2002 Acura TL 3.2 Owner's Manual

However, if the belt touches or
crosses the child’s neck, the child
needs to use a booster seat.This could result in
serious neck injuries during a crash.
This could cause
very serious injuries during a crash.
It also increases the chance that the
child will slide under the belt in a
crash and be injured. Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt, severely
compromise the protective capability
of the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash.
If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.
If a child needs a booster seat, we
recommend choosing a style that
allows the child to use the lap/
shoulder belt directly, without a
shield, as shown.
Whichever style you select, f ollow
the booster seat maker’s instructions.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not let a child wear a seat beltacross t he neck.
Do not let a child put the shoulderpart of a seat belt behind t he back orunder t he arm. Do not put any accessories on a seat
belt.
T wo children should never use t hesame seat belt . Using a Boost er Seat
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CONT INUED
A child may continue using a booster
seat until the tops of the ears are
even with the top of the seat-back. A
child of this height should be tall
enough to use the lap/shoulder belt
without a booster.The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
The back seat is the saf est place f or
a child of any age or size.
In addition, the passenger’s f ront
airbag poses serious risks to children.
If the seat is too f ar f orward, or the
child’s head is thrown f orward
during a collision, or the child is
unrestrained or out of position, an
inf lating f ront airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
The side airbag also poses risks. If
any part of a larger child’s body is in
the path of a deploying airbag, the
child could receive possibly serious
injuries.Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can saf ely ride in the
f ront, there are other important
f actors you should consider.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front
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Check that the child’s seat belt is
properly positioned and secured.
Supervise the child. Even mature
children sometimes need to be
reminded to f asten the seat belts
or sit properly.
Have the child sit up straight, back
against the seat, and feet on or
near the f loor. Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position. Caref ully read the owner’s manual
and make sure you understand all
seat belt instructions and all saf ety
inf ormation.
If you decide that a child can saf ely
ride up f ront, be sure to: To saf ely ride in f ront, a child must
be able to f ollow the rules, including
sitting properly and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride.
Physically, a child must be large
enough f or the lap/shoulder belt to
properly f it over the hips, chest, and
shoulder (see pages and ). If
the seat belt does not f it properly,
the child should not sit in the f ront.
3715
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Maturity
Physical Size
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Your car has three tether anchorage
points under the rear window f or
securing a tether-style child seat to
the car.
Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available.The tether anchorage points are
located under plastic covers. Pivot
the cover backward to access the
anchorage point.Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point as shown in
the illustration, then tighten the
strap according to the child seat
maker’s instructions.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Using Child Seats with T ethers
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Your car is equipped with LATCH
(Lower Anchors and Tethers f or
Children) at the outer rear seats.
The lower anchors are located
between the seat-back and seat
bottom and are only to be used with
a child seat designed f or use with
LATCH.
The exact location of each lower
anchor is marked with a small circle
above the lower anchor point.To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat:
Move the seat belt buckle or
center seat belt away from the
lower anchor.
Make sure there are no f oreign
objects around the anchor.
Foreign objects could get in the
way of a secure connection
between the child seat and the
anchor. Put the child seat in the rear lef t
or right vehicle seat and attach the
child seat to the lower anchor
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions.
1.
2.
3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Using L A T CH
42
R Riigg i
idd t
tyyp p e
e
L
LO OW WE ER
R A
AN
NC CHH O
OR RSS
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Follow the child seat maker’s
instructions f or any additional
advice on adjusting or tightening
the fit.Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point and tighten
the strap according to the child
seat maker’s instructions.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers.
4. 5.
6.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety43
F Flleex xiibb l
lee t
tyyp p e
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This seat belt has a single belt that
goes over your shoulder, across your
chest and across your hips.To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESSbuttononthebuckle.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is
latched. Guide the belt across your body to
the door pillar. Af ter exiting the car,
be sure the belt is out of the way and
will not get closed in the door.
Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in all f ive seating
positions. The f ront seat belts are
also equipped with automatic seat
belt tensioners.
The seat belt system also
includes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to f asten your belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not
fastened before the ignition is turned
ON (II), the light will come on and a
beeper will also sound. The beeper
will stop af ter a f ew seconds, but the
light will stay on until the driver’s
seat belt is f astened. All seat belts have an emergency
locking retractor. In normal driving,
the retractor lets you move f reely in
your seat while it keeps some
tension on the belt. During a collision
or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.
The seat belts in all seating positions
except the driver’s have an additional
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat. (See
pages and f or instructions on
how to secure child seats with this
type of seat belt.)
31 35
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
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If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking
mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move f reely.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt f ully retract. To
ref asten the belt, pull it out only as
f ar as needed.
See page f or instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly.The tensioners are designed to
activate primarily in f rontal collisions.
The tensioners are independent of
the airbag system, so they can be
activated during a collision thatmight not cause the airbags to
deploy. In this case, the airbags
would not be needed but the
additional seat belt tension can be
helpf ul.
For added protection, the f ront seat
belts are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners. When activated,
the tensioners immediately tighten
the belts to help hold the driver and
a f ront passenger in place. The tensioners will be activated in a
collision severe enough to cause the
f ront airbags to inf late.
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 ).
15
50
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
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