2016 Alfa Romeo 4C Owner handbook (in English)

PRETENSIONERS
The car is equipped with seat belt
pretensioners, which draw back the
seat belts by several centimetres in the
event of a strong frontal impact. This
guarantees the perfect adherence of
the seat belts to the occupant's bodies
before the retention action begins.
It is evident that the pretensioners have
operated when the belt withdraws
toward the retractor.
This car is also equipped with a second
pretensioner (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 in harmful and
does not involve 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/or mud, contact
the dedicated Alfa Romeo Dealership to
have it replaced.
LOAD LIMITERS
To increase protection, the seat belt
retractors contain a device which
controls the force acting on the chest
and shoulders during the belt
restraining action in the event of an
accident.
WARNING
68)The pretensioner may be used only
once. After its activation, contact an Alfa
Romeo Dealership to have it replaced.
69)Removing or tampering with seat belt
and pretensioner components is strictly
prohibited. Any intervention on these
components must be performed by
qualified and authorised technicians.
Always contact a dedicated Alfa Romeo
Dealership.
IMPORTANT
7)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 cause
damage or make it deploy. Contact the
dedicated Alfa Romeo Dealership if there is
the need to operate on those components.
CARRYING
CHILDREN SAFELY
Alfa Romeo 4C is a sporty car that can
be driven in town every day, provided
its driver and passengers fasten their
seat belts. Carrying a child on the
passenger's seat is also allowed,
provided the child weighs more than
9 kg and a suitable child restraint
system is used.
Children must be suitably restrained
inside the vehicle according to their
weight. Several child restraint system
types are available; always choose the
one most suitable for the child:
70)
When over 1.50 m in height, from the
point of view of restraint systems,
children are considered as adults and
have to wear the standard seat belts.
All child restraint devices must bear the
certification data, together with the
control mark, on a label solidly fixed to
the seat which must never be removed.
Child restraint systems are available
from Lineaccessori Alfa Romeo. These
products have been designed and
tested specifically for Alfa Romeo
vehicles.
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SAFETY
68)69)
7)

WARNING
70)The passenger seat is not suitable for
carrying rearward facing child restraint
systems (Group 0 and 0+). Therefore, very
small children (weighing up to 9 kg) must
NOT be carried in this car.
FITTING
“UNIVERSAL” CHILD
RESTRAINT SYSTEM
(with seat belts)
Only Group 1, 2 and 3 child restraint
systems, namely forward facing child
restraint systems, can be installed on
the 4C.
This car is NOT compliant for fitting rear
facing child restraint systems on the
passenger's seat.
GROUP 1
Children of weight from 9 to 18 kg may
be carried in forward facing child
restraint systems fig. 69.
71)
GROUP2-3
Children from 15 to 36 kg may use the
car seat belts directly fig. 70.
The child restraint system is used only
to position the child correctly withrespect to the belts so that the diagonal
section crosses the child's chest and
never the neck, and the horizontal part
is snug on the pelvis not the abdomen.
71)
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SUITABILITY OF THE PASSENGER SEAT FOR UNIVERSAL CHILD RESTRAINT
SYSTEM USE
The car complies with the European Directive 2000/3/EC which governs the arrangement of child restraint systems on the
passenger's seat of the car as shown in the following table:
Group Weight groups Passenger
Group 1 9-18 kg L
Group 2 15-25 kg L
Group 3 22-36 kg L
L = suitable for special child restraint systems for this type of car.
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SAFETY

CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEMS RECOMMENDED BY ALFA ROMEO FOR YOUR 4C
Lineaccessori Alfa Romeo offers two special forward facing child restraint systems for 4C, secured with the three-point seat belt
only.
89
Weight group Child restraint systemType of child restraint
systemChild restraint system installation
Group1–from9up
to 18 kg
Britax Romer Duo Plus
Approval number: E1
04301133
Fiat order code: 71803161Child restraint system to be fitted facing
forwards only using ONLY the car's safety
belts.
It is recommended not to use the ISOFIX
anchorages and the child restraint system
top tether as the car is not equipped with
ISOFIX anchorages and top tether.
Group2–3from15
kg to 36 kg
Fair Junior Fix
Approval number: E4
04443721
Fiat order code: 71806570It must be installed forward facing only,
using ONLY the car's seat belt.
It is recommended not to use the ISOFIX
anchorages as the car is not equipped with
ISOFIX anchorages.

