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.
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 passenger always wear
your seat belts, and wear them
properly. (See page ).
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat. Infants and small children
should be restrained in a child seat.
Larger children should use a booster
and a lap/shoulder belt until theycanusethebeltproperlywithouta
booster (see page ). Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
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 ).
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.
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.
14 29
139
Important Saf ety Precautions
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Restrain All ChildrenBe Aware of Airbag Hazards
Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Don’t Drink and Drive
6
——y
y
(yy
ÎÎ
Î
Your vehicle has several convenient
storage areas:Glove box
Front door and seat-back pockets
Console compartment
Trunk
Roof -rack (if installed)
However, carrying too much cargo,
or improperly storing it, can af f ect
your vehicle’s handling, stability,
stopping distance, and tires, and
make it unsaf e. Bef ore carrying any
type of cargo, be sure to read the
f ollowing pages.
Carrying Cargo
Bef ore Driving119
FRONT DOOR POCKET
TRUNK GLOVE BOX
CONSOLE COMPARTMENT
SEAT-BACK POCKET: On LX, U.S. EX, and Canadian Si models
——y
y
(y
y
Examine the new wiper blades. If
they have no plastic or metal rein-
f orcement along the back edge,
remove the metal reinf orcement
strips f rom the old wiper blade and
install them in the slots along the
edge of the new blade.Slide the new wiper blade into the
holder until the tabs lock.
Slide the wiper blade assembly
onto the wiper arm. Make sure it
locks in place.
Lower the wiper arm down against
the windshield.
To saf ely operate your vehicle, your
tires must be the proper type and
size, in good condition with adequate
tread, and correctly inf lated.
The f ollowing pages give more
detailed inf ormation on how to take
care of your tires and what to do
when they need to be replaced.
4. 5. 6. 7.
Wiper Blades, Tires
Maint enance
Tires
161
BLADE
REINFORCEMENT
Using tires that are excessively
worn or improperly inflated can
cause a crash in which you can
be seriously hurt or killed.
Follow all instructions in this
owner’s manual regarding tire
inflation and maintenance.
——y
y
(y
y
´
Wheels:
Tires:
If you ever replace a wheel, make
sure that the wheel’s specif ications
match those of the original wheels. See page f or DOT tire quality
grading inf ormation, and page
f or tire size explanation.
Tires marked ‘‘M S’’ or ‘‘All
Season’’ on the sidewall have an all-
weather tread design suitable for
most winter driving conditions.
For the best perf ormance in snowy
or icy conditions, you should install
snow tires or tire chains. They may
be required by local laws under
certain conditions.
If you mount snow tires on your
Honda, make sure they are radial
tires of the same size and load range
as the original tires. Mount snow
tires on all f our wheels. The traction
provided by snow tires on dry roads
maybelowerthanyouroriginaltires.
Check with the tire dealer f or
maximum speed recommendations.
Replace your tires with radial tires of
the same size, load range, speed
rating and maximum cold tire
pressure rating (as shown on the
tire’s side wall).
Mixing radial and bias-ply tires on
your vehicle can reduce braking
ability, traction, and steering
accuracy. Using tires of a dif f erent
size or construction can cause the
ABS to work inconsistently.
It is best to replace all f our tires at
thesametime.If thatisnotpossible
or necessary, replace the two f ront
tires or two rear tires as a pair.
Replacing just one tire can seriously
af f ect your vehicle’s handling.
(DX)
(LX, EX and Canadian Si)
(DX)199
198
(Canadian LX)
(U.S.EX,LX,CanadianSi)
Wheel and T ire Specif ications
Replacing T ires
Winter Driving
Snow T ires
Maint enance
Tires
165
14x51/2JJ
15x6JJ
P185/70R14 87S
P185/65R15 86H
P195/60R15 88H
Installing improper tires on your
vehicle can affect handling and
stability. This can cause a crash
in which you can be seriously
hurt or killed.
Always use the size and type of
tires recommended in this
owner’s manual.
——y
y
(y
y
Because your Honda has limited tire
clearance, mount only SAE Class ‘‘S’’
cable-type traction devices, with
rubber chain tensioners on the f ront
tires. Use traction devices only when
required by driving condition or local
laws.Makesuretheyarethecorrect
size f or your tires. Metal link-type
‘‘chains’’ should not be used.
When installing cables, f ollow the
manuf acturer’s instructions, and
mount them as tight as you can.
Make sure they are not contacting
the brake lines or suspension. Drive
slowly with them installed. If you
hear them coming into contact with
the body or chassis, stop and
investigate. Remove them as soon as
you begin driving on cleared roads.
Tires
Tire Chains
Maint enance166
NOTICE:Traction devices that are the
wrong size or improperly installed can
damage your vehicle’s brake lines,
suspension, body, and wheels. Stop
driving if they are hitting any part of
the vehicle.
——y
y
(y
y
µ
µ µ
There are three popular types of
prof essional towing equipment.
