You will find important safety information in a variety of forms,
including:
Safety Labels – on the vehicle.
Safety Messages – preceded by a safety alert symbol and one of
three signal words:
DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION.
These signal words mean:
Your safety, and the safety of
others, is very important. And
operating this vehicle safely is an
important responsibility.
To help you make informed
decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other information on labels and in
this manual. This information alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating
or maintaining your vehicle. You
must use your own good judgment.
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you
do not follow instructions.
You
CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you
do not follow instructions.
You
CAN be HURT if you do not follow instructions.
Safety Headings – such as Important Safety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions.
Safety Section –such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
Instructions – how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information – please read
it carefully.
You will find important safety information in a variety of forms,
including:
Safety Labels – on the vehicle.
Safety Messages – preceded by a safety alert symbol and one of
three signal words:
DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION.
These signal words mean:
Your safety, and the safety of
others, is very important. And
operating this vehicle safely is an
important responsibility.
To help you make informed
decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other information on labels and in
this manual. This information alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating
or maintaining your vehicle. You
must use your own good judgment.
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you
do not follow instructions.
You
CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you
do not follow instructions.
You
CAN be HURT if you do not follow instructions.
Safety Headings – such as Important Safety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions.
Safety Section –such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
Instructions – how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information – please read
it carefully.
You will find important safety information in a variety of forms,
including:
Safety Labels – on the vehicle.
Safety Messages – preceded by a safety alert symbol and one of
three signal words:
DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION.
These signal words mean:
Your safety, and the safety of
others, is very important. And
operating this vehicle safely is an
important responsibility.
To help you make informed
decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other information on labels and in
this manual. This information alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating
or maintaining your vehicle. You
must use your own good judgment.
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you
do not follow instructions.
You
CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you
do not follow instructions.
You
CAN be HURT if you do not follow instructions.
Safety Headings – such as Important Safety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions.
Safety Section –such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
Instructions – how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information – please read
it carefully.
ivPreface iv
A Few Words About Safety
4Driver and Passenger Safety
Yo u
’ll find many safety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this
manual. The recommendations on
this page are the ones we consider
to be the most important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
A seat belt is your best protection
in all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inflate only in a
moderate to severe frontal
collision. So even though your
vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your
passengers always wear your seat
belts, and wear them properly.
(See page 13.)
Restrain All Children
Children are safest when they are
properly restrained in the back
seat, not the front seat. A child
who is too small for a seat belt must be properly restrained in a
child safety seat. (See page 18.)
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
While airbags save lives, they can
cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to
them, or are not properly
restrained. Infants, young
children, and short adults are at
the greatest risk. Be sure to follow
all instructions and warnings in
this manual. (See page 7.)
Don’t Drink and Drive
Alcohol and driving don
’t mix.
Even one drink can reduce your
ability to respond to changing
conditions, and your reaction time
gets worse with every additional
drink. So don’ t drink and drive,
and don’ t let your friends drink
and drive either. Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor
in crash injuries and deaths.
Generally, the higher the speed
the greater the risk, but serious
accidents can also occur at lower
speeds. Never drive faster than is
safe for current conditions,
regardless of the maximum speed
posted.
Keep Your Vehicle in Safe
Condition
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical failure can be
extremely hazardous. To reduce
the possibility of such problems,
check your tire pressure and
condition frequently, and perform
all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page 204.)
Important Safety Precautions
10Driver and Passenger Safety
Introduction
The following pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult
occupants.
These instructions also apply to
children who have outgrown child
seats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page 34
for important additional
guidelines on how to properly
protect larger children.)
1. Close and Lock the Doors
After everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors and
tailgate are closed and locked.
For safety, locking the doors
reduces the chance that a
passenger, especially a child, will
open a door while the vehicle is
moving and accidentally fall out.It also reduces the chance of
someone being thrown out of the
vehicle during a crash.
For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider from
unexpectedly opening a door
when you come to a stop.
See page 104 for how to lock the
doors.
2. Adjust the Front Seats
Any driver who sits too close to
the steering wheel is at risk of
being seriously injured or killed
by striking the steering wheel, or
from being struck by the inflating
airbag during a crash.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Safety18
Children depend on adults to
protect them. However, despite
their best intentions, many parents
and other adults may not know
how to properly protect young
passengers.
So if you have children, or if you
ever need to drive with a
grandchild or other children in
your vehicle, be sure to read this
section.
Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt.
All Children Must Be
Restrained
Each year, many children are
injured or killed in vehicle crashes
because they are either
unrestrained or not properly
restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one
cause of death of children ages 12
and under. To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state
requires that infants and children
be restrained whenever they ride
in a vehicle.
Any child who is too small to
wear a seat belt should be
properly restrained in a child
seat.
(See page 22.)
A larger child should always be
restrained with a seat belt. (See
page 34.)
Additional Precautions to
Parents•Never hold an infant or child
on your lap. If you are not
wearing a seat belt in a crash,
you could be thrown forward
into the dashboard and crush
the child.
Protecting Children
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).
ENGINE COOLANT
TEMPERATURE GAUGEFUEL GAUGE
59Instruments and Controlsodometer by repeatedly pressing
and releasing the reset button.
To reset a trip odometer, display
it, then press and hold the reset
button until the odometer clears to
zero.
Fuel Gauge
The fuel gauge will register the
approximate fuel level in the tank
when the key is in the “
ON”
position. The following conditions
may be considered normal:
•Gas station pumps may shut off
before the fuel gauge indicates
“
F” (FULL).
•The amount of fuel required for
a fill-up may not exactly
correspond to the gauge.
•The needle may not move away
from “
F” (FULL) until some
time after fill-up.
60 Instruments and Controls
• The needle may move during
turning, stopping and
acceleration.
Gauge
ReadingRe maining Amount
Approx. Gallons (Liters)
F19.5 (75.0)
1/210.8 (41.0)
E3.6 (13.5)
Fuel Door
This is a reminder that the fuel fill
door is on the left side of the
vehicle. Always park with that
side closest to the service station
pumps.
Engine Coolant
Temperature Gauge
When the key is in the “ON”
position, the engine coolant
temperature gauge indicates the
temperature of the engine coolant.
The letters “
C” and “H” on the
gauge represent “Cold” and
“Hot,” respectively.
NORMAL RANGE OVERHEATING
The gray area indicates the
normal engine coolant
temperature.
If the pointer reaches the
“
H”
mark, pull safely to the side of the
road. Turn to page 217 for
instructions and precautions on
checking the engine ’s cooling
system.
Driving with the temperature
gauge pointer at “
H” can cause
serious damage to the engine.
62Instruments and Controls
the system repaired if the light
does not come on when the key is
turned to the “
ON” position
without the engine running or
when the parking brake is set.
This light does not eliminate the
need for brake inspection and
maintenance. The brake fluid
level must be checked regularly.
See the maintenance section of
this manual for other brake
checks.
If the light remains on after
engine start up with the parking
brake released, or comes on
during operation of the vehicle, it
may mean that there is something
wrong with the brake system.
What to do?
1. Check to see if the parking brake has been fully released. 2. If it has, pull off the road and
stop carefully. Remember that:
•Stopping distances may be
longer.
•You may have to push
harder on the pedal.
•The pedal may go down
farther than normal.
3. Have the vehicle towed to the nearest Honda dealer for
repair.
Do not continue to drive with the
brake system light on. There may
be a serious problem with the
braking system. Driving under
this condition is hazardous and
could lead to an accident.
The brake system light does not
indicate that the parking brake is
fully set. When applying the
parking brake, always pull it up as
far as possible.
High Beam
The headlight high beam indicator
lights up when the headlights are
on high beam.
Charging System
This light should come on when
the key is turned to the “
ON”
position and the alternator is not
charging. The light may stay on at
engine idle; however, it should go
off and stay off above the normal
engine idle speed. If the light
comes on while driving, the
charging system should be
checked at once so the battery will
not completely discharge. Stop the
engine, and check for a broken
drive belt. If it is broken, or if the
drive belt is not responsible for
the trouble, have your Honda
dealer inspect and correct the
fault. If the drive belt is broken,