2002 Acura TL 3.2 Owner's Manual

Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it inf lates with tremendous
speed.
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the f ront seat. The
National Highway Traf f ic Saf ety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
In the back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard
interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inf lating airbag
when they ride in the back.
If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crush, you could be
thrown f orward into the
dashboard and crush the child. If
youarewearingaseatbelt,the
child can be torn f rom your arms
during a crush. For example, if
your car crushes into a parked
vehicleat30mph(48km/h),a
20-lb (9 kg) inf ant will become a
600-lb (275 kg) f orce, and you will
not be able to hold on.
During a
crash, the belt could press deep
into the child and cause very
serious injuries. The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children
Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
A ddit ional Precaut ions t o Parent s
Neverholdaninfantorchildonyour lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand an inf ant or child.
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If
the airbag inf lates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
inf ant. If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child. Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children.) 37
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Inf ant s
Never put a rear-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag. Small Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous. Larger Children
Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’s front airbag.
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To remind you of the passenger’s
f ront airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained
in the back seat, your car has
warninglabelsonthedashboardand
on the driver’s and f ront passenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.To remind you of the f ront airbag
hazards, your car has warning labels
on the driver’s and f ront passenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.
U.S. Models
Canadian Models
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety24
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Using this f eature will
prevent children f rom opening the
doors and accidentally f alling out
(see page ).
Using
this f eature will prevent children
f rom playing with the windows,
which could expose them to
hazards or distract the driver (see
page ).
Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards f rom
the passenger’s f ront airbag, and
paying close attention to a child
distracts the driver f rom the
important tasks of driving, placing
both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or f requent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page
).
Your car has three seating positions
in the back seat where children can
be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry more than
three children in your car:
15 13
18
37 84
100
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Additional Saf ety Precautions
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
If You Must Drive with Several
Children
Use childproof door locks t o
prevent children f rom opening t hedoors.
Use t he main power windowswit ch t o prevent children f romopening t he rear windows.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety25
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Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, inf ants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. And
children lef t alone with the key in
the ignition can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others. The f ollowing pages give general
guidelines f or selecting and installing
child seats f or inf ants and small
children.
To provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Saf ety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer’s statement
of compliance on the box and seat.
Children
who play in cars can accidentally
get trapped inside the trunk.
Teach your children not to play in
or around cars. Know how to
operate the emergency trunk
opener (U.S. models only) and
decide if your children should be
shown how to use this f eature (see
page ).
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the trunk, which can
lead to accidental injury or death. 86
Do not leave children alone in your
vehicle.
Select ing a Child SeatT he child seat should meet saf et yst andards.
L ock all doors and t he t runk when
your vehicle is not in use.
K eep car keys and remot etransmitters out of the reach ofchildren. 1.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
General Guidelines f or Using
Child Seats
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Bef ore purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specif ic vehicle
seating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not f it, you may need to buy a
different one that will fit. However, Acura is conf ident that one
or more child seat models can f it and
be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions in
your car. Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not f it all
vehicle seating positions.
A child who is too
large f or a rear-f acing child seat, and
who can sit up without support,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing child seat. See page f or
additional inf ormation on protecting
small children.
Childrenuptoaboutone
year old should be restrained in a
rear-f acing, reclining child seat. Only
a rear-f acing seat provides the
proper support to protect an inf ant’s
head, neck, and back. See page for additional information on
protecting inf ants. 30 33
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
T he child seat should f it the
vehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
Small Children:
T he child seat should be of the
proper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
Inf ant s: 3.
2.
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If a small child must ride in the
f ront, f ollow the instructions
provided in this section.
This page brief ly summarizes Acura’s
recommendations on where to place
rear-f acing and f orward-f acing child
seats in your car.
The passenger’s f ront airbag
inf lates with enough f orce to kill
or seriously injure an inf ant in a
rear-facing child seat.
A small child in a f orward-f acing
child seat is also at risk. If the
vehicle seat is too f ar f orward,
or the child’s head is thrown
f orward during a collision, an
inf lating f ront airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child. Never in the f ront seat, due
to the f ront airbag hazard.
Not recommended,
due to the f ront airbag hazard. If a
small child must ride in f ront,
move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position and secure a f ront-
f acing child seat with the seat belt
(see page ).
Recommended positions.
Properlysecurearear-facingchild
seat (see page ).
Recommended
positions. Properly secure a f ront-
f acing child seat (see page ). 34
30 33
Placing a Child Seat Front Passenger’s Seat
Inf ant s:
Small children:
Back Seat sInf ant s:
Small children:
Airbags Pose SeriousRisks to Children
Protecting Children
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Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:When you are not using a child seat,
either remove it and store it in a saf e
place, or make sure it is properly
secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
canbethrownoutof theseatina
crash and be seriously injured.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured
in the desired seating position.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure.
To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as f irmly
as possible.
However, a child seat does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ In some vehicles
or seating positions, it may be
dif f icult to install a child seat so that
it does not move at all. Some side-to-
side or back-and-f orth movement can
be expected and should not reduce
the child seat’s ef f ectiveness.
All child seats are
designed to be secured to the car
with the lap part of a lap/shoulder
belt. Some child seats can be
secured to the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system. A child whose
seat is not properly secured to the
car can be endangered in a crash.
See pages , and f or
instructions on how to properly
secure child seats in this car. 31 35 42
Inst alling a Child Seat
Storing a Child Seat
Secure the child in the child seat.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmly
secured.
Properly secure t he child seat t o the car.
1. 2.
3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety29
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