warning Abarth 124 Spider 2016 Owner handbook (in English)

operates for about two seconds and
therefore, relying only on the system,
when accelerating from a stop is
dangerous because the vehicle may
move (roll) unexpectedly and cause an
accident. The vehicle could roll
depending on the vehicle's load or if it
is towing something. In addition, for
vehicles with a manual transmission,
the vehicle could still roll depending on
how the clutch pedal or the accelerator
pedal is operated. Always confirm the
safety around the vehicle before starting
to drive the vehicle.
WARNING
76)The presence of the TPMS does not
permit the driver to neglect regular checks
of the tire pressure, including for the spare
wheel, and correct maintenance: the
system is not used to signal a possible fault
to a tire. Tire pressure must be checked
with tires rested and cold. Should it
become necessary for whatever reason to
check pressure with warm tires, do not
reduce pressure even though it is higher
than the prescribed value. Repeat the
check when the tires are cold.
77)Replacing the normal tires with winter
tires and vice versa requires an inspection
of the TPMS, which should be carried out
only by an Abarth Dealership.78)Changes in outside temperature may
cause tire pressures to vary. The system
may temporarily indicate insufficient
pressure. In this case check the tire
inflation pressure with the tires cold and, if
necessary top up the inflation pressure.
OCCUPANT
PROTECTION
SYSTEMS
The most important safety equipment
of the vehicle comprise the following
protection systems:
seat belts;
SBA (Seat Belt Alert) system;
head restraints;
child restraint systems;
front air bags and side air bags.
Read the information given the following
pages with the utmost care.
It is of fundamental importance that the
protection systems are used in the
correct way to guarantee the maximum
possible safety level for the driver and
the passengers.
76
SAFETY

Unfastening the seat belt
Depress the button 1 fig. 63 on the seat
belt buckle. If the belt does not fully
retract, pull it out and check for kinks or
twists. Then make sure it remains
untwisted as it retracts.
IMPORTANT If a belt does not fully
retract, inspect it for kinks and twists. Ifit is still not retracting properly, have it
inspected: contact an Abarth
Dealership.
IMPORTANT Always wear the seat belt
with it correctly routed in its guide 1
fig. 64. Wearing a seat belt without the
seat belt routed in its guide is
dangerous because the seat belt would
not be able to provide adequate
protection in an accident, which could
result in serious injury.
SEAT BELT WARNING
SYSTEMS
If it detects that the occupant seat belt
is unfastened, the warning light or beep
alerts the occupant.
Refer to “Warning lights and messages”
paragraph in “Knowing the instrument
panel” chapter.Refer to “Seat belt warning beep” in
“Knowing the instrument panel”
chapter.
WARNING
79)Always wear your seat belt and make
sure all occupants are properly restrained.
Not wearing a seat belt is extremely
dangerous. During a collision, occupants
not wearing seat belts could hit someone
or things inside the vehicle or even be
thrown out of the vehicle. They could be
seriously injured or even killed. In the same
collision, occupants wearing seat belts
would be much safer.
80)Do not wear twisted seat belts. Twisted
seat belts are dangerous. In a collision, the
full width of the belt is not available to
absorb the impact. This puts more force on
the bones beneath the belt, which could
cause serious injury or death. So, if your
seat belt is twisted, you must straighten
the seat belt to remove any twists and to
allow the full width of the belt to be used.
81)Never use one seat belt on more than
one person at a time. Using one seat belt
for more than one person at a time is
dangerous. A seat belt used in this way
cannot spread the impact forces properly
and the two passengers could be crushed
together and seriously injured or even
killed. Never use one belt for more than
one person at a time and always operate
the vehicle with each occupant properly
restrained.
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SAFETY

