Lancia THESIS. Service Manual - part 12

188

If the failure is signalled when the

engine is started, it means that the
electronic control unit had stored it
previously, before stopping the
engine. Even in this case, go to a
Lancia Dealership to have the
automatic gearbox checked.

When driving with auto-

matic gearbox faulty,
drive carefully consider-

ing the limited car efficiency in
terms of acceleration and speed.
In addition, when driving with
automatic gearbox faulty, the
reverse block might not be oper-
ating: for this reason it is
absolutely necessary to move the
lever to position R while the car
is moving.

SOUND SIGNAL

A buzzer will sound in the follow-

ing conditions:

– for about 15 seconds when the

driver’s door is opened while the
engine is running or not and the gear
lever has a position different from P

– for about 15 seconds when the

engine is turned off and the gear
lever has a position different from P

– for about 4 seconds when the

gear lever is shifted to R (reverse)

– with the manual sequential oper-

ation on, when the selected gear is
not accepted by the electronic con-
trol unit (e.g. since it might generate
a runaway speed rate). 

BUMP STARTING

Never bump starting the engine (by

pushing, towing, etc.). In an emer-
gency, when the battery is flat, start
the engine with the appropriate
emergency battery according to the
instructions contained in chapter “In
an emergency”.

189

If these rules are not

respected, the automatic
gearbox might be severely

damaged.
The car can be towed only for
short distances and at a low
speed: if it is necessary to tow it
for a longer distance, raise the
driving wheels so that the gear-
box is not dragged during towing.

TOWING THE CAR

IMPORTANT To tow the car

observe local current laws and fol-
low the instructions contained in
chapter “In an emergency”.

If the car must be towed, observe

the following precautions:

– if possible, transfer the car on a

towtruck

– otherwise, tow the car by raising

the front driving wheels

– even if the latter solution is not

possible, the car can be towed for
less than 50 Km at a speed of 50
km/h.

Towing shall be performed with

gear lever to N.

Before starting towing,

disengage the parking
brake as described in the

relevant paragraph and leave the
Keyless System CID (if any) in the
passenger’s compartment to pre-
vent automatic steering lock. Do
not tow the car with the engine
running.

ESP AND ASR
SYSTEMS

ESP SYSTEM (ELECTRONIC
STABILITY PROGRAM): 
GENERAL

ESP is an electronic system con-

trolling the car stability which
affects the driving torque and brakes
the wheels in a different way in case
of grip loss, thus making the car
recover the right driving direction.

During driving the car is subject to

side and longitudinal forces which
can be controlled by the driver until
tire grip is acceptable. When the lat-
ter is lower than the minimum level,
the car starts skidding. 

If the road bed is uneven (bumpy

road, presence of ice, mould, etc.)
tyre grip is considerably reduced. In
these conditions, when extreme
manoeuvres are made, the car might
start skidding.

190

If the sensors detect the conditions

which might cause car skidding, the
ESP system affects the engine and
the brakes by generating a torque
which makes the car recover the
right driving direction.

The system operations,

in terms of safety, should
not make the driver run

useless risks. The driving behav-
iour must always be appropriate,
according to the conditions of the
road bed, visibility and traffic.
Anyway, the driver is held
responsible for a safe driving. 
The ESP system helps the driver
control the car in case of tyre grip
loss, however the forces used by
the system to control the car sta-
bility still depend on the grip
ratio between tyres and road bed.

ESP SYSTEM OPERATION

ESP is automatically started when

the car is started and it cannot be
disengaged. On the contrary, it is
possible to exclude the ASR system
by pressing the related button on the
central console.

The ESP main components are the

following:

– an electric-hydraulic control unit

processing signals coming from the
various sensors and choosing the
most appropriate strategy by operat-
ing solenoid valves and the engine
control unit;

– a sensor detecting the steering

wheel rotation angle;

– 4 sensors detecting the rotation

speed of each wheel;

– a sensor detecting the car rota-

tion around a vertical axis;

– a sensor detecting side accelera-

tion (centrifugal force).

