2007 Acura TL Owner's Manual

The anti-lock brake system (ABS)
helpspreventthewheelsfrom
locking up, and helps you retain
steering control by pumping the
brakes rapidly, much faster than a
person can do it.
The electronic brake distribution
(EBD) system, which is part of the
ABS, also balances the front-to-rear
braking distribution according to
vehicle loading.
Let the ABS work for you by always
keeping firm, steady pressure on the
brake pedal. This is sometimes
referred to as ‘‘stomp and steer.’’ You
will feel a pulsation in the brake
pedal when the ABS activates, and
may hear some noise. This is normal:
it is the ABS rapidly pumping the
brakes. On dry pavement, you will
need to press on the brake pedal
very hard before the ABS activates.
However, you may feel the ABS
activate immediately if you are trying
to stop on snow or ice. If
this indicator comes on, the anti-
lock function of the braking system
has shut down. The brakes still work
like a conventional system, but
without anti-lock. You should have
your dealer inspect your vehicle as
soon as possible.
If the indicator comes on while
driving, test the brakes as instructed
on page . 326
You should never pump the brake pedal.
ABS Indicator
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS)
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If the ABS indicator and the brake
system indicator come on together,
and the parking brake is fully
released, the EBD system may also
be shut down.
Test your brakes as instructed on
page . If the brakes f eel normal,
drive slowly and have your vehicle
repaired by your dealer as soon as
possible. Avoid sudden hard braking
which could cause the rear wheels to
lock up and possibly lead to a loss of
control.
The VSA indicator will come on
alongwiththeABSindicator. such as trying to take a
corner too f ast or making a sudden
lane change. Always drive at a safe
speed f or the road and weather
conditions.
Always steer moderately
when you are braking hard. Severe
or sharp steering wheel movement
can still cause your vehicle to veer
into oncoming traffic or off the road. on loose or
uneven surf aces, such as gravel or
snow, than a vehicle without anti-
lock.
It only helps with steering
control during braking.
326 Important Saf ety Reminders
A BS will not prevent a skid that
results f rom changing direction
abruptly,
A BS cannot prevent a loss of
stability. A vehicle with A BS may require a
longer distance to stop
A BS does not reduce the time or
distance it takes to stop the
vehicle.
Anti-lock Brakes (ABS)
Driving
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The vehicle stability assist (VSA)
system helps to stabilize the vehicle
during cornering if the vehicle turns
more or less than desired. It also
assists you in maintaining traction
while accelerating on loose or
slippery road surfaces. It does this
by regulating the engine’s output,
and by selectively applying the
brakes.
When VSA activates, you may notice
that the engine does not respond to
the accelerator in the same way it
does at other times.
The VSA system cannot enhance the
vehicle’s driving stability in all
situations and does not control your
vehicle’s entire braking system. It is
still your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety. If
the indicator does not come on
when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON (II) position, there may be a
problem with the VSA system. Have
your dealer inspect your vehic le as
soon as possible.
If this indicator comes on while
driving, pull to the side of the road
when it is safe, and turn off the
engine. Reset the system by
restarting the engine. If the VSA
system indicator stays on, or comes
back on while driving, have the VSA
system inspected by your dealer. When VSA activates, you will see the
VSA activation indicator blink (see
page ). On manual transmission models, if
the VSA system is of f and you
accelerate f rom a stop, the vehicle
may pull, and it may take extra effort
to return the steering wheel to
center.
Without VSA, your vehicle will have
normal braking and cornering ability,
but it will not have VSA traction and
stability enhancement.
61
VSA System Indicator VSA A ctivation Indicator
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
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Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the VSA to
malfunction. When replacing tires,
make sure they are the same size
and type as your original tires (see
page ).
If you install winter tires, make sure
they are the same size as those that
were originally supplied with your
vehicle. Exercise the same caution
during winter driving as you would if
your vehicle was not equipped with
VSA.
This switch is under the lef t vent.
Press it to turn the VSA system on
and off.
When VSA is off, the VSA activation
indicator comes on as a reminder.
VSA is turned on every time you
start the engine, even if you turned it
off the last time you drove the
vehicle.
In certain unusual conditions when
your vehicle gets stuck in shallow
mud or f resh snow, it may be easier
to free it with the VSA temporarily
switched of f . When the VSA system
is of f , the traction control system is
alsooff.Youshouldonlyattemptto
f ree your vehicle with the VSA of f if
you are not able to f ree it when the
VSA is on.
