Lancia Thesis 2008 Owner handbook (in English)

90
SEVERE DANGER:
The car is
equipped with
front passenger’s airbag, do not
place the child restraint seat on
the front seat. The inflation of the
airbag could cause even fatal
injury. If required, always deacti-
vate the passenger’s front airbag
when a child seat is placed on the
front seat. The passenger’s seat
shall be set as backwards as pos-
sible to prevent accidental con-
tacts between the child restraint
system and the dashboard.
Although it may not be pre-
scribed by law, we recommend
reactivating the airbag as soon as
it is no longer necessary to carry
children to provide better protec-
tion to adult passengers.
AIRBAGPASSENGER’S FRONT AIRBAG
The passenger’s airbag was
designed and calibrated to protect a
person wearing seat belts.
When fully inflated the bag will fill
most of the space between the dash-
board and the passenger.MANUALLY DEACTIVATING
THE PASSENGER’S FRONT
AIRBAG
The passenger’s front airbag can be
deactivated if it is absolutely neces-
sary to carry a child in the front pas-
senger seat.
Deactivation/reactivation takes
place with ignition key at STOPand
operating it in the special key switch
A(fig. 91) on the dashboard on the
passenger side.
You can reach the switch only if
the door is opened.
fig. 91
L0A0072b

91
Only turn the switch
when the engine is not
running and the ignition
key is removed.
The key switch has two possible
positions:
1)Passenger’s front airbag active
(positionON
P): instrument panel
warning light Foff. Do not carry
children on the front seat.
2)Passenger’s front airbag deacti-
vated (position OFFF): instru-
ment panel warning light Fon. A
child may be carried on the front
seat, protected with a specific
restraint system.
TheFwarning light on the
instrument panel will stay on until
the passenger front airbag is reacti-
vated.
The side airbag will work although
the front airbag is deactivated.
The key can be inserted and
removed from the switch with the
door open in any of the two posi-
tions.IMPORTANTTo receive the best
system protection in the event of an
accident, you have to seat in proper
position (fig. 92).
fig. 92
L0A0256b

In the event of side collisions at low
speed, the restraining action of the
seat belts is sufficient and the airbag
is not inflated. 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
passenger and prevent the occupants
to be pitched out of the car in case of
violent crashes.
The front and rear side bag is not a
replacement for the use of seat belts
but rather a complement. We rec-
ommend that seat belts are worn at
all times as prescribed by legislation
in Europe and most other countries
world-wide.
92
SIDE AIRBAGS
(SIDE BAG - WINDOW BAG)
Purpose of the side airbags is to
increase passenger protection in the
event of a side impact of medium to
high severity.
Side airbags consist of two types of
instantly inflatable bags:
– the side bags housed in the front
seat bags C(fig. 88) and (where
provided) in the side stuffing of the
rear seats E(fig. 90). This solution
ensures that the bag is always in an
optimal position with respect to the
passenger, regardless of the seat
position;– the window bags, which are “cur-
tain” cushions located behind the
side coverings of the roof and cov-
ered by proper finishings such to
allow the cushion unfolding down-
wards; this solution, studied for the
head protection, allows offering the
best protection to the front and rear
passengers in the event of side crash,
thanks to the wide cushion inflation
surface.
In In the event of a side collision
the electronic control unit processes
the signals coming from a decelera-
tion sensor and, if required, fire the
bags.
The bags inflate instantly and act
as a soft protective barrier between
the body of the passengers and the
car door. Bags deflate immediately
afterwards.

IMPORTANTIf the ¬warning
light does not turn on when turning
the ignition key to MARor if it stays
on when travelling, (together with
message on display) this could indi-
cate a failure in safety retaining sys-
tems; under this condition air bags
or pretensioners could not trigger in
the event of collision or, in a restrict-
ed number of cases, they could trig-
ger accidentally. Stop the car and
contactLancia Dealershipto have
the system checked immediately.
The air bag system has a validity
of 14 years as concerns the py-
rotechnic charge and 10 years as
concerns the coil contact (see the
plate on the front let door). As these
dates approach, contact Lancia
Dealership to have them replaced.
IMPORTANTAfter an accident
which triggered the airbags, go to a
Lancia Dealershipto have the
entire safety system, the electronic
control unit, the seat belts and the
pretensioners replaced and to have
the electrical system checked. Never lean head, arms
and elbows out of the
window.Operation of the front bags is not
disabled by the passenger’s front
airbag and rear side bag deactiva-
tion switch.
IMPORTANTIn the event of side
crash, you can obtain the best pro-
tection by the system keeping a cor-
rect position on the seat, allowing
thus a correct window bag unfold-
ing.IMPORTANTThe front airbags
and/or front and rear side bags can
be triggered if the car is involved in
hard impacts or collisions in the area
of the underbody, such as for exam-
ple violent impacts against steps,
kerbs or projecting objects fixed to
the ground or if the car falls into
large pot-holes or dips in the road
surface.
IMPORTANTWhen the airbag is
fired it emits a small amount of
powder and smoke. This is not
harmful and does not indicate the
beginning of a fire. Furthermore the
surface of the inflated bag and the
passenger compartment may be cov-
ered with powder residues. This
powder may irritate skin and eyes.
In the event of exposure, wash with
mild soap and water.
93
Never rest head, arms
and elbows on the door,
on the windows and in the
window bag area to prevent pos-
sible injuries during the inflation
phase.

