2019 FIAT 500L power steering

KNOWING YOUR CAR
In-depth knowledge of your new vehicle
starts here.
The handbook that you are reading
simply and directly explains how it
is made and how it works.
That’s why we advise you to read it
seated comfortably on board, so that
you can see immediately what is
described here for yourself.DASHBOARD ................................. 10
THE FIAT CODE SYSTEM ............... 12
KEYS .............................................. 12
IGNITION DEVICE ........................... 14
SEATS ............................................ 15
HEAD RESTRAINTS ........................ 18
STEERING WHEEL ......................... 19
REAR VIEW MIRRORS .................... 19
CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM ....... 22
EXTERIOR LIGHTS ......................... 25
INTERIOR LIGHTS .......................... 27
WINDSCREEN WIPER/REAR
WINDOW WIPER ............................ 28
FIXED GLASS ROOF ....................... 30
ELECTRIC SUNROOF ..................... 31
DOORS ........................................... 33
ELECTRIC WINDOWS .................... 34
BONNET ......................................... 36
LUGGAGE COMPARTMENT ........... 37
DUALDRIVE ELECTRIC POWER
STEERING ...................................... 39
9

30)In the event of an accident or sharp
braking, any object placed on the curtain
may be projected backwards in the
passenger compartment, and risk to hurt
the occupants.
31)Abrupt braking or occasional impacts
may cause sudden movements of the load
with consequent situations of hazard for
the driver and passengers: before setting
off, secure the load tightly using the hooks
provided. For securing use cables, ropes
or belts strong enough to hold the items to
be secured.
WARNING
13)Before tilting the seat backrest fully,
remove any objects laid on it.
14)The dimensions of the platform permit
a maximum capacity of distributed weight
of 70 kg (in position 1) or 40 kg (in position
2): do not load objects with a higher
weight.
15)To avoid damaging the blind, do not
place heavy objects on it.
DUALDRIVE
ELECTRIC POWER
STEERING
(for versions/markets, where provided)
This only operates with the ignition
key turned to MAR and engine running.
Electric power steering allows the
force required at the steering wheel to
be adapted to the driving conditions.
IMPORTANT When turning the ignition
key quickly, full power steering
functionality can be achieved after a
few seconds.
IMPORTANT During parking
manoeuvres requiring a lot of steering,
the steering may become harder; this is
normal and is due to the intervention
of the system to protect the electric
steering motor from overheating. No
repair intervention is needed in this
case. When the car is used again, the
power steering will work normally again.IMPORTANT The Dualdrive electric
power steering provides an electronic
damping effect when approaching
the end of travel. In some manoeuvring
conditions, the steering wheel may
perform an additional small rotation until
reaching its mechanical stop. This
behaviour is normal and is intended to
prevent excessive impacts with the
mechanical components located inside
the device.
POWER STEERING
ACTIVATION/
DEACTIVATION
32) 33)
To engage/disengage the electric
power steering press button fig. 51.
The LED above the button switches on
to indicate that the system is active.
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39

When the power steering is on, the
steering wheel effort is lighter, making
parking easier: therefore, this function is
particularly useful for driving in city
centres.
WARNING
32)It is absolutely forbidden to carry out
any after-market operation involving
steering system or steering column
modifications (e.g. installation of anti-theft
device) that could adversely affect
performance and safety, invalidate the
warranty and also result in the car not
meeting type-approval requirements.
33)Before performing any maintenance
operations, always turn off the engine and
remove the key from the ignition to lock the
steering column (especially when the car
wheels are not touching the ground). If this
is not possible (for example if the key
needs to be turned to MAR or the engine
must be running), remove the main fuse
that protects the electric power steering.
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KNOWING YOUR CAR

