Warning FIAT 500C 2017 2.G Owner's Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: FIAT, Model Year: 2017, Model line: 500C, Model: FIAT 500C 2017 2.GPages: 350, PDF Size: 3.01 MB
Page 48 of 350

Infants And Child Restraints
Safety experts recommend that children ride rear-facing
in the vehicle until they are two years old or until they
reach either the height or weight limit of their rear-facing
child restraint. Two types of child restraints can be used
rear-facing: infant carriers and convertible child seats.
The infant carrier is only used rear-facing in the vehicle. It
is recommended for children from birth until they reach
the weight or height limit of the infant carrier. Convert-
ible child seats can be used either rear-facing or forward-
facing in the vehicle. Convertible child seats often have a
higher weight limit in the rear-facing direction than infant
carriers do, so they can be used rear-facing by children
who have outgrown their infant carrier but are still less
than at least two years old. Children should remain
rear-facing until they reach the highest weight or height
allowed by their convertible child seat.
WARNING!
•Never place a rear-facing child restraint in front of
an air bag. A deploying passenger Advanced
Front Air Bag can cause death or serious injury to
a child 12 years or younger, including a child in a
rear-facing child restraint.
• Only use a rear-facing child restraint in a vehicle
with a rear seat.
Older Children And Child Restraints
Children who are two years old or who have outgrown
their rear-facing convertible child seat can ride forward-
facing in the vehicle. Forward-facing child seats and
convertible child seats used in the forward-facing direc-
tion are for children who are over two years old or who
have outgrown the rear-facing weight or height limit of
their rear-facing convertible child seat. Children should
remain in a forward-facing child seat with a harness for
as long as possible, up to the highest weight or height
allowed by the child seat.
46 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 49 of 350

All children whose weight or height is above the
forward-facing limit for the child seat should use a
belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle’s seat
belts fit properly. If the child cannot sit with knees bent
over the vehicle’s seat cushion while the child’s back is
against the seatback, they should use a belt-positioning
booster seat. The child and belt-positioning booster seat
are held in the vehicle by the seat belt.
WARNING!
•Improper installation can lead to failure of an
infant or child restraint. It could come loose in a
collision. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s
directions exactly when installing an infant or
child restraint.
• After a child restraint is installed in the vehicle,
do not move the vehicle seat forward or rearward
because it can loosen the child restraint attach-
ments. Remove the child restraint before adjust-
ing the vehicle seat position. When the vehicle
seat has been adjusted, reinstall the child re-
straint.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•When your child restraint is not in use, secure it
in the vehicle with the seat belt or LATCH anchor-
ages, or remove it from the vehicle. Do not leave
it loose in the vehicle. In a sudden stop or
accident, it could strike the occupants or seat-
backs and cause serious personal injury.
Children Too Large For Booster Seats
Children who are large enough to wear the shoulder
belt comfortably, and whose legs are long enough to
bend over the front of the seat when their back is
against the seatback, should use the seat belt in a rear
seat. Use this simple 5-step test to decide whether the
child can use the vehicle’s seat belt alone:
1. Can the child sit all the way back against the back of the vehicle seat?
2. Do the child’s knees bend comfortably over the front of the vehicle seat – while they are still sitting all the
way back?
3. Does the shoulder belt cross the child’s shoulder between their neck and arm?
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 47
Page 50 of 350

4. Is the lap part of the belt as low as possible, touchingthe child’s thighs and not their stomach?
5. Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
If the answer to any of these questions was “no,” then
the child still needs to use a booster seat in this vehicle.
If the child is using the lap/shoulder belt, check seat
belt fit periodically and make sure the seat belt buckle is
latched. A child’s squirming or slouching can move the
belt out of position. If the shoulder belt contacts the face
or neck, move the child closer to the center of the
vehicle, or use a booster seat to position the seat belt on
the child correctly.WARNING!
Never allow a child to put the shoulder belt under
an arm or behind their back. In a crash, the shoulder
belt will not protect a child properly, which may
result in serious injury or death. A child must
always wear both the lap and shoulder portions of
the seat belt correctly.
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 55 of 350

