2003 HONDA ELEMENT seats

Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available. (Tethers are required in
Canada.)Remove the head restraint where
you want to place the child seat.
Your vehicle has two tether
anchorage points on the ceiling near
the hatch opening f or securing a
tether-style child seat to the vehicle. The tether anchorage points are
located under plastic covers. Select
the anchorage point you want to use,
and slide the cover to open it. You can remove the head restraint
by pressing the release button.
Using Child Seats with T ethers
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety46
COVERS
TETHER ANCHORAGE POINT

Make sure the removed head
restraints are secured in the cargo
area. Reinstall the head restraints
when the child seat is removed.Attach the attaching clip 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.Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers f or Children) at the 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.
The exact location of each lower
anchorage is marked with a small
button above the lower anchorage
point.
CONT INUED
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
Using L A T CH
47
LOWER ANCHORSMARKS

Remove the head restraint (see
page ).
Make sure the removed head
restraints are secured in the cargo
area. Reinstall the head restraints
when the child seat is removed. Attach the attaching clip to the
tether anchor fitting 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.
94
Canadian model only
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
L ower Universal Anchorage
System Symbol
49

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.)
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.
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.
See page f or instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly.35
39
17
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety51

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.
Your vehicle 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.’’
Optional on EX model
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
How Your Side A irbags Work
56

This section gives inf ormation about
the controls and displays that
contribute to the daily operation of
your Honda. All the essential
controls are within easy reach............................
Control Locations .64
...............................
Indicator Lights .65
.............................................
Gauges .72
...............................
Speedometer .72 .................................
Tachometer .72
..............
Odometer/Trip Meter . 73
..................................
Fuel Gauge .73
...................
Temperature Gauge . 74
Controls Near the Steering .......................................
Wheel .75
...................................
Headlights .76
............
Daytime Running Lights . 77
....
Instrument Panel Brightness . 77
................................
Turn Signals .77
.....................
Windshield Wipers .78
..................
Windshield Washers . 79
Rear Window Wiper and .....................................
Washer .80
..........................
Hazard Warning .81
.............
Rear Window Def ogger . 81
......
Steering Wheel Adjustment . 82
...............................
Keys and Locks .83
..............................................
Keys .83
....................
Immobilizer System . 84
............................
Ignition Switch .85
......................
Power Door Locks .87
..................................
Rear Doors .88
............................................
Hatch .89
........................................
Tailgate .90
....................................
Glove Box .91 .................................................
Seats .92
.............
Front Seat Adjustments . 92
Driver’s Seat Height ..............................
Adjustment .93
................
Driver’s Seat Armrest . 93
..........................
Head Restraints .94
........................
Rear Seat Access .95
.......
Rear Seat-back Adjustment . 96
..........
Reclining the Front Seats . 97
...............
Folding the Rear Seats . 99
........
Removing the Rear Seats . 101
............................
Power Windows .103
...............................
Rear Windows .105
...........................................
Mirrors .106
..
Adjusting the Power Mirrors . 106
..........................................
Skylight .107
.........................
Beverage Holders .110
...............................
Parking Brake .111
...............................
Ceiling Pocket .112
.......................................
Coin Tray .112
............
Accessory Power Sockets . 113
...............................
Interior Lights .114
..............................
Ceiling Light .114
...................................
Spotlights .114
......................
Cargo Area Light .115
................
Ignition Switch Light . 115
Instruments and Controls
Inst rument s and Cont rols63

All doors and the hatch lock when
youpushdownthelocktabonthe
driver’s door, or lock the driver’s
door from the outside with the key.
Only the driver’s door unlocks when
you use the key or the lock tab. To
unlock the f ront passenger’s door,
use the master door lock switch or
the lock tab on the f ront passenger’s
door.The Element has no center pillars
between front and rear seats, and
the rear doors pivot at the rear.
The rear door handle is located in
the rear door edge. The rear door
canbeopenedonlywhenthefront
door is open. Pull the handle to open
the rear door.
To close the doors when both f ront
and rear doors are open, close the
rear door first, then the front door.
The f ront door cannot be latched
without f irst closing the rear door.
Closing the rear door on the f ront
door will damage both doors.
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Rear Doors
88

µ
See pages f or important saf ety
inf ormation and warnings about how toproperly position seats and seat-backs. 13 15
Make all seat adjustments bef ore
you start driving.
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.
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.
FrontSeatAdjustments
Seats
Inst rument s and Cont rols92