2004 HONDA PILOT steering

2004 Pilot Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.helminc.com.
Contents
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
............................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety ........................................................................\
.................................................. ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance ........................................................................\
....................................................... 2
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
............................................... 5
P roper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restraint System.
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
...................................................45
Instrument panel indica tor and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering column controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features........................................................................\
................................. 81
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other convenience features.
Before Driving ........................................................................\
....................................................... ..............123
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving........................................................................\
...................................................................................135
The proper way to start the engine, shift the tr ansmission, and park, plus towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
....................................................... ..................159
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
.......................................195
This section covers several problems motorists someti mes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Information........................................................................\
....................................................... 215
ID numbers, dimensions, capaciti es, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)...................................................................... 229
A summary of the warranties covering your new Honda, and how to contact us.
Index ........................................................................\
......................................................................................... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

Your Vehicle at a Glance
3
HEADLIGHTS/TURN SIGNALS
LIGHT CONTROL
SWITCH
REMOTE AUDIO
CONTROLS STEERING WHEEL
ADJUSTMENT CRUISE CONTROL
WINDSHIELD WIPERS/
WASHERS REAR WINDOW
DEFOGGER VTM-4
LOCK
HORN
(P. 58)
(P. 79)
(P.101) (P.61) (P.
116)
(P.57)
(P.
60)
(P.
142 )
CRUISE
CONTROL
MASTER
SWITCH
(P. 116) HAZARD WARNING
BUTTON
(P.
59)

µµ
This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains how your
airbags work. And it tells you how to
properly restrain infants and
children in your vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
...........................................
Airbags .9
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens . 10
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 10
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 10
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 11
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 12
5. Fasten and Position the ...
Lap/Shoulder Seat Belts . 12
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 14
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .14 .....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 15
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 16
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .17
..
Seat Belt System Components . 17
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .17
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .18
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 19
Additional Inf ormation About ..........................
Your Airbags .19
......
Airbag System Components . 19
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .20
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 22
How the SRS Indicator Light .......................................
Works .23
How The Side Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .23
.............................
Airbag Service .24
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 24
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .25
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .25 All Children Should Sit in the
.................................
Back Seat .26
The Passenger’s Front Airbag .........
Can Pose Serious Risks . 26
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .28
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .28
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 28
...........................
Protecting Inf ants .29
.............
Protecting Small Children . 30
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .31
....................
Installing a Child Seat .32
Installing a Child Seat Using .....................................
LATCH .33
Installing a Child Seat with a ..................
Lap/shoulder Belt . 35
Installing a Child Seat with a ......................................
Tether .37
...........
Protecting Larger Children . 38
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit . 39
..................
Using a Booster Seat . 39
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 41
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 42
...................................
Saf ety Labels .43
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety5

Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
Some saf ety f eatures do not require
anyactiononyourpart.These
include a strong steel f ramework
that forms a safety cage around the
passenger compartment; f ront and
rear crush zones, a collapsible
steering column, and seat belt
tensioners that tighten the front seat
belts in the event of a crash.
However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
saf ety f eatures unless you remain
sitting in a proper position and
always wear your seat belts properly.
Infact,somesafetyfeaturescan
contribute to injuries if they are not
used properly.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers.
CONT INUED
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Driver and Passenger Saf ety7
(7)(10)(9) (3) (1) (4)
(2)
(6)
(10)
(7) (8)
(5)
(2)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats & Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Airbags
(8) Front Seat Belt Tensioners
(9) Door Locks
(10) Side Airbags

Your vehicle has a Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) with f ront
airbags to help protect the heads and
chests of the driver and a front seat
passenger during a moderate to
severe f rontal collision (see pagef or more inf ormation on how
your f ront airbags work). Your vehicle also has side airbags to
help protect the upper torso of the
driver or a f ront seat passenger
during a moderate to severe side
impact. (See page f or more
information on how your side airbags
work.)
Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright, and as f ar back f rom the
steering wheel while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. A f ront
passenger should move their seat as
f ar back f rom the dashboard as
possible. The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:
They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.
To do
their job, airbags must inf late with
tremendous f orce. So while
airbags help save lives, they can
cause minor injuries or more
serious or even fatal injuries if
occupants are not properly
restrained or sitting properly.
20 22
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Airbags
What you should do:
Airbags do not replace seat belts.
A irbags of f er no prot ect ion in rearimpact s, or minor f ront al or sidecollisions.A irbags can pose hazards.
9

Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors and
tailgate are closed and locked.
Your vehicle has a door and tailgate
monitor indicator on the instrument
panel to indicate when a specif ic
door or the tailgate is not tightly
closed.Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain f ull control of the vehicle.
Have a front passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
If you sit too close to the steering
wheel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inf lating f ront
airbag, or by striking the steering
wheel or dashboard.
See page f or how to lock the
doors, and page f or how the
monitor light works. Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop. Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers f rom
accidentally opening a door and
f alling out.
The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Remember however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injures or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even where seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver, adult passengers
and teenage children who are large
enough and mature enough to ride in
the front seat.
See page f or important guidelines
on how to properly protect inf ants,
small children, and larger children
who ride in your vehicle.
65
26
50
Close and L ock the Doors
A djust the Front Seats
1. 2.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety10

The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest.Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comf ortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comf ortable, upright
position.See page f or how to adjust seat-
backs.
If you cannot get f ar enough away
f rom the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure
the seat is locked into position. See
page f or how to adjust the f ront
seats. Reclining a seat-back so that the
shoulder part of the belt no longer
rests against the occupant’s chest
reduces the protective capability of
the belt. It also increases the chance
of sliding under the belt in a crash
and being seriously injured. The
farther a seat-back is reclined, the
greater the risk of injury.
68 68
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
11
Reclining the seat-back too far
can result in serious injury or
death in a crash.
Adjust the seat-back to an
upright position, and sit well
back in the seat.
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.

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.
This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.
61
17
Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Steering Wheel
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
7.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
14