2003 HONDA ACCORD Owners Manual

A child who is too
large f or a rear-f acing child seat, and
who can sit up without support,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing child seat. See page f or
additional inf ormation on protecting
small children. However, Honda is conf ident that
one or more child seat models can f it
andbeproperlyinstalledinall
recommended seating positions in
your car.
Due to variations in the design of
child seats, car seats, and seat belts,
all child seats will not f it all car
seating positions.
Bef ore purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specific car seating
position (or positions) where they
intend to use the seat. If a previously
purchased child seat does not f it, you
may need to buy a dif f erent one that
will f it.
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Small Children: T he child seat should f it the car
seat ing posit ion (or posit ions)
whereit willbeused.
3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27
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This page brief ly summarizes
Honda’s recommendations on where
to place rear-facing and forward-
f acing child seats in your car.Never in the f ront seat, due
to the f ront airbag hazard.
The passenger’s f ront airbag
inf lates with enough f orce to kill
or seriously injure an inf ant in a
rear-facing child seat.
If a small child must ride in the
f ront, f ollow the instructions
provided in this section.
A small child in a f orward-f acing
child seat is also at risk. If the
carseatistoofarforward,or
the child’s head is thrown
f orward during a collision, an
inf lating f ront airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
Recommended
positions. Properly secure a f ront-
f acing child seat (see pages and ).Recommended positions.
Properlysecurearear-facing
child seat (see pages and ). Not recommended,
due to the f ront airbag hazard. If a
small child must ride in f ront,
move the car seat to the rear-most
position and secure a f ront-f acing
child seat with the seat belt. (see
page ). 33
30 40
40 33
Placing a Child Seat
Front Passenger’s Seat
Inf ant s:
Back Seat sSmall children:
Inf ant s:
Small children:
Airbags Pose Serious
Risks to Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety28
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Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:When you are not using a child seat,
either remove it and store it in a saf e
place, or make sure it is properly
secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
canbethrownoutof theseatina
crash and be seriously injured.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured
in the desired seating position.
To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as f irmly
as possible. Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure.
All child seats are
designed to be secured to the car
with the lap part of a lap/shoulder
belt. Some child seats can be
secured to the car’s LATCH
anchorage system instead. A child
whose seat is not properly secured
to the car can be endangered in a
crash. See pages , and for
instructions on how to properly
secure child seats in this car. However, a child seat does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ In some cars or
seating positions, it may be dif f icult
to install a child seat so that it does
not move at all. Some side-to-side or
back-and-f orth movement can be
expected and should not reduce the
child seat’s ef f ectiveness.
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Inst alling a Child Seat
Storing a Child Seat
Secure the child in the child seat.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmly
secured.
Properly secure t he child seat t o the car.
1. 2.
3.
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Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back. Inf ants up to about
one year of age must be restrained in
a rear-f acing child seat.In this car, a rear-f acing child seat
can be placed in any seating position
in the back seat, but not in the front
seat.
Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode. We recommend that an inf ant be
restrained in a rear-f acing child seat
until the inf ant reaches the seat
maker’s weight or height limit and is
able to sit up without support.
If the passenger’s
f ront airbag inf lates, it can hit the
back of the child seat with enough
f orce to kill or seriously injure an
inf ant. If an inf ant must be closely
watched, we recommend that
another adult sit in the back seat
with the baby.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision.
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype
Rear-Facing Child Seat Placement
Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe front seat.
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat ina f orward-f acing position.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety30
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not thefront.
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With the child seat in the desired
back seating position, route the
belt through the child seat
according to the seat maker’s
instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.
When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront-seat passenger f rom
moving the seat as far back as
recommended (see page ). Or it
may prevent them f rom locking the
seat-back in the desired upright
position (see page ).
In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat directly
behind the f ront passenger seat,
move the front seat as far forward as
needed, and leave it unoccupied. Or
you may wish to get a smaller child
seat that allows you to safely carry a
f ront passenger.
The lap/shoulder belts in the back
seats have a locking mechanism that
must be activated to secure a child
seat.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions and tips on how to
secure a rear-f acing child seat with
this type of seat belt.
If you have a child seat designed to
attach to the car’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page .
1.
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Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Rear-Facing Child Seat Inst allat ion
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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.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.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat, while
pulling up on the belt.
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.
2. 3.
4.
5.
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Driver and Passenger Saf ety32
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CONT INUED
To achieve the desired reclining
angle, it may help to put a rolled up
towel under the toe of the child seat,
as shown.
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. We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit f or the seat.
In this car, the best place to install a
f orward-f acing child seat is in one of
the seating positions in the back seat.
A child who can sit up without
support, and who f its within the child
seat maker’s weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
f orward-f acing, upright child seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown. If the car seat is too far
f orward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to cause
very serious or f atal injuries. If a
small child must be closely watched,
we recommend that another adult sit
in the back seat with the child.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Rear-Facing Child Seat Inst allat ion
Tips
Child Seat Placement
Child Seat T ype Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s f ront airbag can behazardous.Protecting Small Children
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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.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 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 car 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
attach to the car’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page .
1.
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Child Seat Inst allat ion
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety34
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 car seat as far back as
possible and properly restrain
the child.
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