2018 FIAT 500C Owners Manual

CAUTION! (Continued)in long enough without engine operation, the vehicle’s
battery will discharge sufficiently to degrade battery
life and/or prevent the engine from starting.
GEAR SELECTOR OVERRIDE
If a malfunction occurs and the gear selector cannot be
moved out of the PARK position, you can use the following
procedure to temporarily move the gear selector:
1. Turn the engine OFF.
2. Firmly apply the parking brake.
3. Remove the gear selector override access cover (located
on the right side of the gear selector housing) by prying
at the bottom edge of the cover. 4. Press and maintain firm pressure on the brake pedal.
5. Insert a small screwdriver or similar tool into the access
hole, and push and hold the override release lever in.
6. Move the gear selector to the NEUTRAL position.
7. The vehicle may then be started in NEUTRAL.
8. Reinstall the gear selector override access cover. Gear Selector Override Access Hole
7IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 223

IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS
In any of the following situations, you can reduce the
potential for overheating by taking the appropriate action.
• On the highways — slow down.
• In city traffic — while stopped, place the transmission in
NEUTRAL, but do not increase engine idle speed.
NOTE: There are steps that you can take to slow down an
impending overheat condition:
• If your air conditioner (A/C) is on, turn it off. The A/C
system adds heat to the engine cooling system and
turning the A/C off can help remove this heat.
• You can also turn the temperature control to maximum
heat, the mode control to floor and the blower control to
high. This allows the heater core to act as a supplement
to the radiator and aids in removing heat from the
engine cooling system.
WARNING!You or others can be badly burned by hot engine
coolant (antifreeze) or steam from your radiator. If you
see or hear steam coming from under the hood, do not (Continued) WARNING! (Continued)open the hood until the radiator has had time to cool.
Never try to open a cooling system pressure cap when
the radiator or coolant bottle is hot.
CAUTION!Driving with a hot cooling system could damage your
vehicle. If the pointer rises to the H (red) mark, the
instrument cluster will sound a chime. When safe, pull
over and stop the vehicle with the engine at idle. Turn
off the air conditioning and wait until the pointer
drops back into the normal range. If the pointer
remains on the H (red) mark for more than a minute,
turn the engine off immediately and call for service.
FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE
If your vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand or snow, it can
often be moved using a rocking motion. Turn the steering
wheel right and left to clear the area around the front
wheels. Then shift back and forth between DRIVE and
REVERSE (with automatic transmission) or SECOND224 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

GEAR and REVERSE (with manual transmission), while
gently pressing the accelerator. Use the least amount of
accelerator pedal pressure that will maintain the rocking
motion, without spinning the wheels, or racing the engine.
NOTE: Push the  ESC Off  switch, to place the Electronic
Stability Control (ESC) system in  Partial Off  mode, before
rocking the vehicle. Refer to “Electronic Brake Control” in
“Safety” for further information. Once the vehicle has been
freed, push the  ESC Off  switch again to restore  ESC On 
mode.
WARNING!Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces generated
by excessive wheel speeds may cause damage, or even
failure, of the axle and tires. A tire could explode and
injure someone. Do not spin your vehicle’s wheels
faster than 30 mph (48 km/h) or for longer than 30
seconds continuously without stopping when you are
stuck and do not let anyone near a spinning wheel, no
matter what the speed. CAUTION!• Racing the engine or spinning the wheels may lead
to transmission overheating and failure. Allow the
engine to idle with the transmission in NEUTRAL
for at least one minute after every five rocking-
motion cycles. This will minimize overheating and
reduce the risk of clutch or transmission failure
during prolonged efforts to free a stuck vehicle.
• When “rocking” a stuck vehicle by shifting between
DRIVE/SECOND GEAR and REVERSE, do not spin
the wheels faster than 15 mph (24 km/h), or drive-
train damage may result.
• Revving the engine or spinning the wheels too fast
may lead to transmission overheating and failure.
It can also damage the tires. Do not spin the wheels
above 30 mph (48 km/h) while in gear (no transmis-
sion shifting occurring). 7IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 225

