2008 Acura RL ESP

One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new vehicle is to
read this manual. In it, you will learn how to operate its driving controls and
convenience items. Af terwards, keep this owner’s manual in your vehicle so
youcanrefertoitatanytime.
Several warranties protect your new vehicle. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights
and responsibilities.As you read this manual, you will
f ind inf ormation that is preceded by
a symbol. This
inf ormation is intended to help you
avoid damage to your vehicle, other
property, or the environment.
Maintaining your vehicle according to the maintenance minder shown in the
instrument panel helps to keep your driving trouble-f ree while it preserves
your investment. When your vehicle needs maintenance, keep in mind that
your dealer’s staf f is specially trained in servicing the many systems unique
to your vehicle. Your dealer is dedicated to your satisf action and will be
pleased to answer any questions and concerns.
Congratulations on your selection of the 2008 Acura RL. We are certain you
will be pleased with your purchase of one of the f inest luxury vehicles in the
world.
Introduction
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Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important
responsibility.
To help you make inf ormed
decisions about saf ety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other inf ormation on labels and in
this manual. This inf ormation alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your vehicle. You must
use your own good judgement.
You will f ind this important saf ety inf ormation in a variety of f orms,
including:
on the vehicle.preceded by a saf ety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: , , or .
such as Important Saf ety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions. such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is f illed with important saf ety inf ormation please read it
caref ully. These signal words mean:
Saf ety L abels
Saf ety Messages
Saf ety Headings
Saf ety Section
Instructions
AFewWordsAboutSafety
DANGER WARNING CAUTION
iii
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions.
You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions.
You CAN be HURT if you don’t follow
instructions.
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You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important. Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ).
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your passengers
always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly (see page ).
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat, not the front seat. Infants and
smallchildrenshouldberestrained
in a child seat. Larger children
should use a booster seat and a lap/
shoulder belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat (see pages ).
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
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Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Restrain All Children Don’t Drink and Drive
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
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Your f ront airbags are also dual-
threshold airbags. Airbags with this
f eature have two deployment
thresholds that depend on whether
sensors detect the occupant is
wearing a seat belt or not.
If the occupant’s belt is ,
the airbag will deploy at a slightly
lower threshold, because the
occupant would need extra
protection.
Your f ront airbags are dual-stage
airbags. This means they have two
inf lation stages that can be ignited
sequentially or simultaneously,
depending on crash severity.
In a crash, both stages
will ignite simultaneously to provide
the quickest and greatest protection.
In a crash, one stage will
ignite first, then the second stage
will ignite a split second later. This
provides longer airbag inf lation time
with a little less force.
After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder f rom the airbag’s surf ace.
Although the powder is not harmf ul,
people with respiratory problems
mayexperiencesometemporary
discomf ort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is saf e to do
so.
If the occupant’s belt is , the
airbag will inf late at a slightly higher
threshold, when the airbag would be
needed to supplement the protection
provided by the seat belt.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Dual-T hreshold A irbags
not lat ched
Dual-Stage A irbags
more severeless severe latched
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If you have children, or ever need to
drive with a child in your vehicle, be
sure to read this section. It begins
with important general guidelines,
then presents special inf ormation f or
infants, small children, and larger
children. Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In f act, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of the death of children ages 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be properly
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
(see pages ). (see pages ).
Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to protect child
passengers.
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properly
Protecting Children General Guidelines
All Children Must Be Restrained
Inf ant s and small children must be
rest rained in an approved child seatt hat is properly secured t o t hevehicle Larger children must be restrained
wit h a lap/shoulder belt and ride ona boost er seat unt il t he seat belt f it st hem properly
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Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt and
use a booster seat if necessary.
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As required by the FCC:This device complies with Part 15 of theFCC rules. Operation is subject to thef ollowing two conditions: (1) This devicemay not cause harmf ul interf erence, and(2) this device must accept anyinterf erence received, includinginterf erence that may cause undesiredoperation.
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with IndustryCanada Standard RSS-210.Operation is subject to the f ollowing twoconditions: (1) this device may not causeinterf erence, and (2) this device mustaccept any interf erence that may causeundesired operation of the device.
When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, the immobilizer
system indicator should come on f or
a f ew seconds, then go out. If the
indicator starts to blink, it means the
system does not recognize the
coding of the remote or built-in key.
Turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK (0) position, release the
ignition switch and push it, or
remove the built-in key, and reinsert
it.ThenturntheswitchtotheON
(II) position again. The system may not recognize your
key’s coding if another immobilizer
key or other metal object (i.e. key
f ob) is near the ignition switch when
you turn the ignition switch to the
ON (II) position.
If the system repeatedly does not
recognize the coding of your remote
or built-in key, contact your dealer.
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it. Electrical
problems could result that may make
your vehicle undrivable.
If you have lost your remote or
built-in key and cannot start the
engine, contact your dealer.
The immobilizer system protects
your vehicle f rom thef t. If an
improperly-coded key (or other
device) is used, the engine will not
start.
Immobilizer System
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Always take the ignition key with you
whenever you leave the vehicle alone.
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The handle of each f ront door has a
sensor. That sensor works with the
remote so you can automatically
unlock/lock the door(s).
To change the ‘‘DOOR UNLOCK
MODE’’ setting, see page .When you unlock the door(s), some
exterior lights blink twice and the
system beeps twice.
To change the ‘‘KEYLESS ACCESS
LIGHT FLASH’’ setting, see page
.
To change the ‘‘KEYLESS ACCESS
BEEP’’ setting, see page .
By def ault, only the driver’s door
unlocks when you grab its handle. All the doors unlock when you grab
the handle of the f ront passenger’s
door.
If you wear a glove while grabbing a
f ront door handle, the door sensor
maybeslowtorespondormaynot
respond by unlocking the doors.
If you do not open any of the doors
within 30 seconds, they will
automatically relock.
To change the ‘‘SECURITY
RELOCK TIMER’’ setting, see page .
If a remote is within operating range
while you wash your vehicle or when
it is raining heavily, the door sensors
may respond by unlocking the doors.
The unlock sensors do not operate
when: Theremoteisnotwithinthe
operating range.
The remote is too close to the
vehicle.
When the doors are unlocked.
Theremotebatteryisdead.
The vehicle battery is dead.
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Unlocking the Door(s)
K eyless A ccess System
Inst rument s and Cont rols
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Each f ront door has a LOCK/
UNLOCK f eature.
When you touch the door lock
sensor of the f ront door by hand, all
the doors and the trunk will lock.The lock sensors do not operate if :
When you lock the doors, some
exterior lights blink once and the system beeps once. When you
cannot set the security system
because the trunk or hood is open,
no exterior light blinks and/or no
beeper sounds.
Bef ore locking the doors, make sure
theremoteisnotinsidethevehicle. If a remote is within operating range
while you wash your vehicle or when
it is raining heavily, the door sensors
may respond by locking the doors.
Within 2 seconds of touching the
handle to lock the doors or locking
the doors with remote, pull the
handletomakesurethedoorsare
actually locked. The door unlock
sensors do not operate f or about 2
seconds af ter the doors are locked.
To change the ‘‘KEYLESS ACCESS
BEEP’’ setting, see page .
To change the ‘‘KEYLESS ACCESS
LIGHT FLASH’’ setting, see page
. If you touch the door lock sensor of
the f ront door with your hand
wearing a glove, the door sensor may
delay to respond or not respond by
locking the doors.
Theremoteisnotwithinthe
operating range.
The doors are open.
The ignition switch is not in the
LOCK (0) position.
The built-in key is in the ignition
switch.
The remote is too close to the
vehicle.
Theremotebatteryisdead.
The vehicle battery is dead.
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L ocking the Doors
K eyless A ccess System
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DOOR LOCK SENSOR
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