94
fig. 93
L0A0272b
Any diagnostic, repair or replace-
ment operations concerning the
airbag system must exclusively be
carried out at aLancia Dealership.
If you are having the car scrapped,
have the airbag system deactivated
at a Lancia Dealershipfirst.
If the car changes hands, the new
owner must be made aware of the
indications given above and be given
this Owner Handbook.
IMPORTANTPretensioners, front
airbags and side bags are activated
by the electronic control unit
according to the type of impact.
Consequently, missed activation of
one or more system components
does not indicate a fault in the sys-
tem.MANUALLY DEACTIVATING
THE REAR SIDE BAGS
(where provided)
Side bags, protecting the chest of
the rear passengers, can be deacti-
vated as follows.
Use the ignition key to operate the
key switch A(fig. 93) located on the
right side of the boot. This switch
can be reached only with tailgate
open.The key switch has two positions:
1)Passenger’s front airbag active
(positionON
Õ): instrument panel
warning light
Àoff. Do not carry
children on the front seat.
2)Passenger’s front airbag deacti-
vated (position OFF
À): instrument
panel warning light
Àon. A child
may be carried on the front seat,
protected with a specific restraint
system.
IMPORTANTThe car is delivered
with rear side bags deactivated
(positionOFF
À) and instrument
panel warning light
Àon.
Operate the switch only
when the engine is
stopped and the ignition
key is removed.
SEVERE DANGER:
In presence of
small size occu-
pants (children, etc.) on the rear
seats, it is necessary to deactivate
the rear side bags through the
apposite deactivation switch
located in the boot.
AIRBAG

95
GENERAL NOTES
Do not apply stickers or
other objects to the steer-
ing wheel, to the passen-
ger's airbag cover or to the roof
side cover. Do not place objects
(like mobile phones) on the dash-
board on passenger side since
they could interfere with proper
passenger's airbag deployment
and cause severe injuries.
If the ¬warning light
does not turn on when
turning the ignition key to
MAR or if it stays on when travel-
ling (together with message on dis-
play), this could indicate a failure
in safety retaining systems; under
this condition air bags or preten-
sioners could not trigger in the
event of collision or, in a restricted
number of cases, they could trig-
ger accidentally. Stop the car and
contact Lancia Dealership to have
the system checked immediately.
Do not cover the back
rest of front and rear seats
with trims or covers there
are not set for the use of side bags.
Do not travel with
objects on your lap or in
front of you nor with a
pipe, pencil or similar between
your lips. You could seriously
hurt yourself if the airbag inflates
in a collision.
Always drive with both
hands on the rim of the
steering wheel so that the
airbag is free to inflate during a
head-on collision and protect you
from serious injury. Do not drive
with your body bending towards
the steering wheel, but sit in an
upright position with your back
resting against the seat.If an attempt has been
made to steal the car, or if
it has actually been stolen
or has been vandalised in anyway
or subjected to flooding, have the
airbag system checked over at a
Lancia Dealership.
It is important to
remember that the airbag
can be fired even when
the car is stationary if it is hit by
another vehicle travelling at suit-
able speed. As a consequence,
never sit children in the front
seat, even if the car is not moving.
On the contrary, the airbags will
not be fired if the car is crashed
into when the key is not inserted
or turned. Consequently, in this
case, the fact that the system is
not fired does not indicate a fault.

96
Do not hook rigid
objects to the coat hooks
and to the support han-
dles.The airbag does not
replace seat belts but
rather increases their
effectiveness. Furthermore, the
airbag is not fired in the event of
low speed front collisions, rear-
end shunts and roll-overs. In
these cases, the passengers are
only protected by the seat belts
which for this reason must
always be fastened. When the ignition key is
turned to MAR (passenger
front airbag and rear side
bag deactivation switch at ON),
warning lights Fand
Àwill
come on flashing for a few sec-
onds to remind the driver that
passenger front airbag and rear
side bags will be fired in the
event of a crash. Warning lights
should go out immediately after-
wards.The airbag is set to be
fired in the event of colli-
sions which are greater
than the pretensioner settings.
Consequently, for collisions in
the bracket between the two
thresholds, it is normal for only
the pretensioners to be fired.
Do not wash the seat
back rest with pres-
surised water or steam
(by hand or at automatic seat
washing stations).

