2007 HONDA ELEMENT service

2007 Honda Element 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 Glan c
e........................................................................\
.............................................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........................................................................\
.........................................57
Instrume nt panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Comfort and Convenience Features ........................................................................\
......................101
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................137
What gasoline to use, how to break -in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
......................................................................149
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................177
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take you r vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpecte d........................................................................\
..............................217
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, an d how to handle them.
Technical Informatio n........................................................................\
.............................................241
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canad a)................................................................257
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manu als (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................261
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.
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. 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.
Introduction
WARNING:
ii
California Perchlorate Contamination Prevention Act
The airbags, seat belt tensioners, and CR type batteries in this vehicle contain perchlorate materials - special handling
may apply. See www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.

µ
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
.....................................
Seat Belts .10
.........................................
Airbags .11
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens .12
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors .12
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats .13
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs .14
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints .15
5. Fasten and Position the
............................
Seat Belts .15
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .17
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women .18
...
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
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance .22
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .24
......
Airbag System Components .24
How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work .27
...
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
...
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
.........
Can Pose Serious Risks .38
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .40
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .40
...
Additional Safety Precautions .41
Protecting Inf ants and .........................
Small Children .42
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .42
.........
Protecting Small Children .43
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .44
....................
Installing a Child Seat .45
...............................
With LATCH .46
.........
With a Lap/Shoulder Belt .48
..............................
With a Tether .50
...........
Protecting Larger Children .51
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit .51
..................
Using a Booster Seat .52
When Can a Larger Child Sit in
.........................................
Front .52
...
Additional Safety Precautions .53
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard .54
...................................
Saf ety Labels .55
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
7

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, such as a f olded-down
back seat, that is touching the rear
of the seat-back.
If no obstructions are f ound, have
your vehicle checked by a dealer as
soon as possible. 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.
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.
Airbag Service
An airbag ever inf lates.
T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o aproblem. If your vehicle has a moderat e t o
severe impact .
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
35

Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
If water or
another liquid soaks into the seat-
back, it can prevent the side airbag
cutof f system f rom working
properly. Improperly replacing
or covering f ront seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags f rom
inf lating during a side impact.
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 Honda
Automobile Customer Service at
(800) 999-1009.
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
Do not t amper wit h airbagcomponent s or wiring f or anyreason.
Do not expose the f ront passenger’sseat-back to liquid. Do not cover or replace f ront seat -
back covers wit hout consult ingyour dealer.
Do not remove or modif y a f rontseat without consulting yourdealer.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
36

If either of you do not fasten your
seat belt while driving, the beep er
will sound and the indicator will flash
again at regular intervals. For more
info rmation, see page .
This indicator comes on briefly when
you turn the ignition switch to the
ON (II) position. If it comes on at
any other time, it indicates a
poten tial problem with your front
airbags. This indica tor will also alert
you to a poten tial problem with your
side airbags, passenger’s side airbag
automatic cutoff system, side curtain
airbags, automatic seat belt
tensioners, driver’s seat position
sensor, or the front passenger’s
weight sensors. For more
info rmation, see page . This
indicator comes on when you
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position. If it comes on at any
other time, it indicates that the
passenger’s side airbag has
automatically shut off. For more
info rmation, see page .
This indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it comes on at any other
time, there is a problem with the
ABS. If this happens, have your
vehicle checked at a dealer. With
this indicator on, your vehicle still
has normal braking ability but no
an ti-lock function. For more
info rmation, see page . This
indicator comes on for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position. It
remindsyouthatitistimetotake
your vehicle in for scheduled
maintenance. The maintenance main
items and sub items will be displayed
in the information display. See page
f or more inf ormation on the
maintenance minder.
This indicator goes of f when your
dealer resets it after completing the
required maintenance service.
20
34
33 162179
Instrument Panel Indicators
Side Airbag Of f Indicator
Supplemental Restraint
System Indicator Anti-lock Brake System
(A BS) IndicatorMaintenance Minder
Indicator
Inst rument s and Cont rols
61
Canada
U.S.

This indicator has three functions:
Itcomesonasareminderthatyou
have turned off the vehicle
stability assist (VSA) system.
It flashes when VSA is active (see
page ).
It comes on along with the VSA
system indicator if there is a
problem with the VSA system.
Ifitcomesonandstaysonatany
other
time, or it does not come on
wh en you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, there is a
problem with the VSA system. Have
your vehicle checked by your dealer.
Wi thout VSA, your vehicle still has
norm al driving ability, but will not
have VSA traction and stability
enhancement. See page for more
info rmation on the VSA system. This
indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. For more information, see
page .
This
indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. This
indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition to the ON (II) position.
If it comes on while driving, it
indicates that one or more of your
vehicl e’s tires are extremely low on
pressure.
If this happens, pull to the side of the
ro ad when it is safe, check which tire
has lost the pressure, and determine
the cause. If it is because of a flat tire,
replace the flat tire with the compact
spare (see page ), and have the
flat tire repaired as soon as possible.
If two or more tires are underinflated,
ca ll a professional towing service
(see page ). Ref er to page f or more inf ormation.
1.
2.
3.
165 165
165 218
239
163
Instrument Panel Indicators
Vehicle Stability Assist
(VSA ) System Indicator VSA A ctivation Indicator L ow T ire Pressure
Indicator
64

The information display in the
instrument panel shows you the
engine oil life and maintenance
service items when the ignition
switch is in the ON (II) position. This
information helps to keep you aware
of the periodic maintenance your
vehicle needs for continued trouble-
free driving. Refer to page for
more information.
This
shows the temperature of the
engine’s coolant. During normal
operation, the pointer should rise to
about the middle of the gauge. In
severe driving conditions, the pointer
may rise to the upper zone. If it
reaches the red (hot) mark, pull
safely to the side of the road. Turn to
page f or instructions and
precautions on checking the engine’s
cooling system. 229
179
Gauges
Maintenance Minder
Temperature Gauge
68