2015 FIAT 500 ABARTH User Guide

LATCH — Lower Anchors And Tethers For CHildren
• Your vehicle is equipped with the child restraint anchorage system called LATCH,
which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren.
• All rear seating positions have lower anchors and top tether anchors.
Latch Weight Limit
You may use the LATCH anchorage sys-
tem until the combined weight of the
child and the child restraint is 65 lbs
(29.5 kg). Use the seat belt and tether
anchor instead of the LATCH system
once the combined weight is more than
65 lbs (29.5 kg).
Locating LATCH Anchorages
The lower anchorages are round
bars that are found at the rear of the
seat cushion where it meets the seat-
back, below the anchorage symbols on
the seatback. They are just visible when
you lean into the rear seat to install the
child restraint. You will easily feel them if
you run your finger along the gap between the seatback and seat cushion.
Locating Tether Anchorages
•In addition, there are tether strap anchorages behind each rear seating posi-
tion located on the back of the seat.
1 — Lower Anchors
1 — Tether Anchors
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Center Seat LATCH
WARNING!
This vehicle does not have a center seating position. Do not use the center lower
LATCH anchorages to install a child seat in the center of the back seat.
Installing The Child Restraint Using The LATCH Lower Anchors
NOTE:Never“share” a LATCH anchorage with two or more child restraints.
1. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on the tether strap of the child
seat so that you can more easily attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle
anchorages.
2. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchor-
ages in the selected seating position.
3. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage.
See below for directions to attach a tether anchor.
4. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraint rearward and downward
into the seat. Remove slack in the straps according to the child restraint manu-
facturer’s instructions.
5. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the
child seat at the belt path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any
direction.
Installing The Child Restraint Using The Vehicle Seat Belts
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are equipped with a Switchable
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) that is designed to keep the lap portion of the
seat belt tight around the child restraint. Any seat belt system will loosen with time,
so check the belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
Tether Weight Limit
Always use the tether anchor when using the seat belt to install a forward facing
child restraint, up to the recommended weight limit of the child restraint.
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To Install A Child Seat Using An ALR:
1. Pull enough of the seat belt webbing from the retractor to pass it through the
belt path of the child restraint. Do not twist the belt webbing in the belt path.
2. Slide the latch plate into the buckle until you hear a “click.”
3. Pull on the webbing to make the lap portion tight against the child seat.
4. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder part of the belt until you have
pulled all the seat belt webbing out of the retractor. Then, allow the webbing to
retract back into the retractor. As the webbing retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This means the seat belt is now in the Automatic Locking mode.
5. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is locked, you should not be able
to pull out any webbing. If the retractor is not locked, repeat the last step.
6. Finally, pull up on any extra webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child
restraint while you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the ve-
hicle seat.
7. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seating position has a top
tether anchorage, connect the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the
tether strap. See below for directions to attach a tether anchor.
8. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the
child seat at the belt path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm) in any
direction.
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Installing The Top Tether Strap (With Either Lower Anchors Or Vehicle
Seat Belt):
When installing a forward-facing child restraint, always secure the top tether strap,
up to the tether anchor weight limit, whether the child restraint is installed with the
lower anchors or the vehicle seat belt.
Tether Anchorage Installation
1. Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path for the strap between the
anchor and the child seat.
2. If your vehicle is equipped with adjustable rear head restraints, raise the head
restraint, and where possible, route the tether strap under the head restraint and
between the two posts. If not possible, lower the head restraint and pass the
tether strap around the outboard side of the head restraint.
3. Attach the tether strap hook of the
child restraint to the top tether an-
chorage and remove slack in the
tether strap according to the child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions.
WARNING!
Securely lock the seat cushion into position before using the seat. Otherwise, the
seat will not provide the proper stability for child seats and/or passengers. An im-
properly latched seat cushion could cause serious injury.
Rear Seat Tether Strap Mounting
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WARNING!
• In a collision, an unrestrained child, even a tiny baby, can become a projec-
tile inside the vehicle. The force required to hold even an infant on your lap
could become so great that you could not hold the child, no matter how
strong you are. The child and others could be severely injured or killed. Any
child riding in your vehicle should be in a proper restraint for the child's size.
• Rearward-facing child seats must never be used in the front seat of a vehicle
with a front passenger air bag. An air bag deployment could cause severe
injury or death to infants in this position.
• Only use a rearward-facing child restraint in a vehicle with a rear seat.
• Improper installation of a child restraint to the LATCH anchorages can lead
to failure of an infant or child restraint. The child could be severely injured or
killed. Follow the manufacturer’s directions exactly when installing an infant
or child restraint.
• 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.
• If your vehicle is equipped with a split rear seat, make sure the tether strap
does not slip into the opening between the seatbacks as you remove slack
in the strap.
HEAD RESTRAINTS
Head restraints are designed to reduce the risk of injury by restricting head move-
ment in the event of a rear-impact. Head restraints should be adjusted so that the
top of the head restraint is located above the top of your ear.
WARNING!
The head restraints for all occupants must be properly adjusted prior to operating
the vehicle or occupying a seat. Head restraints should never be adjusted while
the vehicle is in motion. Driving a vehicle with the head restraints improperly ad-
justed or removed could cause serious injury or death in the event of a collision.
Rear Head Restraints
To raise the head restraint, pull upward on the head restraint. To lower the head
restraint, push the adjustment button, located at the base of the head restraint, and
push downward on the head restraint. Refer to “Occupant Restraints” in “Things To
Know Before Starting Your Vehicle” in your Owner’s Manual on the DVD for further
information on tether routing.
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FRONT SEATS
Manual Seat Adjustment
Forward/Rearward
• Lift up on the adjusting bar, located at the front of the seat near the floor, and
release at the desired position. Then, using body pressure, move forward and
backward on the seat to be sure that the seat adjusters have latched.
Recliner
• To recline the seatback, lift up the recline lever, located on the inboard side of the
seat, lean back until the desired position has been reached, and release the lever.
Adjusting Bar
Recline Lever
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Seat Height
• Drivers front seat height can be raised or lowered by using a lever, located on the
outboard side of the seat. Pump the lever upward to raise the seat height, or
pump the lever downward to lower the seat height.
EZ Entry Seats
• Pull up on the pull strap, located on
the side of the seatback, to dump the
seatback forward and slide the seat
forward. This allows for easier access
to the rear seat.
• Both front seats have a memory fea-
ture. After using the EZ Entry function,
the seat back and adjuster will re-lock
into the original position the seat was
previously adjusted to.
Seat Height Lever
EZ Entry Pull Strap
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WARNING!
• Adjusting a seat while the vehicle is moving is dangerous. The sudden move-
ment of the seat could cause you to lose control. The seat belt might not be
properly adjusted, and you could be severely injured or killed. Only adjust a
seat while the vehicle is parked.
• Actuating the recliner handle will allow the seatback to swing forward. Do not
stand or lean in front of the seatback while actuating the handle. The seat-
back may swing forward and strike you, causing injury. To avoid possible
injury, place your hand on the seatback while actuating the recliner handle.
• Do not ride with the seatback reclined so that the seat belt is no longer rest-
ing against your chest. In a collision, you could slide under the seat belt and
be severely injured or killed. Use the recliner only when the vehicle is parked.
REAR SEATS
Folding Rear Seatback
• To fold each rear seatback, push down on the button located on the upper out-
board side of the seat and fold the seatback flat.
NOTE:Be sure that the front seats are fully uprightand positioned forward. This will allow therear seatback to fold down easily.
Rear Folding Seat Button
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