Lancia THESIS. Service Manual - part 6

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.

IMPORTANT If the 

¬ warning

light does not turn on when turning
the ignition key to MAR or 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
contact Lancia Dealership to 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. 

IMPORTANT After an accident

which triggered the airbags, go to a
Lancia Dealership to 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. 

IMPORTANT In 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.

IMPORTANT The 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.

IMPORTANT When 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 a Lancia Dealership.

If you are having the car scrapped,

have the airbag system deactivated
at a Lancia Dealership first.

If the car changes hands, the new

owner must be made aware of the
indications given above and be given
this Owner Handbook.

IMPORTANT Pretensioners, 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

(position ON Õ): instrument panel
warning light 

À

off. Do not carry

children on the front seat.

2) Passenger’s front airbag deacti-

vated (position OFF

À

): instrument

panel warning light 

À

on. A child

may be carried on the front seat,
protected with a specific restraint
system.

IMPORTANT The car is delivered

with rear side bags deactivated
(position OFF

À

) and instrument

panel warning light 

À

on.

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.

A I

R B A G

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 F and

À

will

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 STOP or 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

A to

6.

When these lights are on, instru-

ment panel warning light 

3 lights

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 A to

2.

Parking lights

With ignition key at STOP or

removed, turn ring A to

F to 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 A is 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.

IMPORTANT Main 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.

IMPORTANT When 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 A is 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 A is 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 Dealership as 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 STOP or
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. 

100

After activating the device, the set

time can be extended also within 2
minutes from when the engine is
turned off by pulling the stalk.

Keeping the stalk pulled for over 2

seconds will deactivate this function
with immediate light turning off as a
consequence.

To flash the lights (fig. 95)

Pull the stalk towards the steering

wheel (position B). Instrument panel
warning light 

1 will come on.

LEFT-HAND STALK 

The left-hand stalk controls the

external lights and the direction
indicators.

Main beam headlights (fig. 95)

These lights come on pushing the

left-hand stalk forwards (position
A), with dipped beam headlights
switched on both manually (ring to
2) and automatically (ring to

AUTO).

When these lights are on, the

instrument panel warning light 

1

is on.

To switch the main beam head-

lights off, pull the stalk back
towards the steering wheel.

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. 

fig. 95

L0A0206b

fig. 96

L0A0207b

101

IMPORTANT This operation will

flash the main beam headlights.
Follow the Highway Code to prevent
being fined.

Direction indicators (fig. 96)

Move the stalk as follows:

up (position A) - to switch on the

right-hand indicators 

down (position B) - to switch on

the left-hand indicators.

When direction indicators are on,

instrument panel warning light Ÿ or

Δ will flash.

The direction indicators return

automatically to neutral position
when the car straightens up.

IMPORTANT If you want the indi-

cator to flash briefly to show that
you are about to change lane, move
the stalk up or down without click-
ing into position. When you let it go
it will return to its original position.

RIGHT-HAND STALK

The right-hand stalk controls all

the washer/wiper controls.

Windscreen wiper (fig. 97)

This device can only work when

the ignition key is at MAR. The stalk
can be moved to 5 different posi-
tions:

0 - Windscreen wiper off.

1 - automatic operation. Turn ring

A to this position to set the rain sen-
sor sensitivity.

2 - Continuous slow.

3 - Continuous fast.

4 - Fast temporary (unstable posi-

tion): when releasing the stalk it
returns to 0 stopping the windscreen
wiper.

Windscreen washer (fig. 98)

Pulling the stalk towards the steer-

ing wheel (unstable position) oper-
ates the windscreen washer.

Keeping the stalk pulled, with just

one movement it is possible to oper-
ate the washer jet and the wiper at
the same time; indeed, the latter
comes into action automatically if
the stalk is pulled for more than half
a second.

fig. 97

L0A0203b

fig. 98

L0A0204b

102

The wiper stops working a few

strokes after releasing the stalk; a
further “cleaning stroke”, after a
few seconds completes the wiping
operation.

Windscreen washer nozzles are fit-

ted with demisting resistors that cut
in automatically (for about 3 min-
utes) when pressing the fast window
demisting/defrosting button. 

Headlight washer (fig. 99) 

Pulling the stalk towards the steer-

ing wheel will also operate the head-
light washers providing that the
dipped beam headlights are on.

IMPORTANT Under certain con-

ditions, when headlight washers are
on, the climate control system acti-
vates automatically the inside air
recirculation to prevent washer fluid
smell inlet into the passenger’s com-
partment.

Rain sensor 

The rain sensor is an infrared led

sensor installed on the windscreen
and combined with the windscreen
wiper which automatically suits the
flick frequency during operation to
the intensity of rain.

All the functions controlled with

the right-hand stalk (i.e. on/off,
continuous slow and fast wipe, tem-
porary fast wipe, windscreen washer
and headlight washer) are unvaried. 

fig. 99

L0A0122b

The rain sensor is automatically

switched on when the stalk is taken
to position 1 (fig. 97) and has the
purpose of adjusting the range of
operation from stationary (no flick)
when the windscreen is dry to sec-
ond continuous speed (continuous
fast wipe) when the rain is heavy.

