2007 Acura RL 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
Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
.................................................................i
A Few Words About Safe ty........................................................................\
........................................
iii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.............................................4
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
......................................7
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Control s........................................................................\
.........................................59
Instrume nt panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
......................197
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................325
What gasoline to use, how to break -in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
......................................................................339
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................379
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take you r vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpecte d........................................................................\
..............................427
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, an d how to handle them.
Technical Informatio n........................................................................\
.............................................457
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canad a)................................................................473
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manu als (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................477
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
.............................................................................. I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.
Accord Value Package Audio System
Calif ornia Proposition 65 WarningThis product contains or emits chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth
def ects or other reproductive harm.
Event Data Recorders
This vehicle is equipped with one or more devices commonly ref erred to as event data recorders. These devices
record f ront seat belt use, f ront passenger seat occupancy, airbag deployment data, and the f ailure of any airbag
system component. This data belongs to the vehicle owner and may not be accessed by anyone else except as legally
required or with the permission of the vehicle owner.
Service Diagnostic Recorders
This vehicle is equipped with service-related devices that record inf ormation about powertrain perf ormance. The data
can be used to verif y emissions law requirements and/or help technicians diagnose and solve service problems. It may
also be combined with data f rom other sources f or research purposes, but it remains conf idential and is never linked to
the vehicle owner.
Introduction
WARNING:
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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
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens .13
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors .13
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats .14
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs .15
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints .16
5. Fasten and Position the Seat
.....................................
Belts .17
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .18
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women .19
...
Additional Safety Precautions .20
Additional Inf ormation About .......................
Your Seat Belts .21
..
Seat Belt System Components .21 ......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .22
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .23
..........
Seat Belt E-pretensioners .24
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance .25
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags .26
......
Airbag System Components .26
How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work .29
...
How Your Side Airbags Work .32
How Your Side Curtain
..........................
Airbags Work .34
..
How the SRS Indicator Works .34
How the Side Airbag Of f
......................
Indicator Works .35
How the Passenger Airbag ...............
Of f Indicator Works .35
.............................
Airbag Service .36
...
Additional Safety Precautions .37
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .38
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .38
All Children Should Sit in a .................................
Back Seat .39The Passenger’s Front Airbag
.........
Can Pose Serious Risks .39
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .41
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .41
...
Additional Safety Precautions .41
Protecting Inf ants and Small ...................................
Children .43
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .43
.........
Protecting Small Children .44
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .45
....................
Installing a Child Seat .46
...............................
With LATCH .47
.........
With a Lap/Shoulder Belt .49
..............................
With a Tether .51
...........
Protecting Larger Children .52
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit .52
..................
Using a Booster Seat .53
When Can a Larger Child Sit in
.........................................
Front .54
...
Additional Safety Precautions .55
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard .56
...................................
Saf ety Labels .57
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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Be aware that objects placed on the
f ront seat can cause the indicator to
come on.
If no weight is detected on the f ront
seat, the airbag will be automatically
shut of f . However, the indicator will
not come on.
The passenger airbag of f indicator
maycomeonandoff repeatedlyif
the total weight on the seat is near
the airbag cutof f threshold.
If an adult or teenage passenger is
riding in f ront, move the seat as f ar
to the rear as possible, and have the
passenger sit upright and wear the
seat belt properly.If the indicator comes on with no
f ront seat passenger and no objects
on the seat, or with an adult riding
there, something may be interf ering
with the weight sensors. Look f or
and remove:
Any items under the f ront
passenger’s seat.
Any object hanging on the seat or
in the seat-back pocket.
Any object touching the rear of
the seat-back. Your airbag systems are virtually
maintenance f ree, and there are no
parts you can saf ely service.
However, you must have your
vehicle serviced if:
Any airbag
that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. Any
seat belt tensioner that activates
must also be replaced.
Do not try to remove or replace
anyairbagbyyourself.Thismust
be done by an authorized dealer or
a knowledgeable body shop.
If no obstructions are f ound, have
your vehicle checked by a dealer as
soon as possible.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Airbag Service
An airbag ever inf lates.
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Improperly replacing
or covering f ront seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags f rom
inf lating during a side impact.
If water or
another liquid soaks into the seat-
back, it can prevent the side airbag
cutoff system from working
properly.
Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
This could make the
driver’s seat position sensor or the
f ront passenger’s weight sensors
inef f ective. If it is necessary to
remove or modif y a f ront seat to
accommodate a person with
disabilities, f irst contact Acura
Client Services at 800-382-2238.
Take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.
Even if your
airbags do not inflate, your dealer
should inspect the driver’s seat
position sensor, the f ront
passenger’s weight sensors, the
f ront seat belt tensioners, and all
seat belts worn during the crash to
make sure they are operating
properly.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Do not cover or replace f ront seat -
back covers wit hout consult ingyour dealer.
