warning Abarth 124 Spider 2020 Owner handbook (in English)

Side Air Bags
The side air bags are mounted in the
outer sides of the seat backs fig. 78.
When the air bag crash sensors detect
a side impact of greater than moderate
force, the system inflates the side air
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 classification
sensor 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. 79.
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PASSENGER OCCUPANT
CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM
132) 133)
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 from
deploying 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 Under the following
conditions, 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/offcondition chart. light on/off condition
chart. For example If a passenger is
seated as shown in the following
fig. 84 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.
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Passenger air bag deactivation
indicator lights
These indicator lights fig. 85 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.
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 after
installing 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.
When an air bag deploys, a loud
inflation noise can be heard and some
smoke will be released. Neither is likely
to cause injury, however the texture of
the air bags may cause light skin
injuries on body parts not covered with
clothing through friction.
Should you sell your Abarth, we urge
you to tell the new owner of its air bag
systems and that familiarization with all
instructions about them, from the
Owner’s Manual, is very important.
Vehicles with a passenger air bag
have a warning label attached as
shown below. This warning label is
displayed in compliance with regulation.
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SAFETY

WARNING
116)Seat belts must be worn in air bag
equipped vehicles. Depending only on the
air bags for protection during an accident
is dangerous. Alone, air bags may not
prevent serious injuries. The appropriate air
bags can be expected to inflate only in the
first accident, such as frontal, near frontal
or side collisions that are at least
moderate. Vehicle occupants should
always wear seat belts.
117)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.118)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 AIR BAG in front of it, DEATH or
SERIOUS INJURY to the CHILD can occur.
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 on passenger occupant
classification system, always make sure the
passenger air bag deactivation OFF
indicator light is illuminated.
119)Do not sit too close to the driver and
passenger air bags. Sitting too close to the
driver and passenger air bag modules or
placing hands or feet on them is extremely
dangerous. The driver and passenger air
bags inflate with great force and speed.
Serious injuries could occur if someone is
too close. The driver should always hold
onto only the rim of the steering wheel. The
passenger should keep both feet on the
floor. Seat occupants should adjust their
seats as far back as possible and always
sit upright against the seat backs with seat
belts worn properly.120)Do not sit too close to a door or lean
against doors in vehicles with side air bags.
Sitting too close to the side air bag
modules or placing hands on them is
extremely dangerous. A side air bag
inflates with great force and speed directly
out of the outer shoulder of the seat and
expands along the door on the side the car
is hit. Serious injury could occur if someone
is sitting too close to the door or leaning
against a window in the seats.
Furthermore, sleeping up against the door
or hanging out the driver-side window while
driving could block the side air bag and
eliminate the advantages of supplementary
protection. Give the side air bags room to
work by sitting in the center of the seat
while the vehicle is moving with seat belts
worn properly.
121)Sit in the center of the seat and wear
seat belts properly. Sitting too close to the
side air bag modules or placing hands on
them, or sleeping up against the door or
hanging out the windows is extremely
dangerous. The side air bags inflate with
great force and speed directly expanding
along the door on the side the car is hit.
Serious injury could occur if someone is
sitting too close to the door. Give the side
air bags room to work by sitting in the
center of the seat while the vehicle is
moving with seat belts worn properly.
122)Do not attach objects on or around
the area where driver and passenger air
bags deploy. Attaching an object to the
driver and passenger air bag modules or
placing something in front of them is
dangerous. In an accident, an object could
interfere with air bag inflation and injure the
occupants.
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SAFETY

CONSTANT
MONITORING
The following components of the air
bag systems and the active bonnet are
monitored by a diagnostic system:
Front air bag sensors
Crash sensors, and diagnostic
module (SAS unit)
Side crash sensors
Air bag modules
Seat belt pretensioners
Air bag/Seat belt pretensioner
system warning light
Related wiring
With Passenger Occupant
Classification System
Passenger occupant classification
sensor
Passenger occupant classification
module
Passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light
With Active bonnetActive bonnet sensors
Active bonnet modules
Active bonnet warning light
The diagnostic module continuously
monitors the system's readiness. This
begins when the ignition is switched
ON and continues while the vehicle is
being driven.
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SAFETY