TOWING A DISABLED VEHICLE
This section describes procedures for towing a disabled
vehicle using a commercial towing service.
Towing Condition Wheels OFF The Ground Automatic Transmission Manual Transmission
Flat Tow NONE NOT ALLOWED If transmission is operable:
• Transmission in NEUTRAL
• 65 mph (104 km/h)
max speed
Wheel Lift Or Dolly Tow Rear NOT ALLOWED NOT ALLOWED
Front OK OK
Flatbed ALL BEST METHOD BEST METHOD
Proper towing or lifting equipment is required to prevent
damage to your vehicle. Use only tow bars and other
equipment designed for this purpose, following equipment
manufacturer ’s instructions. Use of safety chains is man-
datory. Attach a tow bar or other towing device to main
structural members of the vehicle, not to bumpers or
associated brackets. State and local laws regarding vehicles
under tow must be observed. If you must use the accessories (wipers, defrosters, etc.)
while being towed, the ignition must be in the ON/RUN
mode.
CAUTION!• Do not use sling type equipment when towing.
Vehicle damage may occur. (Continued)226 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

CAUTION! (Continued)• When securing the vehicle to a flat bed truck, do not
attach to front or rear suspension components. Dam-
age to your vehicle may result from improper towing.
Automatic Transmission
• Vehicle can be towed with the front wheels elevated.
• Vehicle can be towed on a flatbed truck (all wheels off
the ground).
If the ignition key is unavailable, or the vehicle’s battery is
discharged, refer to “Gear Selector Override” in this section
for instructions on shifting the transmission out of PARK in
order to move the vehicle.
CAUTION!• DO NOT flat tow any vehicle equipped with an
automatic transmission. Damage to the drivetrain
will result. If these vehicles require towing, make
sure all drive wheels are OFF the ground. (Continued) CAUTION! (Continued)• Towing this vehicle in violation of the above require-
ments can cause severe transmission damage. Dam-
age from improper towing is not covered under the
New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Manual Transmission
• Vehicle can be flat towed (all four wheels on the ground)
with the transmission in NEUTRAL.
• Vehicle can be towed with the front wheels elevated.
• Vehicle can be towed on a flatbed truck (all wheels off
the ground).
CAUTION!Towing this vehicle in violation of the above require-
ments can cause severe engine and/or transmission
damage. Damage from improper towing is not covered
under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty. 7IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 227

ENHANCED ACCIDENT RESPONSE SYSTEM
(EARS)
This vehicle is equipped with an Enhanced Accident
Response System.
Please refer to “Occupant Restraint Systems” in “Safety”
for further information on the Enhanced Accident Re-
sponse System (EARS) function.
EVENT DATA RECORDER (EDR)
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Recorder
(EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to record data that
will assist in understanding how a vehicle’s systems per-
formed under certain crash or near crash-like situations,
such as an air bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle.
Please refer to “Occupant Restraint Systems” in “Safety”
for further information on the Event Data Recorder (EDR). 228 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

SERVICING AND MAINTENANCECONTENTS  SCHEDULED SERVICING ................ .231
▫ Maintenance Plan ...................... .232
 ENGINE COMPARTMENT — 1.4L LA ........ .235
▫ Checking Oil Level .................... .236
▫ Adding Washer Fluid .................. .236
▫ Maintenance-Free Battery ................ .237
 DEALER SERVICE ...................... .238
▫ Engine Oil .......................... .238
▫ Engine Oil Filter ...................... .240
▫ Engine Air Cleaner Filter ................ .240
▫ Air Conditioner Maintenance ............. .240
▫ Body Lubrication ..................... .244
▫ Windshield Wiper Blades ................ .245 ▫ Exhaust System ....................... .247
▫ Cooling System ....................... .248
▫ Brake System ........................ .252
▫ Manual Transmission — If Equipped ....... .254
▫ Automatic Transmission — If Equipped ..... .254
 RAISING THE VEHICLE ................. .255
 TIRES ............................... .256
▫ Tire Safety Information ................. .256
▫ Tires — General Information ............. .263
▫ Tire Types ........................... .269
▫ Spare Tires — If Equipped ............... .270
▫ Wheel And Wheel Trim Care ............. .273
▫ Tire Chains (Traction Devices) ............ .274
▫ Tir e Rotation Recommendations ........... .2758

 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADES ......... .276
▫ Treadwear ........................... .276
▫ Traction Grades ....................... .276
▫ Temperature Grades .................... .276
 VEHICLE STORAGE .................... .277
 BODYWORK .......................... .277
▫ Protection From Atmospheric Agents ....... .277 ▫ Body And Underbody Maintenance ......... .278
▫ Preserving The Bodywork ................ .278
 INTERIORS ........................... .281
▫ Seats And Fabric Parts .................. .281
▫ Plastic And Coated Parts ................. .281
▫ Leather Parts ......................... .282
▫ Glass Surfaces ........................ .282230 SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE