2005 Acura MDX ECO mode

T his Owner’s Manual should be considered
a permanent part of the vehicle and should
remain with the vehicle when it is sold.
T his Owner’s Manual covers all models of
theMDX.Youmayfinddescriptionsof
equipment and f eatures that are not on your
particular model.
T he inf ormation and specif ications included
in this publication were in ef f ect at the time
of approval f or printing. Honda Motor Co.,
Ltd. reserves the right, however, to
discontinue or change specif ications or
design at any time without notice and
without incurring any obligation whatsoever.
Owner’s Identif ication
POUR CLIENTS CANADIEN
A VIS IMPORT A NT : Si vous avez
besoin d’un Manuel du Conduct eur
en f rançais, veuillez demander à
votreconcessionnairede
commander le numéro de pièce
33S3V840
OWNER
ADDRESS
V. I. N.
DELIVERY DATE
DEALER NAMEDEALER NO.
ADDRESS
OWNER’S SIGNATURE
DEALER’S SIGNATURE
STREET
CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/
POSTAL CODE
(Date sold to original retail purchaser)
STREET
CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/
POSTAL CODE

The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:
They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.
Your vehicle also has side curtain
airbags to help protect the heads of
the driver, f ront passenger, and
passengers in the outer rear seating
positions during a moderate to
severe side impact or rollover (see
page f or more inf ormation on how
your side curtain airbags work). 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. 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.
Remember, however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in a severe
crash, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
31
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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.
Airbags can pose serious hazards. What you should do:
12

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 ).
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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

µ
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
f orce to cause very serious injuries.
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in a
back seat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
age 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
Children who ride in back are less
likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back. Even though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system, which
can automatically turn the
passenger’s f ront airbag of f (see
page ), please f ollow the
guidelines below.
If
the airbag inf lates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
inf ant. If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children.)
33
50
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Inf ant s
Never put a rear-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag. Small Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
Larger ChildrenChildren who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
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Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision.
An inf ant must be properly
restrained in a rear-f acing, reclining
child seat until the child reaches the
seat maker’s weight or height limit
for the seat and the child is at least
one year old.
Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back. A rear-f acing child seat can be placed
in any seating position in the back
seat, but not in the f ront. Never put a
rear-f acing child seat in the f ront
seat.
When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront passenger f rom
moving the seat as far back as
recommended, or f rom locking the
seat-back in the desired position. If the passenger’s f ront airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough f orce to kill or
seriously injure an inf ant.
Or, it can interf ere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype
Child Seat Placement
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat in a f orward-f acing position.
40

Some states also require children to
use a booster seat until they reach a
given age or weight (e.g., 6 years or
60lbs).Besuretocheckcurrent
laws in the state or states where you
intend to drive.
If a child who uses a booster seat
must ride in f ront, move the vehicle
seat as far to the rear as possible,
and be sure the child is wearing the
seat belt properly.A child may continue using a booster
seat until the tops of their ears are
even with the top of the vehicle’s or
booster’s seat-back. A child of this
height should be tall enough to use
the lap/shoulder belt without a
booster seat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
age 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
If the passenger’s f ront airbag
inf lates in a moderate to severe
f rontal collision, the airbag can cause
serious injuries to a child who is
unrestrained, improperly restrained,
sitting too close to the airbag, or out
of position.
A side airbag also poses risks. If any
part of a larger child’s body is in the
path of a deploying side airbag, the
child could receive possibly serious
injuries.
Booster seats can be high-back or
low-back. Whichever style you select,
make sure the booster seat meets
f ederal saf ety standards and that you
f ollow the booster seat maker’s
instructions.
Protecting L arger Children
When Can a L arger Child Sit in
Front
52

These labels are in the locations
shown. They warn you of potential
hazards that could cause serious
injury. Read these labels caref ully.
If a label comes of f or becomes hard
to read (except for the U.S.
dashboard label which is removed by
the owner), contact your Acura
dealer f or a replacement.
CONT INUED
U.S. models only
Saf ety L abels
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
55
RADIATOR CAP
HOOD DASHBOARD
BATTERY LABEL