2000 Acura RL dashboard

Protectin
g Childre n

Additional Precautions for Small

Children
Never hold a small child on your

lap. If you are not wearing a seat
belt in a crash, you could be thrown forward into thedashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the child can be torn from your arms
during a crash. For example, if
your car crashes into a parked
vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 30-lb (14 kg) child will become a
900-lb (410 kg) force, and you will
not be able to hold on.
Never put a seat belt over yourself

and a child. During a crash, the

belt could press deep into the child
and cause very serious injuries.
Protectin
g Large r Childre n
When a child reaches the recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the child should sit in the back seat and
wear a lap/shoulder belt.
If a child is too short for the shoulder
part of the belt to properly fit, we recommend that the child use a
booster seat until they are tall enough to use the seat belt without a

booster.

The following pages give instructions on how to check proper
seat belt fit, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions for children
who must sit in the front seat.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat canresult in injury or death if the
passenger's front airbag inflates.
If a larger child must sit in front,
make sure the child moves the
seat as far back as possible
and wears the seat belt properly.

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Fron t Airbag s
SR S Component s

Your Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) includes: Two front airbags. The driver's
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the front
passenger's airbag is stored in the dashboard. Both are marked "SRS
AIRBAG." Automatic seat belt tensioners
(see page 41). Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal

collision.

A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records information about thesensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, driver and
passenger seat belt use, and all
related wiring when the ignition is ON (II). An indicator light on the
instrument panel that alerts you to
a possible problem with thesystem (see page 45). Emergency backup power in case
your car's electrical system is disconnected in a crash. Ho
w You r Fron t Airbag s Wor k
If you ever have a moderate to severe frontal collision, the sensors
will detect the vehicle's rapid deceleration. If the rate ofdeceleration is high enough, the
control unit will instantly inflate the
front airbags.
CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Control
s Nea r th e Steerin g Whee l

The two levers on the steering column contain controls for driving
features you use most often. The left
lever controls the turn signals,
headlights, and high beams. The
right lever controls the windshield
washers and wipers.
The switch for the hazard warning lights is on the dashboard to the
right of the steering column.
The controls under the left air vent are for the cruise control, instrument
panel brightness and the VSA

System.

The switches for the rear window defogger and fog lights are under
the audio system.
The steering wheel adjustment switch on the side of the steering
column allows you to tilt and
telescope the steering wheel.
Instrument s an d Control s WINDSHIEL
D
WIPERS/WASHER S
HAZAR
D WARNIN G
LIGHT S
HEADLIGHTS
/
TUR N SIGNAL S
VEHICL
E
STABILIT Y
ASSIS T SYSTE M
OF F SWITC H

CRUIS E
CONTRO L

REAR WINDO W
DEFOGGE R

FO
G
LIGHT S

HOR
N
INSTRUMEN
T

PANE L

BRIGHTNES S
STEERIN G WHEE L
ADJUSTMENT S

Control
s Nea r th e Steerin g Whee l

Do not leave the light switch in
AUTO if you will not be driving the car for an extended period (a week
or more). You should also turn off
the lights if you plan to leave the engine idling or the engine off for a
long time. This will prevent the
battery from discharging.
The automatic lighting feature iscontrolled by a sensor located on top
of the dashboard. Do not cover thissensor or spill liquids on it. Daytim
e Runnin g Light s
(Canadia n Models )
With the headlight switch off, the high beam headlights come on with
reduced brightness when you turn
the ignition switch to ON (II) andrelease the parking brake. They
remain on until you turn the ignition off, even if you set the parking brake.
The headlights revert to normal operation when you turn them on
with the switch.
Instrument s an d Control s

LIGH
T
SENSO R

Control
s Nea r th e Steerin g Whee l

Instrumen t Pane l Brightnes s
The dial on the dashboard to the left of the instrument panel is used to
adjust the brightness of the lights in
the controls and displays. Turn the dial to adjust the brightness. To reduce glare at night, the instru-
ment panel illumination dims when you turn the light switch to or
Turning the instrument panel
brightness control fully to the left, past the detent, will return the instru-
ment panel to its full brightness. Tur
n Signal s
Signal a turn or lane change with this
lever. Push down on the lever to signal a left turn, and up to signal a
right turn. If you push it up or down all the way, the turn signal continues
to blink even when you release the lever. It shuts off automatically as
you complete the turn.
Instrument s an d Control s TUR
N SIGNA L LEVE R
INSTRUMEN
T PANE L
BRIGHTNES S DIA L

Climat
e Contro l Syste m

The automatic climate control system in your Acura picks the
proper combination of air condi-
tioning, heating, and ventilation to
maintain the interior temperature
you select. The system also adjusts the fan speed and air flow levels.
The direction of air flow from the vents in the center and each side ofthe dashboard is adjustable. Move
the tab in the center of each vent up- and-down and side-to-side.
The side vents can be opened and closed with the dials next to them.
In the rear seat, you can also adjust
the ventilation when the climate con-
trol system is on (see page 132 ).
CENTE
R VENT S

The climate control system draws air through the exterior vents at the
bottom of the windshield. Keep
these vents clear of leaves and other
debris.
SID
E VENT S
For the climate control system to
provide heating and cooling, the engine must be running.
Comfor t an d Convenienc e Feature s

Climat
e Control System

Recirculated and Fresh Air

These two buttons control the source of the air going into the sys- tem. In Fresh Air mode ( )
air is brought in from outside the ve-
hicle. In Recirculation mode ( ) air from the car's interior
is sent through the system again.
You can, for example, manually put the system in recirculation mode
when driving through an area of smoke or fumes. When you press the or button, the
light in that button comes on.

Fan Control Dial

You can manually select the fan speed by turning the fan control dial.
When you turn the dial clockwise, the fan is taken out of automatic
mode and starts to run at its lowestspeed. Turning the dial fully
clockwise increases the fan's speed,
which increases air flow. MOD
E BUTTO N

FA
N CONTRO L DIA L

RECIRCULATE D AI R

Mode Button

Use the MODE button to select the vents the air flows from. Some air
will flow from the side vents and thedashboard corner vents in all modes.
Each time you press the MODE
button, the display shows the mode selected. Press the button four times
to see all the modes.
Comfor t an d Convenienc e Feature s
FRES
H AI R

Climat
e Control System

The main air flow is divided
between the floor vents and de-
froster vents at the base of the wind-
shield.

The main air flow comes
from the floor vents.
The main air flow is divided
between the dashboard vents and the floor vents.
The main air flow comes
from the dashboard vents.

CONTINUED

Comfor t an d Convenienc e Feature s