2003 HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK seats

Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt, severely
compromise the protective capability
of seat belts and increase the chance
of serious injury in a crash.
If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.
To determine if a lap/shoulder belt
properly f its a child, have the child
sit in one of the outer rear seats all
the way back against the seat and
put on the seat belt. Follow the
instructions on page . Then check
how the belt f its.
If the shoulder part of the belt rests
over the child’s collarbone and
against the center of the chest, the
lap belt rests over the child’s hipbones and touches the tops of
their thighs as shown, the child is
probably big enough to wear the seat
belt.
This could result in serious neck and
internal injuries during a crash.
However, if the shoulder belt
touches or crosses the child’s neck,
or if the lap belt crosses the child’s
stomach, the child needs to use a
booster seat.
This could cause
very serious injuries during a crash.
It also increases the chance that the
child will slide under the belt in a
crash and be injured.
15
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
Checking Seat Belt Fit Do not put any accessories on a seat
belt.
T wo children should never use t hesame seat belt .
Do not let a child wear a seat belt across t he neck or over t he st omach.
Do not let a child put the shoulderpart of a seat belt behind t he back orunder t he arm.
36

CONT INUED
Lift the head restraint, then route
the tether strap over the seat-back
between the legs of the head
restraint.
One tether anchorage point f or each
of the outer rear seats is located
under the cargo f loor carpet and the
tailgate sill. Pull up the carpet to
access the anchorage point
(outboard anchor) when securing a
tether-style child seat to the vehicle.
Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available. Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point as shown in
the illustration, then tighten the
strap according to the child seat
maker’s instructions. Make sure the
strap is not twisted.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Using Child Seats with T ethers
39
TETHER STRAP HOOK
ANCHORAGE POINT

Your car is equipped with LATCH
(Lower Anchors and Tethers f or
Children) at the outer rear seats.
The lower anchors are located
between the seat-back and seat
bottom and are to be used only with
a child seat designed f or use with
LATCH.
When the child seat is used, f ollow
the instructions that came with the
child seat.
To attach the tether to the child seat,
f ollow the child seat maker’s
instructions.
You can also remove the rear head
restraints (see page ). The
removedheadrestraintsshouldbe
securedsotheywillnotbethrown
while you are driving. Make sure
to replace the rear head restraints
when the child seats are not in use. 82
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety Using L A T CH
40 MARKS
LOWER
ANCHORS
——y
y
()
yy

Lift the head restraint, then route
the tether strap over the seat-back
between the legs of the head
restraint.Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point, and
tighten the strap according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Make sure the strap is not twisted.
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.This symbol on rear or f orward
f acing child seats or booster
cushions indicates the presence of
LATCH compatible hardware.
5.
6. 7.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
L ower Universal Anchorage
System Symbol
42 TETHER STRAP HOOK
ANCHORAGE POINT
——y
y
()
yy

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 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. 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
vehicle, be sure the belt is out of the
way and will not get closed in the
door.
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.)
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.
33
30
CONT INUED
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
43

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.
Your car is equipped with side
airbags f or the driver and a f ront
seat passenger. The airbags are
stored in the outer edges of the f ront
seat-backs, and both are marked
‘‘SIDE AIRBAG.’’ If you ever have 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.
Thepurposeof theSRS
indicator light is to alert
you to a potential problem with your
f ront airbags. On vehicles with side
airbags, this light will also alert you
to a potential problem with your
automatic seat belt tensioners (page
); or your side airbags or
passenger’s side airbag automatic
cutof f system (page ). 44
49
Optional
How Your Side A irbags Work How the SRS Indicator L ight
Works
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
48

µ
To change the angle of the seat-back,
pull up on the lever on the outside of
the seat bottom. Move the seat-back
to the desired position and release
the lever. Let the seat-back latch into
the new position.
Make all seat adjustments bef ore
you start driving.
To adjust the seat forward and
backward, pull up on the bar under
the seat cushion’s f ront edge. Move
the seat to the desired position and
releasethebar.Trytomovetheseat
to make sure it is locked in position.
See pages f or important saf ety
inf ormation and warnings about how toproperly position seats and seat-backs. 12 14
FrontSeatAdjustments
Seat A djustments
Inst rument s and Cont rols
81

Store or secure all items that could
be thrown around and hurt
someone during a crash.
Besureitemsplacedonthefloor
behind the f ront seats cannot roll
under the seats and interf ere with
the driver’s ability to operate the
pedals, or with the proper
operation of the seats.
Keep the glove box closed while
driving. If the lid is open, a
passenger could injure their knees
during a crash or sudden stop.
This f igure includes the total weight
of all occupants, cargo, and
accessories.
To f igure out how much cargo you
can carry:
Add up the weight of all occupants.
The f inal number is the total weight
of cargo you can carry.
The maximum load for your car is
850 lbs (395 kg).
Subtract the total f rom 850 lbs
(395 kg). Carrying Items in the Passenger
Compartment
Load Limit
Carrying Cargo
Bef ore Driving
138 Overloading or improper
loading can affect handling and
stability and cause a crash in
which you can be hurt or killed.
Follow all load limits and other
loading guidelines in thismanual.