Warning light What it means
red“DUALDRIVE” ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM
During engine start: when the key is turned to MAR, the warning light switches on, but it should switch
off after a few seconds. If the warning light stays on, turn the ignition key to STOP and start the engine
again. If the warning light stays on, the effort to operate the steering wheel could be increased; steering is,
however, possible. In this case, contact a Fiat Dealership as soon as possible.
While driving: if the warning light switches on while driving you may not have steering assistance.
Although it will still be possible to steer the vehicle, the effort needed to operate the steering wheel could
be increased: contact a Fiat Dealership as soon as possible.
IMPORTANT In some circumstances, factors independent of the electric power steering could cause the
warning light on the instrument panel to switch on. In this case, stop the car immediately (should it be in
motion), stop the engine for about 20 seconds and then restart the engine. If the warning light (or, on some
versions, a message and a symbol on the display) remains on constantly, contact a Fiat Dealership.
IMPORTANT After the battery is disconnected, the steering must be initialised. The warning light switches
on to indicate this. To carry out this procedure, turn the steering wheel all the way from one end to the
other or simply drive in a straight line for about a hundred metres.
50
KNOWING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL

The system is automatically activated in
the following conditions:
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: car stationary on a road
with a gradient of more than 5%,
engine running, brake pressed and
reverse gear engaged.
ASR (AntiSlip
Regulation) 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.
Engagement/disengagement of the
system
The system switches on automatically
each time the engine is started. The
ASR can be turned off and then turned
back on again whilst driving by pressing
the button located in the dashboard
fig. 56.
When travelling on snowy roads with
snow chains, it may be helpful to turn
the ASR off: in fact, in these conditions,
the driving wheels skidding when
moving off gives you better traction.DST (Dynamic Steering
Torque or steering
corrector) system
54)
The DST (steering corrector) system
function uses the integration of the ESC
system with the electric power steering
to increase the safety level of the whole
car. In critical situations (e.g.
understeering, oversteering, braking
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 be performed to
the driver.ERM (Electronic Rollover
Mitigation) SYSTEM
55)
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.
WARNING
36)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.
37)For 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.
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72
SAFETY