The ESP core is a sensor, of aero-

nautic origin, detecting the car rota-
tions around its vertical axis.
Centrifugal forces generated when
the car is cornering are detected by a
high-sensitive side acceleration sen-
sor.

The ESP stabilizing action is based

on the signals coming from the steer-
ing wheel rotation sensors, from the
side acceleration sensors and the
wheel speed sensors, thus recogniz-
ing the driving direction selected by
the driver when turning the steering
wheel.

The control unit processes each

information coming from the sensors
and is able to recognize every single
moment of the car position and to
compare it with the direction the
driver is willing to follow. In case of
discrepancy, the control unit
instantly selects and controls the
most appropriate actions to make
the car recover the required direc-
tion: it brakes with a different inten-
sity one or more wheels and, if nec-
essary, reduces the power supplied
by the engine. Corrections are con-

191

To make ESP, ASR and

ABS systems work prop-
erly, the tyres must

absolutely be of the same brand
and type on all wheels, in perfect
conditions and, above all, of type,
brand and size specified.

stantly changed and controlled in
the attempt to keep the driver’s
direction.

The ESP system considerably

increases the car safety in several
critical conditions and it is particu-
larly useful during overtaking, when
the grip conditions on the road bed
change.

ASR FUNCTION (ANTISLIP
REGULATION)

General

The ASR function is part of the

ESP system and it checks the car
drive, taking action every time one
or both driving wheels slip, thus pre-
venting car instability and tyre wear. 

On the basis of slipping conditions,

two different check systems are acti-
vated:

– if slipping affects both driving

wheels, as a result of the excessive
force transmitted, the ASR function
reduces the power supplied by the
engine;

– if slipping affects only one of the

driving wheels, the ASR function
automatically brakes the slipping
wheel, with an effect similar to the
self-locking differential.

The action of the ASR function is

particularly useful in the following
conditions:

– internal wheel slipping when cor-

nering due to load dynamic varia-
tions and excessive acceleration;

– excessive power supplied to

wheels according to the road bed;

– acceleration on slippery ground,

covered with snow or ice;

– in case of grip loss on wet ground

(aquaplaning).

ASR function activation

The ASR function is activated

automatically whenever the engine
is started.

During driving it is possible to dis-

engage and engage this function by
pressing button A (fig. 142) on the
central console.

When the ASR function is on, sym-

bol V is lighted on the multifunc-
tion display together with the mes-
sage “ASR ON”.

192

When the ASR function is off, sym-

bol V is lighted on the multifunc-
tion display together with the mes-
sage “ASR OFF”.

The function deactivation is indi-

cated by switching on of the related
warning light B on the button. If this
function is deactivated during dri-
ving, it will be reactivated automat-
ically at the following start up.

IMPORTANT During driving on a

snow-covered ground, with snow
chains on, it might be useful to deac-
tivate the ASR function: in these
conditions driving wheel slipping at
start up is useful to reach higher
drive.

MSR SYSTEM
(ENGINE DRIVE ADJUSTMENT)

The car is fitted with a system, part

of ASR, affecting the engine torque
in case of sudden gear shift, thus
preventing excessive driving wheel
dragging which, in extremely low
grip conditions, can make the car
loose stability.

ESP SYSTEM ACTION 

The ESP action is indicated by

flashing of warning light á on the
instrument panel, to inform the dri-
ver that the car is in critical stability
and grip conditions.

ESP AND ASR FAILURE 
INDICATION

In case of failure, ESP and ASR

systems are automatically deactivat-
ed and symbol á and message “ESP
FAULT” will come on with fixed
light on the multifunction display
together with warning light B on the
ASR button. 

If the failure affects only the ESP

system, symbol á and message

“ESP FAULT” are lighted on the
multifunction display, while the
warning light on button B is off and
the ASR system remains operating.

If the failure affects only the ESP

system, symbol á and message
“ESP FAULT” are lighted on the
multifunction display, while the
warning light on button B is off and
the ASR system remains operating. 

