2008 HONDA ELEMENT belt

Calif ornia Proposition 65 WarningThis product contains or emits chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth
def ects or other reproductive harm.
Event Data Recorders
This data belongs to the vehicle owner and may not be accessed by anyone else
except as legally required or with the permission of the vehicle owner.
Service Diagnostic Recorders
This vehicle is equipped with service-related devices that record inf ormation about powertrain perf ormance. The data
can be used to verif y emissions law requirements and/or help technicians diagnose and solve service problems. It may
also be combined with data f rom other sources f or research purposes, but it remains conf idential.
Introduction
WARNING:
This vehicle is equipped with one or more devices commonly ref erred to as event data recorders. These
devices record f ront seat belt use, f ront passenger seat occupancy, airbag deployment data, and the f ailure
of any airbag system component.
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Your Element has higher ground clearance than a passenger vehicle designed f or use only on pavement. Higher
ground clearance has many advantages f or of f -highway driving. It allows you to travel over bumps, obstacles, and
rough terrain. It also provides good visibility so you can anticipate problems earlier.
These advantages come at some cost. Because your vehicle is taller and rides higher of f the ground, it has a high
center of gravity. This means your vehicle can tip or roll over if you make abrupt turns. Utility vehicles have a
signif icantly higher rollover rate than other types of vehicles. In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is signif icantly
more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt. As a reminder, make sure you and your passengers always wear
seat belts.
For inf ormation on how to reduce the risk of rollover, read ‘‘Driving Guidelines’’ on page of this manual and thesection on page . Failure to operate your vehicle correctly might result in loss of
control or an accident. 156
179
Of f -Highway Driving Guidelines
Important Handling Inf ormation
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2008 Element Online Reference Owner's Manual
Contents

Owner's Identification Form

Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... i A Few Words About Safety .............................................................................................................................. iii Important Handling Information .................................................................................................................... iv
Your Vehicle at a Glance (main controls) .................................................................................................... 4
Driver and Passenger Safety (seat belts, SRS, and child protection) .................................................... 7
Instruments and Controls
(indicators, gauges, dashboard, and steering column)
............................................ 57
Features (heating and cooling
, audio, steering wheel, and cruise control)
........................................................... 101
Before Driving (fuel, vehicle break- in, and cargo loading) ..................................................................... 139
Driving (engine and transmission operation) ................................................................................................ 155
Maintenance (minder, fluid checking, minor services, and vehicle storage)........................................... 183
Taking Care of the Unexpected (flat tire, dead battery, overheating, and fuses) ............................. 221
Technical Information (vehicle specifications, tires, and emissions controls) ....................................... 245
Warranty and Customer Relations (U. S. and Canada only) (warranty and contact information) ... 261
Authorized Manuals (U. S. only) (how to order) ......................................................................................... 265
Index ............................................................................................................................... ........................................ I

Service Information Summary ( fluid capacities and tire pressures)
1 00X31-SCV-6502

How to operate the heating and air
conditioning system, the audio
system, and other conveniencef eatures.
A convenient ref erence to the
sections in this manual.
A quick ref erence to the main
controls in your vehicle.
Explains the purpose of each
instrument panel indicator and gauge,
and how to use the controls on the
dashboard and steering column. ID numbers, dimensions, capacities,
and technical information.
How to order manuals and other
technical literature.
A summary of the inf ormation you
need when you pull up to the f uel
pump.
What gasoline to use, how to break-
in your new vehicle, and how to load
luggage and other cargo.
The proper way to start the engine,
shif t the transmission, and park; plus
what you need to know if you’re
planning to tow a trailer.
Important inf ormation about the
proper use and care of your vehicle’s
seat belts, an overview of the
supplemental restraint system, and
valuable inf ormation on how to
protect children with child restraints. A summary of the warranties
covering your new vehicle, and how
to contact us for any reason. Refer to
your warranty manual f or detailed
inf ormation.
The maintenance minder shows you
when you need to take your vehicle
to the dealer for maintenance service.
There is also a list of things to check
and instructions on how to check
them.
This section covers several problems
motorists sometimes experience,
and details how to handle them.
Overview of Contents
Contents
Your Vehicle at a Glance
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Instruments and Controls
Features T echnical Inf ormation
Warranty and Customer
Relations
(U.S. and Canada only)
Authorized Manuals
(U.S. only)
Index
Service Inf ormation Summary
Bef ore Driving
Maintenance
Driving
T aking Care of the Unexpected
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This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts. It
explains how your airbags work. And
it tells you how to properly restrain
inf ants and children in your vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions .8
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features .9
.....................................
Seat Belts .10
.........................................
Airbags .11
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens .13
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors .13
...........
2.Adjust the Front Seats .13
............
3.Adjust the Seat-Backs .14
...
4.Adjust the Head Restraints .15
5.Fasten and Position the
............................
Seat Belts .16
6.Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .17
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women .18
...
Additional Safety Precautions .18
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .20
..
Seat Belt System Components .20 ......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .21
Automatic Seat Belt
...............................
Tensioners .22
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance .22
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .24
......
Airbag System Components .24
How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work .27
...
How Your Side Airbags Work .30
How Your Side Curtain Airbags
.........................................
Work .32
How the SRS Indicator .......................................
Works .33
How the Side Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .34
How the Passenger Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .34
.............................
Airbag Service .35
...
Additional Safety Precautions .36
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .37
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .37
All Children Should Sit in a .................................
Back Seat .38 The Passenger’s Front Airbag
.........
Can Pose Serious Risks .38
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .40
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .40
...
Additional Safety Precautions .41
Protecting Inf ants and .........................
Small Children .42
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .42
.........
Protecting Small Children .43
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .44
....................
Installing a Child Seat .45
...............................
With LATCH .46
.........
With a Lap/Shoulder Belt .48
..............................
With a Tether .50
...........
Protecting Larger Children .51
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit .51
..................
Using a Booster Seat .52
When Can a Larger Child Sit in
.........................................
Front .52
...
Additional Safety Precautions .53
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard .54
...................................
Saf ety Labels .55
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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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 ).
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.
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.
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 ). 3753
16
185
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Control Your Speed
Don’t Drink and Drive
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Restrain All Children
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Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
f eatures unless you remain sitting in
a proper position and. In fact, some safety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers.
Some f eatures do not require any
action on your part. These include a
strong steel f ramework that f orms a
saf ety cage around the passenger
compartment; front and rear crush
zones, a collapsible steering column;
and tensioners that tighten the seat
belts in a crash.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
always wear
your seat belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
9
(2)
(6)
(4)
(3)
(1)
(7)
(5)
(2)
(8)
(8)(9)
(11)
(10)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags
(9) Side Curtain Airbags
(10) Front Seat Belt Tensioners
(11) Door Locks
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Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children. (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers. Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.
Always wear your seat belt, and
make sure you wear it properly.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
and a beeper to remind you and your
passengers to f asten your seat belts.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
What You Should Do:
10
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
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