2018 FIAT 500X Owner handbook (in English)

Message on displaySTART&STOP ST
ART&STOP SYSTEM ACTIVATION/DEACTIVATION
Activation: the system activation is signalled by a message on the display. In this
case, the LED on the button is off.
Deactivation: a message will appear on the display when the system is off. In
this case, the LED on the button is on.
71

WARNING
31)If, when the ignition device is turned to MAR, thewarning light does not switch on or stays on whilst driving, a failure may have
occurred in the restraint systems. In this case the airbags or pretensioners may not be deployed in an impact or, in a lower number of cases,
they may be deployed accidentally. Before continuing, contact a Fiat Dealership immediately to have the system checked.
32) The fault of the
warning light is signalled by the switching on of theicon on the instrument panel. In this case, the warning light may
not indicate any faults with the restraint systems. Before continuing, contact a Fiat Dealership immediately to have the system checked.
33) If a failure is present with sharp braking, the rear wheels may lock and the vehicle may swerve.
IMPORTANT
24)If, turning the ignition device to MAR, thewarning light does not turn on or if it turns on steadily or flashing when travelling (on some
versions together with the message on the display), contact a Fiat Dealership as soon as possible.
25) If the warning light (or the icon on the display) flashes whilst driving, contact a Fiat Dealership.
26) If the symbol switches on when driving, stop the engine immediately and contact a Fiat Dealership.
27) Driving the vehicle with this symbol on may severely damage the gearbox, with resulting breakage. The oil may also overheat: contact with
hot engine or with exhaust components at high temperature could cause fires.
28) The presence of water in the fuel system circuit may cause severe damage to the injection system and irregular engine operation. If the
symbol is displayed contact a Fiat Dealership as soon as possible to bleed the system. If the above indications come on immediately after
refuelling, water has probably been poured into the tank: switch the engine off immediately and contact a Fiat Dealership.
29) Vehicle travel speed should always be adapted to the traffic and weather conditions, and must always comply with traffic regulations. The
engine can be stopped even if the DPF warning light is on: however, repeated interruptions of the regeneration process could cause
premature deterioration of the engine oil. For this reason it is always advisable to wait for the symbol to go off before turning off the engine,
following the instructions above. Do not complete the DPF regeneration process when the vehicle is stopped.
30) If the
warning light comes on, the exhausted engine oil should be changed as soon as possible, never drive more than 500 km from
the first switching-on of this warning light. Failure to observe the above may result in severe damage to the engine and invalidate the warranty.
Remember that when this warning light comes on, it does not mean that the level of engine oil is low, so if it flashes you do not need to top up
the engine oil.
31) If the symbol flashes when driving, contact a Fiat Dealership.
72
KNOWING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL

SAFETY
The chapter that you are about to read
is very important: it describes the safety
systems with which the vehicle is
equipped and provides instructions on
how to use them correctly.ACTIVE SAFETY SYSTEMS......74
DRIVING ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS . .78
OCCUPANT PROTECTION
SYSTEMS .................87
SEATBELTS................87
SBR (Seat Belt Reminder)
SYSTEM ..................89
PRE-TENSIONERS ............91
CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEMS ....93
SUPPLEMENTARY RESTRAINT
SYSTEM (SRS) - AIRBAG .......106
73

ACTIVE SAFETY
SYSTEMS
The vehicle has the following active
safety systems:
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System);
DTC (Drag Torque Control);
ESC (Electronic Stability Control);
TC (Traction Control);
PBA (Panic Brake Assist);
HHC (Hill Hold Control);
DST (Dynamic Steering Torque);
ERM (Electronic Rollover Mitigation);
TSC (Trailer Sway Control).
For the operation of the systems, see
the following description.
ABS (Anti-lock Braking
System)
This system, which is an integral part of
the braking system, prevents one or
more wheels from locking and slipping
in all road surface conditions,
irrespective of the intensity of the
braking action, ensuring that the vehicle
can be controlled even during
emergency braking and optimising
stopping distances.
The system intervenes during braking
when the wheels are about to lock,
typically in emergency braking or
low-grip conditions, when locking may
be more frequent. The system also improves control and
stability of the vehicle when braking on
a surface where the grip of the left and
right wheels varies, or on corners.
The Electronic Braking Force
Distribution (EBD) system completes
the system allowing the brake force to
be distributed between the front and
rear wheels.
System intervention
The driver can feel that the ABS system
has come into action because the
brake pedal pulsates slightly and the
system gets noisier: this is entirely
normal with the system operating.
34) 35) 36) 37) 38) 39) 40)
DTC (Drag Torque
Control) SYSTEM
The DTC (Drag Torque Control) system
prevents the drive wheels from possibly
locking, which could happen, for
example, if the accelerator pedal is
released suddenly or in the case of a
sudden downshifting in conditions of
poor grip. In this conditions, the engine
braking effect could cause the drive
wheels to slip, resulting in a loss of car
stability. In these situations, the DTC
system intervenes, restoring torque to
the engine in order to conserve car
stability and increase car safety.
ESC (Electronic Stability
Control) SYSTEM
The ESC system improves the
directional control and stability of the
vehicle in various driving conditions.
The ESC system corrects the vehicle’s
understeer and oversteer, distributing
the brake force on the wheels
appropriately. The torque supplied by
the engine can also be reduced in order
to maintain control of the vehicle.
The ESC system uses sensors installed
on the vehicle to determine the
trajectory that the driver intends to
follow and compares it with the
vehicle’s effective trajectory. When the
real trajectory deviates from the desired
trajectory, the ESC system intervenes to
counter the vehicle’s understeer or
oversteer.
Oversteer: occurs when the vehicle is
turning more than it should according
to the angle of the steering wheel.
Understeer: occurs when the vehicle
is turning less than it should according
to the angle of the steering wheel.
74
SAFETY

System intervention
The intervention of the system is
indicated by the flashing of the
warning light on the instrument
panel, to inform the driver that the
vehicle is in critical stability and grip
conditions.
41) 42) 43) 44) 45)
TC (Traction Control)
SYSTEM
The system automatically operates in
the event of slipping, loss of grip on wet
roads (aquaplaning) and acceleration on
slippery, snowy or icy roads, etc. on
one or more drive wheels. Depending
on the slipping conditions, two different
control systems are activated:
if the slipping involves both drive
wheels, the system intervenes, reducing
the power transmitted by the engine;
if the slipping only involves one of the
drive wheels, the BLD (Brake Limited
Differential) function is activated,
automatically braking the wheel which
is slipping (the behaviour of a
self-locking differential is simulated).
This will increase the engine torque
transferred to the wheel which isn't
slipping. This function remains active
even if the "Systems partially disabled"
and "Systems disabled" modes are
selected (see description in the
following pages). System intervention
The intervention of the system is
indicated by the flashing of the
warning light on the instrument
panel, to inform the driver that the
vehicle is in critical stability and grip
conditions.
46) 47) 48) 49) 50)
PBA (Panic Brake
Assist) SYSTEM
The PBA system is designed to improve
the vehicle’s braking capacity during
emergency braking.
The system detects emergency braking
by monitoring the speed and force with
which the brake pedal is pressed, and
consequently applies the optimal brake
pressure. This can reduce the braking
distance: the PBA system therefore
completes the ABS.
Maximum assistance from the PBA
system is obtained by pressing the
brake pedal very quickly. In addition, the
brake pedal should be pressed
continuously during braking, avoiding
intermittent presses, to get the most
out of the system. Do not reduce
pressure on the brake pedal until
braking is not necessary anymore.
The PBA system is deactivated when
the brake pedal is released.
51) 52) 53)
HHC (Hill Hold Control)
SYSTEM
This is an integral part of the ESC
system and facilitates starting on
slopes, activating automatically in the
following cases:
uphill: vehicle stationary on a road
with a gradient higher than 5%, engine
running, brake pressed and
transmission in neutral or gear other
than reverse engaged;
downhill: vehicle stationary on a road
with a gradient higher than 5%, engine
running, brake pressed and reverse
gear engaged.
When setting off, the ESC system
control unit maintains the braking
pressure on the wheels until the engine
torque necessary for starting is
reached, or in any case for a maximum
of 2 seconds, allowing your right foot to
be moved easily from the brake pedal
to the accelerator.
When two seconds have elapsed,
without starting, the system is
automatically deactivated, gradually
releasing the braking pressure. During
this release stage it is possible to hear a
typical mechanical brake release noise,
indicating the imminent movement of
the vehicle.
54) 55)
75