In case of ESP or ASR failure, the

car behaves in the same way as a car
that is not fitted with this system: in
any case it is advisable to contact a
Lancia Dealership as soon as pos-
sible.

fig. 142

L0A0243b

193

The following table summarizes warning light indications according to the different operating conditions.

Operating or failure conditions

Engine start up 
(key turned to MAR)

Driving in
normal
conditions

Driving in
conditions which
might lead to
slipping

ASR fault

ESP fault

System condition

Warning light check

ASR on
ESP on

ASR off

ESP on

ASR active
ESP active

ASR off

ESP active

ASR and ESP off

ASR on
ESP off

ASR on

ASR off 
manually

ASR on

ASR off 
manually

ASR button warning light

On for about 3 seconds

Off

On

Off

On

On

Off

ESP warning light on

instrument panel

On for about 4 seconds

Off

Off

Flashing

Flashing

On

On

INITIALISING THE ESP SYSTEM CONTROL UNIT 

Whenever the battery is electrically connected again or it is reloaded after being completely flat or after replacing one of

the protection fuses, to restore the correct operation of the ESP system, of the door locking, and of the air conditioning, it
is necessary to perform the initialisation operations contained in the paragraph “If battery is to be disconnected” in the chap-
ter “In an emergency”. 

194

CRUISE CONTROL
(CONSTANT SPEED
REGULATOR)

GENERAL

The electronic cruise control allows

to drive your car at the required
speed without pressing the accelera-
tor pedal. This reduces fatigue when
driving on motorways, especially
during long journeys, because the
set speed is automatically main-
tained.

IMPORTANT The device can only

be set to speeds exceeding 30 km/h
(40 to 180 km/h for 2.4 JTD 20V
CAE version).

The cruise control must

only be used when the
road and traffic condi-

tions allow to keep a constant
speed in total safety for an ade-
quately long time.

CONTROLS (fig. 143)

The cruise control is operated by

means of switch A, ring B and but-
ton C (RCL).

Switch A has two positions:

– OFF in this position, the device is

off

– ON this is the normal device

operating position. When the device
is ON, symbol Ü lights up on the
multifunction display, together with
message “CRUISE CONTROL ON”.

Ring B is used to set and maintain

the car speed or to increase or
decrease the set speed.

The device is automatically

switched off when:

– the brake pedal is pressed

– the clutch pedal is pressed

– the gear lever is unintentionally

shifted to N.

In versions with auto-

matic transmission, never
shift the lever to N when

the car is running.

fig. 143

L0A0208b

195

Turn ring B to position (+) to set

the speed reached or to increase the
stored speed.

Turn ring B to position (–) to

decrease the stored speed.

The speed will be increased or

decreased by approximately 1 km/h
each time ring B is operated. Hold
the ring turned to set the speed con-
tinuously. The new set speed will be
automatically kept.

Button C (RCL) allows to reset the

stored speed.

IMPORTANT Turn the ignition

key to STOP or switch A to OFF to
delete the stored speed and switch
the system off.

Storing the speed

Move switch A to ON and take the

car to the required speed normally.
Turn ring B to (+) for at least three
seconds and release it. The car speed
will be stored and you can now
release your foot from the accelera-
tor.

The car will continue at the con-

stant speed until one of the following
events occur:

– the brake pedal is pressed

– the clutch pedal is pressed

– the automatic gear lever is unin-

tentionally shifted to N.

IMPORTANT If required (e.g. for

overtaking) you can accelerate sim-
ply by pressing the accelerator. The
car will return to the previously set
speed when the accelerator pedal is
released.

Resetting the stored speed

To reset the stored speed after

switching the device off, e.g. by
pressing the brake or the clutch ped-
als:

– accelerate progressively to reach

a speed which is close to the previ-
ously set speed

– engage the gear which was

engaged when the speed was set (4

th

,

5

th

or 6th gear)

– press button C (RCL).