Main safety rules to be
followed when carrying
children
Follow the instructions supplied with
the child restraint system itself, which
the manufacturer must provide. Keep
the instructions in the car along with the
other documents and this handbook.
Do not use child restraint systems
without instructions;
always check that the seat belt is
well fastened by pulling on it;
only one child is to be strapped into
each restraint system; never carry two
children using one child restraint
system;
always check that seat belts do not
rest on the child’s neck;
while travelling, do not let the child sit
incorrectly or release the belts;
never carry children on your lap, even
newborns. No-one could restrain them
in the event of an accident;
in the event of an accident, replace
the child restraint system with a new
one.
WARNING
71)The figures are only examples for fitting
purposes. Fit the child restraint system
according to the instructions, which must
be included.
FRONT AIRBAGS
DRIVER AND
PASSENGER FRONT
AIRBAGS
The car features multistage front
airbags (“Smart bag system”) for driver
and passenger.
The front driver/passenger airbags are
designed to protect 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 of the front
airbags in other types of collisions (side
collisions, rear shunts, rollovers, etc.)
does not indicate a system malfunction.
Airbags are not a replacement of but
complementary to the seat belts, which
you are recommended to always wear.
In the event of impact, those not
wearing a seat belt are projected
forwards and may come into contact
with the bag which is still inflating. The
protection offered by the bag is
compromised in these circumstances.
72)
Front airbags may not activate 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 othervehicles or protective barriers (e.g.
underneath a truck or a guard rail); in
this case, 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.
Driver front airbag
This is located in a dedicated
compartment in the centre of the
steering wheel fig. 71.
73)
Passenger front airbag
This is located in a dedicated
compartment in the dashboard fig. 72.
74)
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SAFETY

PASSENGER SIDE FRONT
AIRBAG AND CHILD
RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
It is ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN to
install on the vehicle a child restraint
system backwards the driving direction.
Deployment of the airbag in an accident
could cause fatal injuries to the baby.
ALWAYS comply with the instructions
on the label stuck on the passenger
side sun visor fig. 73.
GENERAL WARNINGS
The front airbags may activate in the
event of sharp impacts to the
underbody of the car (e.g. impact with
steps, pavements, potholes or road
bumps, etc.).
When the airbag deploys it emits a
small amount of dust: the dust is
harmless and does not indicate the
beginning of a fire. The dust may irritate
the skin and eyes however: in this case,
wash with neutral soap and water.
Airbag checking, repair and
replacement must be carried out at a
dedicated Alfa Romeo Dealership.
If the car is scrapped, have the airbag
system deactivated at a dedicated Alfa
Romeo Dealership.
Pretensioners and airbags are deployed
according to different logics on the
basis of the type of collision. Failure to
deploy of one of the devices does not
necessarily indicate a system
malfunction.
77) 78) 79) 80) 81) 82) 83)
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Passenger side front airbag and child restraint systems IMPORTANT
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SAFETY

WARNING
72)Do not apply stickers or other objects
to the steering wheel or the passenger side
airbag cover. Do not place objects on the
passenger side of the dashboard because
these could interfere with the correct
opening of the passenger airbag and
cause injury to occupants.
73)Always drive keeping your hands on
the steering wheel rim so the airbag can
inflate freely if necessary. Do not drive with
your body bent forward. Keep your back
straight against the backrest.
74)Instructions for deactivating the front
passenger airbag can be found in the
"Menu Options" paragraph of the
"Knowing the instrument panel" chapter.
Please note that under these conditions
the airbag will NOT deploy when required
(accident).
75)Do not rest your head, arms or elbows
on the door to prevent injury during airbag
deployment.
76)Never lean your head, arms or elbows
out of the window.
77)If the
warning light does not switch
on when the key is turned to MAR, or stays
on while driving (on some versions together
with a message on the display) there may
be a fault in the restraint systems. In this
case, airbags or pretensioners may not be
activated in the case of an accident or (in a
lesser number of cases) they may be
activated incorrectly. Before proceeding,
contact a dedicated Alfa Romeo Dealership
to have the system checked immediately.78)Do not travel carrying objects on your
lap, in front of your chest or between your
lips (pipe, pencils, etc.): they could cause
severe injury if the airbag is deployed.
79)If the car has been subject to theft,
attempted theft, vandalism, or flooding,
have the airbag system inspected at a
dedicated Alfa Romeo Dealership.
80)The airbags may also be deployed
when the car is not moving, if the key is
inserted and turned to MAR even when the
engine is off, if the car is hit by another
moving vehicle. Also remember that no
safety device (airbags or pretensioners) will
activate in the event of impact when the
key is at STOP. Non-deployment of these
devices under these circumstances does
not therefore indicate a system
malfunction.
81)When the ignition key is turned to
MAR, the
warning light comes on
constantly for the first 4 seconds. Then, if
the warning light remains on, this means
the passenger's protection has been
deactivated; if the warning light switches
off, instead, the passenger's protection is
enabled.
82)The front airbag is designed to be
deployed for impacts of a greater intensity
than for the pretensioners. For impacts
whose intensity falls between the two
levels, normally, only the pretensioners will
be activated.
83)The airbag does not replace seat belts
but increases their efficiency. Because front
airbags are not deployed for low-speed
frontal impacts, side collisions, rear shunts
or rollovers, occupants are protected only
by their seat belts, which must always be
fastened.
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