Page 1 of 429

2003 Accord Coupe Online Reference Owner's Manual Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.
Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety ........................................................................\
......................................... ii
Your Car at a Glance ........................................................................\
................................................... 2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
...................................... 5
Proper use and care of your car's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint\
System.
Instruments and Controls ........................................................................\
......................................... 59
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how t o use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
...................... 121
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
.......................................................... 223
What gasoline to use, how to break -in your new car, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
...................................................................... 239
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance ........................................................................\
............................................................. 271
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your car to the\
dealer.
Appearance Care ........................................................................\
...................................................... 355
Tips on cleaning and protecting your car. Things to look for if your car e\
ver needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected ........................................................................\
.............................. 363
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and\
how to handle them.
Technical Information ........................................................................\
............................................. 393
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada) ................................................................409
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only) ........................................................................\
.............................. 413
How to order manuals and other tech nical literature.
Index ........................................................................\
........................................................................\
..... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.
Page 21 of 429

Adjust the steering wheel, if needed,
so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your f ace.
Pointing the steering wheel toward
your chest provides optimal
protection f rom the airbag.
See page f or how to adjust the
steering wheel.After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on seat belts, it is
very important that they continue to
sit upright, well back in their seats,
with their feet on the floor, until the
car is parked and the engine is of f .
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured by
striking interior parts of the car, or
by being struck by an inf lating f ront
airbag. Being struck by an inflating
side airbag can result in possibly
serious injuries.
80
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Adjust the Steering Wheel Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
7.
18
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.
Page 24 of 429

(See page
.)
Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
otherchildreninyourcar,besureto
read this section.
(See page .)
Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In f act, 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 and
Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.
26 38
properly
CONT INUED
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
All Children Must Be Restrained
Anychildwhoistoosmalltowearaseat belt should be properlyrest rained in a child seat .
A larger child should always berest rained wit h a seat belt , and use aboost er, if needed.
21
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.
Page 36 of 429
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.To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt f ully retract.
Forproperprotection,aninfantmust
ride in a reclined, or semi-reclined
position. To determine the proper
reclining angle, check with the baby’s
doctor or f ollow the seat maker’s
recommendations.
To achieve the desired reclining
angle, it may help to put a rolled up
towel under the toe of the child seat,
as shown.
5.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Rear-Facing Child Seat Inst allat ion
Tips
33
Page 44 of 429

Supervise the child. Even mature
children sometimes need to be
reminded to f asten the seat belts
or sit properly.
Caref ully read the owner’s manual
and make sure you understand all
seat belt instructions and all saf ety
inf ormation.
Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position.
Have the child sit up straight, back
against the seat, and feet on or
near the f loor.
Check that the child’s seat belt is
properly positioned and secured.
Remind the child not to lean
toward the door because of the
side airbag.
If you decide that a child can saf ely
ride up f ront, be sure to:
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 38
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Physical Size
Maturity
41
Page 84 of 429
Move the steering wheel up or
down, and in or out 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 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, down, in,
and out.
To adjust the steering wheel:
Insert the key in the ignition
switch, and unlock the steering
column.
Push the lever under the steering
column all the way down. 3.
4.
5.
1.
2.
Controls Near the Steering Wheel
Inst rument s and Cont rols81
Page 117 of 429
To use the sun visor, pull it down.
You can also use the sun visor at the
side window. Remove the support
rod f rom the clip and swing the sun
visor toward the side window.In this position, the sun visor can be
adjusted by moving it on its slider.Make sure you put the sun visor
back in place when you are getting
into or out of the car.
In this position, the sun visor can be
extended by sliding out the
extension. Do not use the sun visor
extension over the rear view mirror. Do not use the sun visor over the
rear view mirror.
On cars without side curtain airbags
On cars with side curtain airbags
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Sun Visor
114
EXTENSION SUN VISOR
Page 195 of 429
To adjust the balance, touch the left
or right arrows on the sound grid.
When you touch an arrow, the pink
bars on the grid move toward it,
changing the balance left or right. To
equalize the balance, touch the lef t
or right arrow until each side has a
pink bar at the center of the sound
grid.
To adjust the fader, touch the front
or rear arrows on the sound grid.
When you touch an arrow, the blue
bars on the grid move toward it,
changing the fader to the front or
rear. To equalize the f ader, touch the
f ront or rear arrow until each side
has a blue bar at the center of the
sound grid.
To see the audio screen when you
are f inished adjusting the sound,
touch the RETURN icon or wait five
seconds.
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures192
DIGITAL CLOCKUPPER
DISPLAY
AUDIO
DISPLAY
BUTTON SOUND
ICON