the end to attach to the top tether anchorage and a way
to tighten the strap after it is attached to the anchorage.
Center Seat LATCH
WARNING!
This vehicle does not have a center seating position.
Do not use the center lower LATCH anchorages to
install a child seat in the center of the back seat.
To Install A LATCH-Compatible Child Restraint
If the selected seating position has a Switchable Auto-
matic Locking Retractor (ALR) seat belt, stow the seat
belt, following the instructions below. See the section
“Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat Belt”
to check what type of seat belt each seating position has.
1. Loosen the adjusters on the lower straps and on thetether strap of the child seat so that you can more
easily attach the hooks or connectors to the vehicle
anchorages.
2. Place the child seat between the lower anchorages for that seating position. For some second row seats, you
may need to recline the seat and / or raise the head
restraint to get a better fit. If the rear seat can be moved forward and rearward in the vehicle, you
may wish to move it to its rear-most position to make
room for the child seat. You may also move the front
seat forward to allow more room for the child seat.
3. Attach the lower hooks or connectors of the child restraint to the lower anchorages in the selected
seating position.
4. If the child restraint has a tether strap, connect it to the top tether anchorage. See the section “Installing
Child Restraints Using the Top Tether Anchorage”
for directions to attach a tether anchor.
5. Tighten all of the straps as you push the child restraint rearward and downward into the seat.
Remove slack in the straps according to the child
restraint manufacturer ’s instructions.
6. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt
path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm)
in any direction.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 53
Page 56 of 350

How To Stow An Unused Switchable-ALR (ALR)
Seat Belt
When using the LATCH attaching system to install a child
restraint, stow all ALR seat belts that are not being used by
other occupants or being used to secure child restraints. An
unused belt could injure a child if they play with it and
accidentally lock the seat belt retractor. Before installing a
child restraint using the LATCH system, buckle the seat
belt behind the child restraint and out of the child’s reach.
If the buckled seat belt interferes with the child restraint
installation, instead of buckling it behind the child re-
straint, route the seat belt through the child restraint belt
path and then buckle it. Do not lock the seat belt. Remind
all children in the vehicle that the seat belts are not toys
and that they should not play with them.
WARNING!
•Improper installation of a child restraint to the
LATCH anchorages can lead to failure of the
restraint. The child could be badly injured or
killed. Follow the child restraint manufacturer ’s
directions exactly when installing an infant or
child restraint.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•Child restraint anchorages are designed to with-
stand only those loads imposed by correctly-fitted
child restraints. Under no circumstances are they
to be used for adult seat belts, harnesses, or for
attaching other items or equipment to the vehicle.
Installing Child Restraints Using the Vehicle Seat
Belt
The seat belts in the passenger seating positions are
equipped with a Switchable Automatic Locking Retrac-
tor (ALR) that is designed to keep the lap portion of the
seat belt tight around the child restraint so that it is not
necessary to use a locking clip. The ALR retractor can be
“switched” into a locked mode by pulling all of the
webbing out of the retractor and then letting the web-
bing retract back into the retractor. If it is locked, the
ALR will make a clicking noise while the webbing is
pulled back into the retractor. Refer to the “Automatic
Locking Mode” description under “Occupant Re-
straints” for additional information on ALR.
54 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 59 of 350

5. To lock the seat belt, pull down on the shoulder partof the belt until you have pulled all the seat belt
webbing out of the retractor. Then, allow the web-
bing to retract back into the retractor. As the webbing
retracts, you will hear a clicking sound. This means
the seat belt is now in the Automatic Locking mode.
6. Try to pull the webbing out of the retractor. If it is locked, you should not be able to pull out any
webbing. If the retractor is not locked, repeat step 5.
7. Finally, pull up on any excess webbing to tighten the lap portion around the child restraint while you push
the child restraint rearward and downward into the
vehicle seat.
8. If the child restraint has a top tether strap and the seating position has a top tether anchorage, connect
the tether strap to the anchorage and tighten the
tether strap. See the section “Installing Child Re-
straints Using the Top Tether Anchorage” for direc-
tions to attach a tether anchor.
9. Test that the child restraint is installed tightly by pulling back and forth on the child seat at the belt
path. It should not move more than 1 inch (25.4 mm)
in any direction. Any seat belt system will loosen with time, so check the
belt occasionally, and pull it tight if necessary.
Installing Child Restraints Using The Top Tether
Anchorage
WARNING!
Do not attach a tether strap for a rear-facing car seat
to any location in front of the car seat, including the
seat frame or a tether anchorage. Only attach the
tether strap of a rear-facing car seat to the tether
anchorage that is approved for that seating position,
located behind the top of the vehicle seat. See the
section “Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren
(LATCH) Restraint System” for the location of
approved tether anchorages in your vehicle.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 57
Page 60 of 350

1. Look behind the seating position where you plan toinstall the child restraint to find the tether anchorage.
You may need to move the seat forward to provide
better access to the tether anchorage. If there is no
top tether anchorage for that seating position, move
the child restraint to another position in the vehicle if
one is available.
2. Route the tether strap to provide the most direct path for the strap between the anchor and the child seat. If
your vehicle is equipped with adjustable rear head
restraints, raise the head restraint, and where pos-
sible, route the tether strap under the head restraint
and between the two posts. If not possible, lower the
head restraint and pass the tether strap around the
outboard side of the head restraint.
3. Attach the tether strap hook of the child restraint to the top tether anchorage as shown in the diagram. 4. Remove slack in the tether strap according to the
child restraint manufacturer ’s instructions.
WARNING!
•An incorrectly anchored tether strap could lead to
increased head motion and possible injury to the
child. Use only the anchorage position directly
behind the child seat to secure a child restraint
top tether strap.
(Continued)
Rear Seat Tether Strap Mounting
58 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 61 of 350

