETY

Main recommendations
to carry children safely
❒Install the child restraint systems
on the rear seat, which is the most
protected position in the event of an
impact.
❒Keep children in rear facing child
restraint systems for as long as
possible, at least until 2 years old.
❒Should a rear facing child restraint
system be installed on the rear seats,
it is advisable to position it as far
forward as the position of the front
seat allows.
❒If the passenger's front airbag is
deactivated always check the
permanent switching on of the
warning light to make sure that it
has actually been deactivated.
❒Carefully follow the instructions
supplied with the child restraint
system itself. Keep the instructions in
the car along with the other
documents and this handbook. Do
not use second-hand child restraint
systems without instructions.
❒Only one child is to be strapped into
each restraint system; never carry
two children simultaneously.
❒Always check that the seat belts do
not rest on the child’s neck.❒Always check that the seat belt is
well fastened by pulling on it.
❒While travelling, do not let the child sit
incorrectly or unfasten the belts.
❒Never allow a child to put the belt's
diagonal section under an arm or
behind their back.
❒Never carry children on your lap,
even newborns. No-one can restrain
a child in the event of an accident.
❒In the event of an accident, replace
the child restraint system with a
new one.
WARNING
76) The figure is indicative for fitting
purposes only. Fit the child
restraint system according to the
instructions, which must be
included.
77) If a Universal Isofix child
restraint system is not fixed to all
three anchorages, it will not be
able to protect the child correctly.
In a crash, the child could be
seriously or fatally injured.
78) Fit the child restraint system only
when the car is stationary. The
child restraint system is correctly
secured to the brackets when
you hear the click. Follow the
instructions for assembly,
disassembly and positioning that
the manufacturer must supply
with the child restraint system.
79) Fit the child restraint system
according to the instructions,
which must be included.
113

FRONT AIRBAGS
The front driver/passenger airbags and
the driver's knee bag (for versions/
markets, where provided) protect the
front seat occupants in the event of
frontal impacts of medium/high severity,
by placing the bag between the
occupant and the steering wheel or
dashboard.
Therefore non-activation in other types
of collisions (side impacts, rear shunts,
roll-overs, etc.) does not indicate a
system malfunction.
An electronic control unit will make the
bag inflate in the event of a frontal
impact.
The bag will inflate instantaneously
placing itself between the front
occupants body and the structures
which could cause injury. It will deflate
immediately afterwards.
Front airbags are not a replacement of
but complementary to the seat belts,
which you are recommended to always
wear, as specified by law in Europe
and most non-European countries.In the event of an impact, someone not
wearing a seat belt will move forward
and come into contact with the bag
which is still in the opening stage. The
protection offered by the bag is
compromised in these circumstances.
Front airbags may not be activated
in the following situations:
❒frontal impacts against highly
deformable objects not involving the
front surface of the car (e.g. wing
collision against guard rail);
❒jamming of the car underneath other
vehicles or protective barriers (e.g.
underneath a truck or a guard rail)
since the bags would offer no
additional protection with respect to
the seat belt and their deployment
would be inappropriate. In these
cases, non-deployment does not
indicate a system malfunction.
80)
The front airbags (driver, passenger,
driver's knee bags) are designed and
calibrated to protect front seat
passengers wearing seat belts.Their volume at the moment of
maximum inflation fills most of the
space between the steering wheel and
the driver, between the lower steering
column guard and the knees on driver
side and between the dashboard and
the passenger.
The airbags are not deployed in the
event of minor frontal impacts (for
which the restraining action of the seat
belts is sufficient). Seat belts must
always be worn. In the event of frontal
impacts they guarantee correct
positioning of the passenger.
DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT
AIRBAG
This consists of an instantly inflating
cushion contained in a special
compartment in the centre of the
steering wheel fig. 86.
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SAFETY

88) Always drive keeping your hands
on the steering wheel rim so that
the airbag can inflate freely if
necessary. Do not drive with your
body bent forward. Keep your
back straight against the
backrest.
89) If the car has been subject to
theft, attempted theft, vandalism,
or flooding, have the airbag
system inspected at an Abarth
Dealership.90) Airbags may be deployed if
another vehicle crashes into the
car, if the key is inserted and
at MAR-ON even if the engine is
not running and the car is
stationary. Therefore, even if the
car is stationary, when an active
front passenger airbag is fitted,
DO NOT install rear facing child
restraint systems on the front
passenger seat. Deployment of
the airbag following an impact
could cause fatal injuries to the
child. Therefore, always
deactivate the passenger airbag
when a rear facing child restraint
system is installed on the front
passenger seat. The front
passenger seat must also be
positioned back as far as possible
in order to prevent the child
restraint system from coming into
contact with the dashboard.
Immediately reactivate the
passenger airbag as soon as the
child restraint system has been
removed. Also remember that,
if the key is turned to STOP, none
of the safety devices (airbags or
pretensioners) will be deployed in
the event of collision. Non-
deployment in such cases does
not indicate a system malfunction.91) When the ignition key is turned
to MAR-ON, the
warning light
turns on and flashes for a few
seconds to remind you that the
passenger's airbag will be
deployed in a crash, after which it
should switch off.
92) Do not wash the seats with
water or pressurised steam (wash
by hand or at automatic car seat
washing stations).
93) The front airbag deployment
threshold is higher than that of
the pretensioners. For collisions in
the range between the two
thresholds, it is normal for only
the pretensioners to be activated.
94) Do not affix rigid objects to the
coat hooks or support handles.
95) The airbag does not replace seat
belts but increases their
effectiveness. Furthermore, since
front airbags are not deployed
in low-speed frontal impacts, side
impacts, rear shunts or roll-overs,
the passengers are protected
only by the seat belts which must
therefore be fastened at all times.
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SAFETY