2000 HONDA PRELUDE light

Your Ca r a t a Glanc e

CRUIS E

CONTRO L

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67 ) INSTRUMEN
T
PANE
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BRIGHTNES S

(P .
63 ) HAZAR
D WARNIN G

LIGHT S

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65 ) WINDSHIEL
D
WIPERS/WASHER S

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64 )
MOONROO F

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87 )
HEADLIGHTS/
TUR N SIGNAL S

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62 )
TIL
T

ADJUSTMEN T

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HOR
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BUTTON S REA
R WINDO W

DEFOGGE R

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65 )

Drive
r an d Passenge r Safet y

This section gives you important information about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains your Supple- mental Restraint System. And it tells
you how to properly restrain infants and children in your car.
Important Safety Precautions .......... 6
Your Car's Safety Features ..............
7

Seat Belts........................................
8

Airbags............................................
9

Seats & Seat-Backs......................
1 0

Head Restraints...........................
10

Door Locks...................................
11

Pre-Drive Safety Checklist......... 11

Protectin
g Adults............................. 12

1. Close and Lock the Doors......

12

2. Adjust the Front Seats..........
.. 13

3. Adjust the

Seat-Backs.............

14

4. Adjust the Head Restraints...
. 15

5. Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts...................................... 16

6. Adjust the
Steering Wheel.....

17

7. Maintain a Proper Sitting

Position................................
. 18
Advice for Pregnant Women...... 19 Additional Safety Precautions.... 19
Protecting Children.........................

21

All Children Must Be
Restrained................................

21

Children Should Sit in the
Back

Seat............................................

22

The Passenger's Airbag Poses Serious
Risks to Children.......

22

If You Must Drive wit

h Several
Children....................................

24

If a Child Requires Close
Attention...................................
24

Additional Safety Precaution...... 24

General Guidelines for Using
Child Seats................................25

Protecting Infants........................ 29

Protecting Small Children.......... 33 Protecting Larger Children........ 36

Using Child Seats with Tethers......................................40
Additional Information About Your
Seat Belts.................................. 42

Seat Belt System Components... 42

Lap/Shoulder Belt....................... 42

Seat Belt Maintenance................ 44

Additional Information About Your
SRS............................................45

SRS Components......................... 45 How Your Airbags Work............ 45
How the SRS Indicator Light
Works........................................47

SRS Service................................... 47
Additional Safety Precautions.... 48
Carbon Monoxide Hazard.............. 49
Safety Labels.................................... 50
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

You
r Car' s Safet y Feature s

Sea t Belt s
For your safety, and the safety of
your passengers, your car is equipped with seat belts in all seating

positions.

Your seat belt system alsoincludes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to fasten your seat belts.

Why Wear Seat Belts

Seat belts are the single most
effective safety device for adults and
larger children. (Infants and smaller children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your car has airbags. In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
When properly worn, seat belts: Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
car's built-in safety features.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including side and rear impacts and rollovers. (Your
airbag can only be helpful in a
moderate to severe frontal
collision.)
Help keep you from being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you from being thrown out
of the vehicle. Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury from an inflating airbag, and allows you to get the best
advantage from the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash. But in most cases, seat belts
can reduce
your risk o
f serious
injury.

What you should do: Always wear

your seat belt, and make sure you
wear it properly.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
if you have airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat belts and wear them properly.

Your Car' s Safet y Feature s

Airbag s

Your car has a Supplementa
l
Restraint System (SRS) with frontal
airbags to help protect the driver and
a front seat passenger.
This system also includesan indicator light on the
instrument panel to alert you to a
possible problem with the system. The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:

Airbags do not replace seat belts.

The seat belts are the occupants' primary protection in all types of
collisions. The airbags supplement
the seat belts by providing extra
protection for the head and chest
of each front seat occupant in a
moderate t

o severe frontal
collision.
Airbags offer no protection in side

impacts, rear impacts, rollovers,
or minor collisions. Airbags are

designed to deploy only during a
moderate to severe frontal
collision.
Airbags can pose serious hazards.

To do their job, airbags must inflate with tremendous force and
speed. So while airbags save lives,
they can cause serious injuries to adults and larger children who arenot wearing seat belts, are not
wearing them properly, are sitting too close to the airbag, or are notsitting in a proper position. Infants
and small children are at an even
greater risk of injury or death.

What you should do: Always wear

your seat belt properly, and sit upright and as far back as possible
from the steering wheel or
dashboard.

Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

SRS

Protectin
g Adult s

Introductio n
The following pages provide instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult
occupants.

These instructions also apply to children who have outgrown childseats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page 37 for
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger
children.) 1
. Clos e an d Loc k th e Door s
After everyone has entered the car, be sure the doors are closed and

locked.

Your car has a doormonitor light on the
instrument panel to indicate when a specific door is not tightly closed. For safety, locking the doors reduces
the chance that a passenger, especially a child, will open a door
while the car is moving and accidentally fall out. It also reduces
the chance of someone being thrown out of the car during a crash.
For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider from unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
See page 74 for how to lock the
doors.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

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

Sea t Bel t Syste m Component s

Your seat belt system includes lap/ shoulder belts in all four 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's seat belt is fastened.
Lap/Shoulde
r Bel t

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 is

latched.

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.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r SR 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." Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal
collision. A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors thesensors, control unit, the airbag
activators, 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 47). Emergency backup power in case
your car'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.
During a crash, your seat belt helps
restrain your lower body and torso.
Your airbag provides a cushion to help restrain and protect your headand chest.
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y
CONTINUED

Additional Informatio n Abou t You r SR S

Ho w th e SR S Indicato r
Ligh
t
Work s
The purpose of the SRSlight is to alert you to a
potential problem with your Supplemental Restraint System.
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 ignition
ON

(II).
If the light
stays on after the
engine starts. If the light comes on or flashes on
and off while you drive.
If you see any of these indications,
your airbags may not deploy when
you need them. See your Honda dealer as soon as possible. SR
S Servic e
Your Supplemental Restraint System is virtually maintenance-free, and
there are no parts you can safely service. However, you must have
your car serviced if:
Your airbags ever inflate. The

airbags and the control unit must
be replaced. Do not try to remove or replace the airbags yourself.
This must be done by a Honda dealer or a knowledgeable body

shop.
The SRS indicator light alerts you

to a problem. Take your car to an
authorized Honda dealer as soon
as possible. If you ignore this
indication, the airbags might not
inflate when you need them (see
page 45).
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

SRS

Ignoring the SRS indicator light
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbags do not inflate when needed.
Have your vehicle checked by a
dealer as soon as possible if
the SRS light alerts you to a potential problem.