2001 HONDA CIVIC maintenance

This section gives you important
inf ormation 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 inf ants
andchildreninyourcar..........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.............
Your Car’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts . 8
.........................................
Airbags . 10
.....................
Seats & Seat-Backs . 11
..........................
Head Restraints . 11
..................................
Door Locks . 11
........
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist . 12
............................
Protecting Adults . 13
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 13 ...........
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 f or 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 Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to ...............................
Children . 22
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children . 24
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention . 24
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 25
General Guidelines f or Using
...............................
Child Seats . 26
.......................
Protecting Inf ants . 30 .........
Protecting Small Children . 34
.......
Protecting Larger Children . 37
Using Child Seats with
.....................................
Tethers . 41
...
Using the Lower Anchorages . 42
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts . 44
..
Seat Belt System Components . 44
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt . 44
Automatic Seat Belt
...............................
Tensioners . 45
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 46
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags . 48
........................
SRS Components . 48
How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work . 48
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 50
How the SRS Indicator Light
.......................................
Works . 51
How The Side Airbag Indicator ............................
Light Works . 52
.............................
Airbag Service . 53
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 53
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 54
...................................
Saf ety Labels . 55
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
5

Excessive speed is a major f actor 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
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
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.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. (See page
.)
Children are saf est when they are
properly restrained in the back seat,
notthefrontseat.Achildwhoistoo
smallforaseatbeltmustbeproperly
restrained in a child saf ety seat. (See
page .) Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page .)
You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe f rontal 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 .)
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 f riends
drink and drive, either.
16
21 14
196
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt Be Aware of Airbag Hazards Control Your Speed
Restrain All Children K eep Your Car in Saf e Condition
Don’t Drink and Drive
6

For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out f ully and look f or
f rays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
that the lap/shoulder belts retract
easily. Any belt not in good condition
or not working properly will not
provide good protection and should
be replaced as soon as possible.
Honda provides a lif etime warranty
on seat belts. Honda will repair or
replace any seat belt component that
f ails to f unction properly during
normal use. Please see yourbooklet f or
details.
When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
way.
The SRS indicator light will
come on if there is a
problem with your automatic seat
belt tensioners (see page ). 51
Honda
Warranty Inf ormation
Seat Belt Maintenance
U.S. Models
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
46 Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious
injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly whenneeded.
Check your seat belts regularly
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible.

Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury. See page f or f urther inf ormation
and precautions relating to your
airbags.
If rain or spilled water
soaks into a seat-back, it can
prevent the side airbag system
f rom working properly. Improperly
replacing or covering f ront seat-
back covers can prevent your side
airbags f rom inf lating during a
collision.
Your f ront and side airbag systems
(if equipped) are virtually
maintenance-f ree, and there are no
parts you can saf ely service.
However, you must have your car
serviced if :
Take your car to an
authorized Honda dealer as soon
as possible. If you ignore this
indication, the airbags might not
inf late when you need them. Any
airbag that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. Do
not try to remove or replace any
airbag by yourself . This must be
done by a Honda dealer or a
knowledgeable body shop. 168
Airbag Service Additional Saf ety Precautions
Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
Do not t amper wit h airbagcomponent s or wiring f or anyreason.
Do not expose t he f ront seat -backsto water. Do not cover or replace f ront seat -
back covers wit hout consult ing aHonda dealer.
T he SRS indicat or light alert s you t o a problem.
Your airbags ever inf late.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
53

µ
This indicator comes on f or a f ew
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch ON (II). It will then go of f if
you have inserted a properly-coded
ignition key. If it is not a properly-
coded key, the indicator will blink
and the engine will not start (see
page ).
This indicator also blinks several
times when you turn the ignition
switch f rom ON (II) to ACCESSORY
(I) or LOCK (0). This indicator reminds you that it is
time to take your car in for
scheduled maintenance.
Ref er to the Maintenance Schedules
f or Normal and Severe Driving
Conditions on pages .
For the f irst 8,000 miles (12,800 km)
af ter the Maintenance Required
Indicator is reset, it will come on f or
two seconds when you turn the
ignition switch ON (II).Between 8,000 miles (12,800 km)
and 10,000 miles (16,000 km) this
indicator will light f or two seconds
when you f irst turn the ignition
switch ON (II), and then f lash f or
ten seconds.
If you exceed 10,000 miles (16,000
km) without having the scheduled
maintenance perf ormed, this
indicator will remain on as a constant
reminder.
80 194 200
Indicator L ights
Immobilizer System
Indicator
Maintenance Required
Indicator
Inst rument s and Cont rols
64

Your dealer will reset this indicator
af ter completing the scheduled
maintenance. If this maintenance is
done by someone other than your
Honda dealer, reset the indicator as
f ollows.Turn of f the engine.
Press and hold the select/reset
button in the instrument panel,
then turn the ignition switch ON
(II).
Hold the button until the indicator
resets (approximately ten
seconds).
1.
2. 3.
Indicator L ights
Inst rument s and Cont rols65

During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Avoidhardbraking.Newbrakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use f or the f irst 200 miles (300
km). Your Honda is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 86 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise in the engine that can lead to
mechanical damage.
We recommend gasolines containing
detergent additives that help prevent
f uel system and engine deposits.
In Canada, some gasolines contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emission control system
perf ormance may deteriorate and
the Malfunction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on.
If this happens, contact your
authorized Honda dealer f or service.
Help assure your car’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
Using gasoline containing lead will
damage your car’s emissions
controls. This contributes to air
pollution.
Youshouldfollowthesesamere-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are relined. Do not change the oil until the
recommended time or mileage
intervalshowninthemaintenance
schedule.
Break-in Period, Gasoline
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period Gasoline 160

Remove the dipstick again and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, see
on page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page . Refer to
on page f or inf ormation
on checking other items in your
Honda.
4. 205 209203
A dding
Engine Coolant
A dding Oil Owner Maintenance
Checks
Engine Coolant Check
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving 165
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