Increasing the stored speed

The stored speed can be increased

in two ways:

– by pressing the accelerator pedal

and storing the new speed (turning
ring B for longer than three seconds)

196

or

– by momentarily turning ring B to

(+): each turn of the ring will corre-
spond to a small speed increase
(approximately 1 km/h), while a
continuous pressure will correspond
to a continuous speed increase.
Release ring B: the new speed will
automatically be stored.

Reducing the stored speed

The stored speed can be decreased

in two ways:

– by switching the device off (e.g.

by pressing the brake pedal) and
then storing the new speed (turning
ring B to (+) for longer than three
seconds)

or

– by turning ring B to (–) until the

new speed is reached. The new speed
will automatically be stored.

Deleting the stored speed

The stored speed is automatically

deleted when:

– the engine is stopped

or

– switch A is turned to OFF.

When driving with the

cruise control, do not
shift the gear lever to neu-

tral. You should only switch the
cruise control on when the traffic
and road conditions allow this in
complete safety, i.e. straight and
dry roads, motorways, fast mov-
ing traffic and smooth road sur-
face. Do not use the device in
cities or in heavy traffic.

The cruise control can

be switched on at speeds
higher than 30 km/h (40

to 180 km/h for 2.4 JTD 20V CAE
version). The device can only be
switched on in 4th, 5th or 6th
gear, according to car speed. In
versions with automatic trans-
mission, the device must only be
switched on with the gear lever at
D during automatic operation
without shifting the lever subse-
quently, or with the 3

rd

or 4

th

gear

engaged during manual sequen-
tial operation.
When travelling down-hill the
speed may increase with respect
to the stored value according to
the change in engine load.

197

RADAR CRUISE
CONTROL (RCC)
(where provided)

GENERAL

The Radar Cruise Control (RCC)

assists the driver by monitoring both
the cruise speed and the distance of
the vehicle ahead along the running
path: it allows to drive your car at
the required speed, without pressing
the accelerator pedal. 

The system reduces fatigue when

driving on motorways, especially
during long journeys, since the
stored speed is maintained automat-
ically; moreover, the system con-
tributes to keeping a safe distance
from the vehicle ahead. Constant
speed driving also allows to cut
down fuel consumption and makes
traffic smoother.

The Radar Cruise

Control is not an “auto-
matic pilot” but a driver-

assisting device; therefore, only
the driver is responsible for
his/her driving behaviour and
must comply with the highway
code regulations in force, as well
as with any other provision con-
cerning road traffic.

This system detects just

moving vehicles and
ignores whatever immo-

bile object.

The Radar Cruise

Control is not an anti-col-
lision device: it cannot

detect the presence of obstacles
on the road or stop the car in case
of danger. Any action performed
by the driver on the brake or
accelerator pedals takes priority
over the cruise control system; for
this reason, the responsibility for
road safety always rests with the
driver.

The system is electronically con-

trolled, self-contained and, there-
fore, does not require communica-
tion with other vehicles or the pres-
ence of similar systems on the other
vehicles.

The system cannot actu-

ate emergency braking:
the maximum decelera-

tion automatically performed by
the system is limited compared to
the actual braking power of the
brake system; therefore, emer-
gency braking can and must be
performed only by the driver.

198

The Radar Cruise Control

must only be used when
the road and traffic condi-

tions allow to keep a constant
speed in total safety for an ade-
quately long time.

IMPORTANT The system can only

be switched on when the car speed
ranges from 30 to 160 km/h and is
automatically switched off by press-
ing the brake pedal. If the car speed
falls below 30 km/h when the system
is on, a buzzer and a visual indication
warn the driver to take control of car
speed again. When the car speed ex-
ceeds 160 km/h after a slight acceler-
ation (“override” mode), a buzzer and
a visual indication will warn the dri-
ver that the system is off.

IMPORTANT The Radar Cruise

Control cannot be activated when the
driver has switched the ASR system
off.

CONTROLS (fig. 144)

The Radar Cruise Control is oper-

ated by three controls, as well as by
the accelerator (to increase speed)
and the brake pedal (to switch the
system off).

