2001 Acura Integra ESP

Introductio
n

Congratulations! Your selection of a 2001 Acura Integra was a wise
investment. It will give you years of driving pleasure.
One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new Acura is to read
this manual. In it, you will learn how to operate its driving controls and convenience items. Afterwards, keep this owner's manual in your car so you
can refer to it at any time.
Several warranties protect your new Acura. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights and responsibilities.
Maintaining your car according to the schedules given in this manual helps
to keep your driving trouble-free while it preserves your investment. When
your car needs maintenance, keep in mind that your Acura dealer's staff is specially trained in servicing the many systems unique to your Acura. Your
Acura dealer is dedicated to your satisfaction and will be pleased to answer any questions and concerns.
California Proposition 65 Warning
WARNING : This product contains or emits chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. As you read this manual, you will
find information that is preceded by
symbol. This
information is intended to help you
avoid damage to your Acura, other
property, or the environment.
NOTIC
E

a

A
Fe w Word s Abou t Safet y
Your safety, and the safety of others, is very important. And operating thiscar 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 car. You must use
your own good judgement. You will find this important safety information in a variety of forms,
including:
Safety Labels — on the car.
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 SERIOUSLYHURT 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 Safety. Instruction
s — how to use this car correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information — please read it carefully.

Importan
t Safet y Precaution s
You'll find many safety recommendations throughout thissection, and throughout this manual.
The recommendations on this page are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
Alway s Wea r You r Sea t Bel t
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 passengers always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
(See page 16.)
Restrai n Al l Childre n
Children are safest when they are
properly restrained in the 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 21.) 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. Besure 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 drinkand 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 Ca r 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 164.)
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

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 38 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 and the hatch areclosed and locked.
Your car has a doormonitor light on the
instrument panel to indicate when
either 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 75 for how to lock the
doors.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to properly
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
other children in your car, be sure to
read this section. Al
l Childre n Mus t B e Restraine d
Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause of death of children ages 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
infants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Children who are unrestrained

or improperly restrained can be

seriously injured or killed in a

crash.
Any child too small for a seat belt should be properlyrestrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly restrained with a seat belt.

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r SR S
Since both airbags use the same
sensors, both airbags normally
inflate at the same time. However, it
is possible for only one airbag to
inflate.
This can occur when the severity of a collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whetheror not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will providesufficient protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by
the airbag would be minimal.
After inflating, the airbagsimmediately deflate, so they won't
interfere with the driver's visibility,or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
The total time for inflation and deflation is approximately one-tenth
of a second, so fast that most
occupants are not aware that the
airbags deployed until they see them
lying in their laps. After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder from the airbag's surface.
Although the powder is not harmful, people with respiratory problems
may experience some temporarydiscomfort. If this occurs, get out of
the car as soon as it is safe to do so.
U.S. Owners
For additional information on how
your airbags work, see the booklet
titled SRS: What You Need to Know About Airbags that came with your
owner's manual.

Canadian Owners
For additional information on how
your airbags work, ask your dealer
for a copy of the booklet titled SRS:
What You Need to Know About Airbags.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Key
s an d Lock s

Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it. Electrical
problems could result that may make
your car undriveable.
If you have lost your key and youcannot start the engine, contact your
Acura dealer.
As required by the FCC:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following' two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired
operation.

Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with Industry
Canada Standard RSS-210.

Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference that may causeundesired operation of the device.
Ignitio
n Switc h

The ignition switch is on the right
side of the steering column. It has

four positions:
LOCK (0)
ACCESSORY (I)

ON (II)

START (III)

CONTINUED

Instrument s an d Control s

Audi
o Syste m

Radio signals, especially on the FM
band, are deflected by large objects such as buildings and hills. Your
radio then receives both the direct signal from the station's transmitter,
and the deflected signal. This causes
the sound to distort or flutter. This is a main cause of poor radio reception
in city driving. Radio reception can be affected by
atmospheric conditions such as
thunderstorms, high humidity, and even sunspots. You may be able to
receive a distant radio station one day and not receive it the next day
because of a change in conditions. Electrical interference from passing
vehicles and stationary sources can cause temporary reception problems.
As required by the FCC: Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
Comfor t an d Convenienc e Feature s