Immediately af ter f reeing your
vehicle, be sure to switch the VSA on
again. We do not recommend driving
your vehicle with the VSA and
traction control systems switched off.
306
VSA Of f Switch
VSA and Tire Sizes
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
Driving
265
VSA OFF SWITCH
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Your vehicle is equipped with a tire
pressure monitoring system (TPMS)
that turns on every time you start the
engine and monitors the pressure in
your tires while driving.
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes signif icantly low, the
sensor in that tire immediately sends
a signal that causes the low tire
pressure indicator in the instrument
panel to come on. If this happens,
you will see which tire is losing
pressure on the multi-inf ormation
display along with a ‘‘CHECK TIRE
PRESSURE’’ message.When the low tire pressure indicator
is on, one or more of your tires is
signif icantly underinf lated. You
should stop and check your tires as
soon as possible, and inf late them to
the proper pressure as indicated on
the vehicle’s tire inf ormation placard.
It is possible that the pressures
shown on the multi-inf ormation
display and the pressures you
manually measure are slightly
dif f erent.
If the dif f erence is signif icant or you
cannot make the low tire pressure
indicator and message on the multi-
inf ormation display go out af ter
inf lating the tires to the specif ied
values, have your dealer check the
system as soon as possible.If the tire is f lat, or if the tire
pressure is too low to continue
driving, replace the tire with the
compact spare tire.
Driving on a signif icantly under-
inf lated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inf lation also reduces f uel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may
af f ect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Becausetirepressurevariesby
temperature and other conditions,
the low tire pressure indicator may
come on unexpectedly. After inflating the tire(s) to the
proper pressure, the low tire
pressure indicator will remain on
until the vehicle is driven at a speed
more than 25 mph (40 km/h).
Low Tire Pressure
Indicator
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
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The TPMS can misinterpret the tire
pressure because of differences in
the air temperatures. For example, if
youcheckandfillyourtiresina
warm area, then drive in extremely
cold weather, the tire pressure will
be lower than measured and could
be underinflated and cause the
TPMS indicators to come on. Or, if
youcheckandadjustyourtire
pressu re in cooler conditions, and
drive into extremely hot conditions,
thetiresmaybecomeoverinflated.
However, the TPMS indicators will
not come on if the tires are
overinflated.
Refer to page for tire inflation
guidelines. Toselectthetirepressuremonitor,
press
the INFO button several times
with the ignition switch in the ON
(II) position.
Although
your tire pressure is
monitored, you must manually check
thetirepressuresmonthly.
Each tire, including the spare, should
be checked monthly when the
vehicle is cold, and set to the
recommended inflation pressure as
sp ecified on the vehicle placard and
intheowner’smanual(seepage ).
You will see the above display on the
multi-inf ormation display when all
tire pressures are normal.
302 303
CONT INUED
Tire Pressure Monitor
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Driving
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To see the inf lation pressures of all
f our tires, press the SEL/RESET
buttononthesteeringwheel.The
display changes as shown above.Each tire pressure is shown in PSI
(U.S. models) or in kPa (Canadian
models).
Each tire has its own pressure
sensor. If the air pressure of a tire
becomes signif icantly low, the
sensor in that tire immediately sends
a signal that causes the low tire
pressure indicator in the instrument
panel to come on. If this happens,
you will see which tire is losing
pressure on the multi-inf ormation
display along with a ‘‘CHECK TIRE
PRESSURE’’ message.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
268
Canadian model
U.S. model
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If there is a problem with the TPMS,
thetirepressuremonitorshowsa
‘‘SYSTEM FUNCTION ERROR’’
message and the tire pressure
readings are not displayed. If this
happens, you will first see a system
warning message ‘‘CHECK TPMS
SYSTEM’’ on the multi-information
display. If
there is a problem with the TPMS,
youwillseetheabovemessageon
the multi-information display.
When the low tire pressure indicator
is on, the system may not be able to
detect or signal low tire pressure as
intended. TPMS malfunctions may
occur for a variety of reasons,
including the installation of
replacement or alternate tires or
wheels on the vehicle that prevent the
TPMS from functioning properl y.
Always check the low tire pressure
indicator after replacing one or more
tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or
alternate tires and wheels allow the
TPMS to continue to function
properly.
When you restart the vehicle with
thecompactsparetire,theTPMS
system message may also be
displayed on the multi-information
display after driving several miles
(kilometers).
If you have a flat tire, the low tire
pressure and tire monitor indicators
will come on. Replace the indicated
flat tire with the compact spare tire
(see page ). 313
Changing a T ire with T PMS
TPMS System Failure
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Driving
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