2003 HONDA ACCORD COUPE Owners Manual

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.
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. 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.
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
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety46

See page f or instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly. 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. 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.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 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.
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 ).
16
52
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
47

For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out f ully and look f or
f rays, 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.
Honda provides a lif etime warranty
on seat belts. Honda will repair or
replace any seat belt component that
f ails to f unction properly during
normal use. Please see yourbooklet f or
details. Automatic seat belt tensioners that
deployed during a crash must be
replaced.
For inf ormation on how to clean your
seat belts, see page .
If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
it must be replaced by the dealer. 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 f or damage and replace
them if needed. 359
Honda
Warranty Inf ormation
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Seat Belt Maintenance
U.S. Models
48
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.

Your Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) includes:Two f ront airbags. The driver’s
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the f ront
passenger’sairbagisstoredinthe
dashboard. Both are marked ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG.’’
Emergency backup power in case
your car’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash. An indicator light on the
instrument panel that alerts you to
a possible problem with the
system (see page ). A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records inf ormation about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, and driver and
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition is ON (II).
Your car is equipped with dual-stage,
dual-threshold airbags to help reduce
the chance of airbag-caused injuries.
Automatic seat belt tensioners
(see page ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal
collision. 52
47
CONT INUED
SRS Components How Your Front A irbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
49

Af ter inf lating, the f ront airbags
immediately def late, so they won’t
interf ere with the driver’s visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
The total time for inflation and
def lation is approximately one-tenth
of a second, so f ast that most
occupants are not aware that the
airbags deployed until they see them
lying in their laps.
During a f rontal crash, your seat
belts help 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
inf late at the same time. However, it
is possible f or only one airbag to
inf late.
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
suf f icient protection, and the
supplemental protection of f ered by
the airbag would be minimal.
If you ever have a moderate to
severe f rontal collision, the sensors
will detect the vehicle’s rapid
deceleration. If the rate of
deceleration is high enough, the
control unit will instantly inf late the
f ront airbags.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
50

In a moderate to severe side impact,
the sensors will detect rapid
deceleration and signal the control
unit to instantly inf late either the
driver’s or the passenger’s side
airbag.
Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger’s side, the passenger’s
side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger.
To get the best protection f rom the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
Some models are equipped with side
airbags f or the driver and a front
seat passenger. The airbags are
stored in the outer edges of the f ront
seat-backs, and both are marked
‘‘SIDE AIRBAG.’’
After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder f rom the airbag’s surf ace.
Although the powder is not harmf ul,
people with respiratory problems
mayexperiencesometemporary
discomf ort. If this occurs, get out of
the car as soon as it is safe to do so.
U.S. Owners:
For additional information on how
your airbags work, see the booklet
titled
that came with your
owner’s manual.
Canadian Owners:
For additional information on how
your airbags work, ask your dealer
f or a copy of the booklet titled
SRS: What You Need to Know
About Airbags
SRS:
What You Need to Know About Airbags
.
Only on models equipped with side airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How Your Side A irbags Work
51

In a moderate to severe side impact,
sensors will detect rapid deceleration
and signal the control unit to
instantly inflate the side curtain
airbag on the driver’s or the
passenger’s side of the car. If the
impact is on the passenger’s side, the
passenger’s side curtain airbag will
inflate even if there are no occupants
on that side of the car.
To get the best protection f rom the
side curtain airbags, occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.The SRS indicator alerts
you to a potential problem
with your f ront airbags. This light
will also alert you to a potential
problem with your automatic seat
belt tensioners (page ).
Your car is equipped with side
curtain airbags. These airbags are
stored in the f ront, center, and rear
pillars on both sides. The f ront and
rear pillars on both sides are marked
‘‘SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG.’’ On models with side airbags, this
light will also alert you to a potential
problem with your side airbags, the
passenger’s side airbag automatic
cutof f system (see page ), or the
side curtain airbags.
When you turn the ignition ON (II),
this indicator will light brief ly then
go out. This tells you that the system
is working properly.
53
47
Standard on U.S. EX-V6 model
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How the SRS Indicator Works
How Your Side Curtain A irbags
Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety52
SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG

CONT INUED
If you see any of these indications,
your airbags may not deploy, your
passenger’s side airbag automatic
cutof f system may not work properly,
or your seat belt tensioners may not
work when you need them. See your
Honda dealer as soon as possible.
If the light comes on at any other
time, or does not come on at all, 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
switch to ON (II).
If the light stays on after the
engine starts.
If the light comes on or f lashes on
andoff whileyoudrive. This light alerts you that
the passenger’s side airbag
has been automatically shut off.
To reduce the risk of injury f rom an
inf lating side airbag, your car has an
automatic cutoff system for the
passenger’s side airbag.
It does not mean there is a problem
with your side airbags. It means that
thesideairbagcutoff systemhas
activated to prevent the side airbag
f rom deploying.
Only on models equipped with side
airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
How the Side Airbag Cutof f
Indicator L ight Works
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
53
Ignoring the SRS indicator light
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbags, cutoff
system, or tensioners do not
work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a
dealer as soon as possible if
the SRS light alerts you to a
potential problem.