When taking the stalk to 1 to acti-

vate the rain sensor, the windscreen
wiper indicates the sensor activation
by a flick.

IMPORTANT To guarantee prop-

er rain sensor operation, keep the
glass clean in the sensor area.

103

Operating the windscreen washer

with the rain sensor activated (stalk
at position 1) the normal washing
cycle is performed at the end of
which the rain sensor resumes its
normal automatic function.

The rain sensor is switched off

when the key is turned to STOP. It
will not come on again at the follow-
ing engine start-up (key at MAR)
even if the stalk is at position 1. This
will avoid accidental activation when
starting the engine that could result
in dangerous situations (e.g. manual
windscreen washing, wiper blades
sticking due to ice and risk of dam-
aging the windscreen wiper motor).
In this case to activate the rain sen-
sor, just take the stalk to position 0
or 2 and then to 1 again, or change
sensitivity (increase or decrease)
through knurled ring A.

When the rain sensor is again acti-

vated in this way, at least one wind-
screen wiper stroke occurs, even if
the windscreen is dry, to signal the
occurred re-activation.

The rain sensor is located behind

the driving mirror in contact with
the windscreen and inside the area
cleaned by the wiper and it controls
an electronic control unit which in
turns controls the wiper motor.

At starting, the rain sensor auto-

matically provides to stabilize at
about 40°C temperature to elimi-
nate, from the control surface, the
possible condensate and to prevent
the ice formation.

Turning the knurled ring A (fig.

100) it is possible to increase the
sensitivity of the rain sensor, obtain-
ing a quicker change from stationary
(no flick) when the windscreen is
dry, to second continuous speed
(continuous fast wipe):

■ = low sensitivity
■■ = medium sensitivity
■■■ = high sensitivity
■■■■ = max. sensitivity.
Rain sensor sensitivity level

increase (with sensor on) is indicat-
ed by windscreen wiper flick. 

fig. 100

L0A0205b

104

Rain sensor failure

In case of sensor malfunctioning,

intermittent wiping is activated with
the sensitivity level set manually,
regardless of the rain.

In this case it is recommended to

deactivate the rain sensor and acti-
vate continuous wiping (1

st

or

2

nd

speed); contact a Lancia

Dealership as soon as possible.

The rain sensor must be

deactivated (or key at
STOP) when cleaning the

windscreen (e.g. at service sta-
tions). The rain sensor must be
deactivated also when washing
the car manually or at automatic
washing stations. 

The sensor rain is able to recognize

and automatically  adjust itself in
the presence of the following partic-
ular conditions, which need a differ-
ent intervention sensitivity:

– impurities on the control surface

(salt, dirt, etc.)

– straks of water caused by worn

wiper blades

– difference between day and

night(the human eye is more dis-
turbed at night by the wet surface of
the glass).

In the event of ice on the

windscreen, make sure to
have disconnected the

device to prevent wiper motor
damages.

INSTRUMENT PANEL

PETROL VERSIONS (fig. 101)

A - Engine coolant temperature

gauge with overheating warning
light

B - Speedometer

C - Multifunction display for sym-

bols/messages/failure indications
and CONNECT info repetition

D - Engine rev. counter

E - Fuel gauge and reserve warning

light

F - Flash consumption gauge
G - Warning lights
H - Kilometre counter (and trip

meter) and automatic gearbox 

I - Trip meter reset button/failure

messages deleting button

fig. 101

L0A0230b

105

106

JTD VERSIONS (fig. 102)

fig. 102

L0A0231b

A - Engine coolant temperature

gauge with overheating warning
light

B - Speedometer

C - Multifunction display for sym-

bols/messages/failure indications
and CONNECT info repetition

D - Engine rev. counter

E - Fuel gauge and reserve warning

light

F - Flash consumption gauge
G - Warning lights
H - Kilometre counter (and trip

meter) and automatic gearbox 

I - Trip meter reset button/failure

messages deleting button

107

INSTRUMENTS

SPEEDOMETER (fig. 103)

The speedometer shows the car

speed expressed in kilometres per
hour (km/h) and starts signalling
the speed when the car speed
exceeds approx. 4 km/h (see the
indications given in paragraph “At
the filling station").

REV COUNTER (fig. 104)

If the needle is in the hazard sector

(the section with red lines) it shows
that the engine is over-revving. Do
not travel with the needle in this sec-
tor.

When the engine is idling, the rev

counter may show a gradual or sud-
den increase in engine speed,
according to the case. This is normal
and indicates the operation of the
climate control compressor or fans,
etc. In particular, a gradual varia-
tion in engine revolution speed safe-
guards battery charge.

IMPORTANT The hazard sectors

can present different widths and dif-
ferent full scale values according to
the various car versions.

IMPORTANT The electronic injec-

tion control system will progressive-
ly cut off the flow of fuel when the
engine is over-revving and the
engine will consequently lose power.

fig. 103

L0A0232b

fig. 104

L0A0233b