Page 79 of 285

Key
s an d Lock s
LS, GS, GS-R and Type-R models
Each door has a master door and
hatch lock switch. Either switch
locks and unlocks both doors and the
hatch. Push the switch down to lock
both doors and the hatch and up to
unlock them.
To lock the passenger's door when getting out of the car, push the lock
tab in and close the door. To lock thedriver's door, pull the outside door
handle and push the lock tab in or
push the master switch down. Release the handle, then close the
door.
Both doors and the hatch can be
locked from the outside by using the
key in either door or the hatch.
To unlock only the driver's door from the outside, insert the key in
the driver's door lock, turn the keyand release it. If you turn the key
and hold it, both doors and the hatch
will unlock. Both doors and the hatch will unlock when you unlock
the passenger's door or the hatch
with the key. Hatc
h
Use the master key to lock and
unlock the hatch. The valet key does
not work in this lock.
To lock the hatch, insert the master
key in the hatch lock, turn the key
counterclockwise.
To unlock the hatch, turn it clockwise and release it.
LS, GS, GS-R and Type-R models
You can lock and unlock the front doors by using the key in the hatch.
Instrument s an d Control s
Page 80 of 285
Key
s an d Lock s
To open the hatch, slide the lever behind the hatch's back edge until itreleases the hatch and lift the hatch.
To close the hatch, push down on the hatch's back edge. See page 132 for cargo loading and
weight limit information. Keep the hatch closed at all times whiledriving to avoid damaging the hatch
and to prevent exhaust gas from
getting into the interior. See Carbo n
Monoxid e Hazar d on page 49.
If an unlocked hatch does not open,
turn the key clockwise past the
unlock position. Open the hatch as
you hold the key in that position.
If you need to use this procedure to
open the hatch, your car may be
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by your Acura
dealer.
Instrument s an d Control s
LEVE
R
MASTER KE Y UNLOC
K
POSITIO N
LOC
K
Page 81 of 285
Key
s an d Lock s
Glov e Bo x
Open the glove box by pulling the
bottom of the handle. Close it with a
firm push. Lock or unlock the glove
box with the master key.
LS, GS, GS-R and Type-R models
The glove box light comes on only when the instrument panel lights are
on.
Instrument s an d Control s
An open glove box can cause
serious injury to your passengerin a crash, even if the
passenger is wearing the seat
belt.
Always keep the glove box
closed while driving.
Page 140 of 285

Startin
g th e Engin e
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. In cold weather, turn off all electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
3. Manual Transmission:
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way. START (III) does not
function unless the clutch pedal is
depressed.
Automatic Transmission:
Make sure the shift lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
4. Without touching the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition key to theSTART (III) position. If the enginedoes not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) for
more tha
n 15 seconds at a time.
Pause for at least 10 seconds
before trying again. 5. If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the accelerator pedal pressed half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal so the engine does not race.
6. If the engine still does not start, press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while starting in order to clear flooding.
As before, keep the ignition key in the START (III) position for nomore than 15 seconds. Return tostep 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lift your foot off the
accelerator pedal so the engine does not race.
Startin g in Col d Weathe r a t Hig h
Altitud e (Abov e 8,00 0 feet /
2,40 0 meters )
An engine is harder to start in cold weather. The thinner air found athigh altitude above 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) adds to the problem.
Use the following procedure:
1. Turn off all electrical accessories to reduce the drain on the battery.
2. Push the accelerator pedal half- way to the floor and hold it there
while starting the engine. Do nothold the ignition key in START (III) for more than 15 seconds.
When the engine starts, release the accelerator pedal gradually as
the engine speeds up and smooths out.
3. If the engine fails to start in step 2, push the accelerator pedal to the
floor and hold it there while you
try to start the engine for no more
than 15 seconds. If the enginedoes not start, return to step 2.
Driving
Page 144 of 285

