2008 Acura TL ESP

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.
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.
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! Your selection of a 2008 Acura TL was a wise investment. It
will give you years of driving pleasure.
Introduction
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Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important
responsibility.
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 .
These signal words mean:
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.
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.
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.
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 ).
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse withevery 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.
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 ). 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 ).
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.
14 4851
284
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Don’t Drink and Drive
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Restrain All ChildrenK eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Control Your Speed
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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 inf late at a slightly higher
threshold, when the airbag would be
needed to supplement the protection
provided by the seat belt.
If the occupant’s belt is ,
the airbag will deploy at a slightly
lower threshold, because the
occupant would need extra
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.
In a crash, both stages
will ignite simultaneously to provide
the quickest and greatest 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.
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.
The total time for inflation and
def lation is one-tenth of a second, so
f ast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until
they see them lying in their laps.
Af ter inf lating, the f ront airbags
immediately def late, so they won’t
interf ere with the driver’s visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
CONT INUED
Dual-T hreshold A irbags
latched
not lat ched
less severe
more severe
Dual-Stage A irbags
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to protect child
passengers.
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 ).
3847 4851
properly
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
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
33
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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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 key and you
cannot start the engine, contact your
dealer.
If the system repeatedly does not
recognize the coding of your key,
contact your dealer.
When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, the immobilizer
system indicator should come on
brief ly, then go of f . If the indicator
starts to blink, it means the system
does not recognize the coding of the
key. Turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK (0) position, remove the key,
reinsert it, and turn the ignition
switch to the ON (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 insert the key.
The immobilizer system protects
your vehicle f rom thef t. If an
improperly-coded key (or other
device) is used, the engine’s f uel
system is disabled.
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.
Immobilizer System
94
Always take the ignition key with you
whenever you leave the vehicle alone.
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Remove the old battery and note
the polarity. Make sure the
polarity of the new battery is the
same ( side f acing up), then
insert it in the keypad.
An improperly disposed of battery
can hurt the environment.
Always conf irm local regulations
for battery disposal.
Snap the two halves of the keypad,
then install the parts in reverse
order.
Place a cloth on the edge of the
keypad, and remove the upper half
by caref ully prying on the edge
with a small f lat-tip screwdriver or
coin. 4.
5.
3.
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.
Remote Transmitter
Inst rument s and Cont rols
101
BATTERY
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Adjusts the volume level
basedonthevehiclespeed. This f unction is set to MID as the
def ault setting when the vehicle
leaves the factory.You can use the instrument panel
brightness control buttons to adjust
the illumination of the audio system
(see page ). The audio system
illuminates when the parking lights
are on, even if the radio is of f .
The SVC mode controls the volume
based on vehicle speed. The f aster
you go, the louder the audio volume
becomes. As you slow down, the
audio volume decreases.
The SVC has f our modes; SVC OFF,
SVC LOW, SVC MID, and SVC
HIGH. Turn the TUNE knob to
adjust the setting to your liking. If
you f eel the sound is too loud,
choose low. If you f eel the sound is
too quiet, choose high. Dolby
PL (Prologic) II signal processing
creates multi-channel surround
sound f rom the audio signal
recorded with two channel stereo
sources. Dolby prologic II can only
activate when using the CD (CD-DA,
MP3/WMA),XMradio,andAUX
audio modes. When it activates,
‘‘DPL II’’ is shown on the upper
display.
Manuf actured under license f rom
Dolby Laboratories. ‘‘Dolby’’,
‘‘ProLogic’’, and the double-D symbol
are trademarks of Dolby
Laboratories. 89
SVC
A udio System L ighting
Dolby PL (Prologic) II
Speed-sensit ive Volume Compensat ion (SVC)
Audio System (Models without Navigation System)
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