Page 148 of 302

You can increase the set cruising 
speed in any of these ways:Press and hold the RESUME/
accel button. The car will acceler-
ate. When you reach the desired
cruising speed, release the button.
Press and release the SET/decel
buttononthesteeringwheel.The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on to
show the system is now activated. Thecruisecontrolmaynotholdthe
set speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down to the desired speed. This
will cancel the cruise control. To
resume the set speed, press the
RESUME/accel button. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel comes on. 
When climbing a steep hill, the 
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed.
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RESUME/
accel button repeatedly. Each time
you do this, your car will speed up
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h). 
Push on the accelerator pedal. Ac- 
celerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the SET/decel
button.
3.
Changing t he Set Speed
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures152
RESUME/ accel
BUTTON
SET/decel
BUTTON
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Even with the cruise control turned 
on, you can still use the accelerator
pedal to speed up f or passing. Af ter
completing the pass, take your foot
of f the accelerator pedal. The car
will return to the set cruising speed. 
Resting your f oot on the brake or 
clutch pedal will cause the cruise
control to cancel.
You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Press and hold the SET/decel
button. The car will decelerate.
Release the button when you
reach the desired speed. 
To slow down in very small 
amounts, tap the SET/decel
button repeatedly. Each time you
do this, your car will slow down
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h). 
Tap the brake or clutch pedal 
lightly with your f oot. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the car slows to the desired
speed, press the SET/decel button.
The car will then maintain the
desired speed. Tap the brake or clutch pedal.
Youcancancelthecruisecontrolin
any of these ways:
Push the CANCEL button on the
steering wheel. 
Press the Cruise Control Master 
Switch.
CONT INUED
Cancelling t he Cruise Cont rol
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures153
CANCEL 
BUTTON
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When you push the CANCEL button, 
or tap the brake or clutch pedal, the
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out and the
car will begin to slow down. You can
use the accelerator pedal in the
normal way. 
The system remembers the 
previously-set cruising speed. To
return to that speed, accelerate to
above25mph(40km/h),thenpress
the RESUME/accel button. The
CRUISE CONTROL light comes on,
and the car will accelerate to the
same cruising speed as bef ore. 
Pressing the Cruise Control Master 
Switch turns the system completely
of f and erases the previous cruising
speed f rom memory. To use the
system again, ref er to.
Using t he
Cruise Cont rol
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures154
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During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid 
acceleration. 
Avoidhardbraking.Newbrakes 
need to be broken-in by moderate
use f or the f irst 200 miles (300
km). Your Honda is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 86 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise in the engine that can lead to
mechanical damage. 
We recommend gasolines containing 
detergent additives that help prevent
f uel system and engine deposits.
In Canada, some gasolines contain
an octane-enhancing additive called
MMT. If you use such gasolines,
your emission control system
perf ormance may deteriorate and
the Malf unction Indicator Lamp on
your instrument panel may turn on.
If this happens, contact your
authorized Honda dealer f or service.
Help assure your car’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
Using gasoline containing lead will
damage your car’s emissions
controls. This contributes to air
pollution.
Youshouldfollowthesesamere-
commendations with an overhauled
or exchanged engine, or when the
brakes are relined. Do not change the oil until the
recommended time or mileage
intervalshowninthemaintenance
schedule.
Break-in Period, Gasoline
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period Gasoline
156
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Shift to Park or Neutral and set 
the parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.Standing in f ront of the car, put
your f ingers under the f ront edge
of the hood to the right of center.
Slide your hand to the lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle up until it
releases the hood. Lif t the hood.
Screw the f uel f ill cap back on,
tighten it until it clicks several
times. If you do not properly
tighten the cap, the Malfunction
Indicator Lamp may come on (see
page ). 
Push the f uel f ill door closed until 
it latches.
1. 2.
5. 6.
274
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Opening the Hood
158
HOOD 
RELEASE
HANDLE
LATCH
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Modif ying your car, or installing 
some non-Honda accessories, can
make your car unsaf e. Bef ore you
make any modif ications or add any
accessories,besuretoreadthe
f ollowing inf ormation. 
Your dealer has genuine Honda 
accessories that allow you to
personalize your car. These
accessories have been designed and
approved f or your car, and are
covered by warranty. 
