2006 HONDA ELEMENT key

To lock all of the doors and hatch,
press the door lock switch on either
f ront door, or press the lock tab
down on the driver’s door, or use the
keyontheoutsidelock.
Pressing up on the door lock switch
will unlock all of the doors and the
hatch.To open the rear door, pull the rear
door handle located in the rear door
edge. The rear door can be opened
only when the f ront door is open.
To close the doors, close the rear
door first, then the front door. The
f ront door cannot be latched without
f irst closing the rear door. Closing
the rear door on the f ront door will
damage both doors.
To unlock the driver’s door f rom the
outside, turn the key and release it. To lock the driver’s door, remove the
key f rom the ignition switch, pull the
outside door handle and push the
lock tab down or push the door lock
switch down. Release the handle,
then close the door. The lock tab on the passenger’s door
locks and unlocks only that door.
Pulling up on the driver’s door lock
tab only unlocks the driver’s door.
Power Door L ocks
Rear Doors
Door L ocks
70
DOOR LOCK SWITCH
LOCK TAB

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

These sockets are intended to supply
power f or 12 volt DC accessories
that are rated 120 watts or less (10
amps).Open the glove box by pulling the
bottom of the handle. Close it with a
f irm push. Lock or unlock the glove
box with the master key.
Be caref ul when you are using the
beverage holders. A spilled liquid
that is very hot can scald you or your
passengers. Spilled liquids can also
damage the upholstery, and
electrical components in the interior.
Your vehicle has one or two
accessory power sockets, depending
on the model. All models have a
f ront accessory power socket on the
dashboard above the glove box.
The EX model has another
accessory power socket in the cargo
area on the passenger’s side. None of the sockets will power an
automotive type cigarette lighter
element. When more than one
socket is being used, the combined
power rating of the accessories
should be 120 watts or less
(10 amps).
Interior Convenience Items
Beverage Holders
Glove Box
A ccessory Power Sockets
Inst rument s and Cont rols
87
An open glove box can cause
serious injury to your passenger
inacrash,evenifthe
passenger is wearing the seat
belt.
Always keep the glove box
closed while driving.

The ceiling light has a three-position
switch: ON, Door Activated, and
OFF.
In the Door Activated (center)
position, the light comes on when
you:Open any door.
Remove the key from the ignition.
If you do not open a door, the light
f ades out in about 30 seconds.
Unlock the doors with the key or
remote transmitter. The cargo area light has a three-
position switch. In the center
position, the light comes on when
you open the hatch.
The ignition switch light comes on
when you unlock the driver’s door,
and f ades out about 30 seconds af ter
you close the door. Turn on the spotlight by pushing the
lens. Push the lens again to turn it
of f . You can use the spotlights at all
times.
On U.S. EX models and Canadian Ypackage
Interior Lights
Ceiling L ight Spotlights
Cargo Area Light
Ignition Switch L ight
88
ON
OFF DOOR ACTIVATED

Apply the parking brake.
In cold weather, turn of f all
electrical accessories to reduce
the drain on the battery.
Push the clutch pedal down all the
way.
Make sure the shif t lever is in
Park. Press on the brake pedal.
Without touching the accelerator
pedal, turn the ignition key to the
START (III) position. Do not hold
the key in the START (III)
position f or more than 15 seconds
at a time. If the engine does not
start right away, pause for at least
10 seconds bef ore trying again.If the engine does not start within
15 seconds, or starts but stalls
right away, repeat step 4 with the
accelerator pedal pressed halfway
down. If the engine starts, release
pressure on the accelerator pedal
so the engine does not race.
If the engine fails to start, press
the accelerator pedal all the way
down, and hold it there while
starting to clear flooding. If the
engine still does not start, return
to step 5.
1.
2.
3.
4.
6. 5.
Manual transmission:
Automatic transmission: 66
Starting the Engine
140
The engine is harder to start in cold
weather. Also, the thinner air f ound at
altitudes above 8,000 f eet (2,400
meters) adds to this problem.
T he immobilizer system protects your
vehicle f rom thef t. If an improperly-
coded key (or other device) is used, the
engine’s f uel system is disabled. For
more inf ormation, see page .

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To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. The shif t lever must be in
Park bef ore you can remove the key
from the ignition switch.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The
transmission automatically selects a
suitable gear for the vehicle speed
and acceleration. You may notice the
transmission shif ting up at higher
speeds when the engine is cold. This
helps the engine warm up f aster.
Press the brake
pedal and press the release button to
shif t f rom Park to reverse. To shif t
f rom reverse to neutral, come to a
completestop,andthenshift. Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
reverse when the vehicle speed
exceeds 5 mph (8 km/h).
If you cannot shif t to reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal and slowly shift to
neutral. Then press the release
button, and shift to reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your vehicle’s
battery is disconnected or goes dead,
you cannot shif t to reverse. (Ref er to
on page ).
Use neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from neutral to
another gear. 146
Automatic Transmission
Drive (D)
Reverse (R)
Shif t L ock Release
Neutral (N)
144

Always use the parking brake when
you park your vehicle. Make sure
the parking brake is set f irmly, or
your vehicle may roll if it is parked
on an incline.
If your vehicle has an automatic
transmission, set the parking brake
bef ore you put the transmission in
Park. This keeps the vehicle f rom
moving and putting pressure on the
parking mechanism in the
transmission.Make sure the windows are closed.
Turn of f the lights.
Place any packages, valuables, etc.
in the cargo area or take them
with you.
Lock the doors and the hatch with
the key.
Never park over dry leaves, tall
grass, or other f lammable
materials. The hot three way
catalytic converter could cause
these materials to catch on fire.If the vehicle is f acing uphill, turn
the front wheels away from the
curb. If you have a manual
transmission, put it in f irst gear.
Make sure the parking brake is
f ully released bef ore driving away.
Driving with the parking brake
partially set can overheat or
damage the rear brakes. If the vehicle is f acing downhill,
turn the front wheels toward the
curb. If you have a manual
transmission, put it in reverse gear.
Parking T ips
Parking
Driving
147

Are you using a properly coded
key? An improperly coded key will
cause the immobilizer system
indicator in the instrument panel
to blink rapidly (see page ).
In this case, the starter motor’s
speed sounds normal, or even f aster
than normal, when you turn the
ignition switch to the START (III)
position, but the engine does not run.
Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Ref er to on page . Do you have f uel? Check the f uel
gauge; the low f uel indicator may
not be working.
There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
f uel pump. Check all the f uses
(see page ).
If youfindnothingwrong,youwill
need a qualif ied technician to f ind
the problem (see on page ).212
55
140 217
T he Starter Operates Normally
Starting the
Engine Emergency
Towing
If theEngineWon’tStart
204