2005 HONDA ELEMENT ECU

Whatever type you have, f ollow
the child seat maker’s instructions
f or adjusting or tightening the f it.Remove the head restraint (see
page ). Make sure the removed
head restraints are secured in the
cargo area, and reinstalled when
the child seat is removed.
Slide the anchor cover open.
Route the tether strap over the top
of the seat-back, making sure the
strap is not twisted.
Other LATCH-compatible seats have
a f lexible-type connector as shown
above.
5.
4. 6.7.
75
Installing a Child Seat
40
Flexible type TETHER ANCHOR
ANCHOR COVER

CONT INUED
With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker’s instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the
buckle.
When not using the LATCH system,
all child seats must be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a lap/
shoulder belt.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure. Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchor, then tighten the
strap as instructed by the child
seat maker. In addition, the lap/shoulder belts in
all seating positions except the
driver’s have a locking mechanism
that must be activated to secure a
child seat.
1.
8.
9.
Installing a Child Seat
Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
41
TETHER ANCHOR
TETHER STRAP HOOK

Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract f ully, then repeat these
steps.
Af ter conf irming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat while
pulling up on the belt.
To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor.
Af ter the belt has retracted, tug on
it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
thebeltout,itisnotlocked,and
you will need to repeat these steps.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child
seat, unlatch the buckle, unroute
the seat belt, and let the belt f ully
retract.
4.
5.
2.
3.
Installing a Child Seat
42

A child seat with a tether can be
installed in either seating position in
the back seat, using one of the
anchorage points shown above.Af ter securing the child seat in the
desired position (see page ),
remove the head restraint, then
route the tether strap over the top
of the seat-back.
Tighten the strap according to the
seat maker’s instructions. Slide the anchor cover open, then
attach the tether strap hook to the
anchor, making sure the strap is
not twisted.
Since a tether can provide additional
security to the lap/shoulder belt
installation, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available. 1.
3. 2.
41
Installing a Child Seat with a
Tether
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
43
TETHER STRAP HOOK
ANCHOR POINTS
TETHER ANCHOR
ANCHOR COVER TETHER ANCHOR

If you decide that a child can saf ely
ride up f ront, be sure to:Caref ully read the owner’s manual,
and make sure you understand all
seat belt instructions and all saf ety
inf ormation.
Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position.
Have the child sit up straight, back
against the seat, and feet on or
near the f loor. This could result in
serious neck injuries during a crash.
This could cause
very serious injuries during a crash.
It also increases the chance that the
child will slide under the belt in a
crash and be injured.
If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.
Devices intended to improve a
child’s comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can make
the belt less ef f ective and increase
the chance of serious injury in a
crash.
Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can saf ely ride in the
f ront, there are other important
f actors you should consider.
To saf ely ride in f ront, a child must
be able to f ollow the rules, including
sitting properly, and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride.
Physically, a child must be large
enough f or the lap/shoulder belt to
properly f it (see page ). If the seat
belt does not f it properly, with or
without the child sitting on a booster
seat, the child should not sit in f ront.
Check that the child’s seat belt is
properly and securely positioned.
Supervise the child. Even mature
children sometimes need to be
reminded to f asten the seat belts
or sit properly.
44 Additional Saf ety Precautions
Do not let a child wear a seat belt
across t he neck.
Do not let a child put the shoulderpart of a seat belt behind t he back orunder t he arm.
T wo children should never use t hesame seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on a seatbelt.
Maturity
Physical Size
Protecting L arger Children
46

Make sure the rear window is clear
and you have good visibility bef ore
starting to drive.
Thedefoggerwiresontheinsideof
the rear window can be accidentally
damaged. When cleaning the glass,
always wipe side-to-side.Push the lever up to lock the
steering wheel in that position.
Make sure you have securely
locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up and down.
Make any steering wheel adjustment
bef ore you start driving. Push the lever under the lef t side
of the steering column all the way
down.
To adjust the steering wheel upward
or downward:
Move the steering wheel up or
down to the desired position.
Make sure you can see the
instrument panel gauges and the
indicators.
1.
2. 3.
4.
Steering Wheel A djustment
Rear Window Def ogger, Steering Wheel A djustment
64
Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and be seriously injured
inacrash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the vehicle is stopped.

You can recline the seat-backs on the
f ront seats so they are level with the
rear seat cushions, making a large
cushioned area. To do this:Adjust the front seats forward as
f ar as they will go. Pull up the seat-
back angle adjustment lever and
pivot the seat-back backward until
it is level with the rear seat
cushion.
Move the f ront seat backward
until it touches the rear seat.
Adjust the rear seat-back to the
desired position.
Reverse this procedure to return the
f ront and rear seats to the upright
position. Make sure you install the
head restraints and the seats are
locked securely bef ore driving.
When you return the seat-back to
the upright position, hold the seat-
back to keep it f rom going up too
quickly.
Remove the head restraints f rom
the f ront seats (see page ), and
store them in the side pockets of
the cargo area.
1. 2.
3.
4.
75
Reclining the Front Seats
Seats
76

A fastening strap is attached to the
inside of the seat cushion. While
pushing the seat up and toward
thesidewall,hookthefastening
straptothegrabrail.Fold down the seat support.Reverse this procedure to return the
rear seat to the upright position.
When not in use, store the fastening
strap hook in the f abric pocket on
the bottom of the seat cushion.
Make sure the seat is locked
securely.
4. 5.
Seats
78
GRAB RAIL
FASTENING STRAP SEAT SUPPORT