2005 HONDA ELEMENT tailgate

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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

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During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash. If you are not wearing a
seat belt in crash, you could be
thrown f orward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt, the child can be torn
from your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed. Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous.
For example, infants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition can accidentally set the
vehicle in motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others. Children who play in vehicles
can accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles.
Even very
young children learn how to
unlock vehicle doors, turn on the
ignition, and open the tailgate or
hatch, which can lead to accidental
injury or death.
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child.
Never let two children use thesame seat belt .
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap. Do not leave children alone in a
vehicle. Lock all doors, the tailgate and the
hat ch when your vehicle is not inuse.
K eep vehicle keys and remot et ransmit t ers (on some models) outof t he reach of children.
34

Your vehicle’s exhaust contains
carbon monoxide gas. You should
have no problem with carbon
monoxide entering the vehicle in
normal driving if you maintain your
vehicle properly.High levels of carbon monoxide can
collect rapidly in enclosed areas,
such as a garage. Do not run the
engine with the garage door closed.
Even with the door open, run the
engine only long enough to move the
vehicle out of the garage.
Have the exhaust system inspected
f or leaks whenever:
The vehicle is raised f or an oil
change.
You notice a change in the sound
of the exhaust.
The vehicle was in an accident
that may have damaged the
underside. With the tailgate/hatch open, air
f low can pull exhaust gas into your
vehicle’s interior and create a
hazardous condition. If you must
drive with the tailgate/hatch open,
openallthewindowsandsetthe
heating and cooling system as shown
below.
Select the f resh air mode.
Select the mode.
Turn the f an on high speed.
Set the temperature control to a
comfortable setting.
If you must sit in your parked vehicle
with the engine running, even in an
unconf ined area, adjust the heating
and cooling system as f ollows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Carbon Monoxide Hazard
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
47
Carbon monoxide gas is toxic.
Breathing it can cause
unconsciousness and even kill
you.
Avoid any enclosed areas or
activities that expose you to
carbon monoxide.

This section gives inf ormation about
the controls and displays that
contribute to the daily operation of
your vehicle. All the essential
controls are within easy reach............................
Control Locations .52
............................
Instrument Panel .53
..........
Instrument Panel Indicators . 54
.............................................
Gauges .58
...................................
Trip Meter .58
.....................................
Odometer .58
..................................
Fuel Gauge .58
..........
Check Fuel Cap Indicator . 59
...................
Temperature Gauge . 59
Controls Near the Steering .......................................
Wheel .60
.
Windshield Wipers and Washers . 61
...........
Turn Signal and Headlights . 62
........
Instrument Panel Brightness . 63
.................
Hazard Warning Button . 63
.................
Rear Window Def ogger . 63
..........
Steering Wheel Adjustment . 64
...............................
Keys and Locks .65
........................
Immobilizer System .66
.......................
Remote Transmitter .67
................................
Ignition Switch .69
......................................
Door Locks .70
......................
Power Door Locks .70
..................................
Rear Doors .70
............................................
Hatch .71
........................................
Tailgate .72 .................................................
Seats .73
........................
Seat Adjustments .73
Driver’s Seat Height ..............................
Adjustment .74
...................
FrontSeatArmrests . 74
..........................
Head Restraints .75
........................
Rear Seat Access .75
..........
Reclining the Front Seats . 76
...............
Folding the Rear Seats . 77
..........
Removing the Rear Seats . 79
..............................
Power Windows .81
.............................................
Mirrors .82
....
Adjusting the Power Mirrors . 82
.................................
Rear Windows .83
.................................
Parking Brake .83
............................................
Skylight .83
...........
Interior Convenience Items . 86
.......................
Beverage Holders .87
..........
Accessory Power Sockets . 87
....................................
Glove Box .87
.................................
Interior Lights .88
................................
Ceiling Light .88
........................
Cargo Area Light .88
.....................................
Spotlights .88
..................
Ignition Switch Light . 88
Instruments and Controls
Inst rument s and Cont rols
51

