2003 HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK deactivate airbag

To deactivate the locking
mechanism in order to remove a
child seat, unlatch the buckle,
unroute the seat belt, and let the belt
fully retract.When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the
child should sit in one of the outer
back seats on a booster and
wear a lap/shoulder belt.
We recommend that the child use a
booster seat until the child is tall
enough to use the seat belt without a
booster.
The f ollowing pages give
instructions on how to check proper
seat belt f it, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions f or a child
who must sit in the f ront seat.
CONT INUED
Protecting L arger Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
35
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
If a larger child must sit in front,
make sure the child moves the
seat as far back as possible,
uses a booster seat if needed,
and wears the seat belt properly.

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 that
might 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 ).
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A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
44

Improperly
replacing or covering f ront seat-
back covers can prevent your side
airbags f rom inf lating during a
collision.
See page f or f urther inf ormation
and precautions relating to your
airbags.
If rain or spilled water
soaks into a seat-back, it can
prevent the side airbag system
f rom working properly. Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury. Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Take your car to an
authorized Honda dealer as soon
as possible. If you ignore this
indication, the airbags might not
inf late when you need them.
136
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not cover or replace f ront seat - back covers wit hout consult ing aHonda dealer.
Do not expose t he f ront seat -backs to water.
Do not t amper wit h airbag
component s or wiring f or anyreason.
Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
T he SRS indicat or light alert s you
t o a problem.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Additional Saf ety Precautions
51