2007 HONDA ELEMENT seats

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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.
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Important Safety Precautions .8
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Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features .9
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Seat Belts .10
.........................................
Airbags .11
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Protecting Adults and Teens .12
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1. Close and Lock the Doors .12
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2. Adjust the Front Seats .13
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3. Adjust the Seat-Backs .14
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4. Adjust the Head Restraints .15
5. Fasten and Position the
............................
Seat Belts .15
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .17
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Advice f or Pregnant Women .18
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Additional Safety Precautions .18
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .20
..
Seat Belt System Components .20 ......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .21
Automatic Seat Belt
...............................
Tensioners .22
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Seat Belt Maintenance .22
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .24
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Airbag System Components .24
How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work .27
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How Your Side Airbags Work .31
How Your Side Curtain Airbags
.........................................
Work .32
How the SRS Indicator .......................................
Works .33
How the Side Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .34
How the Passenger Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .34
.............................
Airbag Service .35
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Additional Safety Precautions .36
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .37
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .37
All Children Should Sit in a .................................
Back Seat .38 The Passenger’s Front Airbag
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Can Pose Serious Risks .38
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .40
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .40
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Additional Safety Precautions .41
Protecting Inf ants and .........................
Small Children .42
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Protecting Inf ants .42
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Protecting Small Children .43
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Selecting a Child Seat .44
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Installing a Child Seat .45
...............................
With LATCH .46
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With a Lap/Shoulder Belt .48
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With a Tether .50
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Protecting Larger Children .51
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Checking Seat Belt Fit .51
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Using a Booster Seat .52
When Can a Larger Child Sit in
.........................................
Front .52
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Additional Safety Precautions .53
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Carbon Monoxide Hazard .54
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Saf ety Labels .55
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
7

Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
f eatures unless you remain sitting in
a proper position and. In fact, some safety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers. Some f eatures do not require any
action on your part. These include a
strong steel f ramework that f orms a
saf ety cage around the passenger
compartment; front and rear crush
zones, a collapsible steering column;
and tensioners that tighten the seat
belts in a crash.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
always wear
your seat belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
9
(2)
(6)
(4)
(3)
(1)
(7)
(5)
(2)
(8)
(8)(9)
(11)
(10)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags
(9) Side Curtain Airbags
(10) Front Seat Belt Tensioners
(11) Door Locks

Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children. (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers. Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.
Always wear your seat belt, and
make sure you wear it properly.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
and a beeper to remind you and your
passengers to f asten your seat belts.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
What You Should Do:
10
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.

See page for how to adjust the
front seats.
The
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest. In addition to
adjusting the seat, you can adjust the
steering wheel up and down (see
page ).
If you cannot get f ar enough away
f rom the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help. Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure it
is locked in position.
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 f ront 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. 83
74
Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Front Seats
2.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
13
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.

After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on seat belts, it is
very important that they continue to
sit upright, well back in their seats,
with their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is parked and the engine is
off.Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inflating front airbag.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
17
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.

If you are pregnant, the best way to
protect yourself and your unborn
child when driving or riding in a
vehicle is to always wear a seat belt,
and keep the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across the hips.When driving, remember to sit
upright and adjust the seat as f ar
back as possible while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. When riding
as a f ront passenger, adjust the seat
as far back as possible.
This will reduce the risk of injuries
to both you and your unborn child
that can be caused by a crash or an
inflating front airbag.
Each time you have a checkup, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
A passenger who is not
wearing a seat belt during a crash
or emergency stop can be thrown
against the inside of the vehicle,
against other occupants, or out of
the vehicle.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Advice f or Pregnant Women Additional Saf ety Precautions
Never let passengers ride in t he
cargo area or on t op of a f olded-down back seat .
Passengers should not stand up orchange seats while the vehicle ismoving.
T wo people should never use t hesame seat belt .
18

CONT INUED
Your f ront airbags are also advanced
airbags. The main purpose of this
feature is to help prevent airbag-
caused injuries to short drivers and
children who ride in f ront.
For both advanced airbags to work
properly:Occupants must sit upright and
wear their seat belts properly.
Back-seat passengers should not
put their f eet under the f ront seats.
Failure to f ollow these instructions
could damage the sensors or prevent
them f rom working properly. The driver’s advanced front airbag
system includes a seat position
sensor under the seat. If the seat is
too f ar f orward, the airbag will
inf late with less f orce, regardless of
the severity of the impact.
The passenger’s advanced f ront
airbag system has weight sensors
under the seat. Although Honda
does not encourage carrying an
inf ant or small child in f ront, if the
sensors detect the weight of an
inf ant or small child (up to about 65
lbs or 29 kg), the system will
automatically turn the passenger’s
front airbag off.
Do not spill any liquids on or
under the seats, cover the sensors,
or put any objects or metal items
under the f ront seats.
Be aware that objects placed on the
passenger’s seat can also cause the
airbag to be turned off.
If there is a problem with the sensor,
the SRS indicator will come on, and
the airbag will inf late in the normal
manner regardless of the driver’s
seating position.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Advanced Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
29
PASSENGER’S SEAT
WEIGHT SENSOR
DRIVER’S SEAT
POSITION SENSOR

Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger’s side, the passenger’s
side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger. To
get the best protection from the
side airbags, front seat occupa nts
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
Your vehicle has a side airbag cutoff
system designed primarily to protect
a child riding in the front passenger’s
seat.
Al though Honda does not encourage
children to ride in front, if the
sensors in the seat detect a child has
leaned into the side airbag’s
deployment path, the airbag will shut
off.
Thesideairbagmayalsoshutoffifa
short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the airbag’s
deployment path.
Objects placed on the front
passenger seat can also cause the side
airbag to be shut off.
A front seat passenger should not
use a cushion or other object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutoff
system from working properly.
There
will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of the airbag deployment
pathandwhentheindicatorcomes
on or goes of f . If the side airbag of f indicator comes
on (see page ), have the
passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the airbag’s
deployment path, the system will
turn the airbag back on, and the
indicator will go out.
If you ever have a moderate to
severe side impact, sensors will
detect rapid acceleration and signal
the control unit to instantly inf late
either the driver’s or the passenger’s
side airbag and activate the seat belt
tensioner. 34
How Your Side A irbags Work
Side A irbag Cut of f Syst em
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
31