warning LOTUS ELISE 2005 User Guide

the primary crash protection to the occupants, especially in collisions below the actuation threshold of the airbag system, and during types of accident which do not cause airbag deploy
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ment. Therefore, both driver and passenger must always wear
seat belts (in most states, and all Canadian provinces, the law
requires the use of seat belts). See the earlier pages on ‘Seat
Belts’.
WARNING:
• You can be killed or seriously injured in a crash if you aren’t wearing your seat belt - even with airbags. Wearing
your seat belt during a crash helps reduce your chance of hitting things inside the car or being ejected from it.
Airbags are designed to work with seat belts, but don’t replace them. Airbags are designed to deploy only in
moderate to severe frontal and near frontal crashes.
They aren’t designed to inflate at all in rollover, rear or low-speed frontal crashes, or in many types of side im
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pacts. Both driver and passenger should wear a seat belt properly to minimise the risk of severe injury or death in
the event of a crash.
• Airbags inflate with great force, in a fraction of a second. If you’re too close to an inflating airbag, as you would
be if you were leaning forward, you could be killed or seriously injured. Seat belts help keep you in the correct
position before and during a crash. Always wear your seat
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AIRBAG DEFLATED
AFTER DEPLOYMENT

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belt, even with airbags. Sit as far back from the steering
wheel as is comfortable, whilst ensuring that full control can be maintained.
• Airbags plus lap-shoulder seat belts offer the best protection for adults, but not for young children and

infants. Neither the car ’s seat belt system nor its

airbag system is designed for them. Young children and

infants need the protection that a child restraint system can

provide. See later section on ‘Child Restraints’.
• If an object is between a person and an airbag, the bag
might not inflate properly or it might force the object into
that person causing death or serious injury. The path of an inflating airbag must be kept clear. Don’t put anything between an occupant and an airbag, and don’t attach or
put anything on the steering wheel hub or on or near any
passenger dashboard air bag covering.
• Do not lean against the inside of the doors; always hold the steering wheel by the outer rim; never rest your hands
on the airbag panel.
• Never transport heavy objects on or in front of the pas
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senger seat.
• Give your passenger all of the information in this sec
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tion.
• Do not attempt to de-activate the airbags, or make any other changes to the wiring or components of the airbag
system. Do not undertake any wiring for electrical ac
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cessory equipment in the vicinity of the airbag wiring harnesses. Doing so may disable the airbag system, or
cause its unintended deployment.
• Adjust the driver’s seat to ensure that your chest is at
least 10 inches (250mm) from the steering wheel.
• If the airbag trim cover on the passenger side of the dash
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board is accidently knocked off, the passenger airbag will
not operate correctly. Improper protection could result
in death or serious injury to a passenger in a crash. Do
not attempt to refit or repair the trim cover, but have the
fault rectified immediately by your dealer.
Airbag Tell Tale There is an airbag warning light (‘tell tale’) on the instrument
panel which shows the airbag symbol. The system checks the
following airbag electrical circuits for malfunction:
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• Drivers airbag circuit;
• Passenger airbag circuit;
• Seatbelts pre-tensioner circuit;
• Internal componentry of the sensor and diagnostic module.
As a bulb and circuit check, the tell tale will light briefly when
the ignition is switched on, and then go out. If the lamp lights at any other time, a fault in the airbag system is indicated, which
should be rectified without delay by your Lotus dealer.
WARNING: If the airbag tell tale does not light up as the ignition is
turned on, or remains lit for more than a few seconds, have
the fault rectified immediately by your dealer. Ignoring the
tell tale can result in serious injury or death if the airbags do not inflate when needed.
Airbag Deployment If a crash or collision causes the airbags to inflate, you may
see what looks like smoke, but is actually powder from the airbag
surface used to aid smooth deployment. Although the powder is not harmful, people with respiratory problems may experience
some temporary discomfort. If this occurs, get out of the car if possible as soon as it is safe to do so. After airbag deployment, the airbags, seat belt tensioners
and electronic control unit must be replaced by a Lotus dealer
or other suitably qualified organisation. Component parts of the airbag system are located in various
sites around the car. Any technician working on the car should be advised that the car is fitted with airbags to allow suitable
precautions to be taken.
WARNING:
• For up to 20 seconds after the ignition has been turned off and the battery disconnected, an airbag can still

inflate if improper servicing occurs. You can be injured
if you are close to an airbag when it inflates.
• Airbag system components should be serviced only by an authorised Lotus dealer. Do not work on the airbag
system yourself.
• The disposal of used airbag units is subject to stringent
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Child Restraints
WARNING:
Lotus strongly recommends that children are not car
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ried in the Elise due to the risk of death or serious injury if the child is too close to the dashboard when the airbag
inflates.

