2004 HONDA ODYSSEY Owners Manual

Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched.
The center belt in the third row has a
shoulder belt that must be attached
to the lap belt before the seat belt is
used (see page ).
Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt so the lap part f its snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
Check that the belt is not twisted.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. If necessary, pull up on the shoulder
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.
15
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
5.
Using a L ap/Shoulder Belt
14
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.

CONT INUED
Insert the hook at the end of the
shoulder belt plate into the metal
loop on the latch plate marked
CENTER.Makesuretheshoulder
belt is not twisted, as a twisted belt
can cause serious injuries in a crash.
Pull on the shoulder belt to make
sure it is securely attached.
Unlatch the metal shoulder belt plate
f rom the anchor on the ceiling, then
extend the belt by pulling the metal
plate.
The f ront seats and second row seats
have adjustable seat belt anchors. To
adjust the height of an anchor, press
andholdthereleasebuttonandslide
the anchor up or down as needed
(the anchor has f our positions).
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Using t he L ap/Shoulder Belt in t he
Cent er Posit ion of t he T hird Row
15
METAL
HOOK
LATCH PLATE
RELEASE
BUTTON METAL PLATE

Pull upon the shoulder belt again to
remove any slack, then check that
the belt rests across the center of
your chest and over your shoulder.This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.
Position the lap belt as low as
possible across your hips, then pull
on the loose end of the lap belt f or a
snug but comf ortable f it.
Insert the latch plate on the lap belt
into the buckle marked CENTER. If
the belt is too short, hold the latch
plate at a right angle and pull on the
plate to extend the belt. Then insert
the latch plate into the buckle, and
tug on the lap and shoulder belts to
make sure the belt is securely
latched. Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your Honda dealer check the
belt as soon as possible.
20
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Never place t he shoulder port ion of alap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
No one should sit in a seat wit h aninoperat ive seat belt .
16

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
inflating f ront airbag. Being struck
by an inf lating side airbag can
possibly result in serious injuries.
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
off.
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.
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.
74
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
A djust the Steering Wheel 7.
6.
17
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.

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.
This will reduce the risk of injuries
to both you and your unborn child
that can be caused by a crash or an
inflating front airbag.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
All passengers
must sit in locked, upright seats
andbeproperlyrestrainedbyseat
belts.
A passenger who is not
wearing a seat belt during a crash
or emergency stop can be thrown
against the inside of the vehicle,
against other occupants, or out of
the vehicle.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Advice f or Pregnant Women Additional Saf ety Precautions
Never let passengers ride in t he
cargo area or on t op of a f olded-down back seat .
Passengers should not st and up orchange seats while the vehicle ismoving.
T wo people should never use t hesame seat belt .
Driver and Passenger Saf ety18

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 objects in
your mouth, can result in injuries
if your f ront airbag inf lates.
If your
hands or arms are close to an
airbag cover, they could be injured
if the airbag inf lates. Objects on
the covers marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG’’
could interf ere with the proper
operation of the airbags. Or, if the
airbags inflate, the objects could
be propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone.
If a side airbag
inflates,acupholderorotherhard
object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
vehicle and hurt someone.
This could make the driver’s
seat position sensor or the f ront
passenger’s seat weight sensors
inef f ective (see page f or
more inf ormation). This could
cause problems with the driver’s
seat position sensor or the f ront
passenger’s seat weight sensors
(see page f or more
inf ormation). 28
34
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not put any accessories on seat belts.
Do not place hard or sharp object sbet ween yourself and a f rontairbag.
K eep your hands and arms awayf rom t he airbag covers. Do not at t ach or place object s on
the f ront airbag covers.
Do not at t ach hard object s on ornear a f ront door.
Do not modif y t he f ront seat s. Do not place any it ems under
t he f ront seat s.
19

Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in all seven seating
positions. The f ront seat belts are
also equipped with automatic seat
belt tensioners.Most seat belts are a one-piece lap/
shoulder belt. This seat 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.The seat belts in all positions except
the driver’s and the center seat in
the third row 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.
The seat belt system
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to f asten your seat
belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not
fastened before the ignition is turned
to ON (II), the indicator will come on
and a beeper will also sound. 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. 46
14
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
(Except cent er posit ion of t hird row)
20

µAll 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.
To unlatch the belt, push the red
PRESS button on the buckle and
detach the shoulder belt f rom the lap
belt.
When properly assembled, the
combination lap belt and shoulder
belt in this position goes over your
shoulder, across your chest, and
over your hips (see pages for belt assembly, latching, and
positioning instructions). 15
16
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
(Cent er posit ion of t hird row)
21