2002 HONDA PASSPORT Owners Manual

Driver and Passenger Safety38
Using Child Seats With
Tethers
REAR
FLOOR
ATTACHMENT POINTS
Your vehicle has two attachment
points in the rear floor for
securing a tether-style child seat
to the vehicle.
Since a tether can provide
additional security, we
recommend using a tether
whenever one is required or
available. Check with the child
seat maker to determine whether a
tether is available for a particular
child seat.
COVER LATCH
ANCHORAGE
POINT
The tether anchorage points are
located under plastic covers. Use
your finger to push the latch, then
pivot the cover backward to
access the anchorage point.
TETHER FROM
CHILD SEAT
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.

Driver and Passenger Safety39
Using LATCH
LOWER
ANCHORAGES
Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchorages and
Tethers for Children) at the outer
rear seats. The lower anchors
anchorages are located between
the seat-back and the seat bottom,
and are to be used only with a
child seat designed for use with
LATCH.
To install a LATCH-compatible
child seat:
1. Move the seat belt buckle or
center seat belt away from the
lower anchors.
2. Make sure there are no foreign objects around the anchors.
Foreign objects could get in
the way of a secure connection
between the child seat and the
anchor.
RIGID TYPE
3. Put the child seat in the rear
left or right vehicle seat and
attach the child seat to the
lower anchor according to the
child seat maker ’s
instructions.

Driver and Passenger Safety40
FLEXIBLE TYPE
4. Follow the child seat maker’s
instructions for any additional
advice on adjusting or
tightening the fit.
CHILD
SEAT
TETHER
COVER
ANCHORAGE
POINT
5. Attach the tether strap hook to the tether anchorage point and
tighten the strap according to
the child seat maker ’s
instructions. 6. Push and pull the child seat
forward and from side to side
to verify that it is secure
enough to stay upright during
normal driving maneuvers.

41Driver and Passenger Safety
Seat Belt System
Components
Your seat belt system includes
lap/shoulder belts in the front
seats and the outer back seats, and
a lap belt in the center back seat.The system also includes
a light on the instrument
panel to remind you and your
passengers to fasten 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 after a few
seconds, but the light will stay on
until the driver ’s seat belt is
fastened.
Lap/Shoulder Belt
This seat-belt has a single belt that
goes over your shoulder, across
your chest, and across your hips. To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on
the belt to make sure the buckle is
latched.
To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESS button on the buckle.
Guide the belt across your body to
the door pillar. After exiting the
vehicle, be sure the belt is out of
the way and will not get closed in
the door.
All lap/shoulder belts have an
emergency locking retractor. In
normal driving, the retractor lets
you move freely 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.
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts

42 Driver and Passenger Safety
All the lap/shoulder belts except
the driver’s have an additional
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat.
(See pages 27 and 32 for
instructions on how to secure
child seats with this type of seat
belt.)
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 a
passenger to move freely.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism, unlatch the buckle
and let the seat belt fully retract.
To refasten the belt, pull it out
only as far as needed.
See page 13 for instructions on
how to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly.
Lap
Belt
The lap belt has one manually
adjusted belt that fits across the
hips.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle marked
CENTER, then tug on the belt to
make sure the buckle is latched.
To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESS button. See page 14 for how to lengthen
the lap belt, and how to properly
position the belt.
Seat Belt Maintenance
For safety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts
regularly.
Pull each belt out fully and look
for frays, 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.

43Driver and Passenger Safety
Honda provides a lifetime
warranty on seat belts. Honda will
repair or replace any seat belt
component that fails to function
properly during normal use.
Please see your Honda Warranty
Information
booklet for details.
Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious
injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly when
needed.
Check your seat belts regularly
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible.
If a seat belt is worn during a
crash, you should have your
dealer inspect the belt, and replace
it if necessary. A belt that has
been worn during a crash may not
provide the same level of
protection in a subsequent crash.
The dealer should also inspect the
anchors for damage and replace
them if needed.
For information on how to clean
your seat belts, see page 229. The SRS is designed to provide
protection under a wide range of
driving conditions, including
off-road driving. When driving
off-road, it is important that
everyone wear their seat belts
properly, and that you drive at
speeds that are safe for the terrain
and conditions. Refer to the
Off-Road Driving Information
booklet for tips on proper
operation.
SRS Components
Your Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS) includes:
•Two frontal airbags. The
driver ’
s airbag is stored in the
center of the steering wheel;
the front passenger ’s airbag is
stored in the dashboard. Both
are marked “SRS AIRBAG.”
Additional Information
About Your SRS

44 Driver and Passenger Safety
• Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal
collision.
• A sophisticated electronic
system that continually
monitors the sensors, control
unit, the airbag activators and
all related wiring when the
ignition is ON (II).
• An indicator light on the
instrument panel to alert you to
a possible problem with the
system (see page 45).
•Emergency backup power in
case your vehicle’ s electrical
system is disconnected in a
crash.
How Your Airbags Work
If you ever have a moderate to
severe frontal collision, the
sensors will detect rapid
deceleration and signal the control
unit to instantly inflate the
airbags.
During a crash, your seat belt
helps restrain your lower body
and torso. Your airbag provides a cushion to help restrain and
protect your head and chest.
Since both airbags use the same
sensors, both airbags normally
inflate at the same time. However,
it is possible for only one airbag
to inflate.
This can occur when the severity
of a collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether
or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will
provide sufficient protection and
the supplemental protection
provided by the airbag would be
minimal.

45Driver and Passenger Safety
After inflating, the airbags
immediately deflate so they won’t
interfere with the driver’s
visibility, or the ability to steer or
operate other controls.
The total time for inflation and
deflation is approximately
one-tenth of a second, so fast that
most occupants are not aware that
the airbags deployed until they
see them lying in their laps. After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder from the airbag
’s surface.
Although the powder is not
harmful, people with respiratory
problems may experience some
temporary discomfort. If this
occurs, get out of the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so.
For additional information on how
your airbags work, see the booklet
titled SRS: What You Need to
Know About Airbags that came
with your owner ’s manual.
How Your SRS Indicator
Light Works
The purpose of the SRS
light is to alert you to a
potential problem with your
Supplemental Restraint System.
When you turn the ignition
ON
(II), this indicator will blink seven
times, then go out. This tells you
that the system is working
properly.
However, if the light comes on at
any other time, you should have
the system checked by your
dealer. For example:
•If the SRS indicator light does
not come on after you turn the
ignition
ON (II).