Accident statistics show that children are safer when properly
restrained in the back seats of cars, an option unavailable on
this model. In addition, your car is equipped with a passenger’s airbag which poses serious risks to children - particularly infants
and small children. If, nevertheless, a child is to be carried in the
car, the following notes are provided for guidance:
When a child is of a physical size whereby the standard
fitment lap and diagonal seat belt will fit satisfactorily, with the belt positioned over the collar bone and against the centre of
the chest, the standard seat and seat belt should be used. If the
belt touches or crosses the child’s neck, the child should NOT
be carried in the Elise.
WARNING:
• Children should not be carried in the Elise unless they are large enough to be able properly to use the standard
seat belt without any child seat or booster seat.
• Child restraint systems (other than belt positioning booster seats) are designed to be secured in the car seat
by the lap belt portion of the lap/shoulder belt. READ
ALL INSTRUCTIONS THAT ACCOMPANY THE CHILD RESTRAINT OR BOOSTER SEAT.
• I n f a n t s w h o a r e u n a b l e t o s i t u p b y t h e m s e l v e s ,

unsupported, should NOT be carried in the Elise.
• Never put a rear-facing child seat in the passenger seat
of the Elise. If the airbag inflates, it can hit the child or
the back of the child seat with enough force to kill or very seriously injure an infant.
• There is no provision on the Elise to switch off or disable
the passenger airbag.
WARNING: Children who are not properly restrained can be killed
or seriously injured in an accident.
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Behaviour: It is essential that the behaviour of any child trav-
elling in the car is such that they remain correctly seated and belted, and it is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that
this occurs.
The following wording has been included to comply with
National Highway Traffic Safety Authority requirements,
however;
WARNING: Lotus str ongly recommen ds that you do not fit any type
of child seat into the Elise due to the risk of death or seri
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ous injury if the c hild is too close to the dashboard when
the airbag inflates.
Procedure for Proper Fitment of For ward- Facing Child
Seat
A utomatic Locking Retractor: The safety belt for the passen-
ger’s seat is equipped with an automatic locking retractor that
must be used for securing a forward-facing child restraint sy
s-
tem. When activated , this retractor allows you to securely fas
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ten the child restraint system.
Activating the Automatic Retracto r:
1. Pull the passenger seat safety belt completely
out . At this
point, the locking mechanism is activated.
2.
P lace the forward-facing child seat in the passenger seat,
using the safety belt to secure the child seat,
fo llowing the
instructions that come with the child seat
.
3. Insert the safety tongu e into the buckle and make sure that
it is properl y latched.
4. Allow the safety belt to retract until it is tight on the child seat.
You may further tighten the belt by pulling on it to allow more of
it to retract. Check to make sure the child seat is secured, and
that the belt is snug and will not pull out.
Releasing the safety bel t and child seat:
1. Unbuckle the safety belt. 2. Remove the child seat.
3. Make sure that the belt has fully retracted. At this point the
automatic locking feature is disengaged.
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KEYS & CAR SECURITY ALARM
KeysA single mechanical key operates the manual door locks
(see also ‘Doors’ and ‘Central Door Locking’), combined igni
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tion switch/steering lock, and engine cover. The head of the key incorporates a push button activated key hole light to facilitate
operation in the dark. A duplicate key is supplied with the new car and, on receipt,
should be separated and kept in a safe place for use in an emergency. The mechanical key code is printed on a plastic
tab which should be removed from the key ring and the number recorded safely with the car documents. This number will be
required when ordering a replacement, or any additional keys
from your dealer. Ensure that a spare key is available at all times to guard against becoming stranded.
WARNING: Never leave the car unattended with the key in the igni
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tion switch, especially if unsuper vised children and /or animals are in the car. Dangers can arise from window
operation and other electric controls. If the engine is running, operation of the car’s controls could cause an

accident and result in death or serious injury.
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Keys & Car Security Alarm
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MECHANICAL KEY
Push button
Keyhole light

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Arming the AlarmRemove the ignition key, close (and lock) both doors, and
check that the engine cover and front body access panels are
secure. The roof may be either closed or open. Press once, and for a full second, the larger of the two buttons on the trans
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mitter fob (on cars with central door locking, this action will automatically lock both doors - see later). This command will
be acknowledged by:
- 2 flashes of the hazard warning lamps;
- Continuous flashing of the security tell tale.
Check that these indications occur. If not, press the button a
second time, as the first press may have only switched off the passive immobilisation (see above). Note that if the system is armed when a door or engine cover/
front access panel is not fully closed or if the interior lamp is in the ‘off’ position, a continuous buzz will be heard as warning. If still open after expiry of the arming period, (see below)
the alarm will be armed with that switch group (both doors, or
front/rear access lids) excluded from the circuit.
After arming the system, the engine is immediately immo
-
bilised, but a period of approximately 45 seconds must elapse
before all functions and sensors become fully active. After
this time, the alarm will be triggered by any of the following actions:
- Interruption of the car battery power supply.
- Energising the ignition circuit (‘hot wiring’).
- Opening a door;
- Opening the engine cover or a front access panel.
- Movement detected within the cabin.
When the alarm is triggered, the hazard warning lamps will
flash and the electronic wailing siren will sound for a period of approximately 30 seconds before closing down and resetting, ready for any further triggering input. If a trigger is continuously
present, the alarm will repeat after a short delay, and continue
in this sequence for about 10 cycles. To silence the siren when triggered, press once, and for a full
second, the larger button on the transmitter fob. This will not affect the status of the alarm which will remain armed.
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Disarming the AlarmTo disarm the alarm, press once, and for a full second, the
larger button on the transmitter fob. This command will be
acknowledged by:
- 1 flash of the hazard warning lamps;
- Extinguishing of the security tell tale. If the alarm had been triggered during the last armed period,
the disarm command will be acknowledged by the hazard lamps
flashing 4 times, and the buzzer sounding 4 times. The security tell tale will then flash a code to indicate the triggering source:
- 1 pulse flashing: door, engine cover/boot lid or body front access panel.
- 2 pulse flashing: movement detected in cabin by microwave sensor.
- 4 pulse flashing: tampering with ignition circuit.
- 6 pulse flashing: interruption of battery supply.
The coding will be deleted when the ignition is next turned
on.
Emergency disarming /mobilising If the transmitter fobs are lost or damaged, the alarm system
owner’s unique PIN may be used to disarm the alarm and/or
mobilise the engine provided that access is available to the
cabin. Follow the transmitter fob programming instructions (see
page 18) from step 3.
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ENTRY & COMFORT
WARNING:
• In very hot/cold territories, or under conditions of extreme solar heating, be aware of exposed metal surfaces in the
cabin. Take suitable precautions to guard against burn
injuries from hot or cold metal.
• Unlocked doors can be dangerous. Young children who get into unlocked cars may be unable to get out.

Always lock your car whenever you leave it.
Central Door Locking (CDL) The central door locking (CDL) operates on the driver’s and
passenger’s doors in conjunction with the security alarm system.
For full details of the alarm system, see page 30.
To unlock from outside: To unlock the doors from outside, press once, for a full second,
the larger button on the transmitter fob. The alarm will be dis
-
armed and both doors unlocked. Press the exterior lock button and pull open the door using the fingergrip below the button. If
the door is swung fully open, a spring detent mechanism on the hinge will aid restraint of the door for convenience whilst entering or exiting the car, but the door should be manually held in windy
conditions, or if the car is parked on a slope.
From inside the car, pull the door firmly shut using the recess
provided at the top of the door trim panel.
WARNING: Before closing a door take care to ensure that no persons
or objects will be trapped to avoid injury or damage.
To lock from inside: If it is desired to lock the doors from inside the car, for example
to deter highjack attempts, press the right hand side of the CDL
rocker switch on the front of the gear lever shroud to lock both
doors with or without the ignition switched on. Alternatively, the
doors can be locked individually by depressing the button at the rear end of each door sill.
WARNING: Whether locked using the rocker switch or sill buttons,
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the doors will be ‘deadlocked’ meaning that the interior door release handles will not open the doors. In order to get
out of the car in an emergency when the doors are locked
see the section below ‘to unlock from inside’.
To unlock from inside: To unlock both doors from inside, press the left hand side of
the rocker switch on the front of the gear lever shroud, or raise
the sill button on each door. Note that in the event of a car col
-
lision which causes the safety inertia switch to be tripped, the doors will automatically be unlocked.
Pull the release handle at the front of the door and push open.
Shut the door from outside by using firm hand pressure towards the rear of the door.
WARNING: Before closing a door take care to ensure that no persons
or objects will be trapped to avoid injury or damage.
To lock from outside: To lock the car from outside, remove the ignition key, close
both doors and check that the engine cover and front body ac
-
cess panels are secure. Arm the security alarm by pressing once,
for a full second, the larger of the two buttons on the transmitter
fob. This action will both arm the alarm and electrically lock the driver’s and passenger’s doors.
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Entry & Comfort
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Interior CDL
switchDoor sill button

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