STARTING THE
ENGINE
95) 96)38) 39) 40) 41) 42)
Before starting the engine, adjust the
seat, the interior rear-view mirrors,
the door mirrors and fasten the seat
belt correctly.
Never press the accelerator pedal for
starting the engine.
VERSIONS WITH MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
Petrol versions
Proceed as follows:
engage the handbrake and put the
gear lever in neutral;
fully depress the clutch pedal
without touching the accelerator;
turn the ignition key to AVV and
release it as soon as the engine starts.
Diesel versions
Proceed as follows:
engage the handbrake, put the gear
lever into neutral and turn the ignition
key to MAR: the
warning light in the
instrument panel will turn on.
wait for thewarning light to turn
off and then fully depress the clutch
pedal without pressing the accelerator;
turn the ignition key to the AVV
position as soon as the warning light
turns off. Release the ignition key as
soon as the engine starts.
IMPORTANT If the engine does not
start at the first attempt, return the
ignition key to STOP before repeating
the procedure. If, with the ignition
key on MAR, the
symbol on the
display stays on together with the
warning light on the instrument
panel (for petrol versions only), it is
advisable to turn the key to STOP and
then back to MAR. If the
symbol
continues to stay on, try with the other
keys provided with the car. Contact a
Fiat Dealership if you still cannot start
the engine.
VERSIONS WITH
DUALOGIC
TRANSMISSION
97)
Engine starting is allowed both with a
gear engaged and with the gearbox
in neutral (N).
However, the brake pedal must always
be pressed first if neutral is not
engaged. It is advisable to place the
gear lever in neutral (N) before starting
the engine.SWITCHING OFF THE
ENGINE
Turn the ignition key to STOP while the
engine is idling.
IMPORTANT After a demanding drive,
before turning the engine off you should
allow it to idle to allow the temperature
in the engine compartment to
decrease.
WARNING
95)It is dangerous to run the engine in
enclosed areas. The engine consumes
oxygen and engine exhaust contains
carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and
other toxic gasses.
96)Remember that the brake servo and
electrical power steering system are not
operational until the engine is started,
therefore a greater effort will be required to
press the brake pedal or turn the steering
wheel.
97)If the engine fails to start with a gear
engaged, the potentially dangerous
situation due to the fact that the
transmission is automatically placed in
neutral will be signalled by an acoustic
warning.
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in driving conditions, push the gear
lever towards (+) to engage the next
gear up or towards (–) to engage the
next gear down.
IMPORTANT For the correct use of the
system only use your right foot to
operate the pedal unit.
AUTOMATIC MODE
(AUTO)
Proceed as follows:
press the brake pedal and start the
engine;
push the gear lever towards (+) to
engage first gear (if starting from N
or R, simply place the lever in the
middle position) or R to engage reverse;
in case of forward gear, the view on
the display must be “A1”, “A2” (see
figure), etc. If this is not so, move the
A/M to activate automatic mode;
release the brake pedal and press
the accelerator pedal: the gear most
suited to the vehicle speed will be
engaged.
AUTO-ECO OPERATION
To activate the function press the ECO
button fig. 90. The ECO function can be
only activated only with automatic
mode active.With the ECO function active, the
system will select the most suitable
gear depending on the vehicle speed,
engine rpm and intensity with which the
accelerator pedal is pressed, with the
aim of limiting fuel consumption.
“Kick Down” FUNCTION
(for versions/markets, where provided)
If necessary (e.g. when overtaking),
the system downshifts one or more
gears when the accelerator is
depressed beyond the point where it
becomes stiff (and if the rpm allow it) in
order to provide suitable power and
torque for the required acceleration.
IMPORTANT The use of the “Kick
Down” function is recommended only
when overtaking or accelerating quickly,
in order not to increase fuel
consumption.STEERING WHEEL
CONTROLS
(for versions/markets, where provided)
45)
On some versions, the gearbox can be
managed sequentially using the
steering wheel controls fig. 91.
To use the controls on the steering
wheel, the gear lever must be in the
central position between (+) and (–).
To engage a higher gear: pull the
right stalk (+) toward the steering wheel.
To engage a lower gear: pull the
right stalk (-) toward the steering wheel.
The engagement of a lower (or higher)
gear is only permitted if the engine
revs allow it.
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91F0Y0615C
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disconnect the other end of the
cable used for negative (–) from the
negative terminal (–) of the auxiliary
battery;
disconnect the end of the cable
used for positive (+) from the positive
terminal (+) of the auxiliary battery;
disconnect one end of the cable
used for positive (+) from the positive
terminal (+) of the car with flat battery.
If it is often necessary to perform a
jump starting, have the car battery and
the recharging system checked by a
Fiat Dealership.
BUMP STARTING
Never, under any circumstances, jump
start the engine by pushing, towing
or coasting downhill.
IMPORTANT Remember that the brake
servo and electric power steering are
not active until the engine is started. A
much greater effort will therefore be
required to use the brake pedal or turn
the steering wheel.IMPORTANT Any accessories (e.g.
mobile phones, etc.) connected to the
vehicle power sockets draw current
even if they are not used. These
devices, if left connected too much time
with engine off, may cause the battery
to drain with following reduction of
its life and/or failure to start the engine.
WARNING
136)Do not get too close to the radiator
cooling fan: the electric fan may start;
danger of injury. Scarves, ties and other
loose clothing might be pulled by moving
parts.
137)Remove any metal objects (e.g. rings,
watches, bracelets), that might cause an
accidental electrical contact and cause
serious injury.
138)The batteries contain acid that can
burn skin or eyes. Batteries produce
hydrogen, which is easily flammable and
explosive. Thus keep away flames or
devices which may cause sparks.
139)This starting procedure must be
performed by expert personnel because
incorrect actions could cause electrical
discharge of considerable intensity.
Furthermore, battery fluid is poisonous and
corrosive: avoid contact with skin and
eyes. Keep naked flames and lighted
cigarettes away from the battery and do
not cause sparks.
WARNING
56)Do not connect the cable to the
negative terminal (–) of the flat battery. The
following spark could lead to battery
explosion and cause serious harm. Only
use the specific earth point; do not use any
other exposed metallic part.
57)Never use a fast battery-charger to
start the engine as this could damage the
electronic systems of your vehicle,
particularly the ignition and engine fuel
supply control units.
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