2008 HONDA ELEMENT ECU

With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker’s instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the
buckle.
When not using the LATCH system,
all child seats must be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a lap/
shoulder belt.
In addition, the lap/shoulder belts in
all seating positions except the
driver’s have a lockable retractor
that must be activated to secure a
child seat.
Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchor, then tighten the
strap as instructed by the child
seat maker.
If the tether strap is too long and
cannot be tightened f irmly, f ind a
route where the strap can be
tightened securely.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verify that it is secure. 1.
8.
9. Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
Installing a Child Seat
48
TETHER ANCHOR
TETHER STRAP HOOK
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2008 Element

Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verify that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract f ully, then repeat these
steps.
Af ter conf irming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle, and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat while
pulling up on the belt.
To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor.
Af ter the belt has retracted, tug on
it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
thebeltout,itisnotlocked,and
you will need to repeat these steps.
To deactivate the lockable retractor
and remove a child seat, unlatch the
buckle, unroute the seat belt, and let
the belt fully retract.
4. 5.
2.
3.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
49
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2008 Element

Since a tether can provide additional
security to the lap/shoulder belt
installation, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available.Af ter securing the child seat in the
desired position (see page ),
remove the head restraint (see
page ), then route the tether
strap over the top of the seat-back.
Slide the anchor cover open as
shown.
Attach the tether strap hook to the
anchor, making sure the strap is
not twisted.
A child seat with a tether can be
installed in either back seat, using
one of the anchor points shown
above.
Tighten the strap according to the
seat maker’s instructions. Make
sure the removed head restraint is
secured in the cargo area.
Reinstall the head restraint in
place when you remove the child
seat.
1.
2.
3.
4.
48
85
Installing a Child Seat with a
Tether
Installing a Child Seat
50
TETHER STRAP HOOK
ANCHOR POINTS
TETHER ANCHOR
ANCHOR COVER TETHER ANCHOR
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2008 Element

If you decide that a child can saf ely
ride up f ront, be sure to:Caref ully read the owner’s manual,
and make sure you understand all
seat belt instructions and all saf ety
inf ormation.
Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position.
Have the child sit up straight, back
against the seat, and feet on or
near the f loor.
To saf ely ride in f ront, a child must
be able to f ollow the rules, including
sitting properly, and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride.
Physically, a child must be large
enough f or the lap/shoulder belt to
properly f it (see page ). If the seat
belt does not f it properly, with or
without the child sitting on a booster
seat, the child should not sit in f ront.
Check that the child’s seat belt is
properly and securely positioned.
Supervise the child. Even mature
children sometimes need to be
reminded to f asten the seat belts
or sit properly.
Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can saf ely ride in f ront,
there are other important f actors you
should consider.
This could
cause very serious injuries during
a crash. It also increases the
chance that the child will slide
under the belt in a crash and be
injured. This could result
in serious neck injuries during a
crash.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
Devices intended to
improve a child’s comf ort or
reposition the shoulder part of a
seat belt can make the belt less
ef f ective and increase the chance
of serious injury in a crash.
51 Additional Saf ety Precautions
Maturity
Physical Size Do not let a child put the shoulder
part of a seat belt behind t he backor under t he arm.
Do not let a child wear a seat belt
across t he neck.
T wo children should never use thesame seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on aseat belt.
Protecting L arger Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
53
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2008 Element

Push the lever up to lock the
steering wheel in that position.
Make sure you have securely
locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up and down.Youshouldhavereceivedakey
number tag with your set of keys.
You will need this key number if you
ever have to get a key replaced. Use
only Honda-approved key blanks.
The master key fits all the locks on
your vehicle. The valet key works
only in the ignition and the door
locks. You can keep the glove box
and hatch locked when you leave
your vehicle and the valet key at a
parking f acility.
3.
4.
CONT INUED
Steering Wheel A djustment, K eys and L ocks
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
75
KEY
NUMBER
TAG
MASTER
KEYS
(BLACK) VALET
KEY
(LIGHT
GRAY)
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2008 Element

You can recline the seat-backs on the
f ront seats so they are level with the
rear seat cushions, making a large
cushioned area. To do this:Adjust the front seats forward as
f ar as possible. Pull up the seat-
back angle adjustment lever and
pivot the seat-back backward until
it is level with the rear seat
cushion.
Move the f ront seat backward
until it touches the rear seat.
Adjust the rear seat-back to the
desired position.
Reverse this procedure to return the
front and rear seats to the upright
position. Make sure you install the
head restraints and the seats are
locked securely bef ore driving.
When you return the seat-back to its
upright position, hold the seat-back
to keep it f rom going up too quickly.
Remove the head restraints f rom
the f ront seats (see page ), and
store them in the side pockets of
the cargo area.
1. 2.
3.
4.
85
Reclining the Front Seats
Seats
86
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2008 Element

A fastening strap is attached to the
inside of the seat cushion. While
pushing the seat up and toward
thesidewall,hookthefastening
straptothegrabrail.Fold down the seat support.Reverse this procedure to return the
rear seat to the upright position.
When not in use, store the fastening
strap hook in the f abric pocket on
the bottom of the seat cushion.
Make sure the seat is locked
securely.
4. 5.
Seats
88
GRAB RAIL
FASTENING STRAP SEAT SUPPORT
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2008 Element

Reverse this procedure to reinstall
the seat. Make sure the seats are
securely locked in place bef ore
driving.
Hold the steel handle next to the
lock lever and the handle strap at
the outside edge of the seat
cushion, and remove the entire
seat by pulling it up and backward. Always remove an unsecured seat
f rom the vehicle bef ore driving. A
seat that is not locked in place could
be thrown about and cause injury in
a sudden stop or crash.
4.
Seats
90
STEEL HANDLE
HANDLE STRAP
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2008 Element