Automati
c Transmissio n
Par k (P ) — This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning off or starting the engine. To shift out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your foot off the accelerator pedal. Press the release
button on the side of the shift lever
to move it. If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see Shift Lock Release on page
143.
You must also press the release button to shift into Park. To avoidtransmission damage, come to acomplete stop before shifting into
Park. The shift lever must be in Park
before you can remove the key from
the ignition switch. Revers
e (R ) — To shift to Reverse
from Park, see the explanation under Park. To shift to Reverse from
Neutral, come to a complete stop and
then shift. Press the release button
before shifting into Reverse from
Neutral.
Neutra l (N ) — Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop briefly with
the engine idling. Shift to Park posi-
tion if you need to leave the car for any reason. Press on the brake pedal
when you are moving the shift lever
from Neutral to another gear.
Driv e (D 4) — Use this position for
your normal driving. The transmis- sion automatically selects a suitable
gear for your speed and acceleration.
You may notice the transmission shifting up at higher speeds when
the engine is cold. This helps the engine warm up faster.
Driving
CONTINUED
Page 146 of 285

Automati
c Transmissio n
Shif t Loc k Releas e
This allows you to move the shift lever out of Park if the normalmethod of pushing on the brake
pedal and pressing the release
button does not work.
1. Set the Parking brake.
2. Remove the key from the ignition
switch.
3. Put a cloth on the edge of the Shift Lock Release slot cover next to
the shift lever.
Use a small flat-tipped screwdriver
or small metal plate (neither are
included in the tool kit) to remove
the cover. Carefully pry off the edge of the cover. 4. Insert the key in the Shift Lock
Release slot.
5. Push down on the key while you press the release button on theshift lever and move the shift lever
out of Park to Neutral. 6. Remove the key from the Shift
Lock Release slot, then reinstall
the cover.
Depress the brake pedal and
restart the engine.
If you need to use the Shift Lock
Release, it means your car is developing a problem. Have the car
checked by your Acura dealer.
Driving
RELEAS
E BUTTO N
SHIF T LOC K
RELEAS E SLO T
Page 234 of 285

Changin
g a Fla t Tire , I f You r Engin e Won' t Star t
15. Remove the wheel cover or center
cap.
Place the flat tire face down in the
spare tire well.
16. Remove the spacer cone from the wing bolt, turn it over, and put it
back on the bolt. 17. Secure the flat tire by screwing
the wing bolt back into its hole.
18. Store the jack in its holder with the end bracket facing to the right.
Turn the jack's end bracket to lock
it in place. Store the tool kit.
19. Store the wheel cover or center cap in the cargo area. Make sure it
will not get scratched or damaged.
20. Reinstall the floor mat and spare tire cover, then close the hatch. I
f You r Engin e Won' t Star t
Diagnosing why your engine won't start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn the
key to START (III): You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, oroperates very slowly. You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, or the starter
motor sounds like it is spinning
faster than normal, but the engine does not start up and run.
Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d
WIN
G BOL T
SPACER
CON E
Loose items can fly around the
interior in a crash and could
seriously injure the occupants.
Store the wheel, jack and tools
securely before driving.
Page 235 of 285

I
f You r Engin e Won' t Star t
Nothin g Happen s o r th e Starte r
Moto r Operate s Ver y Slowl y
When you turn the ignition switch to START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying tostart. You may hear a clicking sound
or series of clicks, or nothing at all.
Check these things: Your car has the Immobilizer
System. You should use a
properly-coded master or valet key
to start the engine (see page 72 ).
A key that is not properly coded will cause the immobilizer systemindicator in the dash panel to blink
rapidly. Check the transmission interlock.
If you have a manual transmission,
the clutch pedal must be pushed all the way to the floor or thestarter will not operate. With an
automatic transmission, it must be
in Park or Neutral. Turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Turn on the headlights and check
their brightness. If the headlightsare very dim or don't light at all,
the battery is discharged. See
Jum p Startin g on page 233. Turn the ignition switch to START
(III). If the headlights do not dim,
check the condition of the fuses. If
the fuses are OK, there is proba-
bly something wrong with the electrical circuit for the ignitionswitch or starter motor. You will
need a qualified technician to determine the problem. (See
Emergenc y Towin g on page 248.)
If the headlights dim noticeably or
go out when you try to start the engine, either the battery is dis-
charged or the connections are
corroded. Check the condition of
the battery and terminal connec-
tions (see page 189 ). You can
then try jump starting the car from
a booster battery (see page 233 ).
Takin g Car e o f th e Unexpecte d