2003 HONDA ELEMENT audio

2003 Element 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.h\
elminc.com.
Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety........................................................................\
.........................................ii
Important Handling Information........................................................................\
.............................iii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.............................................2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
......................................5
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
.........................................63
Instrume nt panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
......................117
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................157
What gasoline to use, how to break -in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
......................................................................171
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................207
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take you r vehicle to the dealer.
Appearance Care........................................................................\
......................................................267
Tips on cleaning and protecting your vehicle. Things to look for if your\
vehicle ever needs body repairs.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
..............................275
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, an d how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
.............................................303
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................319
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................323
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
.............................................................................. I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

Your Vehicle at a Glance
2
POWER DOOR
LOCK SWITCHMIRROR CONTROLS
GAUGES INDICATORS (P.65)
(P.72) AUDIO SYSTEM
HEATING/COOLING
CONTROLS PARKING BRAKE
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
A/T model is shown. HOOD RELEASE
HANDLE
(P.87)
(P.103) (P.160) (P.106)
(P.126,137)
(P.118) (P.111)

Control L ocations
Inst rument s and Cont rols64
POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCHMIRROR CONTROLS AUDIO SYSTEM
PARKING BRAKE
A/T model is shown. HOOD RELEASE
HANDLE POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
HEATING/COOLING
CONTROLS
(P.87)
(P.103)
(P.160)
(P.118)(P.126,
137)
(P.106)
(P.111)

µ
µ
µ Use this position
only to start the engine. The switch
returns to ON (II) when you let go of
the key.
You will hear a reminder beeper if
you leave the key in the ignition
switch in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I) position and open
the driver’s door. Remove the key to
turn of f the beeper. The engine will not start if the
Immobilizer System does not
recognize the key’s coding (see page ).
If the f ront wheels are turned, the
anti-thef t lock may sometimes make
it difficult to turn the key from
LOCK to ACCESSORY. Firmly turn
the steering wheel to the lef t or to
the right as you turn the key.
In this position,
you can operate the audio system
and the accessory power sockets.
This is the normal key
position when driving. All f eatures
and accessories on the vehicle are
usable. Several of the lights on the
instrument panel come on as a test
when you turn the ignition switch
f rom ACCESSORY to ON. 84
ST A RT (III)
A CCESSORY (I)
ON (II)
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols86
Removing the key from the
ignition switch while driving
locks the steering. This can
cause you to lose control.
Remove the key from the
ignition switch only when
parked.

.....................
Heating and Cooling .118
.........
What Each Control Does . 118
............
How to Use the System . 121
..........
To Turn Everything Of f . 125
................................
Audio System .126
Audio System ..........
(Canadian DX model) . 126
....
AM/FM/CD Audio System . 126
.................
Operating the Radio . 126
.................
Adjusting the Sound . 129
..............................
Digital Clock .130
............
Audio System Lighting . 132
.........
Operating the CD Player . 132
.....
Operating the CD Changer . 134
....
CD Player Error Indications . 135
CD Changer Error .............................
Indications .136 ...........
Audio System (EX model) . 137
....
AM/FM/CD Audio System . 137
.................
Operating the Radio . 138
.................
Adjusting the Sound . 141
..............................
Digital Clock .142
............
Audio System Lighting . 143
....................
Radio Frequencies . 143
........................
Radio Reception .143
.........
Operating the CD Player . 145
.....
Operating the CD Changer . 147
....
CD Player Error Indications . 148
CD Changer Error .............................
Indications .149
.......
Protecting Compact Discs . 150
..................
Auxiliary Input Jack . 151
.......................
Thef t Protection .152
...............................
Cruise Control .153
Comf ort and Convenience Features
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures117

The band and f requency that the
radio was last tuned to is displayed.
To change bands, press the AM/FM
button. On the FM band, ST will be
displayed if the station is broadcast-
ing in stereo. Stereo reproduction on
AM is not available. The ignition switch must be in
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II) to
operate the audio system. Turn the
system on by pushing the PWR/
VOL knob or the AM/FM button.
Adjust the volume by turning the
same knob. Your Honda’s audio system provides
clear reception on both AM and FM
bands, while the preset buttons allow
you to easily select your f avorite
stations.
On Canadian DX models
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Audio System
Operating the Radio AM/FM/CD Player Audio System
126
SEEK BARSCAN BUTTON
TUNE KNOB
SCAN INDICATOR
PRESET BUTTONS
AM/FM BUTTON
PWR/VOL KNOB AUTO
SELECT
BUTTON
STEREO INDICATOR

µ
µ µ
µ The preset f requencies will be lost if
your vehicle’s battery goes dead, is
disconnected, or the radio f use is
removed. Once a station’s frequency is stored,
simply press and release the proper
preset button to tune to it.Repeat steps 1 to 3 to store a total
of six stations on AM and twelve
on FM. Pick the preset button you want
for that station. Press the button
and hold it until you hear a beep. UsetheTUNE,SEEK,orSCAN
function to tune the radio to a
desired station. Select the desired band, AM or
FM. FM1 and FM2 let you store
two f requencies with each preset
button.
To store a f requency:
You can use any of f ive methods to
f ind radio stations on the selected
band: TUNE, SEEK, SCAN, AUTO
SELECT, and the preset buttons.
Use the TUNE knob to
tune the radio to a desired f requency.
Turn the TUNE knob to the right to
tune to a higher f requency, or to the
lef t to tune to a lower f requency.
Releasetheknobwhenthedisplay
reaches the desired f requency.
The SEEK f unction
searches the band for a station with
a strong signal. To activate it, press
theSEEKbaroneitherthe or side, then release it.
Depending on which side you press,
the system scans upward or down-
ward f rom the current f requency. It
stops when it finds a station with a
strong signal. The SCAN f unction
samples all the stations with strong
signals on the selected band. To
activate it, press the SCAN button,
then release it. When the system is
intheSCANmode,SCNshowsin
the display. The system will scan up
the band for a station with a strong
signal. When it f inds one, it will stop
and play that station for about five
seconds. If you do nothing, the
system will then scan f or the next
strong station and play that for five
seconds. When it plays a station that
you want to continue listening to,
press the SCAN button again.
You can store the
f requencies of your f avorite radio
stations in the six preset buttons.
Each button will store one f requency
on the AM band, and two
f requencies on the FM band. 1.
2.
3.
4.
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
TUNE
SEEK
SCAN
Preset
127

µIf you are
traveling far from home and can no
longer receive the stations you
preset, you can use the Auto Select
feature to find stations in the local
area.
To activate Auto Select, press the
A. SEL button. A. SEL will f lash in
the display, and the system will go
into scan mode f or several seconds.
It automatically scans both bands,
looking f or stations with strong
signals. It stores the f requencies of
six AM stations and twelve FM
stations in the preset buttons. You
can then use the preset buttons to
select those stations.
If you are in a remote area, Auto
Select may not f ind six strong AM
stations or twelve strong FM stations.
If this happens, you will see a ‘‘0’’
displayed when you press any preset
button that does not have a station
stored. If you do not like the stations Auto
Select has stored, you can store
other f requencies in the preset
buttons. Use the TUNE, SEEK, or
SCAN f unction to f ind the desired
f requencies, then store them in the
selected preset buttons as described
previously.
Auto Select does not erase the
f requencies that you preset pre-
viously. When you return home, turn
of f Auto Select by pressing the
A. SEL button. The preset buttons
will then select the f requencies you
originally set.
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Audio System
AUTO SELECT
128
SEEK BARSCAN BUTTON
A.SEL BUTTON TUNE KNOB
AUTO SELECT INDICATOR