The structure of the front seats has been designed to assist the protection offered by the occupant protection system.Two metal bars, located at the front and rear under the front seat cushion, maintain the correct support of the occupant in a frontal impact and minimize the distortion of the seat in side impacts.The front pipe and the special shape of the cushion base prevent the occupants from sliding underneath the seat belt providing the so-called anti-submarining effect.The (bilateral type) robust hinging between the backrest and the base has been designed to ensure optimum retention of the occupant in the case of rear impacts at low speed and, in conjunction with suitable lighter areas on the side panels, gradually absorb the impact energy from rear collisions at high speed in a controlled manner.The seats are of vital importance in terms of comfort and safety: they are, in effect, the element that has to absorb the kinetic energy acquired by the body through the effect of stresses when cornering and during acceleration/deceleration.The front seats, in the front part of the seating area, have an excellent structure for anti-submarining, to prevent the body sliding forward under the seat belt in the case of severe frontal impacts.This also contributes in great measure to limiting injury to the abdomen and femur by reducing the body''s forward acceleration.The FIAT Croma is equipped with the following devices for achieving and maintaing lasting comfort:1) to enhance vibrational comfort and especially the absorption of vibrations produced from the road surface (e.g.: tram lines, etc.) the seats on the Croma are equipped, in the area of the gluteus ischium-coccyx, with an efficient spring system with a flexible pack made up of thin steel wires coated in plastic and secured by two clips to the perimeter frame;2) to improve back support, the CROMA has a modern support system for the lumbar region specially designed to adapt fully to the back and support it tirelessly thanks to its considerable extension and operating range.3) in addition, the driver''s seat on the CROMA is height adjustable with a vertical travel of around 50 mm.The height adjustment is implemented through a ratchet lever with extremely reduced operating loads and is very easy to use.The guides slide lengthwise. They are a slight angle of 4.5° to raise the seat slightly when it is moved forwards.The combination of the seat height adjustment with the height and axial adjustment of the steering wheel makes it possible to produce the optimum driving position for an extremely wide range of drivers.The adjustment of the backrest angle is the continuous type and is regulated by a knob located in the area of the seat towards the outside of the passenger compartment to allow the adjustment of the angle.The adjustment of the lumbar support for the driver and the front passenger is available as an optional extra or is fitted as standard depending on the version; a knob with a lever on the outside of the seat regulates a mechanical that adjusts the lumbar area of the backrest.On versions with a high specification level there is also the possibility, on request, of electric seats that can move the driver''s or passenger seat electrically producing height adjustment, tiltin the front and rear of the cushion, sliding the guides and adjusting the angle of the backrest. There is also the possibility for the driver''s seat of setting 3 different positions that can be memorized and recalled by pressing the special buttons.Depending on the version, the customer can also request a cushion or backrest heating device for the front seats. This device, which can be activated through heater pads built into the seats, is available in an ON/OFF activation configuration (only on seats with mechanical movement) or with 3 different heating levels (on versions with electrical movement).The foam for the front seats is comfortable thanks to load carrying solutions (a parameter that mesures the capacity of the upholstery to yield under the weight of the body) that are differentiated depending on the area of the seat.The upholstery for the head restraints has been improved in terms of softness and they guarantee pleasant support; the shape of the head restraints has also been designed using the latest ergonomic standards to protect the user from the effects of whiplash.In rear impacts at low speed (< 20 km/h) the most common injury is whiplash. To reduce the risk of this injury to a minimum, the vehicle is fitted with head restraints capable of retaining the head in the case of rear impacts preventing irregular or excessive stresses to the cervical group of the vertebral column. The geometry of the head restraints in relation to the position of the nape of the neck of the occupants and their strength properties are very important in performing this anti-whiplash function.The anti-whiplash function includes devices that reduce the distance between the head and the head restraint. They are based on passive operation that exploits the inertia of the occupant to modify the position of the head restraint: in the case of a rear impact in which the occupant moves backwards significantly, this system uses the thrust of the back against the backrest allowing a movement closer to the seat and to the head restraint.The front head restraints have a height adjustment device that allows a movement of around 40mm, with a fastening to ensure stable and optimum positioning in all intermediate positions.The front seats also have seat belts with pretensioners and a built in seat belt switch plus an SBR presence sensor in the passenger seat only. See descriptions 5580C AIR BAG SYSTEMThe front seats have the following specifications:- Distance between the centres of the guides 446 mm; travel 242 mm;- Backrest continuous adjustment device with bilateral joint;- Head restraint with vertical adjustment of around 40mm;- Semi-parallel seat lifting device fitted as standard on driver''s and passenger side, travel 47.5 mm;- Rocker (tilt), optional on both front seats, angle +/- 2.5°;- Side bag fitted inside the seat cover;- Adjustable lumbar support.Features:- Seats with electrical movement;- Lumbar support;- Anti-whiplash device.
COMPOSITION
View of front seat with mechanical adjustment
1 - Lumbar adjustment knob2 - Backrest adjustment knob3 - Seat height ratchet lever4 - Seat tilt ratchet leverTo raise or lower the seat, operate the lever at the side of the cushion in the rear area towards the door.By pulling the lever upwards the seat will rise one step; repeat the operation until the desired height is reached or until the mechanism is in the end of travel position.If the lever is moved downwards the seat will go down.To change the angle/position of the seat, operate the lever at the side of the cushion in the front area towards the door.By pulling the lever upwards the seat will be tilted towards the rear by one step; repeat the operation until the desired position is reached or until the mechanism is in the end of travel position.If the lever is moved downwards the seat will tilt forwards.View of front seat with electrical adjustment
1 - Memory position buttons2 - Heater pad control wheel (3 levels)3 - Front and rear seat sliding guide/tilt controls4 - Seat height control5 - Lumbar adjustment knob
Structure
1 - Right seat structure with seat lifting and tilting device2 - Left seat structure with seat lifting and tilting device
1 - Structure of seat with electrical movement
Front seat servo systems
1 - ANTIWHIPLASH system hinging2 - ANTIWHIPLASH spring
Head restraint
The vertical adjustment of head restraints is implemented through the APT bushes.
1 - Bushes2 - Button on bush3 - Front head restraintThe adjustment control does not have to be released to raise the head restraint.To lower the head restraint, on the other hand, it must be released using the button on the bush. When the head restraint button is released, it will lock in the nearest position.
PRECAUTIONS FOR MOVING SEATS WITH PRETENSIONERS
There are several rules concerning the moving of front seats fitted with pretensioners.For further details, Op. 5580C AIR BAG SYSTEMThe seat has to be moved manually only handling it where illustrated in the diagram below.
1 - DO HOT HANDLE2 - AREA WHERE HANDLING IS PERMITTEDThe connecting cables for the Side Bag module, the SBR sensor and the pretensioners are secured to the structure of the seat by means of bands and have a protective covering.There is a bracket for the connectors connected to the vehicle secured to the seat lifting structure; the connectors for the Side Bag module, the pretensioner and the seat belt switch are secured to one of them and the SBR sensor is on the passenger seat.There is a warning on the outside of the backrest about the presence of the Side Bag module under the cover.If the Side Bag module or the pretensioners or the cables and the backrest cover are being replaced, the new components have two plates (with bar codes identifying the actual components): one remains physically on the component and the other should be detached and stuck on the base of the seat where it can be easily read.