WARNING!(Continued)
•If your vehicle is equipped with a split rear seat,
make sure the tether strap does not slip into the
opening between the seatbacks as you remove
slack in the strap.
Transporting Pets
Air Bags deploying in the front seat could harm your
pet. An unrestrained pet will be thrown about and
possibly injured, or injure a passenger during panic
braking or in a collision.
Pets should be restrained in the rear seat in pet har-
nesses or pet carriers that are secured by seat belts.
ENGINE BREAK-IN RECOMMENDATIONS
A long break-in period is not required for the engine
and drivetrain (transmission and axle) in your vehicle.
Drive moderately during the first 300 miles (500 km).
After the initial 60 miles (100 km), speeds up to 50 or
55 mph (80 or 90 km/h) are desirable. While cruising, brief full-throttle acceleration within the
limits of local traffic laws contributes to a good break-in.
Wide-open throttle acceleration in low gear can be
detrimental and should be avoided.
The engine oil installed in the engine at the factory is a
high-quality energy conserving type lubricant. Oil
changes should be consistent with anticipated climate
conditions under which vehicle operations will occur.
For the recommended viscosity and quality grades,
refer to “Maintenance Procedures” in “Maintaining
Your Vehicle.”
CAUTION!
Never use Non-Detergent Oil or Straight Mineral
Oil in the engine or damage may result.
NOTE: A new engine may consume some oil during its
first few thousand miles (kilometers) of operation. This
should be considered a normal part of the break-in and
not interpreted as a problem.
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 59
Page 62 of 350

SAFETY TIPS
Transporting Passengers
NEVER TRANSPORT PASSENGERS IN THE CARGO
AREA.
WARNING!
•Do not leave children or animals inside parked
vehicles in hot weather. Interior heat build-up
may cause serious injury or death.
• It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision,
people riding in these areas are more likely to be
seriously injured or killed.
• Do not allow people to ride in any area of your
vehicle that is not equipped with seats and seat
belts.
• Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat and
using a seat belt properly.
Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain
carbon monoxide (CO), which is colorless and odor-
less. Breathing it can make you unconscious and
can eventually poison you. To avoid breathing
(CO), follow these safety tips:
• Do not run the engine in a closed garage or in
confined areas any longer than needed to move
your vehicle in or out of the area.
• If you are required to drive with the trunk/
liftgate/rear doors open, make sure that all win-
dows are closed and the climate control BLOWER
switch is set at high speed. DO NOT use the
recirculation mode.
• If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the
engine running, adjust your heating or cooling
controls to force outside air into the vehicle. Set
the blower at high speed.
The best protection against carbon monoxide entry into
the vehicle body is a properly maintained engine ex-
haust system.
60 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
Page 63 of 350

Whenever a change is noticed in the sound of the
exhaust system, when exhaust fumes can be detected
inside the vehicle, or when the underside or rear of the
vehicle is damaged, have a competent mechanic inspect
the complete exhaust system and adjacent body areas
for broken, damaged, deteriorated, or mispositioned
parts. Open seams or loose connections could permit
exhaust fumes to seep into the passenger compartment.
In addition, inspect the exhaust system each time the
vehicle is raised for lubrication or oil change. Replace as
required.
Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle
Seat Belts
Inspect the seat belt system periodically, checking for
cuts, frays, and loose parts. Damaged parts must be
replaced immediately. Do not disassemble or modify
the system.
Front seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a
collision. Rear seat belt assemblies must be replaced
after a collision if they have been damaged (i.e., bent
retractor, torn webbing, etc.). If there is any question
regarding seat belt or retractor condition, replace the
seat belt.
Air Bag Warning Light
The Air Bag warning lightwill turn on for four to
eight seconds as a bulb check when the ignition is
first placed in the ON/RUN position. If the light is
either not on during starting, stays on, or turns on
while driving, have the system inspected at an
authorized dealer as soon as possible. This light will
illuminate with a single chime when a fault with the
Air Bag Warning Light has been detected, it will stay
on until the fault is cleared. If the light comes on
intermittently or remains on while driving, have an
authorized dealer service the vehicle immediately.
Refer to “Occupant Restraints” for further
information.
Defroster
Check operation by selecting the defrost mode and
place the blower control on high speed. You should be
able to feel the air directed against the windshield. See
your authorized dealer for service if your defroster is
inoperable.
Floor Mat Safety Information
Always use floor mats designed to fit the footwell of
your vehicle. Use only floor mats that leave the pedal
2
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 61