2003 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID service indicator

2003 Civic Hybrid 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.helminc.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........................................................................\
.................................................. .57
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
...............................107
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
.....................................................................143
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new car, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................... .............................159
The proper way to start the engine, shift the tr ansmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
...................................................... ...................181
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your car to the dealer.
Appearance Care........................................................................\
.................................................................245
Tips on cleaning and protecting your car. Things to look for if your car ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................255
This section covers several problems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
...................................................... .285
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)......................................................................299
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
.......................................303
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index ........................................................................\
......................................................................................... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need wh en you pull up to the fuel pump.

This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains your Supple-
mental Restraint System. And it tells
you how to properly restrain inf ants
andchildreninyourcar..........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.............
Your Car’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
.........................................
Airbags .10
.....................
Seats & Seat-Backs .11
..........................
Head Restraints .11
..................................
Door Locks .11
........
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist . 12
............................
Protecting Adults .13
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 13 ...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 13
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 15
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 16
5. Fasten and Position the Seat .....................................
Belts .16
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 18
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .19
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 20
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 20
........................
Protecting Children .22
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .22
Children Should Sit in the Back ...........................................
Seat .23
The Passenger’s Front Airbag Poses Serious Risks to ...............................
Children .23
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .25
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .26
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 26
General Guidelines f or Using ...............................
Child Seats .27
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .31 .........
Protecting Small Children . 35
.......
Protecting Larger Children . 38
Using Child Seats with .....................................
Tethers .42
.............................
Using LATCH .43
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .45
..
Seat Belt System Components . 45
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .45
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .46
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 47
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags .48
........................
SRS Components .48
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .48
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 50
How the SRS Indicator Light .......................................
Works .51
How the Side Airbag Cutof f ...........
Indicator Light Works . 52
.............................
Airbag Service .53
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 53
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 54
...................................
Saf ety Labels .55
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
5

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
144

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.
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.
Standing in f ront of the car, put
your f ingers between the f ront
edge of the hood and the f ront
grille. The hood latch handle is
above the ‘‘H’’ logo. Push this
handle up until it releases the
hood. Lif t the hood.
1.
2.
5.
6.
273
Service Station Procedures
Bef ore Driving
Opening the Hood
146
HOOD
RELEASE
HANDLE LATCH

µ
µ
This indicator should come on when
the ignition switch is ON (II), and go
out af ter the engine starts. If it
comes on brightly when the engine
is running, it indicates that the
charging system has stopped
charging the battery. Immediately turn of f all electrical
accessories: radio, heater, A/C, rear
def ogger, cruise control, etc. Try not
to use other electrically-operated
controls such as the power windows.
Keep the engine running and take
extra care not to stall it. Starting the
engine will discharge the battery
rapidly.
By eliminating as much of the
electrical load as possible, you can
drive several miles (kilometers)
before the battery is too discharged
to keep the engine running. Drive to
a service station or garage where
you can get technical assistance.
If the Auto Idle Stop is active f or an
extended period, the charging
system indicator may come on. If it
happens, start the engine.
The charging system indicator may
also come on if the Integrated Motor
Assist (IMA) battery charge drops
below a desired level and the engine
starts to recharge the battery.
This indicator may blink af ter you
start the car in the morning when
the temperature is below 20°F
( 30°C). It will stop blinking when
the IMA battery warms up.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Charging System Indicator
272
CHARGING SYSTEM INDICATOR

Î
ÎSlow down by shif ting to a lower
gear, and pull to the side of the road
when it is saf e. Because of the
longer distance needed to stop, it is
hazardous to drive the car. You
should have it towed, and repaired as
soon as possible. (See on page .)
If you must drive the car a short
distance in this condition, drive
slowly and cautiously.
If it comes on at any other time, it
indicates a problem with the car’s
brake system. In most cases, the
problem is a low f luid level in the
brake f luid reservoir. Press lightly on
the brake pedal to see if it f eels
normal. If it does, check the brake
f luid level the next time you stop at a
service station (see page ). If the
fluid level is low, take the car to your
dealer and have the brake system
inspected f or leaks or worn brake
pads.
However, if the brake pedal does not
f eel normal, you should take
immediate action. Because of the
brake system’s dual-circuit design, a
problem in one part of the system
will still give you braking at two
wheels. You will f eel the brake pedal
go down much f arther bef ore the car
begins to slow down, and you will
have to press harder on the pedal.
The distance needed to stop will be
much longer.
The Brake System Indicator
normallycomesonwhenyouturn
the ignition switch ON (II). It is a
reminder to check the parking brake.
It comes on and stays lit if you do not
f ully release the parking brake.
If the ABS indicator comes on with
this indicator, have the vehicle
inspected by your Honda dealer
immediately.
209
282
On models equipped with ABS
Emergency
Towing
Brake System Indicator
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed275
BRAKE SYSTEM INDICATOR
U.S. indicator shown

ÎÎ
CONT INUED
................................
Rotation, Tire .228
..................................
Saf ety Belts .8, 45
.........
Safety Defects, Reporting . 302
.................................
Saf ety Features .7
.........................................
Airbags .10
..................................
Door Locks .11
..........................
Head Restraints .11
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
.....................
Seats & Seat-Backs .11
.............
Saf ety Labels, Location of . 55
...............................
Saf ety Messages .ii
.....................................
Seat Belts .8, 45
...............
Additional Information . 45
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .46
.....................................
Cleaning .250
................
Lap/Shoulder Belt . 16,45
................................
Maintenance .47
......
Reminder Light and Beeper . 61
...................
System Components . 45
...............
Use During Pregnancy . 20
...
Wearing a Lap/Shoulder Belt . 16
........................
Seats, Adjusting the .94 ...............................
Serial Number .286
...........................
Service Intervals .184
...........................
Service Manual .303
.........
Service Station Procedures . 145
..........................
Setting the Clock .123
.....
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 166
........................
Shif t Lock Release .170
..
Shif t Up/Shif t Down Indicators . 165
..............................
Side Airbags .10, 50
....................
Cutof f Indicator .52, 61
Side Marker Lights, Bulb ......................
Replacement .235, 237
...............................
Signaling Turns .78
.....................................
Snow Tires .230
...................
Solvent-type Cleaners . 246
................................
Sound System .118
Spare Tire ......................................
Inf lating .256
............................
Specif ications .289
................
Spark Plugs, Replacing . 213
....................
Specif ications Charts . 288
................................
Speed Control .139
...................................
Speedometer .69
.......................................
Spotlights .104
..........
SRS, Additional Inf ormation . 48
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 53.............................
Airbag Service .53
How the Side Airbag Cutof f ...........
Indicator Light Works . 52
How the SRS Indicator .......................................
Works .51
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .48
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 50
........................
SRS Components .48
.............................
SRS Indicator .51 ,61
....
START (Ignition Key Position) . 87
..............
State Emissions Testing . 297
.......................
Starting the Engine .161
In Cold Weather at High ..................................
Altitude .161
................
With a Dead Battery . 265
........
Steam Coming f rom Engine . 268
Steering Wheel ..................................
Adjustment .82
.............
Anti-theft Column Lock . 86
...................
Stereo Sound System . 118
...........................
Storing Your Car .243
Index
S
VII