STARTING THE
ENGINE
134) 135) 136)
24)
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.
For starting procedure see “Starting the
engine” in “Getting to know your
vehicle” chapter.
STOPPING THE ENGINE
Proceed as follows:
park the car in a position that is not
dangerous for oncoming traffic; engage
a gear (versions with manual
transmission) or position the gear lever
to P (Parking) (versions with automatic
transmission);
turn the ignition device to STOP with
the engine idling.
WARNING
134)It is dangerous to run the engine in
enclosed areas. The engine takes in
oxygen and releases carbon dioxide,
carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.
135)The brake servo is not active until the
engine is started, so you would need to
apply much more force than usual to the
brake pedal.
136)Do not start the engine by pushing,
towing or driving downhill. These
manoeuvres may damage the catalytic
converter.
IMPORTANT
24)A quick burst on the accelerator before
turning off the engine serves absolutely no
practical purpose; it wastes fuel and is
damaging for the engine.
PARKING
Keep away the key when leaving the
vehicle and take it with you.
When parking and leaving the vehicle,
proceed as follows:
engage a gear (first gear if facing
uphill or reverse if facing downhill) and
leave the wheels turned;
stop the engine and engage the
handbrake.
Block the wheels with a wedge or a
stone if the car is parked on a steep
slope.
On versions equipped with automatic
transmission, before releasing the brake
pedal, wait for letter P to be displayed.
IMPORTANT NEVER leave the vehicle
with the gearbox in neutral (or, on
versions equipped with automatic
transmission, before placing the gear
lever at P).
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STARTING AND OPERATING

PARKING BRAKE
137) 138) 139)
IMPORTANT Driving with the parking
brake on will cause excessive wear of
the brake parts.
Setting the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and then firmly
pull the parking brake lever fully
upwards with sufficient force to hold the
vehicle in a stationary position.
Releasing the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and pull the
parking brake lever 1 upwards fig. 87,
then press the release button 2. While
holding the button, lower the parking
brake lever all the way down to the
released position.
Brake Assist
During emergency braking situations
when it is necessary to depress the
brake pedal with greater force, the
brake assist system provides braking
assistance, thus enhancing braking
performance.
When the brake pedal is depressed
hard or depressed more quickly, the
brakes apply more firmly.
NOTE When the brake pedal is
depressed hard or depressed more
quickly, the pedal will feel softer but the
brakes will apply more firmly. This is a
normal effect of the brake assist
operation and does not indicate a
malfunction.
NOTE When the brake pedal is
depressed hard or depressed more
quickly, a motor/pump operation noise
may be heard. This is a normal effect of
the brake assist and does not indicate a
malfunction.
NOTE The brake assist equipment does
not supersede the functionality of the
vehicle's main braking system.WARNING
137)In the case of parking manoeuvres on
roads on a gradient, the front wheels must
be steered towards the pavement (when
parking downhill), or in the opposite
direction if the vehicle is parked uphill. If the
vehicle is parked on a steep slope, it is
advisable to block the wheels with a wedge
or stone.
138)Never leave children unattended in
the vehicle. Keep away the key when
leaving the vehicle and take it with you.
139)Do not drive with worn disc pads.
Driving with worn disc pads is dangerous.
The brakes could fail and cause a serious
accident. As soon as you hear a
screeching noise contact an Abarth
Dealership.
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MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
140) 141) 142)
25)
To engage the gears, press the clutch
pedal fully and put the gear lever into
the required position. The diagram for
gear engagement is shown on the knob
fig. 88.
Depress the clutch pedal all the way
down while shifting; then release it
slowly.
Your vehicle is equipped with a device
to prevent shifting to R (reverse) by
mistake. Push the shift lever downward
and shift to R.
If shifting to R is difficult, shift back into
neutral, release the clutch pedal, and try
again.
With Parking Sensor system
When the shift lever is shifted to the R
position with the ignition switched ON,
the parking sensor system is activated
and a beep sound is heard.
IMPORTANT Keep your foot off the
clutch pedal except when shifting
gears. Also, do not use the clutch to
hold the vehicle on an upgrade. Riding
the clutch will cause needless clutch
wear and damage.
IMPORTANT Do not apply any
excessive lateral force to the shift lever
when changing from 5
thto 4thgear.
This could lead to the accidental
selection of 2
ndgear, which could
result in damage to the transmission.
IMPORTANT Make sure the vehicle
comes to a complete stop before
shifting to R. Shifting to R while the
vehicle is still moving may damage the
transmission.
IMPORTANT Reverse can only be
engaged when the vehicle is completely
stationary. With the engine running, wait
at least 2 seconds with the clutch pedal
fully pressed before engaging reverse to
prevent damage to the gears and
grating.
WARNING
140)Depress the clutch pedal fully to
change gear correctly. Therefore, the floor
area underneath the pedal unit must not be
obstructed in any way. Ensure that the floor
mat is always laid flat and does not
interfere with use of the pedals.
141)Do not use sudden engine braking on
slippery road surfaces or at high speeds.
Shifting down while driving on wet, snowy,
or frozen roads, or while driving at high
speeds causes sudden engine braking,
which is dangerous. The sudden change in
tyre speed could cause the tyres to skid.
This could lead to loss of vehicle control
and an accident.
142)Always leave the shift lever in 1 or R
position and set the parking brake when
leaving the vehicle unattended. Otherwise
the vehicle could move and cause an
accident.
IMPORTANT
25)Do not drive with your hand resting on
the gear lever as the force exerted, even if
slight, could lead over time to premature
wear of the gearbox internal components.8805987654-12A-001AB
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STARTING AND OPERATING