97
LIGHT SWITCH
AND STEERING
COLUMN STALKS
The devices and services controlled
by light switch and steering column
stalks can only be activated with the
ignition key at MAR, excluding the
parking lights that are switched on
only with key at STOPor removed.
Outside lights can be switched on
manually or automatically accord-
ing to daylight intensity.LIGHT SWITCH (fig. 94)
It has 5 positions:
0- outside lights off
6- side/taillights
2- dipped beam headlights
F- parking lights
AUTO- automatic outside light
switching on/off according to set
sensitivity level.
Outside lights off
Outside lights are off when ring A
is turned to 0.
Side/taillights and number plate
lights
To switch these lights on, turn ring
Ato6.
When these lights are on, instru-
ment panel warning light 3lights
up.
When the outside lights are turned
on, the instrument panel and the
various controls and displays located
on the dashboard and central con-
sole light up.Dipped beam headlights
These lights come on when you
turn ring Ato2.
Parking lights
With ignition key at STOPor
removed, turn ring AtoFto switch
the parking lights on (side/tail-
lights), the relevant instrument
panel warning light will come on.
When parking lights are on, move
the left stalk downwards to switch
on only the left side lights and move
it upwards to switch on only the
right side lights. In this case the
number plate lights and the instru-
ment panel warning light will not
come on.
When parking lights are on, a
buzzer will sound when opening the
driver’s door. Buzzer sound will stop
when closing the door or switching
the lights off.
fig. 94
L0A0199b

98
Automatic switching on/off
When ring Ais turned to AUTO
and the ignition key is at MAR,
side/taillights, number plate lights
and dipped beam headlights will
turn on/off automatically according
to daylight intensity.
The twilight sensor sensitivity of
the automatic light on/off system
can be set, also when travelling,
through the 3-position ring B:
1- low sensitivity
2- medium sensitivity
3- high sensitivity.
IMPORTANTMain beam head-
lights can only be switched on man-
ually by moving the left stalk for-
wards.If main beam headlights
are on (left stalk for-
wards), they will turn on
automatically each time the twi-
light sensor makes the outside
lights switch on automatically. It
is therefore recommended to turn
off the main beam headlights (if
on), moving backwards the left
stalk, each time the sensor
switches off the outside lights.
Twilight sensor is not
able to detect the fog
presence, it is therefore
necessary to switch on the lights
manually, including the front and
rear fog lights.The driver is responsible
for the use of the lights
according to the light
intensity and traffic regulations
of the country where the car is
being driven. Automatic switch-
ing on/off must be considered
just as an help for the driver
since he/she must always switch
on/off the lights manually as nec-
essary.With automatic switching on acti-
vated and switching off control
given by the sensor, main beam
headlights go off followed after
about 10 seconds, by the side/tail-
lights.IMPORTANTWhen switching on
the headlights automatically, it is
possible to switch on the front and
rear fog lights. When headlights are
automatically switched off, the front
and rear fog lights (if previously
activated) will be switched off as
well. At the following automatic
switching-on, only the front fog
lights will switch on, whereas the
rear fog lights, if required, will have
to be switched on manually.

99
Twilight sensor
It is composed by an infrared led
sensor installed on the windscreen in
order to detect the changes of the
external light intensity of the car , as
a function of the light sensitivity set;
greater is the sensitivity, smaller is
the amount of external light neces-
sary to control the switching-on of
the exterior headlights.
It consists of two sensors: a global
sensor for evaluating environment
light intensity and a directional one
for evaluating light intensity in run-
ning direction in order to recognize
tunnels, dark road sections, etc.When ring Ais turned to AUTO
(automatic light switching on), and
the twilight sensor is malfunction-
ing, side/taillights and dipped beam
headlights are switched on regard-
less of the light intensity and the dis-
play on the instrument panel shows
the message “TWILIGHT SENSOR
FAULT – GO TO DEALER”.
Failure indication will stay on as
long as ring Ais turned to AUTO. In
this case it is recommended to deac-
tivate the automatic function and
switch on the lights manually; con-
tact a Lancia Dealershipas soon as
possible.Delayed light switching off
(“Follow me home” device)
This device allows the illumination
of the space in front of the car for a
length of time of 30 seconds (or a
multiple of 30) and is activated with
the ignition key at STOPor
removed.
This device is activated by pulling
towards the steering wheel and then
releasing the left-hand stalk within 2
minutes from when the engine is
turned off. At each operation of the
stalk, the staying on of the lights is
extended by 30 seconds, up to a
maximum of 210 seconds that corre-
spond to 7 stalk operations, then the
lights are switched off automatical-
ly.
Total set time (in seconds) is
shown on the instrument panel dis-
play for about 20 seconds.