2007 HONDA PILOT traction control

Your vehicle has a higher ground
clearance that allows you to travel
over bumps, obstacles, and rough
terrain. It also provides good
visibility so you can anticipate
problems earlier.
Because your vehicle rides higher
off the ground, it has a high center
of gravity that can cause it to roll
over if you make abrupt turns. Utility
vehicl es have a signifi cantly higher
roll over rate than other types of
ve hicles.
To prevent rollovers or loss of
control:
Take corners at slower speeds
than you would with a passenger
vehicle.
Avoid sharp turns and abrupt
maneuvers whenever possible. Do
not carry heavy cargo on the
roof. Do not modify your vehicle in any
way that would raise the center of
gravity.
Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page ).
Check
the seat adjustment (see
page ).
Check
that any items you may be
carrying are stored properly or
fastened down securely.
Youshoulddothefollowingchecks
and
adjustmen ts before you drive
your vehicle.
Make sure all windows, mirrors,
and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove frost, snow,
or ice.
Vi sually check the tires. If a tire
looks low, use a gauge to check its
pressure (see page ).
Your
vehicle is equipped with a four-
wheel drive (4WD) system. When
the system senses a loss of front-
wheel traction, it automatically
transfers some power to the rear
wh eels. This gives you better
traction and mobility.
You still need to exercise the same
care when accelerating, steering, and
brakingthatyouwouldinatwo-
wheel drive vehicle. 3. 2. 1.
4.
5.
87
92 258
Four-wheel drive models
See page f or additional driving of f -highway guidelines. 222
Driving Guidelines
Preparing to Drive
198

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
situ ations 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. When
VSA activates, you will see the
VSA activation indicator blink. If
the VSA system indicator comes
on while driving, pull to the side of
theroadwhenitissafe,andturnoff
the engine. Reset the system by
restarting the engine. If the VSA
system indicator stays, or comes
back on while driving, have the VSA
system inspected by your deale r.
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 vehicle as
soon as possible (see page ).
Without VSA, your vehicle will have
normal braking and cornering ability,
but it will not have VSA traction and
stability enhancement. 64
VSA A ctivation Indicator
VSA System Indicator
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
Driving
211

VSA is turned on every time you
start the engine, even if you turn ed it
off the last time you drove the
vehicle.
Driving with varying tire or wheel
sizes may cause the VSA to
malfunction. When replacing tires,
make sure they are of the same size
and type as your original tires (see
page ).
Deactivate the VSA system if you
need to drive with the compact spare
tire installed (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.
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.
When VSA is off, the VSA activation
indicator comes on as a reminder. This switch is under the lef t vent.
Press it to turn the vehicle stability
assist system on and of f . 258
266
VSA and Tire Sizes
VSA Of f Switch
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
212

The maximum
weight of the trailer and everything
in or on it depends on the number of
occupants in your vehicle and the
type of trailer being towed (see page
).
To wing a load that is too heavy can
seriously affect your vehicle’s
handling and performance. Theweightthatthe
tongue of a fully loaded trailer puts
on the hitch should be 5 to 10
percent of the total trailer weight for
boat trailers, and 8 to 15 percent of
total trailer weight for all other
trailers. (See page for limits for
your towing situation). Too much
tongue load reduces front-tire
traction and steering control. Too
little tongue load can make the
trailer unstable and cause it to sway.
Your
vehicle has been designed to
tow a trailer, as well as carrying
passengers and their cargo. To
safely tow a trailer, you should
carefully observe the load limits (see
page ), use the proper equipment,
and follow the guidelines in this
section.
Be sure to read the
sectiononpage
if you plan to tow of f paved
surf aces.
215 215
222
194
Load Limits
Off-Highway
Driving Guidelines
Towing a Trailer
T ot al T railer Weight : T ongue L oad:
Driving
213
Exceeding any load limit or
improperly loading your vehicle
and trailer can cause a crash in
which you can be seriously hurt
or killed.
Check the loading of your
vehicle and trailer carefully
beforestartingtodrive.

Thediagramsinthissectiongive
you the dimensions and capacities of
your vehicle and the locations of the
identif ication numbers. It also
includes inf ormation you should
know about your vehicle’s tires and
emissions control systems.................
Identif ication Numbers .286
................................
Specif ications .288
..........
DOT Tire Quality Grading .290
Unif orm Tire Quality ..................................
Grading .290
.................................
Treadwear .290
......................................
Traction .290
.............................
Temperature .291
.................................
Tire Labeling .291
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)-Required .............
Federal Explanation .293 .......................
Emissions Controls .295
.....................
The Clean Air Act .295
Crankcase Emissions Control
....................................
System .295
Evaporative Emissions Control ....................................
System .295
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor ................................
Recovery .295
...
Exhaust Emissions Controls .296
....................
PGM-FI System .296
Ignition Timing Control
................................
System .296
Exhaust Gas Recirculation ...................
(EGR) System .296
Three Way Catalytic ...........................
Converter .296
....................
Replacement Parts .296
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter .297
..............
State Emissions Testing .298
....
Testing of Readiness Codes .298
T echnical Inf ormation
Technical Inf ormation
285

µ
Quality grades can be f ound where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and the
maximum section width. For
example:
All passenger vehicle tires must
conf orm to Federal Saf ety
Requirements in addition to these
grades. The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied government
test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-
half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded
100. The relative perf ormance of
tires depends upon the actual condi-
tions of their use, however, and may
depart signif icantly f rom the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices, and dif f erences in
road characteristics and climate.
The traction grades, f rom highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surf aces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
perf ormance.
Warning: The traction grade
assignedtothistireisbasedon
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
The tires on your vehicle meet all
U.S. Federal Saf ety Requirements.
All tires are also graded f or
treadwear, traction, and temperature
perf ormance according to
Department of Transportation
(DOT) standards. The f ollowing
explains these gradings.
DOT Tire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading
T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A Treadwear Traction AA, A, B, C
290