2004 Acura TSX Owner's Manual

If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown f orward into the
dashboard and crush the child.
During a
crash, the belt could press deep
into the child and cause very
serious injuries. According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the f ront seat. The
National Highway Traf f ic Saf ety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
In the back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard
interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inf lating airbag
when they ride in the back.
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it inf lates with tremendous
speed.
If youarewearingaseatbelt,the
child can be torn f rom your arms
during a crash. For example, if
your car crashes into a parked car
at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 20-lb
(9 kg) inf ant will become a 600-lb
(275 kg) f orce, and you will not be
able to hold on. If the
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or very seriously injure an inf ant.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
A ddit ional Precaut ions t o Parent s
Neverholdaninfantorchildonyour lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand an inf ant or child. Inf ant s
Never put a rear-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s f ront airbag.Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children
22

To remind you of the passenger’s
f ront airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained
in the back seat, your car has
warninglabelsonthedashboardand
on the driver’s and f ront passenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, in a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children.) If the vehicle seat is too
f ar f orward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
36
CONT INUED
Small Children
Larger Children U.S. Models
Children who have outgrown child seat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s f ront airbag can behazardous.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety23

To remind you of the f ront airbag
hazards, your car has warning labels
on the driver’s and f ront passenger’s
visors. Please read and f ollow the
instructions on these labels.Your car has three seating positions
in the back seat where children can
be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry more than
three children in your car:
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
36
1318
15
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
If You Must Drive with Several
ChildrenCanadian Models
24

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 f rom
the passenger’s f ront airbag, and
paying close attention to a child
distracts the driver f rom the
important tasks of driving, placing
both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or f requent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.Using this f eature will
prevent children f rom opening the
doors and accidentally f alling out
(see page ). Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, inf ants and small
childrenleftinacaronahotday
can die f rom heatstroke. And
children lef t alone with the key in
the ignition can accidentally set
the car in motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others.
Using
this f eature will prevent children
f rom playing with the windows,
which could expose them to
hazards or distract the driver (see
page ). 87
97
CONT INUED
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
If a Child Requires Close
Attention Additional Saf ety Precautions
Use childproof door locks t o
prevent children f rom opening t hedoors. Do not leave children alone in your
car.
Use t he main power window swit ch t o prevent children f romopening t he rear windows.
25

The f ollowing pages give general
guidelines f or selecting and installing
child seats f or inf ants and small
children.
To provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Saf ety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer’s statement
of compliance on the box and seat.
Children
who play in cars can accidentally
get trapped inside the trunk and
be seriously injured or could die.
Teach your children not to play in
or around cars. Know how to
operate the emergency trunk
opener and decide if your children
should be shown how to use this
feature(seepage ).
Even very young
children learn how to unlock car
doors, turn on the ignition, and
openthetrunk,whichcanleadto
accidental injury or death. Childrenuptoaboutone
year old should be restrained in a
rear-f acing, reclining child seat. Only
a rear-f acing seat provides the
proper support to protect an inf ant’s
head, neck, and back. See page for additional information on
protecting inf ants. 30
88 General Guidelines f or Using
Child Seats
Select ing a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet saf et yst andards.
L ock all doors and t he t runk when
your car is not in use.
K eep car keys/remot etransmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
T he child seat should be of theproper t ype and size t o f it t he child. Inf ant s:
2.
1.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety26

A child who is too
large f or a rear-f acing child seat, and
who can sit up without support,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing child seat. See page f or
additional inf ormation on protecting
small children. Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not f it all
vehicle seating positions.
However, Acura is conf ident that one
or more child seat models can f it and
be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions in
your car.
Bef ore purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specif ic vehicle
seating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not f it, you may need to buy a
dif f erent one that will f it.
Your car has lower anchors installed
for use with LATCH (Lower
AnchorsandTethersforChildren)-
compatible child seats. For more
inf ormation, see page .
33 41
CONT INUED
Small Children:T he child seat should f it the
vehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27

This page brief ly summarizes
Honda’s recommendations on where
to place rear-facing and forward-
f acing child seats in your car.Never in the f ront seat, due
to the f ront airbag hazard.
The passenger’s f ront airbag
inf lates with enough f orce to kill
or seriously injure an inf ant in a
rear-facing child seat.
If a small child must ride in the
f ront, f ollow the instructions
provided in this section. A small child in a f orward-f acing
child seat is also at risk. If the
carseatistoofarforward,or
the child’s head is thrown
f orward during a collision, an
inf lating f ront airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child. Recommended
positions. Properly secure a f ront-
f acing child seat (see pages and ).Recommended positions.
Properlysecurearear-facing
child seat (see pages and ). Not recommended,
due to the f ront airbag hazard. If a
small child must ride in f ront,
move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position and secure a f ront-
facing child seat with the seat belt.
(see page ). 34
31 4134
41
Placing a Child Seat Front Passenger’s Seat
Inf ant s:
Back Seat sSmall children:
Inf ant s:
Small children:
Airbags Pose Serious
Risks to Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety28

Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:When you are not using a child seat,
either remove it and store it in a saf e
place, or make sure it is properly
secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
canbethrownoutof theseatina
crash and be seriously injured.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured
in the desired seating position.
To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as f irmly
as possible. Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure.
All child seats are
designed to be secured to the car
with the lap part of a lap/shoulder
belt. Some child seats can be
secured to the car’s LATCH
anchorage system instead. A child
whose seat is not properly secured
to the car can be endangered in a
crash. See pages , and for
instructions on how to properly
secure child seats in this car. However, a child seat does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ In some cars or
seating positions, it may be dif f icult
to install a child seat so that it does
not move at all. Some side-to-side or
back-and-f orth movement can be
expected and should not reduce the
child seat’s ef f ectiveness.
31 34 41
Inst alling a Child Seat
Storing a Child Seat
Secure the child in the child seat.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmly
secured.
Properly secure t he child seat t o the car.
1. 2.
3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety29