2001 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN ABS

Your Car's Safety Features
(1) Safety Cage (2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats & Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags*
(9) Door Locks
* : If equipped Your car is equipped with many
features that work together toprotect you and your passengersduring 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; and a collapsible steering

column.

These safety features are designed to reduce the severity of injuries in acrash. However, you and your
passengers 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

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 fulladvantage 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.
What you should do: Move the front

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. For
maximum protection, the back of
your head should rest against the center of the head restraint. 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.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Indicator Lights

U.S.

Parking Brake and
Brake System Indicator
1. This indicator comes on when you turn the ignition switch ON (II). It
is a reminder to check the parking
brake. Driving with the parking
brake not fully released candamage the brakes and tires.
2. If the indicator remains lit after you have fully released theparking brake while the engine isrunning, or if it comes on while
driving, it can indicate a problem
in the brake system. For complete
information, see page 313 .
Supplemental Restraint

System Indicator
This indicator lights when you turn the ignition switch ON (II). If itcomes on at any other time, it
indicates a potential problem with
your front airbags or automatic seat belt tensioners. This light willalso alert you to a potential problem
with your side airbags. For complete information, see page 47.
Side Airbag Indicator
Only on models equipped with side
airbags
This indicator lights when you turn the ignition switch ON (II). If itcomes on at any other time, it
indicates that the passenger's side airbag has automatically shut off.
For complete information, see page
47.

Malfunction IndicatorLamp

See page 311.
U.S.


Anti-lock Brake System
(ABS) Indicator

Only on models equipped with ABS (see

page 204)

This light normally comes on for a few seconds when you turn theignition switch ON (II), and when
the ignition switch is turned toSTART (III). If this light comes on at
any other time, there is a problem in
the ABS. If this happens, take the car to your dealer to have it checked.
With the light on, your car still has normal braking ability but no anti-
lock. For complete information, see
page 205.

Instruments and Controls

Canada

S R S
SIDEAIRBAG
A B S

Canada

Keys and Locks

Lockout Prevention

If you forget and leave the key in the
ignition switch, Lockout Prevention
will not allow you to lock the driver's door. With the driver's door open
and the key in the ignition, both
master door lock switches aredisabled. However, if the driver's
door is not open, the master door
lock switches are not disabled. Pushing the switch down on the
open passenger's door will lock all
doors. If you try to lock an open
driver's door by pushing in the lock
tab, the tabs on all doors pop out. Pushing in the lock tab on the
passenger's door only locks that door.
Remote Transmitter

On EX and EX-V6 models

You can lock and unlock your car
with the remote transmitter. When
you push the LOCK button, all doors lock. The parking lights, side marker
lights, and taillights flash once. When you push the UNLOCK button
once, only the driver's door unlocks.
The remaining doors unlock when you push the button a second time.
The parking lights, side marker lights, and taillights flash twice.
The ceiling light (if the ceiling light switch is in the center position) will
come on when you press the
UNLOCK button. If you do not open
any door, the light stays on for about10 seconds, then fades out. If you
relock the doors with the remote
transmitter before 10 seconds have elapsed, the light will go off
immediately.

Instruments and Controls
LED
LOCK

BUTTON
TRUNK
RELEASE

BUTTON
PANIC
BUTTON

UNLOCK
BUTTON

Driving

This section gives you tips on starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
5-speed manual and automatic
transmissions. It also includes important information on parking
your car, the braking system, and facts you need if you are planning to

tow a trailer.
Preparing to Drive......................... 192
Starting the Engine........................ 193
Starting in Cold Weatherat High Altitude ..................... 194
5-speed Manual Transmission..... 195 Recommended Shift Points...... 196
Engine Speed Limiter ............... 196
Automatic Transmission............... 196 Shift Lever Position Indicator.. 197
Shift Lever Positions................. 197
Engine Speed Limiter............... 200
Shift Lock Release..................... 200
Parking............................................ 202
The Braking System...................... 203 Brake Wear Indicators.............. 203
Brake System Design................ 204
Anti-lock Brakes........................ 204
Important SafetyReminders.......................... 205
ABS Indicator......................... 205
Traction Control System............... 206 TCS ON/OFF Switch................ 207
TCS Indicator............................. 207
Driving in Bad Weather................ 209
Towing a Trailer............................ 211
Driving