82)Do not operate a vehicle with a
damaged seat belt. Using a damaged seat
belt is dangerous. An accident could
damage the belt webbing of the seat belt in
use. A damaged seat belt cannot provide
adequate protection in a collision. Contact
an Abarth Dealership to inspect all seat belt
systems in use during an accident before
they are used again.
83)Have your seat belts changed
immediately if the pretensioner or load
limiter has been expended. Always have an
expert repairer, we recommend an Abarth
Dealership immediately inspect the seat
belt pretensioners and air bags after any
collision. Like the air bags, the seat belt
pretensioners and load limiters will only
function once and must be replaced after
any collision that caused them to deploy. If
the seat belt pretensioners and load
limiters are not replaced, the risk of injury in
a collision will increase.
84)Positioning the shoulder portion of the
seat belt. Improper positioning of the
shoulder portion of the seat belt is
dangerous. Always make sure the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is positioned across
your shoulder and near your neck, but
never under your arm, on your neck, or on
your upper arm.
85)Positioning the lap portion of the seat
belt. The lap portion of the seat belt worn
too high is dangerous. In a collision, this
would concentrate the impact force directly
on the abdominal area, causing serious
injury. Wear the lap portion of the belt
snugly and as low as possible.86)Instructions for use of seat belt
assemblies. Seat belts are designed to
bear upon the bony structure of the body,
and should be worn low across the front of
the pelvis or the pelvis, chest and
shoulders, as applicable; wearing the lap
section of the belt across the abdominal
area must be avoided. Seat belts should
be adjusted as firmly as possible,
consistent with comfort, to provide the
protection for which they have been
designed. A slack belt will greatly reduce
the protection afforded to the wearer. Care
should be taken to avoid contamination of
the webbing with polishes, oils and
chemicals, and particularly battery acid.
Cleaning may safely be carried out using
mild soap and water. The belt should be
replaced if webbing becomes frayed,
contaminated or damaged. It is essential to
replace the entire assembly after it has
been worn in a severe impact even if
damage to the assembly is not obvious.
Belts should not be worn with straps
twisted. Each belt assembly must only be
used by one occupant; it is dangerous to
put a belt around a child being carried on
the occupant's lap.
87)No modifications or additions should
be made by the user which will either
prevent the seat belt adjusting devices
from operating to remove slack, or prevent
the seat belt assembly from being adjusted
to remove slack.SBA SYSTEM (Seat
Belt Alert)
SEAT BELT WARNING
LIGHT
The LED on dashboard trim turns on if
the driver or passenger's seat is
occupied and the seat belt is not
fastened with the ignition switched ON.
If the driver or passenger's seat belt is
unfastened (only when the passenger
seat is occupied) and the vehicle is
driven at a speed faster than about
20 km/h, the
LED flashes. After a
short time, the LED stops flashing, but
remains illuminated.
If a seat belt remains unfastened, the
LED flashes again for a given period of
time. In this case, fasten the seat belt.
If the driver or passenger's seat belt is
unfastened after the LED turns on, and
the vehicle speed exceeds 20 km/h, the
LED flashes again.
79

SEAT BELT
PRETENSIONER AND
LOAD LIMITING
SYSTEMS
PRETENSIONERS
88) 89) 90) 91)
For optimum protection, the driver and
passenger seat belts are equipped with
pretensioner and load limiting systems.
For both these systems to work
properly you must wear the seat belt
properly.
When a collision is detected, the
pretensioners deploy simultaneously
with the air bags. For deployment
details, refer to the “SRS air bag
deployment criteria” paragraph in this
chapter.
The seat belt retractors remove slack
quickly as the air bags are expanding.
Any time the air bags and seat belt
pretensioners have fired they must be
replaced.
A system malfunction or operation
conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to “Warning lights and messages”
and “Warning sound is activated”
paragraph in “Knowing the instrument
panel” chapter.
In addition, the pretensioner system for
the passenger, like the front and side
passenger air bag, is designed to onlydeploy when the passenger occupant
classification sensor detects a
passenger sitting on the passenger's
seat. For details, refer to the passenger
occupant classification sensor.
IMPORTANT The pretensioner system
may not operate depending on the type
of the collision. For details, refer to the
“SRS Air Bag deployment criteria”
paragraph.
IMPORTANT Some smoke (non-toxic
gas) will be released when the air bags
and pretensioners deploy. This does
not indicate a fire. This gas normally
has no effect on occupants, however,
those with sensitive skin may
experience slight skin irritation. If
residue from the deployment of the air
bags or the pretensioner system gets
on the skin or in the eyes, wash it off as
soon as possible.
LOAD LIMITER
The load limiting system releases belt
webbing in a controlled manner to
reduce belt force on the occupant's
chest.
While the most severe load on a seat
belt occurs in frontal collisions, the load
limiter has an automatic mechanical
function and can activate in any
accident mode with sufficient occupant
movement.Even if the pretensioners have not fired,
the load limiting function must be
checked by Abarth Dealership.
WARNING
88)Wear seat belts only as recommended
in this Owner Handbook. Incorrect
positioning of the driver and passenger
seat belts is dangerous. Without proper
positioning, the pretensioner and load
limiting systems cannot provide adequate
protection in an accident and this could
result in serious injury. For more details
about wearing seat belts, refer to
"Fastening the seat belts".
89)Have your seat belts changed
immediately if the pretensioner or load
limiter has been expended. Always have an
expert repairer: contact an Abarth
Dealership immediately for seat belt
pretensioners and air bags inspections
after any collision. Like the air bags, the
seat belt pretensioners and load limiters will
only function once and must be replaced
after any collision that caused them to
deploy. If the seat belt pretensioners and
load limiters are not replaced, the risk of
injury in a collision will increase.
90)Do not modify the components or
wiring, or use electronic testing devices on
the pretensioner system. Modifying the
components or wiring of the pretensioner
system, including the use of electronic
testing devices is dangerous. You could
accidentally activate it or make it inoperable
which would prevent it from activating in an
accident. The occupants or repairers could
be seriously injured.
80
SAFETY

