2002 HONDA CIVIC ECU

With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker’s instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the
buckle.
The lap/shoulder belts in the back
and f ront passenger seating positions
have a locking mechanism that must
be activated to secure a child seat.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to secure a
f orward-f acing child seat with this
type of seat belt.
If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the car, and the
child is properly strapped in the seat. If you have a child seat designed to
be attached to the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page .
1.
43
Child Seat Inst allat ion
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety36
Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front
seat can result in serious injury
or death if the front airbagsinflate.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible and properly restrain
the child.

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. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract f ully, then repeat these
steps.
Af ter conf irming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure. It
mayhelptoputweightonthe
child seat, or push on the back of
the seat, while pulling up on the
belt.
To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
Af ter the belt has retracted, tug on
it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
the belt out, it is not locked and
you will need to repeat these steps. 4.
5.
2. 3.
CONT INUED
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety37

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.Check that the child’s seat belt is
properly positioned and secured.
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:
Supervise the child. Even mature
children sometimes need to be
reminded to f asten the seat belts
or sit properly.
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.
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.
16 39
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Maturity
Physical Size
41

Your car has three tether anchorage
points under the rear window f or
securing a tether-style child seat to
the car.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. Make sure the
strap is not twisted.
Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available. (Tethers are required in
Canada.)
Using Child Seats with T ethers
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety42
CCOOVVEERR
AANNCCHHOORRAAGGEEPPOOIINNTT

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 to be used only 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 anchors.
Make sure there are no f oreign
objects around the anchors.
Foreign objects could get in the
way of a secure connection
between the child seat and the
anchors. Put the child seat in the rear lef t
or right vehicle seat and attach the
child seat to the lower anchors
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions.
1. 2.
3.
CONT INUED
Using L A T CH
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety43
RRiiggiiddttyyppeeLLOOWWEERRAANNCCHHOORRSS

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. Make
sure the strap is not twisted.
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 ety44
FFlleexxiibblleettyyppee

This seat belt has a single belt that
goes over your shoulder, across your
chest and across your hips. The seat belts in all seating positionsexcept 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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
32 36
CONT INUED
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety45

Push the lever up to lock the
steering wheel in that position.
Make sure you have securely
locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up and down.
Move the steering wheel to the
desired position, making sure the
wheel points toward your chest,
not toward your f ace. Make sure
you can see the instrument panel
gauges and the indicator lights.
Push the lever under the steering
column all the way down.
To adjust the steering wheel upward
or downward:
Make any steering wheel adjustment
bef ore you start driving.
1.4.
3.
2.
See page f or important saf ety inf ormation about how to properlyposition the steering wheel. 18
Steering Wheel A djustment
Controls Near the Steering Wheel
Inst rument s and Cont rols76
Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of the
car and be seriously injured in acrash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the car is stopped.