2004 Acura TL Owner's Manual

Properly adjusted head restraints
will help protect occupants f rom
whiplash and other crash injuries.
See page f or how to adjust the
head restraints.Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Also check
that the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash.
Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
thebeltsothelappartfitssnugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
89
Protecting A dults and Teens
Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
5.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety14
Improperly positioning head
restraints reduces their
effectiveness, and you can be
seriously injured in a crash.
Make sure head restraints are
in place and positioned properly
before driving.

If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack, then check that
the belt rests across the center of
your chest and over your shoulder.
This spreads the f orces of a crash
over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm
instead of your shoulder, you need to
adjust the seat belt anchor height.This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash. To adjust the height of a f ront seat
belt anchor, press and hold the
release buttons, and slide the anchor
up or down as needed (it has f our
positions).
CONT INUED
Protecting A dults and Teens
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety15
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.

If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your Acura dealer check the
belt as soon as possible.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.
Adjust the steering wheel, if needed,
so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your f ace. This
provides optimal protection f rom the
f ront airbag.
See page f or how to adjust the
steering wheel.After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on seat belts, it is
very important that they continue to
sit upright, well back in their seats,
with their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is parked and the engine is
of f .
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
19
78
Protecting A dults and Teens
No one should sit in a seat wit h aninoperat ive seat belt .
Adjust the Steering Wheel Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
7.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety16

In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inf lating airbag.If you are pregnant, the best way to
protect yourself and your unborn
child when driving or riding in a
vehicle is to always wear a seat belt,
and keep the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across the hips.When driving, remember to sit
upright and adjust the seat as f ar
back as possible while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. When riding
as a f ront passenger, adjust the seat
as far back as possible.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive. This will reduce the risk of injuries
to both you and your unborn child
that can be caused by a crash or an
inf lating airbag.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Advice f or Pregnant Women
Driver and Passenger Saf ety17
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.

If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can
reduce the protective capability of
the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash. Carrying hard or sharp
objects on your lap, or driving with
a pipe or other sharp object in
your mouth, can result in injuries
if your airbags inflate.
Objects on the
covers marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG’’
could interf ere with the proper
operation of the airbags or be
propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone if the airbags inf late. If a side airbag
or a side curtain airbag inf lates, a
cupholderorotherhardobject
attached on or near the door could
be propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone.
If your
hands or arms are close to an
airbag cover, they could be injured
if the airbags inf late.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Additional Saf ety Precautions
T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on seatbelts. Do not place hard or sharp object s
bet ween yourself and a f rontairbag.
Do not at t ach or place object s onthe airbag covers. Do not at t ach hard object s on or
near a f ront door.
K eep your hands and arms awayf rom t he airbag covers.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety18

Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in all f ive seating
positions. The f ront seat belts are
also equipped with automatic seat
belt tensioners.The seat belt system
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to f asten your belts.
If you turn the ignition switch to ON
(II) without f astening your belt, a
beeper will sound and the indicator
will blink. The beeper will stop af ter
a f ew seconds, but the indicator will
stay on until the driver’s seat belt is
f astened.
If you do not f asten your seat belt
bef ore the beeper stops, the
indicator will stop blinking but
remain on. If you continue driving
without f astening your seat belt, the
indicator will start blinking again and
the beeper will sound at regular
intervals. The lap and shoulder belt goes over
your shoulder, across your chest,
and across your hips.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is
latched (see page f or how to
properly position the belt).
To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESSbuttononthebuckle.Guide
the belt across your body so that it
retracts completely. Af ter exiting the
vehicle, be sure the belt is out of the
way and will not get closed in the
door.
All seat belts have an emergency
locking retractor. In normal driving,
the retractor lets you move f reely in
your seat while it keeps some
tension on the belt. During a collision
or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.
The seat belts in all 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.
14
40
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
Driver and Passenger Saf ety19

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.The tensioners are designed to
activate primarily in f rontal collisions,
andtheyshouldactivateinany
collision severe enough to cause
airbag inflation.
However, the tensioners can be
activated during a collision in which
the airbags do not deploy. In this
case, the airbags would not be
needed, but the additional restraint
could be helpf ul.
When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
manner.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Driver and Passenger Saf ety20

For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Acura provides a lif etime warranty
on seat belts f or U.S. models. See
your
booklet f or details.If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
it must be replaced by the dealer. A
belt that has been worn during a
crash may not provide the same level
of protection in a subsequent crash.
The dealer should also inspect the
anchors f or damage and replace
them if needed. If the automatic seat
belt tensioners activate during a
crash, they must be replaced.
For inf ormation on how to clean your
seat belts, see page .
Pull each belt out f ully, and look f or
f rays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
the belts retract easily. Any belt that
is not in good condition or not
working properly will not provide
good protection and should be
replaced as soon as possible.
218
Acura Warranty Inf ormation
Seat Belt Maintenance
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety21
Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious
injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly when
needed.
Check your seat belts regularly,
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible.