2003 HONDA ELEMENT spare wheel

Your vehicle has a compact spare
tire that takes up less space. Use this
sparetireasatemporaryreplace-
ment only. Get your regular tire
repaired or replaced and put it back
on your vehicle as soon as you can.Thecompactsparetirehasashorter
tread lif e than a regular tire. Replace
it when you can see the tread wear
indicator bars. The replacement
should be the same size and design
tire, mounted on the same wheel.
Thecompactsparetireisnot
designed to be mounted on a regular
wheel, and the compact wheel is not
designed f or mounting a regular tire.
Check the inf lation pressure of the
compact spare tire every time you
check the other tires. It should be
inf lated to:
This tire gives a harsher ride and
less traction on some road sur-
f aces than the regular tire. Use
greater caution while driving on
this tire. Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h)
under any circumstances.
Follow these precautions whenever
you are using the compact spare tire: Do not mount snow chains on the
compact spare.
Do not use the compact spare tire
if you are towing a trailer.
The wheel of the compact spare
tire is designed especially to f it
your vehicle. Do not use your
sparetireonanothervehicle
unlessitisthesamemakeand
model.
Compact Spare Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed276
INDICATOR LOCATION MARK
TREAD WEAR INDICATOR BAR
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm)

Push the rear edge of the handle
to raise the handle loop and pull up
the loop to raise the cargo area
f loor.
Unscrew the wing bolt and take
the spare tire out of the cargo area.Remove the tools and the jack. To
remove the jack, turn the jack’s
end bracket counterclockwise to
loosen it.
Loosen the f ive wheel nuts 1/2
turn with the wheel wrench.
8.
7.
6. 5.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed278
JACK WHEEL NUTS

Bef ore mounting the spare tire,
wipeanydirtoff themounting
surface of the wheel and hub with
a clean cloth. Wipe the hub
carefully,itmaybehotfrom
driving.Put on the spare tire. Put the
wheel nuts back on f inger-tight,
then tighten them in a crisscross
pattern with the wheel wrench
until the wheel is f irmly against
the hub. Do not try to tighten
them f ully.Lower the vehicle to the ground
and remove the jack.
12.
13.14.
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Changing a Flat T ire
280
BRAKE HUB

CONT INUED
Tighten the wheel nuts securely in
the same crisscross pattern. Have
the wheel nut torque checked at
the nearest automotive service
f acility.
Tighten the wheel nuts to:Store the jack in its holder. Turn
the jack’s end bracket to lock it in
place. Store the tools.
Remove the center cap from the
f lat tire, and store it in the spare
tire well.
Removethewingboltonthespare
tire mount, and pivot the arm 90°
to the upright position. Then
tighten the wing bolt securely.
15. 16.
17.
18.
Changing a Flat T ire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed281
80 lbf·ft (108 N·m , 11 kgf·m)Loose items can fly around the
interior in a crash and could
seriously injure the occupants.
Store the wheel, jack, and tools
securely before driving.

ÎCONT INUED
.................................
Saf ety Features .7
.........................................
Airbags .10
..................................
Door Locks .11
..........................
Head Restraints .11
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
.....................
Seats & Seat-Backs .11
.............
Saf ety Labels, Location of . 61
...............................
Saf ety Messages . ii
.....................................
Seat Belts .8, 50
...............
Additional Information . 50
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 21
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .52
.....................................
Cleaning .271
................
Lap/Shoulder Belt . 17,50
................................
Maintenance .53
Reminder Light and ................................
Beeper .50, 67
................................
Replacement .53
...................
System Components . 50
...............
Use During Pregnancy . 21
...
Wearing a Lap/Shoulder Belt . 17
........................
Seats, Adjusting the .92
...............................
Serial Number .304
...........................
Service Intervals .212
...........................
Service Manual .323 .........
Service Station Procedures . 159
..................
Setting the Clock . 130,142
.....
Shif t Lever Position Indicator . 178
........................
Shif t Lock Release .183
..............................
Side Airbags .10, 56
....................
Cutof f Indicator .58, 67
Side Marker Lights, Bulb ..............................
Replacement .260
...............................
Signaling Turns .77
..........................................
Skylight .107
..............
Removing and Storing . 108
.....................................
Snow Tires .254
...................
Solvent-type Cleaners . 268
........................
Sound System .126, 137
......................................
Spare Tire .276
................
Spark Plugs, Replacing . 238
....................
Specif ications Charts . 306
................................
Speed Control .153
...................................
Speedometer .72
.......................................
Spotlights .114
..........
SRS, Additional Inf ormation . 54
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 59
.............................
Airbag Service .59
How the Side Airbag Cutof f ...........
Indicator Light Works . 58
..
How the SRS Indicator Works . 57How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work .54
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 56
........................
SRS Components .54
.............................
SRS Indicator .57 ,67
....
START (Ignition Key Position) . 86
..............
State Emissions Testing . 316
.......................
Starting the Engine .174
In Cold Weather at High ..................................
Altitude .175
................
With a Dead Battery . 285
........
Steam Coming f rom Engine . 288
Steering Wheel ..................................
Adjustment .82
.............
Anti-theft Column Lock . 85
...........
Stereo Sound System . 126,137
....................
Storing Your Vehicle .266
Supplemental Restraint ................................
System .10, 54
......................................
Servicing .59
.........................
SRS Indicator .57 ,67
...................
System Components . 54
..................................
Synthetic Oil .222
Index
VII