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
ÎÎ
Î
ÎTo
use the horn, press the center pad of the steering wheel.
1:
2 : If equipped
Your Vehicle at a Glance
You r Vehicle at a Glance
5
HEADLIGHTS/TURN SIGNALS
A/T model is shown.
CRUISE
CONTROL MASTER
BUTTON AUDIO
SYSTEM
STEERING WHEEL ADJUSTMENT CRUISE CONTROL BUTTONS
(P.133)
(P.74)
VEHICLE
STABILITY ASSIST
(VSA) SYSTEM ON/OFF SWITCH
REMOTE
AUDIO
CONTROLS
(P.132)
(P.133)
(P.166) HORNDIGITAL
CLOCK
(P.107)
(P.130)
REAR
WINDOW
DEFOGGER
(P.73)
HAZARD WARNING
BUTTON
(P.73)
WINDSHIELD
WIPERS/WASHERS(P.70)
(P.71)
2
1
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
µAfter
everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors are closed
and locked.
They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.
To do
their job, airbags must inflate with
trem endous force. So while
airbags help save lives, they can
cause minor injuries or more
serious or even fatal injuries if
occupants are not properly
restrained or sitting properly.
The
most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:
Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright and as far back from the
steering wheel as possible while
allowing full control of the vehicl e. A
front passenger should move their
seat as far back from the dashboard
as possible. Locking
the doors reduces the
ch ance of someone being thro wn out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers from
accidentally opening a door and
falling out.
Lo cking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider from unexp ectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
The
rest of this section gives more
detailed information about how you
can maximize your safety.
Remember however, that no safety
system can prevent all injures or
deaths that can occur in a severe
crash, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
The following pages pro vide
instru ctions on how to properly
protect the driver, adult passengers,
and teenage children who are large
enough and mature enough to drive
or ride in the front.
See pages for important
guidelines on how to properly
protect infants, small children, and
larger children who ride in your
vehicle. Your
vehicle has a door and
tailgate monitor indicator
on the instrument panel to indicate
when a specific door or the tailgate
or the hatch is not tightly closed.
See page for how to lock the
doors, and page for how the door
and tailgate monitor indicator works.
5337
63
80
Close and L ock the Doors
Protecting A dults and T eens
Introduction 1.
Airbags do not replace seat belts.
A irbags of f er no prot ect ion in rearimpact s, or minor f ront al or sidecollisions.A irbags can pose hazards.
What you should do:
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features, Protecting A dults and Teens
12
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.
Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comfortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comfo rtable, upright
position. Reclining
a seat-back so that the
shoulder part of the belt no longer
rests against the occupant’s chest
reduces the pro tective capability of
the belt. It also increases the chance
of sliding under the belt in a crash
and being seriously injured. The
farther a seat-back is reclined, the
greater the risk of injury.
See page f or how to adjust the
seat-backs.83
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
Protecting A dults and Teens
14
Reclining the seat-back too far
can result in serious injury or
death in a crash.
Adjust the seat-back to an
upright position, and sit well
back in the seat.
Your airbag system includes:
Two SRS (supplemental restraint
system) front airbags. The driver’s
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the front
passenger’sairbagisstoredinthe
dashboard. Both are marked ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Two side airbags, one for the
driver and one for a front
passenger. The airbags are stored
in the outer edges of the seat-
ba cks. Both are marked ‘‘SIDE
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Two side curtain airbags, one for
each side of the vehicle. The
airbags are stor ed in the ceiling,
above the side windows. The front
and rear pillars are marked ‘‘SIDE
CURTAIN AIRBAG’’ (see page ). 27
32 31
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
25
(16)
(17)
(16) Side Curtain Airbags
(17) Side Impact Sensors (Second)
This section gives inf ormation about
the controls and displays that
contribute to the daily operation of
your vehicle. All the essential
controls are within easy reach............................
Control Locations .58 ............................
Instrument Panel .59
..........
Instrument Panel Indicators .60
.............................................
Gauges .66
...................................
Trip Meter .66
.....................................
Odometer .66
..................................
Fuel Gauge .67
..........
Check Fuel Cap Message .67
...................
Temperature Gauge .68
..................
Maintenance Minder .68
Controls Near the Steering ...........................................
Wheel .69
.
Windshield Wipers and Washers .70
...........
Turn Signal and Headlights .71
........
Instrument Panel Brightness .72
.................
Hazard Warning Button .73
.................
Rear Window Def ogger .73
..........
Steering Wheel Adjustment .74
...............................
Keys and Locks .75
........................
Immobilizer System .76
.......................
Remote Transmitter .77
................................
Ignition Switch .79
......................................
Door Locks .80
......................
Power Door Locks .80
..................................
Rear Doors .81
............................................
Hatch .81
........................................
Tailgate .82 .................................................
Seats .83
........................
Seat Adjustments .83
Driver’s Seat Height
..............................
Adjustment .84
...................
FrontSeatArmrests .84
..........................
Head Restraints .85
..........
Reclining the Front Seats .86
...............
Folding the Rear Seats .87
..........
Removing the Rear Seats .89
..............................
Power Windows .91
.............................................
Mirrors .92
....
Adjusting the Power Mirrors .92
.................................
Rear Windows .93
.................................
Parking Brake .93
............................................
Skylight .93
...........
Interior Convenience Items .96
.......................
Beverage Holders .97
..........
Accessory Power Sockets .97
....................................
Glove Box .97
.................................
Interior Lights .98
................................
Ceiling Light .98
.....................................
Spotlights .98
........................
Cargo Area Light .98
..................
Ignition Switch Light .98
..........................................
Sun Visor .99
..................................
Vanity Mirror .99
Instruments and Controls
Inst rument s and Cont rols
57