Non-Honda accessories are usually 
designed f or universal applications.
Although aftermarket accessories
may f it on your car, they may not
meet f actory specif ications, and
could adversely af f ect your car’s
handling and stability. (See
‘‘Modif ications’’ on page f or
additional information.)When properly installed, cellular
phones, alarms, two-way radios, and
low-powered audio systems should
not interf ere with your car’s
computer-controlled systems, such
as the SRS and anti-lock brake
system.
If possible, have your dealer inspect
the f inal installation.Have the installer contact your
Honda dealer f or assistance bef ore
installing any electronic accessory.
Be sure electronic accessories do
not overload electrical circuits
(see page ).
Make sure the accessory does not
obscure any lights, or interf ere
with proper car operation or
perf ormance.
Bef ore installing any accessory:
However, if electronic accessories
are improperly installed, or exceed
your car’s electrical system capacity,
they can interfere with the operation
of your car, or even cause the
airbags to deploy.
164 278
A ccessories
A ccessories and Modif ications
Bef ore Driving163
Improper accessories or
modifications can affect your
car’s handling, stability, and
performance, and cause a
crash in which you can be hurt
or killed. 
Follow all instructions in this 
owner’s manual regarding
accessories and modifications.
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In addition, any modif ications that 
decrease ground clearance increase
the chance of undercarriage parts
striking a curb, speed bump, or other
raised object, which could cause
your airbags to deploy. 
Do not modif y your steering wheel 
or any other part of your
Supplemental Restraint System.
Modif ications could make the
system inef f ective.
Do not remove any original
equipment or modif y your car in any
way that would alter its design or
operation. This could make your car
unsaf e and illegal to drive. 
For example, do not make any 
modif ications that would change the
ride height of your car, or install
wheels and tires with a dif f erent
overall diameter. 
Such modif ications can adversely 
af f ect handling, and interf ere with
the operation of the car’s anti-lock
brakes and other systems. If a side airbag
inflates,acupholderorotherhard
object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
car and hurt someone. 
Covering the outside edge of a 
f ront seat-back, with a non-Honda
seat cover for example, could
prevent the airbag from inflating
properly.
Any object
attached to or placed on the covers
marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG,’’ in the
center of the steering wheel and
on top of the dashboard, could
interf ere with the proper operation
of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inf late, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt
someone.Only on models equipped with side
airbagsModif ications
Additional Saf ety Precautions
A ccessories and Modif ications
Bef ore Driving
Do not at t ach hard object s on ornear a f ront door.
Do not place any object s over t heoutsideedgeof afront seat-back.
Do not at t ach or place object s on the airbag covers.
164
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If the engine does not start within 
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed half-way
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race. 
If the engine still does not start, 
press the accelerator pedal all the
way down and hold it there while
starting in order to clear f looding.
As bef ore, keep the ignition key in
the START (III) position f or no
more than 15 seconds. Return to
step 5 if the engine does not start.
If it starts, lif t your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal so the engine
does not race.
Apply the parking brake. 
In cold weather, turn of f all 
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery. 
Push the clutch pedal down all the 
way. START (III) does not
f unction unless the clutch pedal is
depressed. 
Make sure the shif t lever is in 
Park. Press on the brake pedal. 
Without touching the accelerator 
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. If the engine
does not start right away, do not
hold the key in START (III) f or
more than 15 seconds at a time.
Pause f or at least 10 seconds
bef ore trying again. An engine is harder to start in cold
weather. The thinner air f ound at
high altitude above 8,000 f eet (2,400 meters) adds to the problem.
Use the f ollowing procedure:
Turn of f all electrical accessories
to reduce the drain on the battery. 
Push the accelerator pedal half- 
way to the f loor and hold it there
while starting the engine. Do not
hold the ignition key in START
(III) f or more than 15 seconds.
When the engine starts, release
the accelerator pedal gradually as
the engine speeds up and smooths
out. 
If the engine fails to start in step 2, 
push the accelerator pedal to the
f loor and hold it there while you
try to start the engine for no more
than 15 seconds. If the engine
does not start, return to step 2.
1. 2. 3. 4.
5. 6.
1. 2. 3.
Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission:
Starting the Engine
Driving
Starting in Cold Weather at High 
A ltitude (A bove 8,000 f eet/
2,400 meters)
171
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