FIAT 500 ABARTH 2012 2.G Owners Manual

downward on the head restraint. Refer to “Occupant
Restraints” in “Things To Know Before Starting Your
Vehicle” for information on tether routing.TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE HOOD
To open the hood, two latches must be released.
1. Pull the bottom of the RED hood release lever, located
on the left kick panel, rearward.
Rear Head Restraint
Hood Release Lever
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 89

2. Rotate the safety catch under the front edge of the
hood, near the center, and raise the hood.
Lift the hood prop rod that clips to the right side (left side
when standing in front of the hood) of the engine
compartment. Place the hood prop rod in the hole of
hood hinge to secure the hood in the open position.In hot climates, the prop rod may be hot. Pick up the prop
rod at the foam on the end of the prop rod.
Safety Latch Location
Hood Prop Rod
90 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!
Be sure the hood is fully latched before driving your
vehicle. If the hood is not fully latched, it could open
when the vehicle is in motion and block your vision.
Failure to follow this warning could result in serious
injury or death.
CAUTION!
To prevent possible damage, do not slam the hood to
close it. Lower the hood until it is open approxi-
mately 8 in (20 cm) and then drop it. This should
secure both latches. Never drive your vehicle unless
the hood is fully closed, with both latches engaged.
LIGHTS
Multifunction Lever
The multifunction lever, located on the left side of the
steering wheel, controls the operation of the headlights,
headlight beam selection, passing light and turn signals.
NOTE:The external lights can only be turned on with
the ignition in the ON/RUN position.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 91

Headlights
Rotate the end of the multifunction lever up-
ward to the first detent for headlight operation.
NOTE: When the headlights are turned on, the Daytime
Running Lights will be deactivated.
High Beams
With the low beams activated, push the multifunc-
tion lever towards the instrument panel to turn on
the high beams. Pull the multifunction lever toward the
steering wheel to turn off the high beams.
Flash-To-Pass
You can signal another vehicle with your headlights by
lightly pulling the multifunction lever toward the steer-
ing wheel. This will turn on the high beams until the
lever is released.
Parking Lights
To turn on the parking lights, remove the key
or turn the ignition to OFF/LOCK position and
turn on the headlights.
Daytime Running Lights — If Equipped
To activate the Daytime Running Lights (DRL), rotate the
end of the multifunction lever to the Osymbol.Headlight Operation
92 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:The low beams and side/taillights will not be on
with DRL.
The DRL function can be turned on or off using the
display menus. Refer to “Electronic Vehicle Information
Center (EVIC)” in “Understanding Your Instrument
Panel” for further information.
Turn Signals
Push the multifunction lever upward to signal a right
turn or downward to signal a left turn. The correspond-
ing indicator in the instrument cluster will blink to
indicate the operation of the turn signal.
NOTE:The indicators will automatically turn off when
the turn has been completed and the steering wheel is
returned to a straight position.
Turn Signal Operation
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 93

Lane Change Assist
Tap the lever up or down once, without moving beyond
the detent, and the turn signal (right or left) will flash
three times then automatically turn off.
Follow Me Home/Headlight Delay
When this feature is selected the driver can choose to
have the headlights remain on for a preset period of time.
Activation
Remove the key or turn the ignition to the OFF/LOCK
position, and pull the multifunction lever toward the
steering wheel, within two minutes. Each time the lever
is pulled, the activation of the lights will be extended by
30 seconds. The activation of the lights can be extended to
a maximum of 210 seconds.
Deactivation
Pull the multifunction lever toward the steering wheel
and hold it for more than two seconds.
Interior Lights
The interior light switches are located in the overhead
console. The interior lights can be set to three different
positions (Off/Left Position, Center Position, On/Right
Position).
Using the switch on the left overhead, press the switch to
the right from its center position and the lights are always
on. Press the switch to the left from its center position and
the lights are always off. Leave the switch in the center
position, and the lights are turned on and off when the
doors are opened or closed. The switch on the right side
of the overhead console controls the map or reading
function of the lights. Press the switch to the right to turn
on the right light and press the switch to the left to turn
on the left light.
94 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

CAUTION!
Before getting out of the vehicle be sure that the
switch is in the center position or that the lights are
off to avoid draining the battery.
Interior Light Timing (Center Position)
There are four different modes of operation that can be
activated in this position:
•When one door is opened a 3 minute timer is acti-
vated.
•When the key is removed from the ignition (within
two minutes of the ignition being turned off), a
10 second timer is activated.
•When the doors are unlocked with Key Fob a 10 sec-
ond timer is activated.
•When the doors are locked with the Key Fob the lights
will turn off.
Interior Light Timing (On/Right Position)
•
When all doors are closed a 15 minute timer is
activated.
NOTE: The timer is deactivated when the key is moved
into the ON/RUN position.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 95

Front Fog Lights — If Equipped
The fog light switch is located on the center stack of the
instrument panel, just below the radio.
Press the switch once to turn the front fog lights on. Press
the switch a second time to turn the front fog lights off.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND WASHERS
The windshield wiper/washer lever is located on the
right side of the steering column.
NOTE:The windshield wipers/washers will only oper-
ate with the ignition in the ON/RUN position.
Front Windshield Wiper Operation
There are five different modes of operation for the front
windshield wipers. The windshield wiper lever can be
raised or lowered to access these modes:
Fog Light Switch
96 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE

Windshield Wiper Off
This is the normal position of the wiper lever.
Intermittent Wiper Operation
Push the lever downward to the first detent. The wipers
will operate intermittently.NOTE:
The Intermittent function only has one detent
but wiper delay will vary with changes in vehicle speed.
As vehicle speed increases the delay time will decrease.
Low Speed
Push the lever downward to the second detent. The
wipers will operate at low speed.
High Speed
Push the lever downward to the third detent. The wipers
will operate at high speed.
Manual High Speed/Mist
Push the lever upward from the off position. The wipers
will operate at high speed to clear off road mist or spray
from a passing vehicle. This operation will continue until
the lever is released. When the lever is released, the
wipers will return to the off position and automatically
shut off.Windshield Wiper Operation
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UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE 97

Front Windshield Washer Operation
Pull the windshield wiper/washer lever toward the
steering wheel to activate the washers. The wipers will
activate automatically for three cycles after the lever is
released.
CAUTION!
•Turn the windshield wipers off when driving
through an automatic car wash. Damage to the
windshield wipers may result if the wiper control
is left in any position other than off.
•In cold weather, always turn off the wiper switch
and allow the wipers to return to the “Park”
position before turning off the engine. If the wiper
switch is left on and the wipers freeze to the
windshield, damage to the wiper motor may occur
when the vehicle is restarted.(Continued)
CAUTION! (Continued)
•Always remove any buildup of snow that prevents
the windshield wiper blades from returning to the
off position. If the windshield wiper control is
turned off and the blades cannot return to the off
position, damage to the wiper motor may occur.
Rear Windshield Wiper
Rotate the end of the windshield wiper/washer lever
upward to the first detent past the intermittent settings
for intermittent wipe operation. With the front wind-
shield wiper active, rotate the end of the windshield
wiper/washer lever upward. The rear wiper will operate
in the same mode as the front windshield wipers, but at
half the frequency. When the transmission is shifted into
REVERSE, the rear wiper will automatically operate at
Low Speed and return to normal operation when the
transmission is shifted out of REVERSE.
98 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE