Safety precautions for the airbag

Replacement and inspection work on the airbag system may only be carried out by a qualified workshop.

No modifications of any kind are permitted.

The airbag steering wheel may only be replaced with a steering wheel approved by the vehicle manufacturer.

The steering wheel pad must not be stickered, covered or otherwise modified. It may only be cleaned with a dry cloth or a cloth dampened with water, and with a cleaner approved by the vehicle manufacturer.

The airbag does not replace wearing the seat belt.

Vehicle occupants must be belted in; only then are they optimally protected.

The driver's seat must always be correctly adjusted for the driver's body size.

On vehicles with a passenger airbag, no baby seats may be installed on the passenger seat; child seats only in certain designs. The passenger seat must be pushed fully to the rear. Which seats are approved can be found in the owner's manual or obtained from a Fiat dealer.

If the airbag has been deployed as a result of an accident, the control unit, airbag unit and contact unit must be replaced with new parts (workshop work).

Before starting work on or near the airbag system, on the seats or on the electrical system, turn the ignition key to "STOP".

Disconnect the battery ground cable. Then insulate the negative terminal on the battery to avoid accidental electrical contact. Remove the fuse for the airbag system electronic control unit. Then wait approx. 10 minutes until the capacitor of the system has discharged.

Before removing the steering wheel, lock the steering column in the straight-ahead position so that the contact unit is not damaged during later installation.

The airbag unit must always be stored with the padded side facing up.

A removed airbag unit that has not been deployed must be stored under lock and key if the vehicle repair will take a long time.

The airbag unit must not be treated with grease, cleaning agents or similar substances (aggressive materials).

The airbag unit and the control unit are sensitive to impact.

If they have been dropped from a height greater than 50 cm, they must no longer be installed.

If dropped from a lower height, have the airbag checked at a workshop.

When welding, the welding unit's ground clamp must be attached directly at the weld point. In any case, disconnect the control unit from the wiring harness and disconnect the plug connection to the gas generator.

The airbag system control unit is located under the dashboard and center console on the vehicle tunnel.

The airbag unit and the control unit must not be exposed to temperatures above +85 °C, even briefly. Damaged or defective individual parts must never be repaired. The components of the airbag system must not be forcibly opened.

Before installation, check again that the battery is disconnected, the negative terminal is covered and the ignition key is in position O.

Under no circumstances may the airbag be disposed of by yourself.

Risk of explosion!

Observe the notes on the seat belt tensioner system, see page 225.

Wear safety goggles when removing the airbag module.

Never lift or carry the airbag module by its wires or the connector on the underside.

Do not apply voltage to the removed airbag module.

The airbag/seat belt pretensioner warning lamp must light up when the ignition is switched on and go out after approx. 4 seconds.

A system fault is also present if the warning lamp does not light up when the ignition is switched on.

If the lamp does not go out or lights up while driving, there is a fault in the airbag system. It must be assumed that the airbag system is then no longer functional.