2004 Acura MDX lock

The seat belts in all seating positions
except the driver’s have an additional
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat (see
page ).
If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking
mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move f reely.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt f ully retract. To
ref asten the belt, pull it out only as
f ar as needed.For added protection, the f ront seat
belts are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners. When activated,
the tensioners immediately tighten
the belts to help hold the driver and
a f ront passenger in place.When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
manner. The tensioners are designed to
activate in any collision severe
enough to cause a f ront, side, or side
curtainairbagtoinflate.
However, the tensioners can be
activated during a collision in which
there is no airbag deployment. In
this case, the airbags would not be
needed, but the additional restraint
provided by the tensioners could be
helpf ul.
44
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety20

µ
Your vehicle has two rows of back
seats where children can be properly
restrained. If you ever have to carry
a group of children, and a child must
ride in f ront:Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page ). Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
f rontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
If a child requires close physical
attention or f requent visual contact,
we strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in a back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.
If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward and crash the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt the child can be torn
from your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed.
During a crash, the belt
could press deep into the child and
cause serious or f atal injuries.
This can prevent children
f rom accidentally f alling out (see
page ).
11
16
14 48
80
If You Must Drive with Several
Children
If a Child Requires Close
AttentionAdditional Saf ety Precautions
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfor a child.
Use childproof door locks t oprevent children f rom opening t hedoors.
36

µ
This
will prevent children f rom playing
with the windows, which could
expose them to hazards or distract
thedriver(seepage ).
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous.
For example, infants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition can accidentally set the
vehicle in motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others. Children
who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles. Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the tailgate, which can
lead to accidental injury or death.
90
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Use t he main power window
swit ch t o prevent children f romopening t he rear windows.
Do not leave children alone in avehicle. L ock all doors and t ailgat e when
your vehicle is not in use. K eep vehicle keys and remot e
transmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
37

Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back.
An inf ant must be properly
restrained in a rear-f acing, reclining
child seat until the child reaches the
seat maker’s weight or height limit
f or the seat, and the child is at least
one year old.Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision. When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront passenger f rom
moving the seat as far back as
recommended, or f rom locking the
seat-back in the desired position. A rear-f acing child seat should
always be installed in a back seat, not
in the front. Even with advanced
airbags, which can automatically
turn the passenger’s f ront airbag of f
(see page ), a back seat is the
saf est place f or an inf ant.
In either of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat in a dif f erent back
seating position or get a smaller rear-
f acing child seat.30
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat ina f orward-f acing position. Child Seat Placement
38
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death during a
collision.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.

When not using the LATCH system,
all child seats must be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a lap/
shoulder belt.
In addition, the lap/shoulder belts in
the back seating positions, and in the
f ront passenger seat, have a locking
mechanism that must be activated to
secure a child seat.With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker’s instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the
buckle.To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor.
Af ter the belt has retracted, tug on
it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
thebeltout,itisnotlocked,and
you will need to repeat these steps.
1.
2.
3.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
44

CONT INUED
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat while
pulling up on the belt.Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is f irmly secured. If
the child seat is not secure,
unlatch the belt, allow it to retract
f ully, then repeat these steps.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt f ully retract. A child seat with a tether can be
installed in any seating position in
the second or third row.
Since a tether can provide additional
security to the lap/shoulder belt
installation, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available. (Tethers are required in
Canada.)
Conf irm that the belt is locked,
then grab the shoulder part of the
belt near the buckle, and pull up to
remove any slack from the lap part
of the belt. Remember, if the lap
part of the belt is not tight, the
child seat will not be secure.
4.
5.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Installing a Child Seat with a
Tether
45

This section gives inf ormation about
the controls and displays that
contribute to the daily operation of
your Acura. All the essential controls
are within easy reach............................
Control Locations .56
............................
Instrument Panel .57
....................
Instrument Indicators .58
.............................................
Gauges .66
Controls Near the Steering ...........................................
Wheel .68
Windshield Wipers and ...................................
Washers .69
Rear Window Wiper and .....................................
Washer .71
...........
Turn Signal and Headlights . 72
........
Instrument Panel Brightness . 74
.................
Hazard Warning Button . 74
.................
Rear Window Def ogger . 75
.........................................
Fog Light .75
..........
Steering Wheel Adjustment . 76
..................................................
Keys .77
........................
Immobilizer System .78
................................
Ignition Switch .79
......................................
Door Locks .80
.......................
Remote Transmitter .81
.................................................
Seats .84
....................................
Seat Heaters .89
..............................
Power Windows .90
.........................................
Moonroof .91
.................................
Parking Brake .92 .............................................
Mirrors .92
Driving Position Memory ..........................................
System .94
.................................
Interior Lights .96
...........
Interior Convenience Items . 98
.......................
Beverage Holders .99
...............
Console Compartment . 99
....................................
Glove Box .99
...................
Rear Compartment . 100
.............................
Cargo Hooks .100
...................................
Sun Visor .100
............................
Vanity Mirror .100
........
Accessory Power Sockets . 101
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Instruments and Controls
55

Control L ocations
Inst rument s and Cont rols56
MIRROR
CONTROLS
HOOD RELEASE
HANDLEPARKING BRAKE
PEDALREAR A/C CONTROL ACCESSORY POWER SOCKET GLOVE BOX AUDIO SYSTEM
CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM
GAUGES
POWER DOOR LOCK
SWITCHES
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES FUEL FILL DOOR
RELEASE
INSTRUMENT PANEL (P.
57)
(P.66)
(P.80)
(P.92)
(P.90)
(P.160) (P.159) (P.92) (P.109)
(P.101)(P.110)
(P.99)
(P.104)