The tow
truck uses two pivoting arms that go
under the tires (f ront or rear) and lif t
them of f the ground. The other two
tires remain on the ground. Release the parking brake.
Shif t the transmission to Neutral.
Release the parking brake.
Start the engine.
ShifttoD,thentoN.
Turn of f the engine.
If your vehicle needs to be towed,
call a prof essional towing service or,
organization. Never tow your vehicle
behind another vehicle with just a
rope or chain. It is very dangerous.
The operator
loads your vehicle on the back of a
truck. The tow
truck uses metal cables with hooks
on the ends. These hooks go around
parts of the f rame or suspension and
the cables lif t that end of the vehicle
of f the ground. Your vehicle’s sus-
pension and body can be seriously
damaged.
If your Honda cannot be transported
by f lat-bed, it should be towed by
wheel-lif t equipment with the f ront
wheels of f the ground. If , due to
damage, your vehicle must be towed
with the f ront wheels on the ground,
do the f ollowing:
5-speed Manual Transmission:
Automatic Transmission:
Emergency T owing
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
Wheel-lif t Equipment
Flat -bed Equipment Sling-t ype Equipment
T his is
an acceptable way to tow your
Honda. This is the best way to trans-
port your Honda. T his method of towing
is unacceptable.
190
NOTICE: Improper towing preparation
will damage the transmission. Follow
the above procedure exactly. If you
cannot shif t the transmission or start
the engine (automatic transmission),
your vehicle must be transported with
the f ront wheels of f the ground.
——y
y
(y
y
µµµ
Î Î µ
µ µµ µ µ µ µµµµµµµµ
ÎÎÎÎ Î
Î Î ÎÎÎ
ÎÎ
Î
Specif ications
T echnical Inf ormation197
Air Conditioning
Fuses
Alignment
Battery
Lights
Tires
HFC-134a (R-134a)
17.6 19.4 oz (500 550 g) SP-10
12 V 60 W (HB3)
2°14’0°45’
0°
0.00 in (0.0 mm)
P185/65R15 86H P185/70R14 87S
0.08 in (2.0 mm)
Refrigerant type
Charge quantity
Lubricant oil type
Interior
Under-hood
Toe-in
CamberCaster
Capacity 12 V 36 AH/5 HR
Headlights
Front turn signal/side marker
lights
Rear turn signal lights
Stop/Taillights/Rear side
marker lights
Back-up lights
Taillights
High-mount brake light
License plate lights
Ceiling light
Front ceiling light
Spotlights
Trunk light 12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
12 V
5W
8W
5W
8W
3CP
21 W
3CP
21 W
21/5 W
21 W
27/8 W
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm
)
30 psi (210 kPa , 2.1 kgf/cm)
T125/70D15 95M
T115/70D14 88M
Size
Pressure See page 189 or the fuse label
attached to the inside of the fuse
box door under the steering
column.
See page 188 or the fuse box
cover.
12 V 51 W (HB4)
5W P195/60R15 88H
1: 2: DX
Canadian LX
U.S.: DX, LX without ABS
U.S.: LX with ABS, EX
Canada: LX, Si
U.S.: EX
Canada: SiLX HighLow
Front/Rear
Spare
Front/Rear
Spare
FrontRear
FrontRear
Front
U.S.: LX, EX, Canada: Si
Canada: DX
1: 2:3:4: 5:
1 2 123
45
1
——y
y
(yy
µµ µ µ µ µ µ µ
µ µ µ µ
The temperature grades are A (the
highest), B, and C, representing the
tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material
of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature
can lead to sudden tire f ailure. The
grade C corresponds to a level of
perf ormance which all passenger
vehicle tires must meet under the
Federal Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard No. 109. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of
perf ormance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by
law.
Warning: The temperature grade f or
this tire is established f or a tire that
is properly inf lated and not over-
loaded. Excessive speed, underinf la-
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or in combination, can
cause heat buildup and possible tire
f ailure.
Date of manuf acture.
Tire type code.
Manuf acturer’s
identification mark.
This indicates that the tire
meets all requirements of
the U.S. Department of
Transportation.
Tire Identif ication Number (TIN) is
a group of numbers and letters that
look like the f ollowing example TIN.
Speed symbol (an
alphabetical code indicating
the maximum speed rating).
Load index (a numerical code
associated with the maximum
load the tire can carry).
Rim diameter in inches.
Tire construction code (R
indicates radial).
Whenever tires are replaced, they
should be replaced with tires of the
same size. Following is an example
tire size with an explanation of what
each component means. Aspect ratio (the tire’s section
height as a percentage of its
width).
Tire width in millimeters.
Vehicletype(Pindicates
passenger vehicle).
The tires that came on your vehicle
have a number of markings. Those
you should be aware of are described
below. P 225 55 R 16 94 V DOT B97R
FW6X 2202
Temperature A,B,C
Tire Labeling
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles), T ire L abeling
T ire Ident if icat ion Number
Tire Size
T echnical Inf ormation199
DOT B97R FW6X 2202
P225/55R 16 94V
——y
y
(yy