2003 HONDA ODYSSEY ESP

T his Owner’s Manual should be considered
a permanent part of the vehicle, and should
remain with the vehicle when it is sold.
T he inf ormation and specif ications included
in this publication were in ef f ect at the time
of approval f or printing. Honda Motor Co.,
Ltd. reserves the right, however, to
discontinue or change specif ications or
design at any time without notice and
without incurring any obligation whatsoever. T his Owner’s Manual covers all models of
the Odyssey. You may f ind descriptions of
equipment and f eatures that are not on your
particular model.Si pref iere este Manual del
Propietario en español,
comuníquese con el concesionario
Honda.
POUR CLIENTS CANADIEN
A VIS IMPORT A NT : Si vous avez
besoin d’un Manuel du Conduct eur
en f rançais, veuillez demander à
votreconcessionnairede
commander le numéro de pièce
38S0X640
Owner’s Identif ication
OWNER
ADDRESS
V. I. N.
DELIVERY DATE
DEALER NAME DEALER NO.
ADDRESS
OWNER’S SIGNATURE
DEALER’S SIGNATURE
STREET
CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/
POSTAL CODE
(Date sold to original retail purchaser)
STREET
CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/
POSTAL CODE

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One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new Honda is to
read this manual. In it, you will learn how to operate its driving controls and
convenience items. Af terwards, keep this owner’s manual in your vehicle so
youcanrefertoitatanytime.
Several warranties protect your new Honda. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights
and responsibilities.
Maintaining your vehicle according to the schedules given in this manual
helps to keep your driving trouble-f ree while it preserves your investment.
When your vehicle needs maintenance, keep in mind that your Honda
dealer’s staf f is specially trained in servicing the many systems unique to
your Honda. Your Honda dealer is dedicated to your satisf action and will be
pleased to answer any questions and concerns. As you read this manual, you will
f ind inf ormation that is preceded by
a
symbol. This
inf ormation is intended to help you
avoid damage to your Honda, other
property, or the environment.
Calif ornia Proposition 65 Warning This product contains or emits chemicals known to the State of
Calif ornia to cause cancer and birth def ects or other reproductive harm. Congratulations Your selection of a 2003 Honda Odyssey was a wise
investment. It will give you years of driving pleasure.
Introduction
WARNING:
i

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Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important
responsibility.
You will f ind this important saf ety inf ormation in a variety of f orms,
including:
on the vehicle.
To help you make inf ormed
decisions about saf ety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other inf ormation on labels and in
this manual. This inf ormation alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your vehicle. You must
use your own good judgement. These signal words mean:
preceded by a saf ety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: , , or .
such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
how to use this vehicle correctly and safely. such as Important Saf ety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions.
This entire book is f illed with important saf ety inf ormation please read it
caref ully.
AFewWordsAboutSafety
Saf ety L abels
Saf ety Messages
Saf ety Section
Instructions Saf ety Headings DANGER WARNING CAUTION
ii
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions.
You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions.
You CAN be HURT if you don’t follow
instructions.

You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the
risk, but serious accidents can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. (See page
.)
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page .)
Children are saf est when they are
properly restrained in a back seat,
notthefrontseat.Achildwhoistoo
smallforaseatbeltmustbeproperly
restrained in a child saf ety seat. (See
page .) Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe f rontal collision.
So even though your vehicle is
equipped with airbags, make sure
you and your passengers always
wear your seat belts, and wear them
properly. (See page .)
17
24 10
288
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat BeltBe Aware of Airbag Hazards Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Restrain All Children Don’t Drink and Drive
6

The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult
occupants.
These instructions also apply to
children who have outgrown child
seats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page f or
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger
children.)Your vehicle has a door and tailgate
monitor light on the instrument
panel to indicate when a specif ic
door or the tailgate is not tightly
closed. Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors and
tailgate are closed and locked.
For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider f rom
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
See page f or how to lock the
doors. For saf ety, locking the doors reduces
the chance that a passenger,
especially a child, will open a door
while the vehicle is moving and
accidentally f all out. It also reduces
the chance of someone being thrown
out of the vehicle during a crash.
Any driver who sits too close to the
steering wheel is at risk of being
seriously injured or killed by striking
the steering wheel or f rom being
struck by an inflating front airbag
during a crash.
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Introduction A djust the Front Seats
Close and L ock the Doors
1. 2.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety13

Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to
protect young passengers.(See page
.)
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
other children in your vehicle, be
sure to read this section. To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle. Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In f act, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of death of children ages 12 and
under.
(See page .)
30
42
properly
All Children Must Be Restrained
Anychildwhoistoosmalltowearaseat belt should be properlyrest rained in a child seat .
A larger child should always berest rained wit h a seat belt , and use aboost er, if needed.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety24
Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt.

The total time for inflation and
def lation is approximately one-tenth
of a second, so f ast that most
occupants are not aware that the
airbags deployed until they see them
lying in their laps.
After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder f rom the airbag’s surf ace.
Although the powder is not harmf ul,
people with respiratory problems
mayexperiencesometemporary
discomf ort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is saf e to do
so.
Af ter inf lating, the f ront airbags
immediately def late, so they won’t
interf ere with the driver’s visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls. Your vehicle has a driver’s seat
position sensor as a part of the
advanced airbag system. The sensor
is located under the driver’s seat.
This sensor monitors the driver’s
seat sliding position and sends the
inf ormation to the control unit. If the
seat is too far forward, the control
unit will control the inf lation of the
driver’s airbag.
Do not put any cargo or metal
objects under the driver’s seat, and
do not cover the sensor with
anything, including the rear seat
passenger’s f eet.
This will cause the sensor to work
improperly and will damage it.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver’s Seat Posit ion Sensor
56

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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. You can insert or
remove the key only in this position.
To switch f rom ACCESSORY to
LOCK, you must push the key in
slightly as you turn it. The shif t lever
must also be in Park. The anti-thef t
lock will lock the steering column
when you remove the key.
The ignition switch is on the right
side of the steering column. It has
f our positions:
LOCK(0)
 ACCESSORY (I)
 ON (II)
 START (III)As required by the FCC: This device complies with Part 15 of theFCC rules. Operation is subject to thef ollowing two conditions: (1) This devicemay not cause harmf ul interf erence, and(2) this device must accept anyinterf erence received, includinginterf erence that may cause undesiredoperation.
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with IndustryCanada Standard RSS-210.Operation is subject to the f ollowing twoconditions: (1) this device may not causeinterf erence, and (2) this device mustaccept any interf erence that may causeundesired operation of the device.
CONT INUED
LOCK (0)
Ignition Switch
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols91