warning FIAT 500L 2014 2.G User Guide

Please pay close attention to the information in this
section. It tells you how to use your restraint system
properly, to keep you and your passengers as safe as
possible.
If you will be carrying children too small for adult-sized
seat belts, the seat belts or the Lower Anchors and Tether
for Children (LATCH) feature also can be used to hold
infant and child restraint systems. For more information
on LATCH, refer to “LATCH — Child Seat Anchorage
System (Lower Anchors and Tether for Children).”
Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying air bag:
1. Children 12 years old and under should always ridebuckled up in a rear seat.WARNING!
•Never place a rear facing infant seat 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 rearward
facing infant seat.
• Only use a rearward-facing child restraint in a
vehicle with a rear seat.
Children that are not big enough to wear the vehicle seat
belt properly (see section on Child Restraints) should be
secured in the rear seat in child restraints or belt-
positioning booster seats. Older children who do not use
child restraints or belt-positioning booster seats should
ride properly buckled up in the rear seat. Never allow
children to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under
their arm.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 31

You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
2. All occupants should always wear their lap andshoulder belts properly.
3. The driver and front passenger seats should be moved back as far as practical to allow the Advanced Front
Air Bags room to inflate.
4. Do not lean against the door or window. Your vehicle has Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains
(SABIC) or Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags
(SAB), and when deployment occurs, the SABIC and
SAB air bags will inflate forcefully into the space
between you and the door.
5. If the air bag system in this vehicle needs to be modified to accommodate a disabled person, contact
the Customer Center. Phone numbers are provided in
If You Need Consumer Assistance.WARNING!
•Relying on the air bags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The air bags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions, the air bags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you have
air bags.
• Being too close to the steering wheel or instrument
panel during Advanced Front Air Bag deployment
could cause serious injury, including death. Air
bags need room to inflate. Sit back, comfortably
extending your arms to reach the steering wheel or
instrument panel.
• Side air bags also need room to inflate. Do not lean
against the door or window. Sit upright in the
center of the seat.
(Continued)
32 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

WARNING!(Continued)
•In a collision, you and your passengers can suffer
much greater injuries if you are not properly buck-
led up. You can strike the interior of your vehicle or
other passengers, or you can be thrown out of the
vehicle. Always be sure you and others in your
vehicle are buckled up properly.
Buckle up even though you are an excellent driver, even
on short trips. Someone on the road may be a poor driver
and cause a collision that includes you. This can happen
far away from home or on your own street. Research has shown that seat belts save lives, and they
can reduce the seriousness of injuries in a collision. Some
of the worst injuries happen when people are thrown
from the vehicle. Seat belts reduce the possibility of
ejection and the risk of injury caused by striking the
inside of the vehicle. Everyone in a motor vehicle should
be belted at all times.
Lap/Shoulder Belt Operating Instructions
1. Enter the vehicle and close the door. Sit back and
adjust the seat.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 33

WARNING!
•A belt buckled into the wrong buckle will not
protect you properly. The lap portion could ride too
high on your body, possibly causing internal inju-
ries. Always buckle your belt into the buckle
nearest you.
• A belt that is too loose will not protect you prop-
erly. In a sudden stop you could move too far
forward, increasing the possibility of injury. Wear
your seat belt snugly.
(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•A belt that is worn under your arm is dangerous.
Your body could strike the inside surfaces of the
vehicle in a collision, increasing head and neck
injury. A belt worn under the arm can cause inter-
nal injuries. Ribs aren’t as strong as shoulder
bones. Wear the belt over your shoulder so that
your strongest bones will take the force in a colli-
sion.
• A shoulder belt placed behind you will not protect
you from injury during a collision. You are more
likely to hit your head in a collision if you do not
wear your shoulder belt. The lap and shoulder belt
are meant to be used together.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 35

4. Position the lap belt across your thighs, below yourabdomen. To remove slack in the lap belt portion, pull
up on the shoulder belt. To loosen the lap belt if it is
too tight, tilt the latch plate and pull on the lap belt. A
snug belt reduces the risk of sliding under the belt in
a collision.WARNING!
•A lap belt worn too high can increase the risk of
internal injury in a collision. The belt forces won’t
be at the strong hip and pelvic bones, but across
your abdomen. Always wear the lap belt as low as
possible and keep it snug.
• A twisted belt may not protect you properly. In a
collision, it could even cut into you. Be sure the belt
is straight. If you can’t straighten a belt in your
vehicle, take it to your authorized dealer immedi-
ately and have it fixed.
5. Position the shoulder belt on your chest so that it is comfortable and not resting on your neck. The retrac-
tor will withdraw any slack in the belt.
Removing Slack From Belt
36 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