The Braking System
Your Honda is equipped with front disc brakes. The brakes on the rear
wheels may be disc or drum, depending on the model. A power
assist helps reduce the effort needed
on the brake pedal.
Put your foot on the brake pedal only
when you intend to brake. Resting
your foot on the pedal keeps the brakes applied lightly, causing them
to build up heat. Heat build-up canreduce how well your brakes work. It
also keeps your brake lights on all
the time, confusing drivers behind

you.
Constant application of the brakes
when going down a long hill builds up heat and reduces their effective-
ness. Use the engine to assist the
brakes by downshifting to a lower gear and taking your foot off theaccelerator pedal.
Check your brakes after driving
through deep water. Apply the
brakes moderately to see if they feel normal. If not, apply them gently and
frequently until they do. Since a
longer distance is needed to stop
with wet brakes, be extra cautious and alert in your driving. Brake Wear Indicators
The front disc brakes on all models have audible brake wear indicators.
They are also on the rear brakes of cars equipped with ABS as standard
equipment.
When the brake pads need replacing, you will hear a distinctive metallic"screeching" sound when you apply
the brakes. If you do not have the
brake pads replaced, they will begin screeching all the time.
Your brakes may sometimes squeal or squeak when you apply them
lightly. Do not confuse this with the
brake wear indicators. They make a
very audible "screeching."

Driving

The Braking System

Brake System Design
The hydraulic system that operates the brakes has two separate circuits.Each circuit works diagonally across
the vehicle (the left-front brake is connected with the right-rear brake,
etc.). If one circuit should develop a
problem, you will still have braking
at two wheels.
Anti-lock Brakes

LX with ABS, EX and all V6 models
have an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) as standard equipment. It is
optional on other models.
ABS helps to prevent the wheels from locking up and skidding during
hard braking, allowing you to retainsteering control.
When the front tires skid, you lose steering control; the car continues
straight ahead even though you turn
the steering wheel. The ABS helps to
prevent lock-up and helps you retain steering control by pumping the
brakes rapidly; much faster than a
person can do it. You should never pump the
brake pedal, this defeats the
purpose of the ABS. Let the ABS
work for you by always keeping firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal
as you steer away from the hazard.
This is sometimes referred to as
"stomp and steer."

You will feel a pulsation in the brake pedal when the ABS activates, and
you may hear some noise. This is normal, it is the ABS rapidly
pumping the brakes.
Activation varies with the amount of traction your tires have. On drypavement, you will need to press on
the brake pedal very hard before you
activate the ABS. However, you may
feel the ABS activate immediately if
you are trying to stop on snow or ice.

Driving

Front

The Braking System

Important Safety Reminders

ABS does not reduce the time or distance it takes to stop the car, it
only helps with steering control
during braking. You should always
maintain a safe following distance
from other vehicles.
ABS will not prevent a skid that results from changing direction
abruptly, such as trying to take acorner too fast or making a sudden
lane change. Always drive at a safe,
prudent speed for the road and
weather conditions.
ABS cannot prevent a loss of stability. Always steer moderately
when you are braking hard. Severe or sharp steering wheel movement
can still cause your car to veer into oncoming traffic or off the road. A vehicle with ABS may require a
longer distance to stop on loose oruneven surfaces, such as gravel orsnow, than a vehicle without anti-
lock. Slow down and allow a greater distance between vehicles under
those conditions.
ABS Indicator

The ABS is self-checking. If anything
goes wrong, the ABS indicator on
the instrument panel comes on (seepage 55 ). This means the anti-lock
function of the braking system has shut down. The brakes still work like
a conventional system without anti-
lock, providing normal stopping ability. You should have the dealer
inspect your car as soon as possible.
Driving
*U.S. indicator shown
ABS INDICATOR*