Controls are as follows:

– ring A to switch the system on/off

and to set the distance from the
vehicle ahead, depending on its
speed

– ring B to increase/decrease the

set speed

– button C to restore the stored

speed.

fig. 144

L0A0020b

As long as the car speed exceeds

160 km/h, one of the following indi-
cations will warn the driver that the

max. speed limit controlled by the
system is exceeded.

If the road in front of car fitted

with Radar Cruise Control is free.

If a vehicle is detected in front of

the car fitted with Radar Cruise
Control.

199

Ring A has four positions:

OFF: system off

x

: greatest distance from the vehi-

cle ahead

x

: intermediate distance from the

vehicle ahead 

x

: shortest distance from the vehi-

cle ahead.

The distance between the two vehi-

cles is gradually increased as the
speed is increased, set levels being
equal.

IMPORTANT Turn the ignition

key to STOP or ring A to OFF, to
delete the stored speed and switch
the system off. To restore system
operation, turn the ring A to OFF
and repeat the setting operations.

When the system is on, that is, ring

A is in any position other than OFF,
symbol ú lights up on the multi-
function display, together with mes-
sage “RADAR CRUISE CONTROL
ON”. The warning light will remain
on until the system is switched off by
turning ring A to OFF.

Ring B is used to store the car

speed and keep it constant, or to
increase or decrease the stored
speed.

Turn ring B to (+) to store the

speed reached or increase the stored
speed.

Turn ring B to (–) to decrease the

stored speed. Slowing down can also
be obtained, when required, by
braking system automatic operation.

Every time ring B is turned, the

speed is increased or decreased by
about 1 km/h. By keeping the ring
rotated, the stored speed will change
continuously at intervals of 10
km/h. The new speed reached will
be maintained automatically.

When ring B is turned, the car’s

actual speed is considered as refer-
ence speed (cruise speed). This
speed can automatically decrease
depending on traffic conditions, and
the system can shift from the speed
control condition to the distance
control condition. The driver is
informed of the system’s operating
condition by the instrument panel
display.

Button C (RCL) allows to reset the

stored speed. In fact, when driving
the car with the system on, the dri-
ver can switch the system off by sim-
ply braking. In this case, the cruise
speed previously set is kept in the
memory and can be enabled again at
any time by pressing button RCL.

200

Storing the speed

Move ring A to any position other

than OFF and take the car to the
required speed.

Turn ring B to (+), then release it.

The car speed will be stored and
shown on the instrument panel dis-
play; now, the accelerator pedal can
be released.

The car will continue at the con-

stant speed until one of the following
events occur:

– the brake pedal is pressed

– presence of a vehicle running

ahead more slowly along the run-
ning path, in the same running
direction.

IMPORTANT If required (e.g. for

overtaking) you can accelerate sim-
ply by pressing the accelerator. The
car will return to the previously set
speed when the accelerator pedal is
released. If 160 km/h speed is
exceeded, restore the stored speed by
pressing C (RCL).

Resetting the stored speed

If the system has been switched off

by pressing the brake pedal, the
stored speed can be resumed by
pressing button C (RCL).

Increasing the stored speed

The stored speed can be increased

in two ways:

– by pressing the accelerator and

storing the new speed (turning ring
B to (+)

or

– by temporarily turning ring B to

(+): each turn of the ring will corre-
spond to a 10 km/h speed increase,
while a continuous pressure will cor-
respond to a continuous speed
increase at intervals of 10 km/h.
Release ring B: the new speed will
automatically be stored.

The new set speed will be shown on

the display in place of the previous
one.

Reducing the stored speed

The stored speed can be decreased

in two ways:

– by switching the device off (e.g.

by pressing the brake pedal) and
then storing the new speed (turning
ring B to (+)

or

– by turning ring B to (-) until the

new speed is reached. The new speed
will automatically be stored.

The new set speed will be shown on

the display in place of the previous
one.

201

Deleting the stored speed

The stored speed is automatically

deleted when:

– the engine is stopped

– ring A is turned to OFF.

When the system is switched off,

any information shown on the
instrument panel display will be
deleted.