6. To release the belt, push the red button on the buckle.The belt will automatically retract to its stowed posi-
tion. If necessary, slide the latch plate down the
webbing to allow the belt to retract fully.
WARNING!
A frayed or torn belt could rip apart in a collision and
leave you with no protection. Inspect the belt system
periodically, checking for cuts, frays, or loose parts.
Damaged parts must be replaced immediately. Do
not disassemble or modify the system. Seat belt
assemblies must be replaced after a collision if they
have been damaged (bent retractor, torn webbing,
etc.).
Lap/Shoulder Belt Untwisting Procedure
Use the following procedure to untwist a twisted lap/
shoulder belt.
1. Position the latch plate as close as possible to theanchor point.
2. At about 6 to 12 in (15 to 30 cm) above the latch plate, grasp and twist the belt webbing 180 degrees to create
a fold that begins immediately above the latch plate.
3. Slide the latch plate upward over the folded webbing. The folded webbing must enter the slot at the top of
the latch plate.
4. Continue to slide the latch plate up until it clears the folded webbing.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 37

position that has a belt with this feature. Children 12
years old and under should always be properly re-
strained in a vehicle with a rear seat.
How To Engage The Automatic Locking Mode
1. Buckle the combination lap and shoulder belt.
2. Grasp the shoulder portion and pull downward untilthe entire belt is extracted.
3. Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking sound. This indicates the safety belt is
now in the Automatic Locking Mode.
How To Disengage The Automatic Locking Mode
Unbuckle the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it
to retract completely to disengage the Automatic Locking
Mode and activate the vehicle sensitive (emergency)
locking mode.
WARNING!
•The belt and retractor assembly must be replaced if
the seat belt assembly Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) feature or any other seat belt function is not
working properly when checked according to the
procedures in the Service Manual.
• Failure to replace the belt and retractor assembly
could increase the risk of injury in collisions.
Energy Management Feature
This vehicle has a safety belt system with an Energy
Management feature in the front and rear outer seating
positions to help further reduce the risk of injury in the
event of a head-on collision.
This safety belt system has a retractor assembly that is
designed to release webbing in a controlled manner. This
feature is designed to help reduce the belt force acting on
the occupant’s chest.
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THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE 39

Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belts for both front seating positions are
equipped with dual pretensioning devices that are de-
signed to remove slack from the seat belt in the event of
a collision. The dual pretensioning devices are located on
the lower B-pillars and in the kick plate area. These
devices may improve the performance of the seat belt by
assuring that the belt is tight about the occupant early in
a collision. Pretensioners work for all size occupants,
including those in child restraints.
NOTE:These devices are not a substitute for proper seat
belt placement by the occupant. The seat belt still must be
worn snugly and positioned properly.
The pretensioners are triggered by the Occupant Re-
straint Controller (ORC). Like the air bags, the preten-
sioners are single use items. A deployed pretensioner or
a deployed air bag must be replaced immediately.
Enhanced Seat Belt Use Reminder System
(BeltAlert®)
BeltAlert® is a feature intended to remind the driver and
front passenger (if equipped with front passenger
BeltAlert®) to fasten their seat belts. The feature is active
whenever the ignition is on. If the driver or front seat
passenger is unbelted, the Seat Belt Reminder Light will
turn on and remain on until both front seat belts are
fastened.
The BeltAlert® warning sequence begins after the vehicle
speed is over 6 mph (10 km/h), by blinking the Seat Belt
Reminder Light and sounding an intermittent chime.
Once the sequence starts, it will continue for the entire
duration or until the respective seatbelts are fastened.
After the sequence completes, the Seat Belt Reminder
Light remains illuminated until the respective seat belts
are fastened. The driver should instruct all other occu-
pants to fasten their seat belts. If a front seat belt is
40 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

NOTE:
•Air Bag covers may not be obvious in the interior trim,
but they will open during air bag deployment.
• After any collision, the vehicle should be taken to an
authorized dealer immediately.
Air Bag System Components
Your vehicle may be equipped with the following air bag
system components:
• Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
• Air Bag Warning Light
• Steering Wheel and Column
• Instrument Panel
• Supplemental Driver Side Knee Air Bag
• Knee Impact Bolsters
• Driver Advanced Front Air Bag
Advanced Passenger Air Bag
44 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE

•Passenger Advanced Front Air Bag
• Supplemental Seat-Mounted Side Air Bags (SAB)
• Supplemental Side Air Bag Inflatable Curtains (SABIC)
• Front and Side Impact Sensors
• Front Seat Belt Pretensioners, Seat Belt Buckle Switch,
and Seat Track Position Sensors
Advanced Front Air Bag Features
The Advanced Front Air Bag system provides output
appropriate to the severity and type of collision as
determined by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC),
which may receive information from the front impact
sensors.
WARNING!
• No objects should be placed over or near the air
bag on the instrument panel, because any such
objects could cause harm if the vehicle is in a
collision severe enough to cause the air bag to
inflate.
• Do not put anything on or around the air bag
covers or attempt to open them manually. You may
damage the air bags and you could be injured
because the air bags may no longer be functional.
The protective covers for the air bag cushions are
designed to open only when the air bags are
inflating.
• Do not drill, cut or tamper with the knee bolster in
any way.
• Do not mount any accessories to the knee bolster
such as alarm lights, stereos, citizen band radios,
etc.
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