DST SYSTEM (Dynamic
Steering Torque)
The DST function uses the integration
of the ESC system with the electric
power steering to increase the safety
level of the whole vehicle.
In critical situations (braking on surfaces
with different grip conditions), through
the DST function the ESC system
controls the steering to implement an
additional torque contribution on the
steering wheel, to suggest the most
correct manoeuvre to the driver.
The coordinated action of the brakes
and steering increases the sensation of
safety and control of the vehicle.
56)
ERM (Electronic Rollover
Mitigation) SYSTEM
The system monitors the tendency of
the wheels to rise from the ground if the
driver performs extreme manoeuvres
like quick steering to avoid an obstacle,
especially in poor road conditions.
If these conditions occur, the system
intervenes on the brakes and engine
power to reduce the possibility that the
wheels are raised from the ground. It is
not possible to avoid tendency to roll
over if the phenomenon is due to
reasons such as driving on high side
gradients, collision with objects or other
vehicles.
57)
TSC (Trailer Sway
Control) SYSTEM
The system employs a series of sensors
located on the vehicle to identify
excessive swerving of the trailer and
take the necessary precautions to
eliminate it.
To counteract the effect of trailer sway,
the system can reduce the engine
power and intervene on the wheels
involved. The TSC system activates
automatically once excessive sway of
the trailer is detected.System intervention
When the system is active, the
warning light flashes on the
instrument panel, the engine power is
reduced and braking can be felt on the
individual wheels, following the attempt
to eliminate the swerving of the trailer.
58) 59)
WARNING
34) When the ABS intervenes and you feel
the brake pedal pulsating, do not reduce
the pressure, but hold it down firmly and
confidently; in doing so you will brake in the
shortest distance possible, depending on
the current road conditions.
35) To obtain the maximum efficiency of
the braking system, a bedding-in period of
about 500 km is needed: during this period
it is better to avoid sharp, repeated and
prolonged braking.
36) If the ABS intervenes, this indicates
that the grip of the tyres on the road is
nearing its limit: you must slow down to a
speed compatible with the available grip.
37) The ABS cannot overrule the natural
laws of physics, and cannot increase the
grip available according to the condition of
the road.
38) The ABS cannot prevent accidents,
including those due to excessive speed on
corners, driving on low-grip surfaces or
aquaplaning.
76
SAFETY

