2000 S2000 Online Reference Owner's Manual Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety........................................................................\
........................................ .ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
............................................ .2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
......................................5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
........................................ .41
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
....................... 85
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................115
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... .129
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................143
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take yo ur vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Care........................................................................\
..................................................... .203
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your\
vehicle ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
..............................211
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, a nd how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
............................................ .241
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................253
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................259
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump. Owner's Identification Form
This section gives you important
information about how to protect
yourself and your passenger.
It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly.
It explains your Supple
mental Restraint System. And it tells
you how to properly restrain children
in your car. Important
Safety
Precautions .......... 6
Your Car's Safety
Features .............. 7
Seat Belts ........................................ 8
Airbags ............................................ 9
Seats
& Seat-Backs ...................... 10
Head Restraints ........................... 10
Door Locks ................................... 10
Pre-Drive Safety Checklist ......... 11
Protecting Adults ............................. 12
1. Close and Lock the Doors ...... 12
2. Adjust the Front Seats ............ 12
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs ............. 13
4. Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts ......................................
15
5. Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position ................................. 16
Advice for Pregnant Women ...... 17
Additional Safety Precautions .... 18
Protecting Children ......................... 19
All Children Must Be
Restrained ................................
19
Your Car is Not Recommended
for Child
Passengers ............... 20
The Passenger's Air bag Poses
Serious Risks to Children ....... 20
Additional Safety Precaution ...... 22
Driver and Passenger Safety
General Guidelines for Using
Child Seats ................................
22
Protecting Small Children .......... 26
Protecting Larger Children ........ 29
Additional Information About Your
Seat Belts ..................................
33
Seat Belt System Components ... 33
Lap/Shoulder Belt.. ..................... 33
Seat Belt Maintenance ................ 34
Additional Information About Your
SRS ............................................ 35
SRS Components ......................... 35
How Your Air bags
Work ............ 35
How
the Automatic Seat Belt
Tensioners Work ..................... 37
How
the SRS Indicator Light
Works ........................................ 37
SRS Service ................................... 38
Additional Safety
Precautions .... 38
Carbon Monoxide Hazard .............. 39
Safety Labels ....................................
40
Driver and Passenger Safety 5
Important Safety Precautions
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 the
most important.
Always WearY our Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inflate only
in a
moderate to severe frontal collision.
So even though your car is equipped
with airbags, make sure you and
your passenger always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
(See page
15 ) .
Your Car is Not Recommended
for Child Passengers
Since all children are safest in the
back seat of a car, and your car does
not have a back seat, we recommend
that you
do not carry a child
passenger.
Due to the passenger's
6 Driver and Passenger Safety
airbag hazard, you should never
carry an infant in a rear-facing child
seat in this car. If a small child who
must be restrained in a forward
facing child seat, or a larger child,
must ride
in this car, be sure to
follow
all instructions and safety
warnings
in this manual. (See pages
26 and 29.)
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
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
7 .)
Don't Drink and Drive
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.
Control Your Speed
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.
Keep Your Car in Safe Condition
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 146
.)
Your Car's Safety Features
Your car is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passenger
during a crash.
Some safety features
do not require
any action on your part. These
include a strong steel framework
that forms a safety cage around the
passenger compartment; front and
rear crush zones that are designed to
crumple and absorb energy during a
crash; a collapsible steering column;
and seat belt tensioners that
automatically tighten the seat belts
in the event of a crash.
These safety features are designed
to reduce the severity of injuries
in a
crash. However, you and your
passenger can't take full advantage
of these safety features unless you
remain sitting in a proper position
and
always wear your seat belts
properly. In fact, some safety
features can contribute to injuries
if
they are not used properly.
Driver and Passenger Safety 7
Your Car's Safety Features
Seat Belts
For your safety, and the safety of
your passenger, your car is equipped
with seat belts in both seating
positions.
ITl Your seat belt system also
L:::D:..J includes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passenger to fasten your seat
belts.
Why Wear Seat Belts
Seat belts have proven to be the
single most effective safety device.
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance
of serious
injury or death
in a crash, even
though your car has airbags.
8 Driver and Passenger Safety
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
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
passenger
always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
When properly worn, seat belts:
• Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage
of the
vehicle's built-in safety features.
• Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including side and
rear impacts and rollovers. (Your
air bag 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 air bag, 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 of serious
injury.
What you should do: Always wear
your seat belt, and make sure you
wear it properly.
Airbags
Your car has a Supplemental
Restraint System
(SRS) with frontal
airbags to help protect the driver and
a passenger.
~ This system also includes
~ an 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. Airbags supplement
seat belts
by providing extra
protection for occupants' heads
and chests.
• Airbags offer no protection in side
impacts, rear impacts, rollovers,
or
minor collisions. Air bags are
designed to deploy only during a
moderate to severe frontal
collision.
Your Car's Safety Features
• 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 are
not wearing seat belts, are not
wearing
them properly, are sitting
too close to the airbag,
or are not
sitting 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 and Passenger Safety 9
Your Car's Safety Features
Seats & Seat-Backs
Your car's seats are designed to keep
you in a comfortable, upright
position so you can take full
advantage of
the protection offered
by seat belts and the energy
absorbing materials in
the seats.
How you adjust your seats and seat
backs can also affect your safety.
For
example, sitting too close to the
steering wheel or dashboard
increases the risk of you
or your
passenger being injured by striking
the inside of the car, or by an
inflating airbag.
Reclining a seat-back too far reduces
the seat belt's effectiveness and
increases
the chance that the seat's
occupant
will slide under the seat
belt
in a crash and be seriously
injured.
10 Driver and Passenger Safety
What you should do: Move the seats
as far back as possible, and keep
adjustable seat-backs in an upright
position whenever
the car is moving.
Head Restraints
Head restraints can help protect you
from whiplash and other injuries.
Door Locks
Keeping your doors locked reduces
the chance of being thrown out of
the car during a crash.
It also helps
prevent occupants from accidentally
opening a door and falling out, and
outsiders from unexpectedly opening
your doors.
Pre-Drive Safety Checklist
To make sure you and your
passenger get the maximum
protection from your car's safety
features, check the following each
time before you drive
away:
• You and any adult passenger, or a
larger child who has outgrown
child seats, are wearing your seat
belts and wearing
them properly
(see page
15 ) .
• A small child riding in a forward
facing child seat is properly
restrained (see page
26).
• Occupants are sitting upright and
as far back as possible from
the
steering wheel and dashboard
(see page
12 ) .
• Seat-backs are upright (see page
13 ).
• Both doors are closed and locked
(see page
12 ).
• All cargo is properly stored or
secured (see page 124).
The rest of this section gives more
detailed information about how you
can maximize your safety.
Remember, however, that
no safety
system can prevent
all injuries or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the air bags deploy.
Your Car's Safety Features
Driver and Passenger Safety 11