Page 4 of 269

This section gives you important
inf ormation 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 Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts . 8
...........................................
Airbags . 9
.....................
Seats & Seat-Backs . 10
..........................
Head Restraints . 10
..................................
Door Locks . 10
........
Pre-Drive Saf ety 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 f or Pregnant Women . 17
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 18
........................
Protecting Children . 19
All Children Must Be
...............................
Restrained . 19
Your Car is Not Recommended ..............
f or Child Passengers . 20
The Passenger’s Airbag Poses
......
Serious Risks to Children . 20
.....
Additional Safety Precaution . 22 General Guidelines f or Using
...............................
Child Seats . 22
.........
Protecting Small Children . 26
.......
Protecting Larger Children . 29
Using Child Seats with
.....................................
Tethers . 33
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts . 34
..
Seat Belt System Components . 34
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt . 34
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 35
Additional Inf ormation About ..................................
Your SRS . 36
........................
SRS Components . 36
...........
How Your Airbags Work . 36
How the Automatic Seat Belt
....................
Tensioners Work . 38
How the SRS Indicator Light .......................................
Works . 38
..................................
SRS Service . 39
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 39
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 40
...................................
Saf ety Labels . 41
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
5
Page 38 of 269

Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags. Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection in a moderate to severe
f rontal collision.
Do not tamper with SRS
components or wiring f or any
reason. 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 SRS.
Your Supplemental Restraint System
is virtually maintenance-f ree, and
there are no parts you can saf ely
service. However, you must have
your car serviced if :
The
airbags, seat belt tensioners, and
control unit must be replaced. Do
not try to remove or replace the
airbags yourself .
This must be done by a Honda
dealer or a knowledgeable body
shop.
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. 128
Additional Saf ety Precautions
SRS Service
Additional Inf ormation About Your SRS
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your airbags ever inf late.
T he SRS indicat or light alert s yout o a problem.
39
Page 118 of 269
Bef ore you begin driving your Honda,
youshouldknowwhatgasolineto
use, and how to check the levels of
important f luids. You also need to
know how to properly store luggage
or packages. The inf ormation in this
section will help you. If you plan to
add any accessories to your car,
please read the inf ormation in this
section f irst..............................
Break-in Period . 120
.........................................
Gasoline . 120
.........
Service Station Procedures . 121
................
Filling the Fuel Tank . 121
....................
Opening the Hood . 122
...............................
Oil Check . 124
.........
Engine Coolant Check . 125
...............................
Fuel Economy . 126
.....................
Vehicle Condition . 126
...........................
Driving Habits . 126
...
Accessories and Modif ications . 128
.............................
Carrying Cargo . 130
.................................
Load Limit . 131
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving 119
Page 119 of 269

During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration. We recommend gasolines containing
detergent additives that help prevent
f uel system and engine deposits.
Avoidhardbraking.Newbrakes
need to be broken-in by moderate
use f or the f irst 200 miles (300
km). 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.
Your Honda is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 87 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.
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 120
Page 120 of 269

Open the f uel f ill door by pulling
onthehandletotheleftof the
driver’s seat.Removethefuelfillcapslowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top off’’ the tank, leave
some room f or the f uel to expand
with temperature changes.
Your car has an on-board ref ueling
vapor recovery system to help
keep f uel vapors f rom going into
the atmosphere. If the fuel nozzle
keeps clicking of f even though the
tank is not f ull, there may be a
problem with this system. Consult
your dealer.
Because the f uel f ill cap is on the
passenger’s side of the car, park
with that side closest to the
service station pumps.
1. 2. 3. 4.
CONT INUED
Filling the Fuel Tank
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
121
FFUUEELLFFIILLLLCCAAPP
PPUULLLL Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.
Page 121 of 269
Shift to Park or Neutral and set
the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
Screw the f uel f ill cap back on,
tighten it until it clicks several
times. If you do not properly
tighten the cap, the Malfunction
Indicator Lamp may come on (see
page ).
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
Standing in f ront of the car, put
your f ingers under the f ront edge
of the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lif t the hood.
1.
2.
5. 6.
230
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving Opening the Hood
122
HHOOOODDRREELLEEAASSEEHHAANNDDLLEELLAATTCCHH
Page 122 of 269
If you can open the hood without
lifting the hood latch handle, or the
hood latch handle moves stif f ly or
does not spring back as bef ore, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated (see page ).Afterclosingthehood,makesureit
is securely latched.
Pull the support rod out of its clip
and insert the end into the hole on
theleftsideof thehood.
To close the hood, lif t it up slightly to
remove the support rod f rom the
hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood to
about a f oot (30 cm) above the
fender,thenletitdrop.
3.
184
CONT INUED
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
123
CCLLIIPP
SSUUPPPPOORRTTRROODD
Page 123 of 269
Wipe the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.Insert it all the way back in its tube.
Remove the dipstick (orange
handle).
Check the engine oil level every time
you f ill the car with f uel. Wait a f ew
minutes af ter turning the engine of f
bef ore you check the oil.
2.
3.
1.
Oil Check
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
124
DDIIPPSSTTIICCKK