Do not expose the f ront passenger’sseat-back to liquid.
Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
Do not t amper wit h airbagcomponent s or wiring f or anyreason.
Do not remove or modif y a f rontseat without consulting yourdealer.
T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o a
problem.
If your vehicle has a moderat e t osevere impact .Additional Saf ety Precautions
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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Pull to the side of the road when it is
safe, shift to Park, and let the engine
idle until the indicator goes out.
This indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If this indicator comes on at
any other time, there is a problem in
the SH-AWD system. You will also
see a ‘‘CHECK SH-AWD SYSTEM’’
message on the multi-information
display(seepage ).Takeyour
vehicle to a dealer to have it checked.
For more information, see page .
If it comes on while driving, it
indicates the differential
temperature is too high.
You will also see a ‘‘SH-AWD DIFF
TEMP. HIGH’’ message on the
multi-info rmation display (see page
).
If
the indicator blinks while driving,
pull to the side of the road when it is
safe, shift to Park, and let the engine
idle until the indicator goes out. This
indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
You will also see a ‘‘CHECK TIRE
PRESSURE’’ message on the multi-
information display (see page ).
If
it comes on while driving, it
indicates that one or more of your
vehicl e’s tires are extremely low on
pressure. Check
the tire pressure monitor on
the multi -information display and
determine the cause (see page ).
If this happens, pull to the side of the
road when it is safe, check which tire
has lost pressure on the multi-
info rmation display, and determine
the cause. If it is because of a flat tire,
have the flat tire repaired as soon as
possible. If two or more tires are
underinflated, call a professional
towing service. For more
info rmation, see page .
Your vehicle has Michelin PAX tires.
Repair or replacement of PAX tires
must be done by an Acura dealer or
an authorized Michelin PAX system
dealer. For more information, see
page .
78
78 79
350
455
422 367
If equipped
SH-A WD Indicator
Low Tire Pressure
Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
Inst rument s and Cont rols
67
Continuing to drive with the SH-AWD
indicator blinking may cause serious
damage to the system.
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When the engine oil life reaches 15 %,
the display shows ‘‘SERVICE DUE
SOON’’ and the code for the
maintenance items to be performed. Have
your dealer do the indicated
maintenance as soon as you see this
message, and have them reset the
display after completing the service.
If you do not perform the indicated
maintenance or do not reset the
display, the message changes to
‘‘SERVICE PAST DUE’’ when the
engine oil life becomes 0 %.
These messages appear on the multi-
info rmation display each time you
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.
For details on engine oil life and
maintenance messages, refer to page
.
Also refer to page for important
maintenance safety precautions.
When
the engine oil life reaches 5 %,
the display shows ‘‘SERVICE DUE
NOW’’ along with the same
maintenance items.
To
use the system, your cell phone
and the HFL system must be linked.
Not all cell phones are compatible
with this system. Refer to page
for instructions on how to link
your cell phone to the HFL and how
to receive or make phone calls, or
visit the handsf reelink.com website.
381380
306
Maintenance Messages
Multi-Inf ormation Display
Inst rument s and Cont rols
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Depending on where you drive, you
may experience reception problems.
Interf erence can be caused by any of
these conditions:Driving on the north side of a
large commercial truck on an
east/west road.
Driving in tunnels.
Driving on a road beside a vertical
wall, steep clif f , or hill to the south
of you.
Driving on the lower level of a
multi-tiered road.
Driving on a single lane road
alongside dense trees taller than
50 ft. (15 m) to the south of you.
There may be other geographic
situations that could af f ect satellite
radio reception. If your XM Radio service has expired
or you purchased your vehicle f rom
a previous owner, you can listen to a
sampling of the broadcasts available
on XM Satellite Radio. With the
ignition switch in the ACCESSORY
(I) or the ON (II) position, push the
power/volume knob to turn on the
audio system, and press the
button. A variety of music
types and styles will play. While waiting for activation, make
sure your vehicle remains in an open
area with good reception. Once your
audio system is activated, ‘‘category’’
or ‘‘CH’’ will appear in the display,
andyou’llbeabletolistentoXM
Radio broadcasts. XM Radio will
continue to send an activation signal
to your vehicle for at least 12 hours
from the activation request. If the
service has not been activated after
36 hours, contact XM Radio. After you’ve registered with XM
Radio, keep your audio system in the
Satellite Radio mode while you wait
f or activation. This should take about
30 minutes.
Driving on the north side of an
east/west mountain road.
If you decide to purchase XM
Satellite Radio service, contact XM
Radio at, or at
1-800-852-9696. You will need to give
them your radio I.D. number and
your credit card number. To get your radio I.D. number, press the TUNE
bar until ‘‘0’’ appears in the display.
Your I.D. will appear in the display.As required by the FCC:
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
www.xmradio.com
Receiving XM Satellite Radio
Service
Audio System
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