2000 Acura TL 3.2 Owner's Manual

Protecting Children
Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can safely ride in the
front, there are other important
factors you should consider.
Physical Size
Physically, a child must be large
enough for the lap/shoulder belt to
properly fit over the hips, chest, and shoulder (see pages 15 and 36). If
the seat belt does not fit properly, the child should not sit in the front. Maturity
To safely ride in front, a child must be able to follow the rules, including sitting properly and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride.
If you decide that a child can safely
ride up front, be sure to:
• Carefully read the owner's manual and make sure you understand allseat belt instructions and all safety
information.
• Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position.
• Have the child sit up straight, backagainst the seat, and feet on or
near the floor.
• Check that the child's seat belt is properly positioned and secured.
• Supervise the child. Even maturechildren sometimes need to be
reminded to fasten the seat beltsor sit properly.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children
Using Child Seats with Tethers
Your car has three tether anchorage points on the rear shelf for securing
a tether-style child seat to the car.
Since a tether can provide additionalsecurity, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or available. Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point and tighten
the strap according to the child seat
maker's instructions.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt System Components
Your seat belt system includes lap/ shoulder belts in all five seating
positions.
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'sseat belt is fastened. Lap/Shoulder Belt
This seat belt has a single belt that goes over your shoulder, across yourchest 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 islatched. 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.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
All seat belts have an emergencylocking retractor. In normal driving,
the retractor lets you move freely in
your seat while it keeps some tension on the belt. During a collisionor sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.
The seat belts in all seating positions except the driver's have an additional
locking mechanism that must be activated to secure a child seat. (See
pages 29 and 33 for instructions on
how to secure child seats with this type of seat belt.) If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking
mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow the passenger to move freely.
To deactivate the locking mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt fully retract. To
refasten the belt, pull it out only as
far as needed. See page 15 for instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt Maintenance
For safety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out fully and look for
frays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check that the latches work smoothly and
that the lap/shoulder belts retracteasily. Any belt not in good condition
or not working properly will not
provide good protection and should
be replaced as soon as possible.
U.S. Models
Acura provides a lifetime warranty on seat belts. Acura will repair or
replace any seat belt component
that fails to function properly during normal use.
Please see your Acura WarrantyInformation booklet for details. Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly whenneeded.
Check your seat belts regularly
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible. If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
you should have your dealer inspect the belt, and replace it if necessary.
A belt that has been worn during a crash may not provide the same levelof protection in a subsequent crash.
The dealer should also inspect the anchors for damage and replace
them if needed.
For information on how to clean your seat belts, see page 249.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Additional Information About Your Front Airbags
SRS Components
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."
• Sensors that can detect a moderate to severe frontal
collision.
• A sophisticated electronic system that continually monitors andrecords 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 theinstrument panel that alerts you to a possible problem with the
system (see page 45).
• Emergency backup power in case your car's electrical system is
disconnected in a crash. How Your Front Airbags Work
If you ever have a moderate to severe frontal collision, the sensors
will detect the vehicle's rapid deceleration. If the rate of
deceleration is high enough, the
control unit will instantly inflate the
front airbags.
CONTINUED
Driver and Passenger Safety

Additional Information About Your Front Airbags
During a frontal crash, your seat
belts help restrain your lower bodyand torso. Your airbag provides a
cushion to help restrain and protect
your head and chest.
Since both airbags use the samesensors, 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 front airbags
immediately 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 yourowner's manual.
Canadian Owners
For additional information on how
your airbags work, ask your dealer for a copy of the booklet titled SRS:
What You Need to Know About Airbags.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Additional Information About Your Front Airbags
How the SRS Indicator Light
Works The purpose of the SRSindicator light is to alert
you to a potential problem with your
front airbags. This light will also
alert you to a potential problem with
your side airbags or passenger's side airbag automatic cutoff system (see
page 47).
When you turn the ignition ON (II), this indicator will light up briefly
then go out. This tells you that the system is working properly. However, if the light comes on at any
other time, you should have the
system checked by your dealer. For
example:
• If the SRS indicator light does not
come on after you turn the ignitionON (II)
• If the light stays on after the engine starts.
• If the light comes on or flashes onand off while you drive.
If you see any of these indications,
your front or side airbags may not deploy, or your passenger's side
airbag automatic cutoff system may
not work properly. See your Acura dealer as soon as possible. Ignoring the SRS indicator light
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbags or cutoff
system do not work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a
dealer as soon as possible if
the SRS light alerts you to a potential problem.
Driver and Passenger Safety
SRS