Maintaining speed and distance 

The system will maintain the

stored speed when no vehicle is
detected along the running path. If,
on the contrary, a vehicle is detected
which runs at a low speed, the sys-
tem will automatically perform the
operations (acceleration, decelera-
tion or slight braking) required to
keep the set distance from the vehi-
cle ahead.

The maximum decelera-

tion performed by the sys-
tem automatically is lim-

ited compared to the actual brak-
ing power of the brake system;
therefore, emergency braking can
and must be performed only by
the driver. A buzzer will warn the
driver that the brakes shall be
applied.

Detecting a vehicle with the
system active but not switched on

When the system is active (ring A

set to any position other than OFF),
it can detect the presence of a vehi-
cle only after it has been switched on
at least once (by turning ring B to
(+).

Subsequently, the presence of a

running vehicle will always be indi-
cated, even when the system is off,
until deactivating the system (ring A
set to OFF).

Pressing the brake pedal will

switch the system off, whereas it will
always be possible to accelerate, (e.g
for overtaking), without switching
the system off; the system will auto-
matically bring the car back to the
stored speed when the accelerator
pedal is released (provided that 160
km/h speed has not been exceeded).

The multifunction display gives to

the driver concise information on the
stored speed, the presence of a run-
ning vehicle (if any) and the set dis-
tance.

202

Detecting a vehicle with the
system switched on

When the system is switched on by

turning ring B to (+),any vehicle run-
ning in front of the car (within 130
metres) and along the running path
will be signalled to the driver on the
instrument panel display, with the fol-
lowing icon:

set distance

x

set distance x

set distance

x

This icons indicate the engagement

of speed and distance control with de-
tection of a running vehicle along the
running path, “picked” by the system.
The three different icons indicate the
three distance levels the driver can se-
lect.

When the external temperature is

less than 3 °C, the system will auto-
matically be set to maintain a greater
distance from the vehicle ahead, re-
gardless of the distance set.

If the system is temporarily switched

off by pressing the accelerator pedal,
the stored speed will flash on the in-
strument panel and the distance con-
trol icon will disappear (if shown on
the instrument panel display). The

icon (if any) indicating the vehicle de-
tected on the traffic lane will, on the
contrary, remain visible.

With system active and car speed ex-

ceeding 80 km/h, switching the left
direction indicators on to signal over-
taking will cause the distance from
the vehicle ahead (already “picked”)
to be automatically decreased in or-
der to facilitate the manoeuvre. If the
driver does not overtake within a few
seconds, the car will return to the set
distance.

If the Radar Cruise Control is active

and the braking power enabled for
the function does not ensure the
maintenance of the set distance from
the vehicle ahead, a sound and visual
signal (together with message
“BRAKE SAFETY” shown on the

multifunction display) warn the dri-
ver and invite him to resume speed
control.

IMPORTANT If the Radar Cruise

Control is active and the speed of the
vehicle ahead falls below 30 km/h, a
sound signal with message “RADAR
CRUISE CONTROL NOT ACTI-
VATED” on the multifunction display
warn the driver to resume speed con-
trol

Therefore, the Radar Cruise Control

does not ensure control when you are
driving in a queue; the driver must
therefore halt the car and start it off
after stopping in a queue, and he
must also switch on the speed control
function every time

IMPORTANT NOTES
CONCERNING THE RADAR
CRUISE CONTROL

When driving with the Radar Cruise

Control on, its regular operation could
be affected by certain situations.

The system operation could be in-

fluenced in the following cases:

If the vehicle picked by the car fit-

ted with Radar Cruise Control leaves
the radar sensor detection range, the
system could no longer be able to de-
tect it and therefore it will speed up
the car or pick another vehicle run-
ning ahead (fig. 145).

If a vehicle enters the area between

the car fitted with Radar Cruise Con-
trol and the picked vehicle (fig. 146),
the system could not be able to con-
trol braking and it will therefore warn
the driver to take control of the car.

203

fig. 145

L0A0348b

fig. 146

L0A0349b