2000 HONDA ODYSSEY ECO mode

Important Safet y Precaution s
You'll find many safety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
The recommendations on this page are the ones we consider to be themost important.
Alway s Wea r You r Sea t Bel t
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbagssupplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inflate only in a
moderate to severe frontal collision.
So even though your vehicle 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 a 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 22.) B
e Awar e o f Airba g Hazard s
While airbags can 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 9.)
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 drink
and 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 Vehicl e 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 230.)
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protecting Childre n
Children Shoul d Si t i n th e Bac k
Seat
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes ar e
safer when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the front seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
In a back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inflating airbag
when they ride in the back.
Th e Passenger' s Airba g Pose s
Seriou s Risk s t o Childre n
Airbags have been designed to help protect adults in a moderate tosevere frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger's airbag is quite large, and it inflates with tremendous
speed.
Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's airbag. If the
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or very seriously injure an infant.
Small Children
Placing a forward-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's airbag can be
hazardous. If the vehicle seat is too
far forward, or the child's head is thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating airbag can strike the child
with enough force to kill or very seriously injure a small child.
Larger Children
Children who have outgrown child
seats are also at risk of being injured or killed by an inflating passenger's
airbag. Whenever possible, larger
children should sit in a back seat,
properly restrained with a seat belt. (See page 39 for important
information about protecting larger children.)
CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protecting Childre n
3. The child seat should fit the
vehicle seating position (or
positions) where it will be used.
Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not fit all
vehicle seating positions.
However, Honda is confident that
one or more child seat models can fit
and be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions in
your vehicle.
Before purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specific vehicleseating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a previously purchased child seat does
not fit, you may need to buy adifferent one that will fit.
CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Protectin g Infant sChild Seat Type
Only a
rear-facing child seat provides
proper support for a baby's head, neck, and back. Infants up to about
one year of age must be restrained in
a rear-facing child seat.
Two types of seats may be used: a seat designed exclusively for infants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
facing, reclining mode. We recommend that an infant be
restrained in a rear-facing child seat
until the infant reaches the seat
maker's weight or height limit and isable to sit up without support.

Rear-Facing Child Seat Placement

In thi
s vehicle, a rear-facing child
seat can be placed in any seating
position in a back seat, but not in the
front seat.

Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front seat. If the passenger's
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or seriously injure an infant. If an infant must be closely watched, we
recommend that another adult sit in
a back seat with the baby.

Do not put a rear-facing child seat in

a forward-facing position. If placed

facing forward, an infant could be very seriously injured during a
frontal collision.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the

front.

Additional Informatio n Abou t You r SR S
SRS Component s
Your Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) includes:
Two front airbags. The driver'sairbag 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 that tighten the front seat beltsduring a moderate to severe
frontal collision.
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 the
system (see page 50 ).
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle's electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
Ho w You r Airbag s Wor k
If you ever have a moderate to
severe frontal collision, the sensors
will detect rapid deceleration and signal the control unit to instantly
inflate the airbags and activate the
automatic seat belt tensioners.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Safety Label s
These labels are in the locations
shown. They warn you of potential
hazards that could cause serious injury. Read these labels carefully.
If a label comes off or becomes hard
to read, contact your Honda dealer
for a replacement.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
DASHBOAR D
U.S. models only
SUN VISO R
U.S. models
HOOD
RADIATO R CA P
Canadian models

Indicator Light s
The instrument panel has many
indicators to give you important
information about your vehicle.
Sea t Bel t Reminde r Ligh t
This indicator lights when you turn the ignition switch ON (II). It is a
reminder to you and your passengers
to protect yourselves by fastening
the seat belts. A beeper also sounds
if you have not fastened your seat
belt.
If you do not fasten your seat belt,
the beeper will stop after a few seconds but the light stays on until
you do. Both the light and the beeper stay off if you fasten your seat belt
before turning on the ignition.
* The U.S. instrument panel is shown. Differences for the Canadian models
are noted in the text.
Instrument s an d Control s
HIG
H BEA M INDICATO RSUPPLEMENTA
L RESTRAIN T
SYSTE M INDICATO R
ANTI-LOC K BRAK E
SYSTE M INDICATOR *
POWE R SLIDIN G
DOO R INDICATO R
PARKIN
G BRAK E AN D
BRAK E SYSTE M
INDICATOR *
IMMOBILIZE
R
SYSTE M
INDICATO R
CRUISE CONTRO L
INDICATO R
TRACTION CONTRO L
SYSTE M INDICATO R
MAINTENANC E
REQUIREDINDICATO R
SEAT BEL T
REMINDE RLIGHT
LOW FUE LINDICATO R
DOOR AN D BRAK E LAM P MONITO R
LO
W OI L PRESSUR E INDICATO R
CHARGIN G SYSTE M INDICATO R
MALFUNCTIO N INDICATO R LAM P

Indicator Light s
U.S.
Anti-loc k Brak e Syste m
(ABS ) Indicato r
This light normally comes on for a few seconds when you turn theignition switch ON (II), and when
the ignition switch is turned toSTART (III). If this light comes on at
any other time, there is a problem in
the ABS. If this happens, take the
vehicle to your dealer to have it checked. With the light on, your
vehicle still has normal braking ability but no anti-lock. For complete
information, see page 211. Tractio
n Contro l Syste m
(TCS ) Indicato r
On EX model
This indicator has three functions:
1. It comes on as a reminder that you have turned off the Traction
Control System.
2. It flashes when the TCS is
regulating wheelspin.
3. If it comes on and stays on whenthe Traction Control System is on,it indicates that there is a problem
in the TCS.
This light also comes on when youturn the ignition ON (II) and goes offafter the engine starts. See page 213 for more information on the
TCS.
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 blinkand the engine will not start (see
page 77 ).
This indicator also blinks several times when you turn the ignition switch from ON (II) to ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0).
Instrument s an d Control s
Canad
a
T C SA B S