FIAT BRAVO 2007 2.G Owners Manual

DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
120
FRONT AIR BAGS
The car is fitted with front air bags for the
driver, for the passenger and with driver’s
knees air bag (where provided).
The front air bags (driver and passenger)
and driver’s knees air bag (where provid-
ed) have been designed to protect the oc-
cupants in the event of head-on crashes of
medium-high severity, by placing the cush-
ion between the occupant and the steer-
ing wheel or dashboard.
Front air bags are designed to protect
car’s occupants in front crashes and there-
fore non-activation in other types of col-
lisions (side collisions, rear shunts, roll-
overs, etc.) is not a system malfunction.In case of front crash, an electronic con-
trol unit, when required, triggers the in-
flation of the cushion according to the
severity of the collision. The cushion im-
mediately inflates, placing itself as a pro-
tection between the body of the front oc-
cupants and the structure that could cause
injuries. Immediately after, the cushion de-
flates.
The front driver / passenger air bags and
the driver’s knees air bag (where provid-
ed) are not a replacement of but comple-
mentary to the use of belts, which should
always be worn, as specified by law in Eu-
rope and most non European countries.
In case of crash, a person not wearing the
seat belt moves forward and may come in-
to contact with the cushion while it is still
inflating. Under this circumstance the pro-
tection offered by the air bag is reduced.
Do not apply stickers or oth-
er objects to the steering
wheel or to the air bag cover on the
passenger’s side or on the side roof
lining. Do not put objects on the
dashboard on passenger side since
they could interfere with proper pas-
senger air bag inflation and cause in-
juries to the car’s passengers.
WARNING
Front air bag may not be activated in the
following situations:
❒front collisions against highly de-
formable objects not affecting the car
front surface (e.g. bumper collision
against guard rail, etc.);
❒in case of wedging under other vehicles
or protective barriers (for example un-
der a truck or guard rail);
as it offers no additional protection com-
pared with the seat belts, consequently,
it would be pointless. Therefore, failure to
come into action in the above circum-
stances does not mean that the system is
not working properly.
105-128 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:12 Pagina 120

DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
121
DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG fig. 15
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion
contained in a special recess in the cen-
tre of the steering wheel.PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG
fig. 16
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion
contained into a special recess in the
dashboard, this cushion has a volume big-
ger than that of the driver.
The driver’s and passenger’s front Air bags
have been designed and calibrated to im-
prove the protection of a person wear-
ing seat belts.
At their maximum inflation, their volume
fills most of the space between the dash-
board and the passenger.
fig. 15F0Q0624mfig. 16F0Q0700m
SERIOUS DANGER: With
passenger’s air bag active,
never place child’s seats with
the cradle facing backwards
since the air bag activation
could cause to the child serious in-
juries, even mortal. In the case of
need, always deactivate the passen-
ger’s air bag when a child’s seat is
placed on the front seat. The front
passenger’s seat shall be adjusted in
the most backward position to pre-
vent any contact between child’s seat
and dashboard. Even if not compul-
sory by law, you are recommended to
reactivate the air bag immediately as
soon as child transport is no longer
necessary.
WARNING
Always keep your hands on
the steering wheel rim when
driving, so that if the air bag is trig-
gered, it can inflate without meeting
any obstacles which could cause seri-
ous harm to you. Do not drive with
the body bent forwards, keep the seat
back rest in the erect position and
lean your back well against it.
WARNING
105-128 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:12 Pagina 121

DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
122
MANUAL DEACTIVATION OF
PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG
AND SIDE BAG (where provided)
Should it be absolutely necessary to car-
ry a child on the front seat, the passenger’s
front air bag and the side bag (where pro-
vided) can be deactivated.
The instrument panel warning light
“will
stay on glowing steadily until reactivating
passenger’s air bag.
DRIVER’S KNEES AIR BAG fig. 17
(where provided)
Knees air bag consists of an instant-inflat-
ing cushion housed into a special com-
partment provided for the purpose under
the steering wheel at driver’s knees level,
designed to give further protection in the
event of frontal crash.
fig. 17
AUTO
F0Q0702m
To deactivate the passen-
ger’s front air bag and the
side bag (where provided), refer to
paragraphs “Multifunction display”
and “Reconfigurable multifunction
display” in section “Dashboard and
controls”.
WARNING
105-128 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:12 Pagina 122

DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
123
SIDE AIR BAGS
(Side bag -
Window bag)
The car is fitted with front side bags for
driver and passenger (where provided) for
protecting the chest and window bags
(where provided) for protecting front and
rear passengers’ head.
Side bags protect car occupants from side
crashes of medium-high severity, by plac-
ing the cushion between the occupant and
the internal parts of the side structure of
the car.
Non-activation of side bags in other types
of collisions (front collisions, rear shunts,
roll-overs, etc...) is not a system malfunc-
tion.In case of side crash, an electronic control
unit, when required triggers the inflation
of the cushion. The cushion immediately
inflates, placing itself as a protection, be-
tween the occupant’s body and the struc-
ture that could cause injuries. Immediate-
ly after, the cushion deflates.
Side bags are not a replacement of but
complementary to the belts, which you
are recommended to always wear, as
specified by law in Europe and most non-
European countries.
SIDE BAGS (where provided)
They consist of two types of instant infla-
tion cushions and are housed in the back
rests of the front seats fig. 18. The task
of the side air bags is to increase protec-
tion of the occupants’ chest in the event
of a side crash of medium-high severity.
fig. 18F0Q0701m
105-128 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:12 Pagina 123

DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
124
Never rest head, arms and
elbows on the door, on the
windows and in the window bag area
to prevent possible injuries during in-
flation phase.
WARNING
Never lean head, arms and
elbows out of the window.
WARNING
WINDOW BAGS
(where provided) fig. 19
They are “curtain” cushions located be-
hind the side coverings of the roof and
covered by proper finishings, studied for
the head protection to offer the best pro-
tection to the front and rear occupants
in the event of side crash, thanks to the
wide cushion inflation surface.
In minor side crashes (for which the re-
straining action of the seat belts is suffi-
cient), the air bags are not deployed.
Do not cover the backrest of
front seats with trims or cov-
ers that are not suitable to be used
with side bags.
WARNING
Do not hook rigid objects to
the coat hooks and to the
support handles.
WARNINGAlso in this case it is of vital importance to
wear the seat belts since in case of side
crash they guarantee proper positioning
of the occupant and prevent the occupants
to be pitched out of the car in case of vi-
olent crashes.
Therefore the front side bags (where pro-
vided) are not a replacement of but com-
plementary to the belts, which you are
recommended to always wear, as speci-
fied by law in Europe and most non-Eu-
ropean countries.
IMPORTANT In the event of side crash,
you can obtain the best protection by the
system keeping a correct position on the
seat, allowing thus a correct window bag
unfolding.
IMPORTANT Do not wash seats with
pressurised water or steam (by hand or at
automatic seat washing stations).
fig. 19F0Q0703m
105-128 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:12 Pagina 124

DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
125
GENERAL WARNINGS
1) The front air bags and/or front and
front side bags (where provided) may be
deployed if the car is subject to heavy
knocks or accidents involving the under-
body area, such as for example violent
shocks, against steps, kerbs or low obsta-
cles, falling of the car in big holes or sags
in the road.
2) When the airbag inflates it emits a small
amount of dusts. These dusts are harm-
less and is not the beginning of a fire; then
the unfold cushion surface and the car in-
teriors can be covered by a dusty remains:
this dust can irritate skin and eyes. In case
of contact, wash yourself using neutral
soap and water.3) Should an accident occur in which any
of the safety devices is activated, take the
car to a Fiat Dealership to have the de-
vices activated replaced and to have the
system checked.
Every control, repair and replacement op-
erations concerning the air bags must on-
ly be carried out c/o Fiat Dealership.
If you are having the car scrapped, have
the air bag system deactivated at a Fiat
Dealership first. If the car changes own-
ership, the new owner must be informed
of the method of use of air bags and the
above warnings and also be given this
“Owner Handbook”.4) The triggering of pretensioners, front
air bags and front side bags is decided in
a differentiated manner, depending on the
type of crash. The failure to deploy one or
more of them does not mean that the sys-
tem is not working properly.
105-128 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:12 Pagina 125

DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
126
If the car has been stolen or
an attempt to steal it has
been made, if it has been subjected to
vandals or floods, have the air bag
system checked by Fiat Dealership.
WARNING
Never travel with objects on
your lap, in front of your
chest or with a pipe, pencil, etc. be-
tween your lips; injury may result in
the event of the air bag being trig-
gered.
WARNING
Life and validity of pyrotech-
nic charge and coil contact
are indicated on the label located in-
side the lower oddment compart-
ment. As this date approaches, con-
tact Fiat Dealership to have them re-
placed.
WARNING
If when turning the ignition
key to MAR, the warning
light ¬does not turn on or if it stays
on when travelling (together with the
message on the display) there could
be a failure in safety systems; in this
event air bags or pretensioners could
not trigger in case of impact or, in a
minor number of cases, they could
trigger accidentally. Contact Fiat
Dealership immediately to have the
system checked.
WARNING
105-128 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:12 Pagina 126

127
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
The front air bag is triggered
for shocks greater in magni-
tude than the pretensioners. For im-
pacts between these two thresholds,
it is therefore normal that only the
pretensioners are triggered.
WARNING
When the ignition key is
turned to MAR, the warning
light
“(with passenger’s front Air
bag on) turns on and flashes for few
seconds to remind that the passen-
ger’s air bag will be deployed in a
crash, after which it should go off.
WARNING
Remember that with the key
engaged and at MAR, even
with the engine not running, the air
bags may be triggered on a stationary
car if it is bumped by another moving
car. Therefore, never seat children on
the front seat even when the car is
stationary. On the other hand, re-
member that with the key at STOP
no safety system (air bags or preten-
sioners) is triggered in the event of an
impact; in this case, failure to come
into action cannot be considered as a
sign that the system is not working
properly.
WARNING
105-128 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:12 Pagina 127

128
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
The air bag does not substi-
tute the seat belts, but only
increases their effectiveness. More-
over, since the front air bags do not
come into operation in the event of
front impact at low speed, side colli-
sions, bumps from behind or over-
turning, in these circumstances the
occupants would only be protected
by the seat belts which must therefore
always be fastened.
WARNING
105-128 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:12 Pagina 128

129
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
ENGINE STARTING ............................................................ 130
PARKING .................................................................................. 133
USING THE GEARBOX ....................................................... 134
CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS ................................. 135
TOWING TRAILERS ............................................................. 137
SNOW TYRES ......................................................................... 139
SNOW CHAINS ..................................................................... 139
CAR INACTIVITY ................................................................. 140
C C
O O
R R
R R
E E
C C
T T
U U
S S
E E
O O
F F
T T
H H
E E
C C
A A
R R
129-140 BRAVO GB 10-05-2007 9:16 Pagina 129