2000 HONDA PRELUDE ECU

Protecting Childre n

If it is necessary to
put a forward-
facing child seat in the front, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
firmly secured to the car, and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
Child Seat Installation

The lap/shoulder belts in the back and front passenger seating positions
have a locking mechanism that must be activated to secure a child seat.
The following pages provide instructions on how to secure a
forward-facing child seat with this
type of seat belt.
1. With the child seat in the desiredback seating position, route thebelt through the child seat
according to the seat maker's instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front seat can result in serious injury
or death if the airbags inflate.
If you must place a forward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as possible and properly restrain
the child.

Protecting Childre n

2. To activate the lockabl
e retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops, then let the belt feed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
3. After the belt has retracted, tug on it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
the belt out, it is not locked and
you will need to repeat these steps. 4. After confirming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull up to remove any slack from thelap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure. It may help to put weight on the
child seat, or push on the back of the seat, while pulling up on the
belt. 5. Push and pull the child seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure enough to stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is notsecure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract fully, then repeat these
steps.

CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
The back seat is the safest place for a child of any age or size.
In addition, the passenger's airbag
poses serious risks to children. If the seat is too far forward, or the child's
head is thrown forward during a
collision, or the child is unrestrained or out of position, an inflating airbag
can kill or seriously injure the child.
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 16 and 37). 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, includingsitting 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 all seat belt instructions and all safety

information.
Move the vehicle seat to the rear-

most position.
Have the child sit up straight, back

against 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 mature

children sometimes need to be
reminded to fasten the seat belts

or sit properly.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Usin g Chil d Seat s wit h Tether s

U.S. Models

You car has two places on the rear shelf where a tether anchor can be
installed. A tether anchor is used to
secure a tether-style child seat to the
car. Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or

available.

To attach a tether to your car:
1. Using the illustration on page 40 , locate the attachment point you
want to use.
2. Remove the plug with a small flat- tipped screwdriver or a fingernail

file.

3. Install the anchor plate andmounting hardware. The
hardware is available from your
Honda dealer (part number 82410-

SE3-C01).

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n
When installing tether hardware, make sure the toothed washer is on
the bottom of the bolt. Tighten the
bolt to:

16 lbf.ft (22 N.m,2.2 kgf.m)

If a torque wrench was not used, see
your Honda dealer as soon as possible to verify proper installation.
To attach the tether to the child seat, follow the child seat maker'sinstructions.
If you are not sure how to install the
tether, or you need mounting
hardware, contact your Honda dealer. Usin
g Chil d Seat s wit h Tether s

Canadian Models

Your car has two tether anchorage points on the rear shelf for securinga 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 an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Sea t Belt s

All seat 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.
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 30 and 34 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 16 for instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly.
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

Controls Nea r th e Steerin g Wheel
Make sure the rear window is clear
and you have good visibility before starting to drive.
The defogger and antenna wires on the inside of the rear window can be accidentally damaged. When
cleaning the glass, always wipe side
to side. Steerin
g Whee l Adjustmen t
See page 17 for important safety
information about how to properly
position the steering wheel.
Make any steering wheel adjustment
before you start driving.
To adjust the steering wheel upward or downward:
1. Push the lever under the steering column all the way down. 2. Move the steering wheel to the
desired position, making sure the
wheel points toward your chest,
not toward your face. Make sure
you can see the instrument panel
gauges and the indicator lights.
3. Push the lever up to lock the steering wheel in that position.
4. Make sure you have securely locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up and down.
Instrument s an d Control s
Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of the
car and be seriously injured in a
crash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the car is stopped.

Foldin
g Rea r Seat , Powe r Window s

Make sure both rear shoulder belts
are positioned in front of the rear seat-back whenever the seat-back is
in its upright position.
Make sure all items in the trunk, or
items extending through the opening
into the back seat, are secured.
Loose items can fly forward and
cause injury if you have to brake
hard. See Carrying Carg o on page
135.
Never drive with the seat-back
folded down and the trunk lid open. See Carbo n Monoxid e Hazar d on

page 49.
Powe
r Window s
Your car's windows are electrically- powered. Turn the ignition switch toON (II) to raise or lower any window.
Each door has a switch that controls
its window. To open the window,
push the switch down and hold it. Release the switch when you want
the window to stop. Close the
window by pulling back on the switch and holding it.
The driver's armrest has a masterpower window control panel. Toopen the passenger's window, pushdown on the switch and hold it down
until the window reaches the desired position. To close the window, pull
back on the window switch. Release
the switch when the window gets to
the position you want.

CONTINUED

Instrument s an d Control s
DRIVER'
S WINDO W

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MAI
N

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