2005 HONDA ELEMENT child seat

2005 Element 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.h\
elminc.com. Contents


Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safety........................................................................\
........................................ .ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
............................................ .4
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
..................................... .7
Seat belts, SRS, and child protection
Instruments and Controls........................................................................\
........................................ .51
Indicators, gauges, dashboard, and steering column
Features ........................................................................\
...................................................................... 89
Climate, audio, steering wheel, security, cruise control, and HomeLink
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................121
Fuel, vehicle break-in, and cargo loading
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... .135
Engine and transmission operation
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................161
Schedules, fluid checking, minor services, and vehicle storage
Taking Care of the Unexpected........................................................................\
..............................195
Flat tire, dead battery, overheating, fuses
Technical Information........................................................................\
............................................ .219
Vehicle specifications, tires, fuels, and emissions controls
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................233
Warranty and contact information
Authorized Manuals (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................237
How to order
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
Fluid capacities and tire pressures
Owner's Identification Form

µ
This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts. It
explains how your airbags work. And
it tells you how to properly restrain
inf ants and children in your vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions . 8
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features . 9
.....................................
Seat Belts .10
.........................................
Airbags .11
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens . 12
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 12
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 12
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 14
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 15
5. Fasten and Position the ............................
Seat Belts .15
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .17
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 18 ...
Additional Safety Precautions . 19
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .20
..
Seat Belt System Components . 20
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .20
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .21
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 21
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .23
......
Airbag System Components . 23
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .24
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 26
How the SRS Indicator .......................................
Works .27
How the Side Airbag Cutof f ......................
Indicator Works .28
.............................
Airbag Service .28
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 29
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .30
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .30
All Children Should Sit in a .................................
Back Seat .31 The Passenger’s Front Airbag
...............
Poses Serious Risks . 31
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .33
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .33
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 34
Protecting Inf ants and .........................
Small Children .35
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .35
.........
Protecting Small Children . 36
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .37
....................
Installing a Child Seat .38
...............................
With LATCH .39
..........................
With a Seat Belt .41
..............................
With a Tether .43
...........
Protecting Larger Children . 44
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit . 44
..................
Using a Booster Seat . 45
When Can a Larger Child Sit in .........................................
Front .45
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 46
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 47
...................................
Saf ety Labels .48
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
7

µ
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.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your passengers
always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly (see page ).
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 ). 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.
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.
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. Children age 12and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat. Infants and small children
should be restrained in a child seat.
Larger children should use a booster
seat and a lap/shoulder belt until
they can use the belt properly
without a booster (see pages ).
15
163
46
30
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition Control Your Speed
Don’t Drink and Drive Be Aware of Airbag Hazards Restrain All Children
8

Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
to remind you and your passengers
to f asten your seat belts.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children. (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers. Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.
Always wear your seat belt, and
make sure you wear it properly.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
What You Should Do:
10
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.

µ
The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors are closed
and locked.
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 pages f or important
guidelines on how to properly
protect inf ants, small children, and
larger children who ride in your
vehicle. 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 drive
or ride in the f ront.
See page f or how to lock the
doors, and page f or how the door
monitor indicator works. Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.Your vehicle
has a door
monitor indicator on the instrument
panel to indicate when a specif ic
door or the tailgate or the hatch is
not tightly closed.
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 and f alling out.
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.
30 46 7057
Close and L ock the Doors
A djust the Front Seats
Introduction 1.
2.
Protecting A dults and Teens
12

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 checkup, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
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 front airbag.
Advice f or Pregnant Women
Protecting A dults and Teens
18
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.

The seat belt system
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel and a beeper to
remind you to f asten your seat belt. 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.
All 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 helprestrain your body.
The seat belts in all positions except
the driver’s 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 seat belt, pull it out only
as f ar as needed.
If you turn the ignition to ON (II)
bef ore f astening your seat belt, the
beeper will sound and the indicator
will f lash. If you do not f asten your
seat belt bef ore the beeper stops, the
indicator will stop f lashing but
remain on.
If you continue driving without
f astening your seat belt, the beeper
will sound and the indicator will f lash
again at regular intervals. The lap/shoulder belt goes over
your shoulder, across your chest,
and across your hips.
Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in all f our seating
positions. The f ront seat belts are
also equipped with automatic seat
belt tensioners.
1541
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
20

Your airbag system includes:Automatic seat belt tensioners
(see page ). In models with side airbags, one
for the driver and one for a front
passenger. The airbags are stored
in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked ‘‘SIDE
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe front impact,
or side impact in models with side
airbags. an
indicator on the dashboard that
alerts you that the passenger’s
side airbag has been turned of f
(see page ).
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbags,
sensors, or seat belt tensioners
(see page ). In models with side airbags,
sensors that can detect whether
a child is in the passenger’s side
airbag path and automatically
turn the airbag off (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).
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.’’
21 26
27 28
26
In models with side airbags,A irbag System Components
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
23