2003 HONDA INSIGHT brake

With the headlight switch of f or in
the position, the high beam
headlights and the high beam
indicator come on with reduced
brightness when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position and release the parking
brake. They remain on until you turn
the ignition switch of f , even if you
set the parking brake.
The headlights revert to normal
operation when you turn them on
with the switch.If you see a ‘‘CHECK DRL
SYSTEM’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display, there is a
problem with the daytime running
light system. Take your vehicle to a
dealer to have it checked.
Daytime Running L ights
Headlights
Inst rument s and Cont rols
123

The lid of the console compartment
canbeusedasanarmrest.
Make sure all items in the cargo area
are secured. Loose items can f ly
f orward and cause injury if you have
to brake hard (See
on page ).
Reverse this procedure to return the
seat-back to the upright position. Pull
on the seat-back to make sure it is
latched. If the seat-back is not
latched f ully, the seat belt will not
work properly and you will see the
redindicatorbehindtherelease
lever as shown on the previous page.
Make sure the seat-back and seat
cushion are locked securely and all
rear shoulder belts are positioned in
front of the rear seat-backs. 256
U.S. LX and EX models
Armrest
Carrying Cargo
Seats
146

To apply the parking brake, pull the
lever up f ully. To release it, pull up
slightly, push the button, and lower
the lever. The parking brake
indicator on the instrument panel
should go out when the parking
brake is f ully released (see page ).If you drive without releasing the
parking brake, a beeper will sound,
and you will also see a ‘‘RELEASE
PARKING BRAKE’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display.
63
Parking Brake
Inst rument s and Cont rols
151
PARKING BRAKE LEVER
EX model is shown.
Driving the vehicle with the parking
brake applied can damage the rear
brakes and hubs. A beeper will sound if
the vehicle is put into gear with the
parking brake on.

Push the CRUISE button on the
steering wheel. The CRUISE
MAIN indicator on the instrument
panel comes on.
Accelerate to the desired cruising
speedabove25mph(40km/h).Press and release the SET/
DECELbuttononthesteering
wheel. The CRUISE CONTROL
indicator on the instrument panel
comes on to show the system is
now activated.
Cruise control allows you to maintain
asetspeedabove25mph(40km/h)
without keeping your f oot on the
accelerator pedal. It should be used
f or cruising on straight, open
highways. It is not recommended f or
city driving, winding roads, slippery
roads, heavy rain, or bad weather.
Cruise control may not hold the set
speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your vehicle speed
increases going down a hill, use the
brakes to slow down. This will cancel
thecruisecontrol.Toresumetheset
speed, press the RES/ACCEL button.
The CRUISE CONTROL indicator
on the instrument panel will come
back on.
1.
2. 3.
On LX and EX modelsUsing the Cruise Control
Cruise Control
222
CANCEL
BUTTON
CRUISE BUTTON
RES/ACCEL
BUTTON
SET/DECEL
BUTTON
Improper use of the cruise
control can lead to a crash.
Use the cruise control only
when traveling on open
highways in good weather.

You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:Press and hold the RES/ACCEL
button. When you reach the
desired cruising speed, release the
button.
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RES/
ACCEL button. Each time you do
this, the vehicle will speed up
about 1 mph (1.6 km/h). Press and hold the SET/DECEL
button. Release the button when
you reach the desired speed.
To slow down in very small
amounts, tap the SET/DECEL
button. Each time you do this,
your vehicle will slow down about
1 mph (1.6 km/h).
You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Even with the cruise control turned
on, you can still use the accelerator
pedal to speed up f or passing. Af ter
completing the pass, take your foot
of f the accelerator pedal. The vehicle
will return to the set cruising speed.
Push on the accelerator pedal.
Accelerate to the desired cruising
speed, then press the SET/
DECEL button. Resting your f oot on the brake pedal
causes cruise control to cancel.
Tap the brake pedal lightly with
your f oot. The CRUISE
CONTROL indicator on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the vehicle slows to the
desired speed, press the SET/
DECEL button.
Changing the Set Speed
Cruise Control
Features
223

You can cancel cruise control in any
of these ways:Push the CANCEL button on the
steering wheel.
Push the CRUISE button on the
steering wheel. Tap the brake pedal. Pressing the CRUISE button turns
the system off and erases the
previous cruising speed. When you push the CANCEL button,
or tap the brake pedal, the system
will remember the previously-set
cruising speed. To return to that
speed, accelerate to above 25 mph
(40 km/h) and then press and
release the RES/ACCEL button. The
CRUISE CONTROL indicator comes
on. The vehicle will accelerate to the
same cruising speed as bef ore.
Tapping either of the paddle shif ters
shif ts the speed up or down, but does
not cancel the cruise control. For
more inf ormation on driving with
paddle shif ters, see page .
276
EX models onlyCanceling Cruise Control Resuming the Set Speed
Cruise Control
224
CRUISE BUTTON
CANCEL
BUTTON
RES/ACCEL
BUTTON
SET/DECEL
BUTTON

Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. Your vehicle is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 87 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise that can lead to engine damage.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km). Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your dealer f or service. Some
gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol. Your
vehicle is designed to operate on
oxygenated gasoline containing up to
10% ethanol by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol. If you
notice any undesirable operating
symptoms, try another service
station or switch to another brand of
gasoline.
Break-in Period
Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
244
T o help prevent harmf ul f uel system
and engine deposits, use high quality
f uel containing detergent and additives.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain harmf ul manganese-
based f uel additives such as MMT , if
such gasoline is available.

Park the vehicle, 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.
If the system still detects a leak in
the vehicle’s evaporative emissions
system, the malf unction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the f uel f ill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go of f ,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more inf ormation, see
page .
If the hood latch handle moves
stif f ly, or if you can open the hood
without lifting the handle, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated. Put your f ingers under the f ront
edge of the hood near the center.
Slide your hand to the lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle to the lef t to
release the hood. Lif t up the hood.
1.
2.
365 Opening and Closing the Hood
Service Station Procedures
248
LATCH
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
Pull