2004 HONDA INSIGHT ESP

Congratulations! Your selection of a 2004 Honda Insight was a wise
investment. It will give you years of driving pleasure.
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.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.
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.
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.
Introduction
WARNING: NOTICE:
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Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important
responsibility.
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. You will f ind this important saf ety inf ormation in a variety of f orms,
including:
This entire book is f illed with important saf ety inf ormation please read it
caref ully.
how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
such as Driver and Passenger Safety. such as Important Saf ety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions. These signal words mean: preceded by a saf ety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: , , or .
on the vehicle.
AFewWordsAboutSafety
Instructions Saf ety Section Saf ety Headings Saf ety Messages Saf ety L abels
DANGER WARNING CAUTION
ii
You CAN be HURT if you don’t follow
instructions. You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions. You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
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.
Since all children are saf est in the
back seat of a vehicle, and your
vehicle does not have a back seat, we
recommend that you do not carry achild passenger.
If a small child who must be
restrained in a f orward-f acing child
seat, or a larger child, must ride in
this vehicle, be sure to f ollow all
instructions and saf ety warnings in
this manual (see pages and ).
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
).
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.
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 ).
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 ).
9 127
27 32
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Important Saf ety Precautions
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Your Vehicle is Not
Recommended f or Child
Passengers Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and DriveControl Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Due to the
passenger’s airbag hazard, you should never carry an inf ant in arear-f acing child seat in t his vehicle.
6

During a f rontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
while the tensioner tightens and
locks the seat belt to help keep you
in place, and the airbag helps protect
your head and chest.
Although both airbags normally
inf late within a split second of each
other, it is possible f or only one
airbag to deploy.
This can happen if the severity of a
collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether
or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will provide
suf f icient protection, and the
supplemental protection of f ered by
the airbag would be minimal.Af ter inf lating, the airbags will
immediately def late, so they won’t
interf ere with the driver’s visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
The total time for inflation and
def lation is 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.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety20

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Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to properly protect child
passengers.
If you ever need to drive with a child
in your vehicle, be sure to read this
section. It begins with important
general guidelines, then presents
special inf ormation f or small
children and larger children.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.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be properly
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
(see
pages ).
(see pages
). 27 31
35 32
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
All Children Must Be Restrained
A small child must be restrained in
an approved child seat t hat isproperly secured t o t he vehicle
A larger child must be restrainedwith a booster until the seat belt fitshim/her properly
23
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 and
use a booster if necessary.

The Immobilizer System protects
your vehicle f rom thef t. If an
improperly-coded key (or other
device) is used, the engine’s f uel
system is disabled.
When you turn the ignition switch to
ON (II), the Immobilizer System
indicator should come on f or a f ew
seconds, then go out. If the indicator
starts to blink, it means the system
does not recognize the coding of the
key. Turn the ignition switch to
LOCK (0), remove the key, reinsert
it, and turn the switch to ON (II)
again.
The system may not recognize your
key’s coding if another immobilizer
key or other metal object (i.e. key
f ob) is near the ignition switch when
you insert the key.If the system repeatedly does not
recognize the coding of your key,
contact your Honda dealer.
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it. Electrical
problems could result that may make
your vehicle undriveable.
If you have lost your key and cannot
start the engine, contact a Honda
dealer.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.
Immobilizer Syst em
Inst rument s and Cont rols58

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Battery type: CR2025 If it takes several pushes on the
button to lock or unlock the doors
and the rear hatch, replace the
battery as soon as possible. To replace the battery, remove the
round cover on the back of the
transmitter by turning it
counterclockwise with a coin. Insert
a new battery with the side facing
up. Align the mark on the cover
with the mark on the
transmitter. Set the cover in place,
andturnitclockwise.
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.
Remote Transmitter
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Replacing the Transmitter
Battery
63
Open
Close BATTERY
ROUND
COVER

Radio signals, especially on the FM
band, are def lected by large objects
such as buildings and hills. Your
radio then receives both the direct
signal f rom the station’s transmitter,
and the def lected signal. This causes
the sound to distort or flutter. This is
a main cause of poor radio reception
in city driving.Radio reception can be af f ected by
atmospheric conditions such as
thunderstorms, high humidity, and
even sunspots. You may be able to
receive a distant radio station one
day and not receive it the next day
because of a change in conditions.
Electrical interf erence f rom passing
vehicles and stationary sources can
cause temporary reception problems.
As required by the FCC:
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
Radio Reception
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures82