2000 HONDA ODYSSEY tire

A Fe w Word s Abou t Safet y
Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important
responsibility.
To help you make informed decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other information on labels and in
this manual. This information alerts
you to potential hazards that could hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your vehicle. You must
use your own good judgement. You will find this important safety information in a variety of forms,
including:
Safet y Label s — on the vehicle.
Safet y Message s — preceded by a safety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: DANGER , WARNING , or CAUTION .
These signal words mean:
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don't follow instructions.
You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you don't follow instructions.
You CAN be HURT if you don't follow instructions.
Safet y Heading s — such as Important Safety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions.
Safet y Sectio n — such as Driver and Passenger Safely.
Instruction s — how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information — please read it carefully.

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

Indicator Light s
Malfunctio n Indicato r
Lam p
See page 309.
Low Oi l Pressur e
Indicato r
The engine can be severely damaged
if this light flashes or stays on when
the engine is running. For complete
information, see page 307.
Charging Syste m
Indicato r
If this light comes on when the
engine is running, the battery is not
being charged. For complete
information, see page 308.
Supplementa l Restrain t
System Indicato r
This indicator lights when you turn the ignition switch ON (II). If itcomes on at any other time, it
indicates a problem in the
supplemental restraint system. For
complete information, see page 50. Parkin
g Brak e
an d Brak e
System
Indicato r
This light has two functions:
1. It comes on when you turn the ignition switch ON (II) as a
reminder to check the parking
brake. If the parking brake is notset, it goes off after the engine
starts. If the parking brake is set,
it goes off when you release the
parking brake with the engine
running. Driving with the parking
brake applied can damage the
brakes and tires.
2. If it remains lit after you release the parking brake while the engine
is running, or comes on whiledriving, it can indicate a problem
in the brake system. For complete
information, see page 310 .
Instrument s an d Control s
S R SBRAKE
U.S.Canad a

Seats
4. Pull the handle on the back of the
seat cushion while you pull the
entire seat towards you with the
strap. Pivot the seat into the floor
recess.
Make sure the center shoulder belt
is stored in the holder and the outer shoulder belts are positioned on each
hook whenever the third seat is
folded.
Make sure all items in the cargo area
are secured. Loose items can fly
forward and cause injury if you have
to brake hard. See Carryin g Carg o
on page 197.
To return the seat to the uprightposition:
1. Pull the seat out of the recess by pulling on the handle and the strap.Pivot the seat forward all the way.
Instrument s an d Control s
HANDLE

Fuel Econom y
The condition of your vehicle and
your driving habits are the two most important things that affect the fuelmileage you get.
Vehicl e Conditio n
Always maintain your vehicle accord- ing to the maintenance schedule.
This will keep it in top operating
condition.
An important part of that mainte- nance is the Owne r Maintenanc e
Check s (see page 237 ). For
example, an underinflated tire
causes more "rolling resistance,"
which uses fuel. It also wears out faster, so check the tire pressure atleast monthly.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your vehicle's underside adds weight and rolling resistance. Frequent
cleaning helps your fuel mileage and
reduces the chance of corrosion. Drivin
g Habit s
You can improve fuel economy by driving moderately. Rapid acceler-ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more fuel.
Always drive in the highest gear that allows the engine to run and acceler-
ate smoothly.
Depending on traffic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every
time you slow down and speed up,
your vehicle uses extra fuel. Use the cruise control, when appropriate, toincrease fuel economy. A cold engine uses more fuel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to"warm-up" a cold engine by letting itidle for a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine
will warm up faster, and you get better fuel economy. To cut down on
the number of "cold starts," try to
combine several short trips into one.
The air conditioning puts an extra load on the engine which makes ituse more fuel. Turn off the A/C to
cut down on air conditioning use. Use the flow-through ventilation
when the outside air temperature is
moderate.
Befor e Drivin g

Accessories an d Modification s
Modification s
Do not remove any original
equipment or modify your vehicle in
any way that would alter its design or
operation. This could make your
vehicle unsafe and illegal to drive.
For example, do not make any
modifications that would change the
ride height of your vehicle, or install
wheels and tires with a different overall diameter.
Such modifications can adversely
affect handling, and interfere with
the operation of the vehicle's anti-
lock brakes and other systems. In addition, any modifications that
decrease ground clearance increase
the chance of undercarriage parts striking a curb, speed bump, or other
raised object, which could cause
your airbags to deploy.
Do not modify your steering wheel
or any other part of your
Supplemental Restraint System. Modifications could make the
system ineffective. Additiona
l Safet y Precautio n
Do not attach or place objects on the
airbag covers. Any object attached to
or placed on the covers marked "SRS
AIRBAG," in the center of the steering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, could interfere with the
proper operation of the airbags. Or,
if the airbags inflate, the objects
could be propelled inside the vehicle and hurt someone.
Befor e Drivin g

Carrying Carg o
Load Limi t
The maximum load for your vehicle
is 1,277 Ibs (580 kg).
This figure includes the total weight
of all occupants, cargo, accessories,
and the tongue weight if you are
towing a trailer.
To figure out how much cargo you
can carry:
Add up the weight of all occupants.
If you are towing a trailer, add the
tongue weight to the number
above.
Subtract the total from 1,277 Ibs
(580 kg).
The final number is the total weight
of cargo you can carry.
When you load luggage, the total
weight of the vehicle, all passengers, cargo, and trailer tongue load must
not exceed the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR). The load for the front and rear axles also must not exceed the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR). The GVWR andGAWR are printed on the tire
information label attached to the
driver's doorjamb (see page 322). Carryin
g Item s i n th e Passenge r
Compartmen t
Store or secure all items that could
be thrown around and hurt someone during a crash.
Be sure items placed on the floor
behind the front seats cannot roll
under the seats and interfere with the driver's ability to operate the
pedals, or with the properoperation of the seats.
Keep the glove box closed while
driving. If the lid is open, a
passenger could injure their knees during a crash or sudden stop.
Befor e Drivin g
Overloading or improper
loading can affect handling and
stability and cause a crash in
which you can be hurt or killed.
Follow all load limits and other
loading guidelines in this
manual.

Preparing to Driv e
You should do the following checks
and adjustments every day before
you drive your vehicle.
1. Make sure all windows, mirrors, and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove frost, snow,or ice.
2. Check that the hood and tailgate are fully closed.
3. Visually check the tires. If a tire looks low, use a gauge to check its
pressure.
4. Check that any items you may be carrying with you inside are stored
properly or fastened down
securely.
5. Check the adjustment of the seat
(see page 100).
6. Check the adjustment of the inside and outside mirrors (see
page 115).
7. Check the adjustment of the steering wheel (see page 72).
8. Make sure the doors and tailgate are securely closed and locked.
9. Fasten your seat belt. Check that your passengers have fastenedtheir seat belts (see page 15). 10. Turn the ignition switch ON (II).
Check the indicator lights in the
instrument panel.
11. Start the engine (see page 203).
12. Check the gauges and indicator lights in the instrument panel (see
page 57).
Drivin g