Proceed as follows:
open the convertible top;
make sure the ignition is switched
off;
slide the passenger seat as far back
as possible. You may need to move the
seat forward slightly and recline the
back of the seat, in order to assist in
the fittment of some child-restraint
systems;
make sure the seatback is securely
latched by pushing it back until it is fully
locked;
expand the area between the seat
bottom and the seatback slightly to
verify the locations of the ISOFIX anchor
.
IMPORTANT The markings above the
ISOFIX anchors indicate the locations of
the ISOFIX anchors for the attachment
of a child restraint system.
secure the child restraint system
using the ISOFIX anchor, following the
child restraint system manufacturer's
instruction;
switch the ignition ON and make
sure the OFF passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light
fig. 72 illuminates after installing a child
restraint system on the passenger seat
(see “Passenger Air Bag deactivation
indicator lights” paragraph). If the
passenger air bag OFF deactivation
indicator light does not illuminate,
remove the child restraint system,
switch the ignition to OFF, and then
reinstall the child restraint system;
if your child restraint system came
equipped with a tether, that probably
means it is very important to properly
secure the tether for child safety. Please
carefully follow the child restraint
system manufacturer's instructions
when installing tethers.
WARNING
92)Use the correct size child-restraint
system. For effective protection in vehicle
accidents and sudden stops, a child must
be properly restrained using a seat belt or
child-restraint system depending on age
and size. If not, the child could be seriously
injured or even killed in an accident.
93)Follow the manufacturer's instructions
and always keep the child-restraint system
buckled down. An unsecured
child-restraint system is dangerous. In a
sudden stop or a collision it could move
causing serious injury or death to the child
or other occupants. Make sure any
child-restraint system is properly secured in
place according to the child-restraint
system manufacturer's instructions. When
not in use, remove it from the vehicle or
fasten it with a seat belt, or latch it down to
BOTH ISOFIX anchors, and attach the
corresponding tether anchor.
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91

94)Always secure a child in a proper
child-restraint system. Holding a child in
your arms while the vehicle is moving is
extremely dangerous. No matter how
strong the person may be, he or she
cannot hold onto a child in a sudden stop
or collision and it could result in serious
injury or death to the child or other
occupants. Even in a moderate accident,
the child may be exposed to air bag forces
that could result in serious injury or death
to the child, or the child may be slammed
into an adult, causing injury to both child
and adult.
95)Always make sure the passenger air
bag deactivation OFF indicator light is
illuminated when using a child restraint
system. Seating a child in a child restraint
system that is installed on the passenger
seat with the passenger air bag
deactivation OFF indicator light not
illuminated is extremely dangerous. In an
accident, an air bag could inflate and
cause serious injuries or even death to the
child seated in the child restraint system.
Always make sure the passenger air bag
deactivation OFF indicator light is
illuminated.
96)Extreme Hazard! Never use a
rear-facing child-restraint system on the
passenger seat with an air bag that could
deploy: NEVER use a rearward facing child
restraint on a seat protected by an ACTIVE
AIRBAG in front of it, DEATH or SERIOUS
INJURY to the CHILD can occur. Vehicles
with a passenger air bag have a warning
label attached as shown below. This
warning label is displayed in compliance
with regulations.97)Even in a moderate collision, the
child-restraint system can be hit by a
deploying air bag and moved violently
backward resulting in serious injury or
death to the child. If your vehicle is
equipped with a passenger occupant
classification system, always make sure the
passenger air bag deactivation OFF
indicator light is illuminated, when installing
a rear-facing child restraint system on the
passenger seat.
98)Before installing child-restraint system
on the passenger seat, move the
passenger seat as far back as possible.
The rearmost position may not be suitable
for the installation of some child-restraint
systems. In a collision, the force of a
deploying air bag could cause serious
injury or death to the child. Make sure the
passenger air bag deactivation OFF
indicator light is illuminated.99)Seating a child in a child-restraint
system on the passenger seat is
dangerous under certain conditions. Your
vehicle is equipped with passenger
occupant classification sensor. Even with
the passenger occupant classification
sensor, if you must use the passenger seat
to seat a child, using a child restraint
system on the passenger seat under the
following conditions increases the danger
of the passenger air bag deploying and
could result in serious injury or death to the
child. The passenger air bag deactivation
OFF indicator light does not illuminate
when seating a child in the child-restraint
system / Luggage or other items are
placed on the seat with the child in the
child-restraint system / The seat is washed
/ Liquids are spilled on the seat / The
passenger seat is moved backward,
pushing into luggage or other items placed
behind it / Luggage or other items are
placed between the passenger seat and
driver seat / An electric device is put on the
passenger's seat / An additional electrical
device, such as a seat warmer is installed
to the surface of the passenger seat.
92
SAFETY

