2000 Acura Integra Sedan Owner's Manual

Importan
t Safet y Precaution s
You'll find many safety recommendations throughout thissection, and throughout this manual.
The recommendations on this page are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
Alway s Wea r You r Sea t Bel t
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags

are designed to inflate only in a

moderate to severe frontal collision.

So even though your car is equipped

with airbags, make sure you and
your passengers always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
(See page 15.)
Restrai n Al l Childre n
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 21.) B
e Awar e o f Airba g Hazard s
While airbags can save lives, they can cause serious or fatal injuries tooccupants 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 7.)

Don' t Drin k an d Driv e

Alcohol and driving don't mix. Even one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with every additional drink. So don't drinkand drive, and don't let your friends
drink and drive, either. Contro
l You r Spee d
Excessive speed is a major factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the risk, but serious accidents can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Kee p You r Car i n Saf e Conditio n
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 158 .)

Drive r an d Passenger Safet y

You
r Car' s Safet y Feature s

(1 ) Safety Cag e

(2 ) Crus h Zone s

(3 ) Seat s & Seat-Back s

(4 ) Hea d Restraint s
(5 ) Collapsible Steerin g Colum n

(6 ) Sea t Belt s
(7 ) Doo r Lock s

(8 ) Airbag s
Your car is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
Some safety features do not require
any action on your part. These
include a strong steel framework
that forms a safety cage around the
passenger compartment; front and rear crush zones that are designed to
crumple and absorb energy during a
crash; and a collapsible steering

column.

These safety features are designed to reduce the severity of injuries in a
crash. However, you and your
passengers can't take full advantage of these safety features unless you
remain sitting in a proper position

and always wear your seat belts

properly. In fact, some safety
features can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.

Driver an d Passenge r Safety

You
r Car' s Safet y Feature s
Sea t Belt s
For your safety, and the safety of
your passengers, your car is equipped with seat belts in all seating

positions.

Your seat belt system alsoincludes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to fasten your seat belts.
Why Wear Seat Belts
Seat belts are the single most
effective safety device for adults and
larger children. (Infants and smaller children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your car has airbags. In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicleso you can take advantage of the
car's built-in safety features.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including side and
rear impacts and rollovers. (Your airbag can only be helpful in a
moderate to severe frontal
collision.) Help keep you from being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle

and against other occupants.

Keep you from being thrown out

of the vehicle.

Help keep you in a good position

should the airbags ever deploy. A

good position reduces the risk of
injury from an inflating airbag, and

allows you to get the best

advantage from the airbag.

Of course, seat belts cannot

completely protect you in every

crash. But in most cases, seat belts
can reduce your risk of serious

injury.

What you should do: Always wear

your seat belt, and make sure you

wear it properly.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
if you have airbags.

Be sure you and your

passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.

You
r Car' s Safet y Feature s
Airbag s
Your car has a Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with frontalairbags to help protect the driver and
a front seat passenger.
This system also includesan indicator light on the
instrument panel to alert you to a
possible problem with the system. The. most important things you need
to know about your airbags are: Airbags do not replace seat belts.
The seat belts are the occupants' primary protection in all types of
collisions. The airbags supplementthe seat belts by providing extra
protection for the head and chest of each front seat occupant in a
moderate to severe frontal

collision.
Airbags offer
no protection in side
impacts, rear impacts, rollovers, or minor collisions. Airbags are
designed to deploy only during a
moderate to severe frontal

collision.
Airbags can pose serious hazards.
To do their job, airbags must inflate with tremendous force and
speed. So while airbags save lives,
they can cause serious injuries to
adults and larger children who are not wearing seat belts, are not
wearing them properly, are sitting too close to the airbag, or are notsitting in a proper position. Infants
and small children are at an even
greater risk of injury or death.

What you should do: Always wear

your seat belt properly, and sit upright and as far back as possible
from the steering wheel or
dashboard.

Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

S
R S

You
r Car' s Safet y Feature s
Seat s & Seat-Back s
Your car's seats are designed to keep you in a comfortable, uprightposition so you can take full advantage of the protection offered
by seat belts and the energy absorbing materials in the seats.
How you adjust your seats and seat-
backs can also affect your safety. Forexample, sitting too close to the
steering wheel or dashboard
increases the risk of you or your
passenger being injured by striking
the inside of the car, or by an inflating airbag.
Reclining a seat-back too far reduces
the seat belt's effectiveness and increases the chance that the seat's
occupant will slide under the seat
belt in a crash and be seriously
injured.
What you should do: Move the front

seats as far back as possible, and
keep adjustable seat-backs in an upright position whenever the car is
moving.
Hea d Restraint s
Head restraints can help protect you
from whiplash and other injuries. For maximum protection, the back of
your head should rest against the center of the head restraint.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

You
r Car' s Safet y Feature s
Doo r Lock s
Keeping your doors locked reduces
the chance of being thrown out of
the car during a crash. It also helps prevent occupants from accidentallyopening a door and falling out, and
outsiders from unexpectedly opening
your doors. Pre-Driv
e Safet y Checklis t
To make sure you and your passengers get the maximum
protection from your car's safety
features, check the following each time before you drive away:
All adults, and children who haveoutgrown child safety seats, are
wearing their seat belts and wearing them properly (see page 15).

Any infant or small child is properly restrained in a child seat
in the back seat (see page 21 ). Front seat occupants are sitting
upright and as far back as possible
from the steering wheel and dashboard (see page 12 ). Seat-backs are upright (see page
13). Head restraints are properly
adjusted (see page 14 ). All doors are closed and locked
(see page 12 ). All cargo is properly stored or
secured (see page 127 ).
The rest of this section gives more detailed information about how you
can maximize your safety.
Remember, however, that no safety system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Adult s

Introductio n
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 childseats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page 37 for
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger children.)
1 . Clos e an d Loc k th e Door s
After everyone has entered the car, be sure the doors
are closed and locked. Your car has a door monitor light on
the instrument panel to indicate
when a specific door is not tightly
closed.

For safety, locking the doors reduces
the chance that a passenger,
especially a child, will open a door
while the car is moving and accidentally fall out. It also reducesthe chance of someone being thrown
out of the car 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.
2.Adjus
t th e Fron t Seat s
Any driver who sits too close to the steering wheel is at risk of being
seriously injured or killed by striking
the steering wheel, or from being struck by an inflating airbag during a

crash.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Adult s

To reduce the chance of injury, wear your seat belt properly, sit upright
with your back against the seat, andmove the seat as far back as possible
from the steeling wheel while still maintaining full control of the car.
Also make sure your front seat passenger moves the seat as far tothe rear as possible. Most shorter drivers can get far
enough away from the steering
wheel and still reach the pedals. However, if you are concerned aboutsitting too close, we recommend that
you investigate whether some type
of adaptive equipment may help.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and forth to make sure
the seat is locked in position.
See page 75 for how to adjust the
front seats.
3.Adjus t th e Seat-Back s
Adjust the driver's seat-back to a comfortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel. If you sit too close to the steering wheel,
you could be injured if the airbag inflates. A front passenger should also adjust
the seat-back to an upright position,
but as far from the dashboard as
possible. A passenger who sits tooclose to the dashboard could be
injured if the airbag inflates.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Sitting too close to an airbag

can result in serious injury or

death if the airbags inflate.

Always sit as far back from the

airbags as possible.