2003 HONDA INSIGHT Owners Manual

Your vehicle is equipped with f ront
disc brakes. The brakes on the rear
wheels are drum. A power assist
helps reduce the ef f ort needed on
thebrakepedal.TheABShelpsyou
retain steering control when braking
very hard.
Resting your f oot on the pedal keeps
the brakes applied lightly, builds up
heat, reduces their ef f ectiveness and
reduces brake pad lif e. In addition,
f uel economy can be reduced. It also
keeps your brake lights on all the
time, conf using drivers behind you.Check the brakes after driving
through deep water. Apply the
brakes moderately to see if they f eel
normal. If not, apply them gently and
f requently until they do. Be extra
cautious in your driving.
Constant application of the brakes
when going down a long hill builds
up heat and reduces their
ef f ectiveness. Use the engine to
assist the brakes by taking your f oot
of f the accelerator and downshif ting
to a lower speed.
Braking System
Driving
285

The hydraulic system that operates
the brakes has two separate circuits.
Each circuit works diagonally across
the vehicle (the lef t-f ront brake is
connected with the right-rear brake,
etc.). If one circuit should develop a
problem, you will still have braking
at two wheels.If the brake pads need replacing, you
will hear a distinctive, metallic
screeching sound when you apply
the brake pedal. If you do not have
the brake pads replaced, they will
screech all the time. It is normal f or
the brakes to occasionally squeal or
squeak when you apply them.
The f ollowing f eatures are also
equipped:
With the shift lever in D, S or L, this
f eature applies brake pressure
brief ly as you release the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle f rom
moving unexpectedly.
This f eature helps you apply the
brakes with less f orce during an
emergency braking situation.
Creep Aid System
Brake-Assist
Braking System Design Brake Pad Wear Indicators
Braking System
286

The anti-lock brake system (ABS)
helpspreventthewheelsfrom
locking up, and helps you retain
steering control by pumping the
brakes rapidly, much f aster than a
person can do it.
The electronic brake distribution
(EBD) system, which is part of the
ABS, also balances the f ront-to-rear
braking distribution according to
vehicle loading.Let the ABS work f or you by always
keeping f irm, steady pressure on the
brake pedal. This is sometimes
ref erred to as ‘‘stomp and steer.’’
You will f eel a pulsation in the brake
pedal when the ABS activates, and
you may hear some noise. This is
normal: it is the ABS rapidly
pumpingthebrakes.Ondry
pavement, you will need to press on
thebrakepedalveryhardbeforethe
ABS activates. However, you may
feel the ABS activate immediately if
you are trying to stop on snow or ice.If this indicator comes on, the anti-
lock f unction of the braking system
has shut down. The brakes still work
like a conventional system, but
without anti-lock. You should have
your dealer inspect your vehicle as
soon as possible.
When the ABS indicator comes on,
you will also see a ‘‘CHECK ABS
SYSTEM’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display.
If the ABS indicator comes on while
driving, test the brakes as shown on
page .
366You should never pump the brake pedal.
CONT INUED
ABS Indicator
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS)
Driving
287

If the ABS indicator and the brake
system indicator come on together,
and the parking brake is f ully
released, the EBD system may also
be shut down.
Test your brakes as instructed on
page . If the brakes f eel normal,
drive slowly and have your vehicle
repaired by your dealer as soon as
possible. Avoid sudden hard braking
which could cause the rear wheels to
lock up and possibly lead to a loss of
control.Always steer moderately
when you are braking hard. Severe
or sharp steering wheel movement
can still cause your vehicle to veer
into oncoming traffic or off the road.
on loose or
uneven surfaces, such as gravel or
snow, than a vehicle without anti-
lock.
such as trying to take a
corner too f ast or making a sudden
lane change. Always drive at a safe
speed f or the road and weather
conditions. It only helps with steering
control during braking.
366 Important Saf ety Reminders ABS cannot prevent a loss of
stability.
A vehicle with A BS may require a
longer distance to stop
A BS will not prevent a skid that
results f rom changing direction
abruptly, A BS does not reduce the time or
distance it takes to stop the
vehicle.
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS)
288

If you think you can saf ely drive a
short distance to a service station,
proceed slowly to the station, then
inflate the tire to the recommended
pressure.
Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Becausetirepressurevariesby
temperature and other conditions,
the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator may come on unexpectedly. If the tire is flat, or if the tire
pressure is too low to continue
driving, replace the tire with the
compact spare tire (see page ).
When the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator is on, one or more of your
tires is signif icantly underinf lated.
Youshouldstopandcheckyourtires
as soon as possible, and inflate them
to the proper pressure as indicated
on the vehicle’s tire inf ormation
placard.
Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that turns on every time you start the
engine and monitors the pressure in
your tires while driving.
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes signif icantly low, the
sensor in that tire immediately sends
a signal that causes the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator in the
instrument panel to come on. If this
happens, you will see a ‘‘CHECK
TIRE PRESSURE’’ message on the
multi-inf ormation display.
If you cannot make the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator and
message on the multi-inf ormation
display go out af ter inf lating the tires
to the specified values, have your
dealer check the system as soon as
possible. 348
CONT INUED
U.S. models onlyLow Tire Pressure/
TPMS Indicator
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Driving
289

For example, if you check and f ill
your tires in a warm area, then drive
in extremely cold weather, the tire
pressure will be lower than
measured and could be underinf lated
and cause the low tire pressure/
TPMS indicator to come on. Or, if
youcheckandadjustyourtire
pressure in cooler conditions, and
drive into extremely hot conditions,
thetiresmaybecomeoverinflated.
However, the low tire pressure/
TPMS indicator will not come on if
thetiresareoverinflated.
Refer to page for tire inflation
guidelines.Although your tire pressure is
monitored, you must manually check
thetirepressuresmonthly.
Each tire, including the spare, should
be checked monthly when the
vehicle is cold, and set to the
recommended inf lation pressure as
specif ied on the vehicle placard and
intheowner’smanual(seepage
).
If there is a problem with the TPMS,
you will see the above message on
the multi-information display.
If you see this message, the system
is of f and is not monitoring the tire
pressures. Have the system checked
by your dealer as soon as possible.
If there is a problem with the TPMS,
this indicator begins to f lash. It stops
flashing after approximately 1
minute, then stays on. You will also
see a ‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’
message on the multi-inf ormation
display (see TPMS System Failure). 338
339 TPMS System Failure
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
290

This indicator and the warning
message on the multi-inf ormation
display will go of f , af ter several miles
(kilometers) driving, when the spare
tire is replaced with the specified
regular tire equipped with the tire
pressure monitor sensor.
Also, the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator begins to f lash, then stays
on (see page ).
If the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator comes on, or the multi-
inf ormation display shows a
‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’ message,
the VSA system automatically turns
on even when the VSA system is
turned of f by pressing the VSA OFF
switch (see page ). If this
happens, you cannot turn the VSA
system of f by pressing the VSA OFF
switch again.
When you restart the vehicle with
thecompactsparetire,theTPMS
system message will also be
displayed on the multi-inf ormation
display af ter several miles
(kilometers) driving. If you have a f lat tire, the low tire
pressure/TPMS indicator will come
on. Replace the f lat tire with the
compact spare tire (see page ).
After the flat tire is replaced with the
spare tire, the low tire pressure/
TPMS indicator stays on while
driving. Af ter several miles
(kilometers) driving, this indicator
begins to f lash, then stays on again.
You will also see a ‘‘CHECK TPMS
SYSTEM’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display. This is normal;
the system cannot monitor the spare
tire pressure. Manually check the
sparetirepressuretobesureitis
correct.
Each wheel (except the compact
sparetirewheel)isequippedwitha
tire pressure sensor. You must use
TPMS specif ic wheels. It is
recommended that you always have
your tires serviced by your dealer or
qualif ied technician.
289
294 349
CONT INUED
Changing a T ire with T PMS
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Driving
291

Never use a puncture-repairing agent
in a f lat tire. If used, you will have to
replace the tire pressure sensor.
Havetheflattirerepairedbyyour
dealer as soon as possible.This device complies with the
appropriate requirements or the
required standards. See page f or
more inf ormation.
392
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
292