2005 Acura MDX Owner's Manual

For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out f ully and look f or
f rays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
the belts retract easily. If a belt does
not retract easily, cleaning the belt
may correct the problem (see page). Any belt that is not in good
condition or working properly will
not provide good protection and
should be replaced as soon as
possible.
Acura provides a lif etime warranty
on seat belts f or U.S. models. See
your
booklet f or details. If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
it must be replaced by the dealer. A
belt that has been worn during a
crash may not provide the same level
of protection in a subsequent crash.
The dealer should also inspect the
anchors f or damage and replace
them if needed. If the automatic seat
belt tensioners activate during a
crash, they must be replaced.
For inf ormation on how to clean your
seat belts, see page .
249
249
Acura Warranty Inf ormation
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt Maintenance
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
23
Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious
injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly when
needed.
Check your seat belts regularly
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible.

Your Airbag System (SRS) includes:Two SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System) f ront airbags. The driver’s
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the f ront
passenger’sairbagisstoredinthe
dashboard. Both are marked ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Two side curtain airbags, one f or
each side of the vehicle. The
airbags are stored in the f ront and
rear pillars and above the windows.
The f ront and rear pillars on both
sides are marked ‘‘SIDE
CURTAIN AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Two side airbags, one f or the
driver and one f or a f ront
passenger. The airbags are stored
in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked ‘‘SIDE
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
26
29
31
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
A irbag System Components
24
(5) (3)
(4)
(4)
(5)(2)
(10) (8) (10)(8)(9)
(11)
(7)
(9)(1)
(6)
(1) Driver’s Front Airbag
(2) Passenger’s Front Airbag
(3) Control Unit
(4) Seat Belt Tensioners
(5) Side Airbags
(6) Side Curtain Airbags
(7) Driver’s Seat Position Sensor
(8) Front Passenger’s Seat Weight Sensors
(9) Front Impact Sensor
(10) Side Impact Sensors
(11) Passenger Airbag Off Indicator

CONT INUED
Automatic front seat belt
tensioners (see page ).Weight sensors that monitor the
weight on the f ront passenger’s
seat. If the weight of an inf ant or
small child is detected, the
passenger’s f ront airbag will be
turned of f (see page ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe front impact or
side impact.
Height and position sensors that
can detect whether a child is in the
passenger’s side airbag path and
signal the control unit to turn the
airbag off (see page ).
A driver’s seat position sensor that
monitors the distance of the seat
from the front airbag. If the seat is
too f ar f orward, the airbag will
inf late with less f orce (see page
). A rollover sensor that can detect if
your vehicle is about to roll over
and signal the control unit to
deploy both side curtain airbags
and f ront seat belt tensioners (see
page ).
A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records inf ormation about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, the seat belt
tensioners, and driver and f ront
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition is in ON (II). Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you that the
passenger’s side airbag has been
turned of f (see page ).
An indicator on the dashboard that
alerts you that the passenger’s
f ront airbag has been turned of f
(see page ).
22
33
28 33
3332
31
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
25

Af ter inf lating, the f ront 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.
During a f rontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
and the f ront 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.
If you ever have a moderate to
severe f rontal collision, sensors will
detect the vehicle’s rapid
deceleration.
If the rate of deceleration is high
enough, the control unit will instantly
inf late the driver’s and f ront
passenger’s airbags, at the time and
with the f orce needed. Only the driver’s airbag can deploy if
the advanced airbag system has
turned the passenger’s airbag of f
(see page ).
33
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How Your Front Airbags Work
26

Your f ront airbags are also dual-
threshold airbags. Airbags with this
f eature have two deployment
thresholds that depend on whether
or not the occupant is wearing a seat
belt.
If the occupant’s belt , the
airbag will inf late at a slightly higher
threshold, when the airbag would be
needed to supplement the protection
provided by the seat belt.
Your f ront airbags are dual-stage
airbags. This means they have two
inf lation stages that can be ignited
sequentially or simultaneously,
depending on crash severity.
In a
crash, both stages
will ignite simultaneously to provide
the quickest and greatest protection.
In a crash, one stage will
ignite first, then the second stage
will ignite a split second later. This
provides longer airbag inf lation time
with a little less force.
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.
If the occupant’s belt is
,
the airbag will deploy at a slightly
lower threshold, because the
occupant would need extra
protection.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Dual-T hreshold A irbags
is latched
Dual-Stage A irbags
more severeless severe not lat ched
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
27

The passenger’s advanced f ront
airbag system has weight sensors
under the seat. Although Acura does
not encourage carrying an inf ant or
small child in f ront, if the sensors
detect the weight of an inf ant or
small child, the system will
automatically turn the passenger’s
front airbag off.
The driver’s advanced front airbag
system includes a seat position
sensor under the seat. If the seat is
positioned too f ar f orward, the
airbag will inf late with less f orce,
regardless of the severity of the
impact.
If there is a problem with the sensor,
the SRS indicator will come on, and
the airbag will inf late in the normal
manner regardless of the driver’s
seating position.
Your f ront airbags are also advanced
airbags. The main purpose of this
feature is to help prevent airbag-
caused injuries to short drivers and
children who ride in f ront.
For both advanced airbags to work
properly:
Occupants must sit upright and
wear their seat belts properly.
Do not spill any liquids on or
under the seats, cover the sensors,
or put any cargo or metal objects
under the f ront seats.
Back-seat passengers should not
put their f eet under the f ront seats.
Failure to f ollow these instructions
could damage the sensors or prevent
them f rom working properly.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Advanced Airbags
28
DRIVER’S
SEAT
POSITION
SENSOR PASSENGER’S
SEAT WEIGHT
SENSOR

When the airbag is turned of f , an
indicator in the center of the
dashboard will come on indicating
passenger airbag ‘‘OFF’’ (see page).
If there is no passenger in the f ront
seat, the airbag will be off. However,
the Passenger Airbag Of f indicator
will not come on.
Objects placed on the f ront
passenger seat can also cause the
passenger airbag to be shut of f .
To ensure that the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system will
work properly,
This includes: A rear passenger pushing or
pulling on the back of the
passenger’s seat. Moving the f ront seat f orcibly
back against cargo on the seat or
f loor behind it.
Hanging heavy items on the f ront
passenger seat, or placing heavy
items in the seat-back pocket.
If you ever have a moderate to
severe side impact, sensors will
detect rapid deceleration and signal
the control unit to instantly inf late
either the driver’s or the passenger’s
side airbag.
33
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
do not do anyt hing
t hat would increase or decrease t he weight on t he f ront passenger’s seat .
How Your Side A irbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
29

Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger’s side, the passenger’s
side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger.
To get the best protection f rom the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.Your vehicle has a side airbag cutof f
system designed primarily to protect
a child riding in the f ront passenger’s
seat.
Although Acura does not encourage
children to ride in f ront, if the height
and position sensors in the seat
detect a child has leaned into the
side airbag’s deployment path, the
airbag will shut off.If the Side Airbag Of f Indicator
comes on (see page ), have the
passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the airbag’s
deployment path, the system will
turn the airbag back on, and the
indicator will go out.
There will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of the airbag deployment
pathandwhentheindicatorcomes
on or goes of f .
A f ront seat passenger should not
use a cushion or other object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutof f
system f rom working properly.32
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Side A irbag Cut of f Syst em
30