2008 HONDA ELEMENT Owners Manual

If either of you do not f asten your
seat belt while driving, the beeper
will sound and the indicator will f lash
again at regular intervals. For more
inf ormation, see page .
This indicator comes on brief ly when
you turn the ignition switch to the
ON (II) position. If it comes on at
any other time, it indicates a
potential problem with your f ront
airbags. This indicator will also alert
you to a potential problem with your
side airbags, passenger’s side airbag
cutof f system, side curtain airbags,
automatic seat belt tensioners,
driver’s seat position sensor, or the
f ront passenger’s weight sensors.
For more inf ormation, see page .This indicator comes on f or a f ew
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position. It
remindsyouthatitistimetotake
your vehicle in f or scheduled
maintenance. The maintenance main
items and sub items will be displayed
in the information display. See page
f or more inf ormation on the
maintenance minder.
This indicator goes of f when your
dealer resets it after completing the
required maintenance service.
This indicator comes on when you
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position. If it comes on at any
other time, it indicates that the
passenger’s side airbag has
automatically shut off. For more
inf ormation, see page .
This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position, and when the ignition
switch is turned to the START (III)
position. If it comes on at any other
time, there is a problem with the
ABS. If this happens, have your
vehicle checked at a dealer. With
this indicator on, your vehicle still
has normal braking ability but no
anti-lock f unction. For more
inf ormation, see page .
20
185
33 34
168
Instrument Panel Indicators
Supplemental Restraint
System Indicator Maintenance Minder
Indicator
Side Airbag Of f
Indicator
Anti-lock Brake System
(A BS) Indicator
Inst rument s and Cont rols
61
Canada
U.S.
\f—\f—y
y
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2008 Element

If this indicator comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON
(II) position and the parking brake is
released, it means there is a problem
in the circuit. Have your vehicle
checked by your dealer.
This indicator comes on when you
set the cruise control. See pagef or inf ormation on operating the
cruise control.
This indicator comes on f or a f ew
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position. It will
then go of f if you have inserted a
properly-coded ignition key. If it is
not a properly-coded key, the
indicator will blink, and the engine
will not start (see page ).
This indicator also blinks several
times when you turn the ignition
switch f rom the ON (II) position to
the ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0)
position.
The lef t or right turn signal indicator
blinks when you signal a lane change
or turn. If the indicators do not blink
or they blink rapidly, it usually
means one of the turn signal bulbs is
burned out (see page ). Replace
the bulb as soon as possible, since
other drivers cannot see that you are
signaling.
When you press the hazard warning
button, both turn signal indicators
and all turn signals on the outside of
the vehicle f lash.
76
204
135
Canadian models only
Instrument Panel Indicators
Cruise Control Indicator
‘‘Daytime Running
Lights’’ Indicator
Immobilizer System
Indicator Turn Signal and
Hazard Warning
Indicators
62
\f—\f—y
y
(+\fy\f\fy
2008 Element

This indicator reminds you that the
exterior lights are on. It comes on
when the light switch is in either theor position. If you turn the
ignition switch to the ACCESSORY
(I) or LOCK (0) position without
turning of f the light switch, this
indicator will stay on. A reminder
chime will also sound when you open
the driver’s door.
This indicator comes on with the
high beam headlights. For more
inf ormation, see page .
On Canadian models, this indicator
comes on with reduced brightness
when the daytime running lights
(DRL) are on (see page ). This indicator comes on when the
washer f luid level is low. Add washer
f luid when you see this indicator
come on (see page ).
When the indicator comes on, there
is about 2.8 U.S. gal (10.5
)of fuel
remaining in the tank bef ore the
needle reaches E. There is a small
reserve of f uel remaining in the tank
when the needle does reach E.
This indicator comes on as a
reminder that you must ref uel soon. The appropriate indicator comes on
in this display if the tailgate or any
door is not closed tightly.
All of the indicators in the monitor
display come on f or a f ew seconds
when you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position.
72
72 197
Canadian models only
Instrument Panel Indicators
Lights On Indicator
High Beam Indicator
Washer Level Indicator
Door and T ailgate Open Monitor
Low Fuel Indicator
Inst rument s and Cont rols
63
LOW FUEL INDICATOR
\f—\f—y
y
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2008 Element

