FIAT IDEA 2007 1.G Owners Manual

170
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
In case of crash, a person not wearing the seat belt
moves forward and may come into contact with the
cushion while it is still inflating. Under this
circumstance the protection offered by the air bag is
reduced.
Front air bag may not be activated in the following
situations:
❒in collisions against highly deformable objects not
affecting the vehicle front surface (e.g. bumper
collision against guard rail, etc.);
❒in case of wedging under other vehicles or
protective barriers (for example under a truck or
guard rail), the air bag is not triggered as it offers
no additional protection compared with the seat
belts, consequently it would be pointless.
Therefore, failure to come into action in the above
circumstance does not mean that the system is not
working properly.The driver’s and passenger’s front Air bags have been
designed and calibrated to improve the protection of a
person wearing seat belts.
At its maximum inflation, its volume fills most of the
space between the dashboard and the passenger.

171
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
F0H0144m
F0H0145m
DRIVER’S FRONT AIR BAG
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion contained in a special recess in
the centre of the steering wheel.
PASSENGER’S FRONT AIR BAG
It consists of an instant-inflating cushion contained in a special recess (A) in
the dashboard and the cushion has a volume bigger than that of the driver.
In minor crashes (for which the restraining action of the seat belts is
sufficient), the air bags are not deployed. Also 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 violent crashes.
WARNINGOn cars provided with front passenger's air bag, the air bag shall be deactivated
when placing a child' seat on the front passenger's seat. The front passenger seat
shall be adjusted in the most backward position to prevent any contact between
child’ seat and dashboard. Even if not compulsory by law, you are recommended to
reactivate the air bag immediately as soon as child transport is no longer necessary.
WARNINGDo not apply stickers or other objects on
the steering wheel, in area (A) of the
passenger’s air bag or on the side covering.
Never put objects on the dashboard on the
passenger’s side because they may
interfere with the correct air bag
deployment and cause serious injuries to
the car occupants.
WARNINGSERIOUS DANGER: The car is fitted with an air bag on the passenger’s side. Never
place cradle child’s seats on the front passenger’s seat of cars fitted with passenger’s
air bag since the air bag activation could cause serious injuries, even mortal.

MANUALLY DEACTIVATING PASSENGER’S
AIR BAG (Front and Side bag) (where required)
Should it be absolutely necessary to carry a child on the front seat, the
passenger’s air bag on the car can be deactivated.
Deactivation/activation takes place with ignition key at STOP and
operating it in the special key switch on the right-hand side of the
dashboard.
IMPORTANT Operate the switch only when the engine is not running
and the ignition key is removed.
The key-operated switch has two positions:
❒passenger’s air bag (Front and Side bag) activated (ON position P):
warning light Fon instrument cluster off; it is absolutely prohibited
to carry a child on the front seat.
❒passenger’s front air bag (Front and Side bag) deactivated (OFF
position F): warning light Fon instrument cluster on; it is
possible to carry a child protected by special restraint system on the
front seat.
The warning light Fon the cluster stays on permanently until the
passenger’s air bag is reactivated (Front and Side bag).
The key can be removed when in both positions.
172
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
F0H0146m

173
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
SIDE AIR BAGS (where fitted)
(Side bag - Window bag)
SIDE BAGS
They are formed of an instantaneously-inflating cushion housed in the
back rest of front seats and their task is to increase protection of the
occupants in the event of a side crash of medium-high severity.
F0H0147m
WARNING
Do not cover the back rest of front seats
with trims or covers there are not set for
the use of side bags.
F0H0148m
Covers for Side bag seats are available at Lineaccessori Fiat.
WINDOW BAGS (where fitted)
They are “curtain” cushions located behind the side coverings of the roof
and covered by proper finishings, studied for the head protection to offer
the best protection to the front and rear occupants in the event of side
crash, thanks to the wide cushion inflation surface.
The side air bag is not a replacement of but complementary to the use of
belts, which should always be worn, as specified by law in Europe and
most non European 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 The front air bags and/or side bags may be deployed if the
car is subject to heavy knocks or accidents involving the underbody area,
such as for example violent shocks against steps, kerbs or low obstacles,
falling of the car in big holes or sags in the road.

IMPORTANT When the air bag inflates it emits a small
amount of dusts. These dusts are harmless and is not
the beginning of a fire; then the unfold cushion surface
and the car interiors 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.
The air bag system has a validity of 14 years as to the
pyrotechnic charge, and 10 years as to the twisted
contact. As this date approaches, contact Fiat
Dealership to have it replaced.
IMPORTANT Should an accident occur in which any
of the safety devices is activated, take the car to a Fiat
Dealership to have the devices activated replaced and
to have the system checked.All check, repair and replacement operations
concerning the air bags must only 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 ownership, 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”.
IMPORTANT The triggering of pretensioners, front
air bags and front side bags is decided in a
differentiated manner. The failure to deploy one or
more of them does not mean that the system is not
working properly.
174
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNINGNever rest head, arms and elbows on the door, on the windows and in the window
bag area to prevent possible injuries during the inflation phase.
WARNINGNever put head, arms and elbows out of the window.