Î
ÎThe U.S. instrument panel is shown. Dif f erences f or the Canadian models are noted in the text.
Instrument Panel
Inst rument s and Cont rols
53
IMMOBILIZER
SYSTEM
INDICATOR
MAINTENANCE
REQUIRED INDICATOR DOOR-OPEN
INDICATOR
CRUISE CONTROL
INDICATOR
LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR
PARKING BRAKE AND
BRAKE SYSTEM
INDICATOR
CHARGING SYSTEM
INDICATOR LOW FUEL INDICATOR
HIGH BEAM INDICATOR
TAILGATE AND HATCH
OPEN INDICATOR
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM INDICATOR
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE
SYSTEM INDICATOR
SEAT BELT
REMINDER
INDICATOR
SIDE AIRBAG OFF
INDICATOR
(P.57)
(P.55)(P.
56)
(P.55)
(P.55)(P.57)
(P.57)
(P.55)
(P.56)
(P.56)
(P.54)
(P.54,
210)
(P.54, 209)
(P.54,
211)
(P.54,
209)
CHECK FUEL CAP
INDICATOR(P. 59)

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Canadian models onlyThis indicator reminds you that it is
time to take your vehicle in for
scheduled maintenance.
This indicator comes on if any door
is not closed tightly. This indicator comes on if the
tailgate or the hatch is not closed
tightly. This indicator comes on when the
washer f luid level is low. Add washer
f luid when you see this indicator
come on (see page ). Ref er to the maintenance schedules
f or normal and severe driving
conditions on pages
.
For the f irst 8,000 miles (12,800 km)
af ter the maintenance required
indicator is reset, it will come on f or
2 seconds when you turn the ignition
switch to ON (II).
Between 8,000 miles (12,800 km)
and 10,000 miles (16,000 km), this
indicator will come on f or 2 seconds
when you first turn the ignition
switch to ON (II), and then flash for
10 seconds. Hold the button for about 10
seconds until the indicator goes
of f . Press and hold the Select/Reset
button on the instrument panel,
then turn the ignition switch to
ON (II). Turn of f the engine.
Your dealer will reset this indicator
af ter completing the scheduled
maintenance. If this maintenance is
notdonebyyourdealer,resetthe
indicator as f ollows. If you exceed 10,000 miles (16,000
km) without having the scheduled
maintenance perf ormed, this
indicator will remain on as a constant
reminder.
1.
2.
3.
174
165 166
Washer L evel Indicator
Maintenance Required
Indicator
Door-open Indicator Tailgate and Hatch Open
Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
Inst rument s and Cont rols
57

To lock or unlock the hatch.Lock the hatch by pushing down
the lock tab on the driver’s door
(see page ), or by using the
master key in the driver’s door
lock.
Lock or unlock the hatch with the
master door lock switch.
With the hatch unlocked, open it by
pulling the handle and lif ting up.
To close the hatch, lower it, then
press down on the back edge.
When both the hatch and tailgate are
open, the hatch cannot be latched
without f irst closing the tailgate.
Useyourmasterkeytolockand
unlock the hatch. Turn the key
clockwise to lock the hatch, and
counterclockwise to unlock it. 70
Door L ocks
Hatch
Inst rument s and Cont rols
71
UNLOCK
LOCK

Youcanopenthetailgateonlywhen
the hatch is open. To open the
tailgate, slide the lock lever to the
lef t and swing down the tailgate. To
close the tailgate, lif t it up and push
it f irmly until it latches.
Bef ore closing the tailgate, make
sure the hatch is raised. Closing the
tailgate on the lowered hatch can
damage the hatch and the tailgate.See page for information on
cargo loading. Keep the tailgate and
the hatch closed at all times while
driving to avoid damaging them, and
to prevent exhaust gas f rom getting
into the interior. See
on page .
130
47
Door L ocks
Tailgate Carbon
Monoxide Hazard
72