SUPPLEMENTARY RESTRAINT SYSTEM COMPONENTS
1Driver/Passenger inflators and air bags
2Crash sensors and diagnostic module (SAS unit)
3Seat belt pretensioners
4Front air bag sensors
5Side crash sensors
6Air bag/seat belt pretensioner system warning light
7Side inflators and air bags
8Passenger air bag deactivation indicator light
9Passenger occupant classification sensor
10Passenger occupant classification module
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95

bag only on the side in which the
vehicle was hit.
The side air bag inflates quickly to
reduce injury to the driver or
passenger's head and chest caused by
directly hitting interior parts such as a
door or window. For more details about
air bag deployment, refer to "SRS Air
Bag deployment criteria" in this chapter.
In addition, the passenger side bag is
designed to only deploy when the
passenger occupant classificationsensor detects a passenger sitting on
the passenger's seat.
Warning Light/Beep
A system malfunction or operation
conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to “Warning lights and messages”
paragraph in “Knowing your instrument
panel” chapter. Refer to “Warning
sound is activated” paragraph in
“Knowing your instrument panel”
chapter.
Passenger side front air bag and
child restraint systems
Rearward-facing child restraint systems
mustNEVERbe fitted on the front seat
with an active passenger side air bag
since in the event of an impact the air
bag activation may cause fatal injuries
to the transported child.
ALWAYScomply with the instructions
on the label stuck on the passenger
side sun visor fig. 77.
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97

PASSENGER OCCUPANT
CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM
128) 129)
First, please read "Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) Precautions"
carefully.
Passenger occupant classification
sensor
Your vehicle is equipped with a
passenger occupant classification
sensor as a part of the supplementary
restraint system. This sensor is
equipped in the passenger's seat
cushion. This sensor measures the
electrostatic capacity of the
passenger's seat.
The SAS unit is designed to prevent the
passenger front and side air bags and
seat belt pretensioner system fromdeploying if the passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light turns on.
To reduce the chance of injuries caused
by deployment of the passenger air
bag, the system deactivates the
passenger front and side air bags and
also the seat belt pretensioner system
when the passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light turns on.
This system shuts off the passenger
front and side air bags and seat belt
pretensioner system, so make sure the
passenger air bag deactivation indicator
light turns on.
The air bag/seat belt pretensioner
system warning light flashes and the
passenger air bag deactivation indicator
light illuminates if the sensors have a
possible malfunction. If this happens,
the passenger front and side air bags
and seat belt pretensioner system will
not deploy.
IMPORTANT If a passenger is seated
as shown in the following fig. 82 the
passenger occupant classification
sensor cannot detect a passenger
sitting on the passenger's seat correctly
and the deployment/non-deployment of
the air bags cannot be controlled as
indicated in the passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light on/off
condition chart.
Passenger air bag deactivation
indicator lights
These indicator lights fig. 83 turn on to
remind you that the passenger front
and side air bags and seat belt
pretensioner will or will not deploy
during a collision.
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101

22) 23)
NoteThe system requires about
10 seconds to alternate between
turning the passenger front and side air
bags and seat belt pretensioner system
on or off.
The passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light may turn on repeatedly if
luggage or other items are put on the
passenger seat, or if the temperature of
the vehicle's interior changes suddenly.
The passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light may turn on for
10 seconds if the electrostatic capacity
on the passenger seat changes.
The air bag/seat belt pretensioner
system warning light might turn on if the
passenger seat receives a severe
impact.
If the passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light does not turn on afterinstalling a child restraint system on the
passenger seat, first, reinstall your child
restraint system according to the
procedure in this Owner Handbook.
Then, if the passenger air bag
deactivation OFF indicator light still
does not turn on, and contact an
Abarth Dealership as soon as possible.
If the passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light turns on when an
occupant is seated directly in the
passenger seat, have the passenger
readjust their posture by sitting with
their feet on the floor, and then
refastening the seat belt. If the
passenger air bag deactivation indicator
light remains turned on, slide the
passenger seat as far back as possible.
Contact an Abarth Dealership as soon
as possible.
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SAFETY