mode is cancelled (released) depending
on the rate of acceleration or if the
accelerator is fully depressed, use of
the manual shift mode is recommended
if you need to drive the vehicle in a
particular gear for long periods.
DRIVING TIPS
147) 148)
Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades,
depress the accelerator fully. The
transmission will shift to a lower gear,
depending on vehicle speed.
Climbing steep grades from a stop
To climb a steep grade from a stopped
position depress the brake pedal, shift
to D or M1, depending on the load
weight and grade steepness, release
the brake pedal while gradually
accelerating.
Descending steep grades
When descending a steep grade, shift
to lower gears, depending on load
weight and grade steepness.
Descend slowly, using the brakes only
occasionally to prevent them from
overheating.
WARNING
143)Always set the selector lever to P and
set the parking brake. Only setting the
selector lever to the P position without
using the parking brake to hold the vehicle
is dangerous. If P fails to hold, the vehicle
could move and cause an accident.
144)If the engine is running faster than
idle, do not shift from N or P into a driving
gear. It's dangerous to shift from N or P
into a driving gear when the engine is
running faster than idle. If this is done, the
vehicle could move suddenly, causing an
accident or serious injury.
145)Do not shift into N when driving the
vehicle. Shifting into N while driving is
dangerous. Engine braking cannot be
applied when decelerating which could
lead to an accident or serious injury.
146)Keep your hands on the steering
wheel rim when using fingers on the
steering shift switches. Putting your hands
inside the rim of the steering wheel when
using the steering shift switches is
dangerous. If the driver's air bag were to
deploy in a collision, your hands could be
impacted causing injury.
147)Do not use engine braking on slippery
road surfaces or at high speeds. Shifting
down while driving on wet, snowy, or
frozen roads, or while driving at high
speeds causes sudden engine braking,
which is dangerous. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires to skid.
This could lead to loss of vehicle control
and an accident.148)Do not let the vehicle move in a
direction opposite to the direction selected
by the selector lever. Do not let the vehicle
move backward with the selector lever in a
forward position, or do not let the vehicle
move forward with the selector lever in the
reverse position. Otherwise, the engine
may stop, causing the loss of the power
brake and power steering functions, and
make it difficult to control the vehicle which
could result in an accident.
122
STARTING AND OPERATING

SPORT MODE
(where provided)
DRIVE SELECTION
Drive selection is a system to switch the
vehicle's drive mode. When theSPORT
mode is selected, vehicle's response
against accelerator operation is
enhanced.
IMPORTANT Do not use theSPORT
mode when driving on slippery roads
such as wet or snow-covered roads. It
may cause tyre slipping.
Drive selection switch
Press the drive selection switch
fig. 93 to theSPORTmode side
(forward) to select the sport mode.
Pull the drive selection switch to the—
side (backward) to cancel the sport
mode.
NOTE When the ignition is switched off,
the sport mode is cancelled.
NOTE Depending on the driving
conditions when sport mode is
selected, the vehicle may perform
shift-down or slightly accelerate.
CRUISE CONTROL
This is an electronically controlled
driving assistance device that allows the
desired vehicle speed to be maintained,
without having to press the accelerator
pedal.
This device can be used at a speed
above 40 km/h on long stretches of dry,
straight roads with few variations (e.g.
motorways).
It is therefore not recommended to use
this device on extra-urban roads with
traffic. Do not use it in town.
ACTIVATION /
DEACTIVATION
149) 150) 151) 152)
IMPORTANT When the ignition is
switched off, the system status before it
was turned off is maintained. For
example, if the ignition is switched off
while the cruise control is operating, the
system will be operable when the
ignition is switched ON the next time.
Activating the device
With Speed limiter: press the MODE
switch. The
warning light (amber)
turns on.
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