This indicator has three f unctions:Itcomesonasareminderthatyou
have turned off the vehicle
stability assist (VSA) system.
It flashes when VSA is active (see
page ).
It comes on along with the VSA
system indicator if there is a
problem with the VSA system.
If itcomesonandstaysonatany
other time, or it does not come on
when you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, there is a
problem with the VSA system. Have
your vehicle checked by your dealer.
Without VSA, your vehicle still has
normal driving ability, but will not
have VSA traction and stability
enhancement. See page f or more
inf ormation on the VSA system.
This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. For more inf ormation, see
page .
This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
If it comes on while driving, it
indicates that one or more of your
vehicle’s tires are signif icantly low
on pressure.
If this happens, pull to the side of the
road when it is saf e, check which tire
has lost the pressure, and determine
the cause. If it is because of a flat tire,
replace the flat tire with the compact
spare (see page ), and have the
f lat tire repaired as soon as possible.
If two or more tires are underinf lated,
call a professional towing service
(see page ). For more
inf ormation, see page .
1.
2.
3.
171 171
171 222
243 169
Instrument Panel Indicators
Vehicle Stability Assist VSA A ctivation Indicator
Indicator
64
\f—\f—y
y
(+\fy\f\fy
LowTirePressure
(VSA) System Indicator
2008 Element

This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
If this indicator comes on and stays
on at any other time, or if it does not
come on when you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position, there
is a problem with the TPMS; the
system that monitors tire pressure.
With this indicator on, the low tire
pressure indicator will not come on
when a tire loses pressure. Take the
vehicle to your dealer to have the
system checked.
Instrument Panel Indicators
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (T PMS) Indicator
Inst rument s and Cont rols
65
\f—\f—y
\fy
(+\fy\f\f\fy
2008 Element

This shows the number of miles (U.S.)
or kilometers (Canada) driven since
you last reset it.Each trip meter works independently,
so you can keep track of two
dif f erent distances.The odometer shows the total
distance your vehicle has been
driven. It measures miles in U.S.
models and kilometers in Canadian
models. It is illegal under U.S.
federal law and Canadian provincial
regulations to disconnect, reset, or
alter the odometer with the intent to
change the number of miles or
kilometers indicated.
When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, the last
selection is displayed.
To reset a trip meter, display it, and
then press and hold the select/reset
knob until the number resets to ‘‘0.0’’.
There are two trip meters: Trip A
and Trip B. Switch between these
displays by pressing the select/reset
knob repeatedly. Odometer
Trip Meter
Gauges
66
SPEEDOMETER FUEL GAUGE
TACHOMETER
TEMPERATURE GAUGE
ODOMETER/TRIP METER SELECT/RESET
KNOB
\f—\f—y

\fy
(+\fy\f\f
y
2008 Element

This shows how much f uel you have.
It may show slightly more or less
than the actual amount. The needle
returns to the bottom after you turn
of f the ignition.Your vehicle’s onboard diagnostic
system will detect a loose or missing
f uel f ill cap as an evaporative system
leak. The f irst time a leak is detected
a ‘‘CHECK FUEL CAP’’ message
appears on the information display.If the system still detects a leak in
your vehicle’s evaporative emissions
system, the malf unction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the f uel f ill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go of f ,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more inf ormation, see
page .
Turn the engine of f , and conf irm the
f uel f ill cap is installed. If it is, loosen
it, then retighten it until it clicks at
least once. The message should go
off after several days of normal
driving once you tighten or replace
the f uel f ill cap. To scroll to another
display, press the select/reset knob.
The ‘‘CHECK FUEL CAP’’ message
will appear each time you restart the
engine until the system turns the
message of f . 236
Gauges
Fuel Gauge Check Fuel Cap Message
Inst rument s and Cont rols
67
Avoid driving with an extremely low
f uel level. Running out of f uel could
cause the engine to misf ire, damaging
the catalytic converter.
\f—\f—y

y
(+\fy\f\fy
2008 Element

The inf ormation display in the
instrument panel shows you the
engine oil lif e and maintenance
service items when the ignition
switch is in the ON (II) position. This
inf ormation helps to keep you aware
of the periodic maintenance your
vehicle needs f or continued trouble-
f ree driving. Ref er to page f or
more inf ormation.
This shows the temperature of the
engine’s coolant. During normal
operation, the pointer should rise to
about the middle of the gauge. In
severe driving conditions, the pointer
may rise to the upper zone. If it
reaches the red (hot) mark, pull
safely to the side of the road. Turn to
page f or instructions and
precautions on checking the engine’s
cooling system.
233185
Gauges
Maintenance Minder
Temperature Gauge
68
\f—\f—y

y
(+\fy\f\fy
2008 Element