1998 HONDA PRELUDE ESP

Introduction
Congratulations ! Your selection of a 1998 Honda Prelude was a wise
investment. It will give you years of driving pleasure.
One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new Honda is to
read this manual. In it, you will learn how to operate its driving controls and convenience items. Afterwards, keep this owner's manual in your vehicle so
you can refer to it at any time.
Several warranties protect your new Honda. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights and responsibilities.
Maintaining your vehicle according to the schedules given in this manual
helps to keep your driving trouble-free while it preserves your investment.
When your vehicle needs maintenance, keep in mind that your Honda dealer's staff is specially trained in servicing the many systems unique to
your Honda. Your Honda dealer is dedicated to your satisfaction and will be pleased to answer any questions and concerns. As you read this manual, you will
find information that is preceded by
symbol. This
information is intended to help you
avoid damage to your Honda, other
property, or the environment. a NOTICEProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

A Few Words About Safety
Your safety, and the safety of others,is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important responsibility.
To help you make informed decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and other information on labels and in
this manual. This information alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your vehicle. You must
use your own good judgement. You will find this important safety information in a variety of forms,
including:
Safety Labels — on the vehicle. Safety Messages — preceded by a safety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION.
These signal words mean:
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLYHURT if you don't follow instructions.
You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you don't follow instructions.
You CAN be HURT if you don't follow instructions.
Safety Headings — such as Important Safety Reminders or Important Safety Precautions.
Safety Section — such as Driver and Passenger Safety. Instructions — how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information — please read it carefully.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t

Important Safety Precautions

You'll find many safety recommendations throughout thissection, and throughout this manual.
Following are a few
recommendations we consider most
important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt A seat belt is your best protection in all types of collisions. Airbagssupplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inflate only in a
severe frontal collision. So even with
airbags, make sure you and your
passengers always wear your seat
belts, and wear them properly. (See
page 14.)
Restrain All Children Children are safest when they are
properly restrained in the back seat,
not the front seat. A child who is too small for a seat belt must be properly
restrained in a child safety seat. (See
page 19.) Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
While airbags save lives, they can
cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Infants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to follow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. (See page 5.)

Don't Drink and Drive

Alcohol and driving don't mix. Even one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions.
Reaction time gets worse with every
additional drink. So don't drink and
drive, and don't let your friends drink
and drive, either. Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the risk, but serious accidents can alsooccur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Keep Your Vehicle in SafeCondition
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical failure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently, and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page 162.)
Driver and Passenger SafetyProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Protecting Adults

Introduction
The following pages provide instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult
occupants.

These instructions also apply to children who have outgrown child
seats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page 35 for
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger children.) 1. Close and Lock the Doors
After everyone has entered the vehicle, be sure the doors are closed
and locked.

Your vehicle has a doormonitor light on the
instrument panel to indicate when a specific door is not tightly closed. For safety, locking the doors reduces
the chance of a passenger, especially
a child, opening a door while the
vehicle is moving and accidentally falling out. It also reduces the
chance of someone being thrown outof the vehicle during a crash.
For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider from
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
See page 72 for how to lock the

doors.

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Protecting Children
Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best intentions, many parents and other
adults do not know how to properly
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
other children in your vehicle, besure to read this section. All Children Must Be Restrained
Each year, many children are injuredor killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause of death of children ages 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child deaths and injuries, every state andCanadian province requires that
infants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.

Any child who is too small to wear a
seat belt should be properly

restrained in a child seat. (See page
23.)

Larger children should always be

restrained with a seat belt. (See page
35.)

Driver and Passenger Safety

Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any child too small for a seat belt should be properly restrained in a child seat.
Larger children should be
properly restrained with a seat

belt.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Additional Information About Your SRS

Since both airbags use the same
sensors, both airbags normally
inflate at the same time. However, it
is possible for only one airbag to inflate.
This can occur when the severity of a collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will provide
sufficient protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by
the airbag would be minimal.
After inflating, the airbagsimmediately deflate, so they won't
interfere with the driver's visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
The total time for inflation and deflation is approximately one-tenth
of a second, so fast that most
occupants are not aware that the
airbags deployed until they see them
lying in their laps. After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder from the airbag's surface.
Although the powder is not harmful, people with respiratory problems
may experience some temporarydiscomfort. If this occurs, get out of
the car as soon as it is safe to do so.
U.S. Owners
For additional information on how
your airbags work, see the booklet
titled SRS: What You Need to Know

About Airbags that came with your
owner's manual.

Driver and Passenger SafetyProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Keys and Locks

This indicator will also blink several times when you turn the ignition switch from ON (II) to ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0).
The system may not recognize your key's coding if the key is in contact
with a key from another immobilizer system. If you have a key from
another vehicle's immobilizer system,
keep it separate.
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it. Electrical
problems could result that may make
your vehicle undriveable.
If you have lost your key and you
cannot start the engine, contact your
Honda dealer.
As required by the FCC:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device
way not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation.This device complies with DOC rules in

Canada.

Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
Ignition Switch

The ignition switch is on the right side of the steering column. It has
four positions:
LOCK (0)
ACCESSORY (I)
ON (II) START (III)

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Comfort and Convenience Features

The heating and air conditioning- systems in your Honda provide a
comfortable driving environment in
all weather conditions.
The standard audio system has many features. This section de-scribes those features and how to
use them. (If you selected an optional audio system, refer to the
operating instructions that came
with it.)
Your Honda has an anti-theft audio system that requires a code number

to enable it.
Heating and Cooling........................ 92

What Each Control Does............ 92How to Use the System............... 94
To Turn Everything Off ............. 99

Audio System................................. 100

AM/FM/CD Audio System..... 100Operating the Radio.................. 101
Adjusting the Sound.................. 104
Audio System Lighting............. 105
Radio Frequencies..................... 105
Radio Reception......................... 105

Operating the CD Player.......... 107
Operating the CD Changer...... 109
Protecting Compact Discs........ 110
CD Player Error Indications.... 111
CD Changer Error
Indications.............................. 112

Operating the Cassette Player...................................... 113
Tape Search Functions............. 114 Caring for the Cassette Player...................................... 116
Theft Protection........................ 117
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