
Drive
r an d Passenge r Safet y
This section gives you important information about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains your Supple-
mental Restraint System. And it tells
you how to properly restrain infants and children in your car.
Important Safety Precautions.......... 6
Your Car's Safety Features.............. 7
Seat Belts........................................ 8
Airbags............................................ 9
Seats &
Seat-Backs...................... 10
Head Restraints........................... 10
Door Locks................................... 11
Pre-Drive Safety Checklist......... 11
Protecting Adults.............................
12
1.
Close and Lock the Doors...... 12
2. Adjust the Front Seats............
12
3. Adjus
t the Seat-Backs............. 13
4. Adjust the Head Restraints.... 14 5. Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts...................................... 15
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel..... 18
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position................................. 18
Advice for Pregnant Women...... 19
Additional Safety Precautions....
19
Protecting Children........................
. 21
All Children Must Be
Restrained................................ 21
Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat............................................ 22
The Passenger's Airbag Poses Serious Risks to Children....... 22
If You Must Drive with Several
Children.................................... 23
If a Child Requires Close
Attention................................... 24
Additional Safety Precautions.... 24 General Guidelines for Using
Child Seats................................ 25
Protecting Infants........................ 29
Protecting Small Children.......... 33
Protecting Larger Children........ 37
Using Child Seats with Tethers...................................... 40
Additional Information About Your
Seat Belts.................................. 42
Seat Belt System Components... 42
Lap/Shoulder Belt....................... 42
Lap Belt......................................... 43Seat Belt Maintenance................ 44
Additional Information About Your
SRS............................................45
SRS Components......................... 45
How Your Airbags Work............ 45
How the SRS Indicator Light
Works........................................ 47
SRS Service................................... 47
Additional Safety Precautions.... 48
Carbon Monoxide Hazard.............. 49
Safety Labels.................................... 50
Driver 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 Childre n
I f a Chil d Require s Clos e
Attentio n
Many parents say they prefer to put an infant or small child in the front
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the front seat
exposes the child to hazards from
the airbag, and paying close attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention or frequent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front. Additiona
l Safet y Precaution s
Use childproof door locks to
prevent children from opening the
doors. Using this feature will
prevent children from opening the doors and accidentally falling out (see page 73 ).
Use the main power window
switch to prevent children from
opening the rear windows. Using
this feature will prevent children
from playing with the windows,
which could expose them to
hazards or distract the driver (see
page 79 ).
Do not leave children alone in your
vehicle. Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, infants and small children left in a vehicle on a hot
day can die from heatstroke. And
children left alone with the key in the ignition can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Sea t Belt s
Sea t Bel t Syste m Component s
Your seat belt system includes lap/ shoulder belts in the front seats and
the outer back seats, and a lap belt in the center back seat.
The seat belt system alsoincludes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and your passengers to fasten your belts.
If the driver's seat belt is not
fastened before the ignition is turned
ON (II), the light will come on and a
beeper will also sound. The beeper
will stop after a few seconds, but the
light will stay on until the driver's seat belt is fastened.
Lap/Shoulde
r Bel t
This seat belt has a single belt that
goes over your shoulder, across your
chest and across your hips.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on the belt to make sure the buckle is
latched.
To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESS button on the buckle.
Guide the belt across your body to the door pillar. After exiting the car,
be sure the belt is out of the way and
will not get closed in the door.
All lap/shoulder belts have an emergency locking retractor.
In normal driving, the retractor lets
you move freely in your seat while it
keeps some tension on the belt. During a collision or sudden stop,
the retractor automatically locks the
belt to help restrain your body.
All the lap/shoulder belts except the
driver's have an additional locking
mechanism that must be activated to secure a child seat. (See pages 30 and 34 for instructions on how to
secure child seats with this type of
seat belt.)
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Instrument
s an d Control s
This section gives information about the controls and displays that
contribute to the daily operation of
your Acura. All the essential controls
are within easy reach.
Control Locations............................ 52
Indicator Lights................................ 53
Gauges.............................................. 57
Speedometer................................ 57
Tachometer.................................. 57
Odometer...................................... 57
Trip Meter.................................... 57
Fuel Gauge................................... 58
Temperature Gauge....................
58
Maintenance Require
d
Indicator.................................... 59
Controls Near the Steering
Wheel........................................ 60
Headlights.................................... 61
Instrument Panel Brightness.....
62
Turn S
ignals.................................
62
Windshield Wipers.
..................... 63
Windshield Washers..................
. 63
Hazard Warning...........................
64
Rear Windo
w Defogger.............. 64
Steering Wheel Adjustment....... 65
Steering Wheel Controls................ 66
Cruise Control.............................. 66
Keys and Locks................................ 69
Keys............................................... 69
Immobilizer System..................... 69
Ignition Switch............................. 70
Power Door Locks....................... 72
Childproof Door Locks............... 73
Trunk............................................ 73
Glove Box..................................... 75
Seat Adjustments............................. 75
Driver's Seat Height
Adjustment............................... 76
Driver's Lumbar Support............ 76
Head Restraints........................... 77
Folding Rear Seat............................ 77
Power Windows............................... 79
Moonroof.......................................... 80
Mirrors.............................................. 81
Adjusting the Power Mirrors..... 81
Parking Brake.................................. 82
Digital Clock..................................... 83
Beverage Holder.............................. 84 Console Compartment.................... 85
Cigarette Lighter............................. 85
Ashtrays............................................ 86
Interior Lights.................................. 87
Instrument s an d Control s

Indicato
r Light s
Supplementa l Restrain t
Syste m Indicato r
This indicator lights when you turn
the ignition switch ON (II). If it comes on at any other time, it
indicates a problem in the supplemental restraint system. For
complete information, see page 45.
Anti-lock Brak e Syste m
(ABS ) Indicato r
This light normally comes on for a
few seconds when you turn the ignition switch ON (II), and when
the ignition switch is turned to START (III). If this light comes on at
any other time, there is a problem in the ABS. If this happens, take the
car to your dealer to have it checked.
With the light on, your car still has normal braking ability but no anti-
lock. For complete information, see
page 144.
Lo
w Fue l Indicato r
This light comes on as a reminder
that you must refuel soon. Immobilize r Syste m
Indicato r
This indicator comes on for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch ON (II). It will then go off if
you have inserted a properly-coded
ignition key. If it is not a properly-
coded key, the indicator will blink
and the engine will not start (see
page 69 ).
This indicator also blinks several
times when you turn the ignition switch from ON (II) to ACCESSORY
(I) or LOCK (0).
Malfunctio
n Indicato r
Lam p
See page 233.
Trunk-ope n Indicato r
This light comes on if the trunk lid is
not closed tightly.
Door-ope n Indicato r
This light comes on if a door is not
closed tightly.
Instrument s an d Control s
S
R
S
A
B S

Control
s Nea r th e Steerin g Whee l
Headlight s
The rotating switch on the left lever
controls the lights. Turning this switch to the position turns
on the parking lights, taillights,
instrument panel lights, side-marker
lights, and rear license plate lights. Turning the switch to the
position turns on the headlights. If you leave the lights on with the
ignition switch in ACCESSORY (I)
or LOCK (0), you will hear a
reminder chime when you open the driver's door.
To change between low beams and high beams, pull the turn signal lever
until you hear a click, then let go.
The blue high beam indicator will
light (see page 56). To flash the high beams, pull the
turn signal lever back lightly, then
release it. The high beams will come
on and go off.
The high beams will stay on for as long as you hold the lever back, no
matter what position the headlight
switch is in.
CONTINUED
Instrument s an d Control s