175
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
GENERAL WARNINGS
WARNING
If warning light ¬does not come on when turning the key to MAR or if it stays on
when travelling it could indicate a failure in restraint systems; in this case air bags
or pretensioners could not trigger in the event of an accident, or in a restricted
numbers of cases they could trigger accidentally. Stop the car and contact Fiat
Dealership to have the system checked immediately.WARNING
WARNINGAlways keep your hands on the steering wheel rim when driving, so that if the air
bag is triggered, it can inflate without meeting any obstacles which could cause
serious 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. Do not cover the back rest of front seats with trims or covers there are not set for
the use of side bags.
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
WARNINGRemember that with the key engaged and in the MAR position, even with the
engine not running, the air bags may be triggered on a stationary vehicle if it is
bumped by another moving car. Therefore, never seat children on the front seat
even when the vehicle is stationary. On the other hand remember that if the key is
at STOP, no safety system (air bags or pretensioners) is triggered in the event of an
impact; in these case, failure to come into action cannot be considered as a sign
that the system is not working properly.

176
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
WARNINGWhen the ignition key is turned to the MAR position, the warning light F(with
passenger’s front air bag deactivation (where required) switch in the ON position)
turns on and flashes for few seconds to remind that passenger’s air bag will be
deployed in a crash, after which it should go off.
Do not wash the seat back rest with pressurised water or steam (by hand or at
automatic seat washing stations).
Never travel with objects on your lap, in front of your chest or with a pipe, pencil,
etc. between your lips; injury may result in the event of the air bag being triggered.WARNING
The front air bag is triggered for shocks greater in magnitude than the
pretensioners. For impacts between these two thresholds, it is therefore normal
that only the pretensioners are triggered.WARNING
WARNINGThe air bag does not substitute the seat belts, but only increases their
effectiveness. Moreover, since the front air bags do not come into operation in
the event of front impact at low speed, side collisions, bumps from behind or
overturning, in these circumstances the occupants would only be protected by
the seat belts which must therefore always be fastened.
WARNINGDo not hook rigid objects to the coat hooks and to the support handles.

177
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
ENGINE STARTING ............................................................ 178
PARKING ................................................................................ 181
USING THE GEARBOX...................................................... 182
CONTAINING RUNNING COSTS ................................ 183
TOWING TRAILERS ........................................................... 185
SNOW TYRES ....................................................................... 188
SNOW CHAINS ................................................................... 189
CAR INACTIVITY ................................................................ 190
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

ENGINE STARTING
The car is fitted with an electronic engine lock device.
If the engine fails to start, see paragraph “Fiat CODE
system” in section “Dashboard and controls”.
The engine may be noisier than usual during the first
seconds of operation, especially after it has not been
used for a while. This characteristic feature of the
hydraulic tappet system does not compromise
functionality or reliability. The system devised for the
Fiat Idea was designed to limit maintenance
interventions.STARTING PROCEDURE FOR PETROL
VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒Ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒Put the gear lever into neutral;
❒Press the clutch pedal down to the floor without
touching the accelerator;
❒Turn the ignition key to AVV and let it go the
moment the engine starts.
If the engine does not start at the first attempt, return
the ignition key to STOP before repeating starting.
If, when the ignition key is on MAR, warning light
Y
remains lit together with warning light U, turn the
key to STOP and then back to MAR; if the warning
light remains on, try with the other keys provided with
the car.
178
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
We recommend that during the initial period you do not drive to full vehicle performance (e.g.:
excessive acceleration, long journeys at top speed, sharp braking, etc.).
When the engine is switched off never leave the ignition key in the MAR position to prevent
pointless current absorption from draining the battery.
WARNINGRunning the engine in confined areas is extremely dangerous. The engine consumes
oxygen and produces carbon monoxide which is a highly toxic and lethal gas.

If you are still unable to start the engine, perform the
emergency start-up procedure (see “Emergency start-
up” in section “In an emergency”) and contact Fiat
Dealership.
IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition key at MAR
when the engine is off.
STARTING PROCEDURE FOR MULTIJET
VERSIONS
Proceed as follows:
❒Ensure that the handbrake is up;
❒Put the gear lever into neutral;
❒Turn the ignition key to MAR: the warning lights
m, Uand Ywill light up on the instrument
panel;
❒Wait for the warning lights
Yand m. The
hotter the engine is, the quicker this will happen;
❒Press the clutch pedal down to the floor without
touching the accelerator;❒Turn the ignition key to AVV as soon as warning
light
mgoes out. If you wait too long you will
lose the benefit of the work done by the glow
plugs. Release the key as soon as the engine starts.
IMPORTANT With cold engine, the accelerator pedal
shall be completely released while turning the ignition
key to AVV.
If the engine does not start at the first attempt, return
the ignition key to STOP before repeating starting.
If, when the ignition key is on MAR, warning light Y
remains lit, turn the key to STOP and then back to
MAR; if the warning light remains on, try with the
other keys provided with the car.
If you still cannot start the engine, contact Fiat
Dealership.
IMPORTANT Never leave the ignition key at MAR
when the engine is off.
179
SAFETY
DEVICES
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
DASHBOARD
AND CONTROLS
CORRECT USE
OF THE CAR
The warning light mwill flash for 60 seconds at start-up or during prolonged cranking to signal a
fault in the glow plug heating system. You can use the car as usual if the engine starts but you should
contact a Fiat Dealership as soon as possible.