39)The capability of the ABS must never
be tested irresponsibly and dangerously, in
such a way as to compromise personal
safety and the safety of others.
40) For the correct operation of the ABS,
the tyres must of necessity be the same
make and type on all wheels, in perfect
condition and, above all, of the prescribed
type and dimensions.
41) The ESC system cannot alter the
natural laws of physics, and cannot
increase grip, which depends on the
condition of the road.
42) The ESC system cannot prevent
accidents, including those due to excessive
speed on corners, driving on low-grip
surfaces or aquaplaning.
43) The capability of the ESC system must
never be tested irresponsibly and
dangerously, in such a way as to
compromise personal safety and the safety
of others.
44) For the correct operation of the ESC
system, the tyres must necessarily be of
the same make and type on all wheels, in
perfect condition and, above all, of the
prescribed type and size.
45) ESC performance features must not
induce the driver to take unnecessary or
unwarranted risks. Your driving style must
always be suited to the road conditions,
visibility and traffic. The driver is, in any
case, responsible for safe driving.
46) For the correct operation of the TC
system, the tyres must of necessity be the
same make and type on all wheels, in
perfect condition and, above all, of the
prescribed type and dimensions. 47)
TC performance features must not
induce the driver to take unnecessary or
unwarranted risks. Your driving style must
always be suited to the road conditions,
visibility and traffic. The driver is, in any
case, responsible for safe driving.
48) The TC system cannot overrule the
natural laws of physics, and cannot
increase the grip available according to the
condition of the road.
49) The TC system cannot prevent
accidents, including those due to excessive
speed on corners, driving on low-grip
surfaces or aquaplaning.
50) The capability of the TC must never be
tested irresponsibly and dangerously, in
such a way as to compromise personal
safety and the safety of others.
51) The PBA system cannot overrule the
natural laws of physics, and cannot
increase the grip available according to the
condition of the road.
52) The PBA system cannot prevent
accidents, including those due to excessive
speed on corners, driving on low-grip
surfaces or aquaplaning.
53) The capability of the PBA system must
never be tested irresponsibly and
dangerously, in such a way as to
compromise the safety of the driver, the
other occupants of the vehicle or any other
road user.
54) The Hill Hold Control system is not a
parking brake; therefore, never leave the
vehicle without having engaged the electric
parking brake, turned the engine off and
engaged first gear, so that it is parked in
safe conditions (for further information read
the "Parking" paragraph in the "Starting
and driving" chapter). 55)
There may be situations on small
gradients (less than 8%), with vehicle
laden, in which the Hill Hold Control system
may not activate, causing a slight reversing
motion and increasing the risk of collision
with another vehicle or object. The driver is,
in any case, responsible for safe driving.
56) DST is an aid for driving and does not
relieve the driver of responsibility for driving
the vehicle.
57) The performance of a vehicle with ERM
must never be tested in imprudent or
dangerous ways, with the possibility of
putting the safety of the driver or other
people at risk.
58) When towing trailers, the utmost
caution at the wheel is recommended.
Never exceed the maximum permitted
loads (see the description in the "Weights"
paragraph in the "Technical Specifications"
chapter).
59) The TSC system cannot prevent
swerving for all trailers. If the system
activates during driving, reduce the speed,
stop the vehicle in a safe place and arrange
the load correctly to prevent the trailer from
swerving.
77

DRIVING
ASSISTANCE
SYSTEMS
The vehicle can feature the following
driving assistance systems:
BSA (Blind Spot Assist);
FBC (Full Brake Control);
iTPMS (indirect Tyre Pressure
Monitoring System).
For the operation of the systems, see
the following pages.
BSA (Blind-Spot Assist)
SYSTEM
The car can be equipped with the BSA
(Blind Spot Assist) system for blind spot
monitoring. The BSA system uses two
radar sensors, located in the rear
bumper (one for each side - see
fig. 60 ), to detect the presence of cars
(cars, trucks, motorbikes, etc.) in the
rear side blind spots of the car. The system warns the driver about the
presence of cars in the detection area
by lighting up, on the relevant side, the
warning light located on the door mirror
fig. 61, along with an acoustic warning.
As soon as the ignition key is in MAR
position, or when the engine is started
(keyless version), the warning light turns
on to signal the driver that the system is
active.Sensors
The sensors are activated when any
forward gear is engaged at a speed
higher than about 10 km/h, or when
reverse is engaged.
The sensors are temporarily deactivated
with car at a standstill and the gear
lever in position P (Park) (versions with
automatic transmission), or with car at a
standstill and electric parking brake
engaged (versions with manual
transmission).
The detection area of the system
covers about a lane on both sides of
the vehicle (around 3 metres).
This area starts from the door mirror
and extends for about 6 metres
towards the rear part of the car.
When the sensors are active the system
monitors the detection areas on both
sides of the car and warns the driver
about the possible presence of cars in
these areas.
While driving the system monitors the
detection area from three different input
points (side, rear and front) to check
whether a warning needs to be sent to
the driver. The system can detect the
presence of a vehicle in one of these
three areas.
60F1B0093C
61F1B0094C
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SAFETY