2008 HONDA PILOT Owners Manual

Improperly replacing
or covering f ront seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags f rom
inf lating during a side impact.
If water or
another liquid soaks into a seat-
back, it can prevent the side airbag
cutof f system f rom working
properly.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury. Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.
Even if your
airbags do not inflate, your dealer
should inspect the driver’s seat
position sensor, the f ront
passenger’s weight sensors, the
f ront seat belt tensioners, and all
seat belts worn during a crash to
make sure they are operating
properly. This could make the
driver’s seat position sensor or the
f ront passenger’s weight sensors
inef f ective. If it is necessary to
remove or modif y a f ront seat to
accommodate a person with
disabilities, f irst contact Honda
Automobile Customer Service at
(800) 999-1009.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Do not cover or replace f ront seat -
back covers wit hout consult ingyour dealer.
Do not expose the f ront passenger’sseat-back to liquid.
Do not t amper wit h airbag
component s or wiring f or anyreason.
Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o a
problem.
If your vehicle has a moderat e t osevere impact .
Do not remove or modif y a f rontseat without consulting yourdealer.Additional Saf ety Precautions
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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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. (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. 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 age 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every U.S. state
and Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be properly
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
4352 5356
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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CONT INUED
Even though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system that
automatically turns the passenger’s
f ront airbag of f (see page ),
please f ollow these guidelines:If
the airbag inf lates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
inf ant.
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collisions. To do this
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
f orce to cause very serious injuries.
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in a
back seat. The National Highway
Traf f ic Saf ety Administration and
Transport Canada recommend that
all children age 12 and under be
properly restrained in a back seat.
Some states have laws restricting
where children may ride.
Children who ride in back are less
likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back. If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt (see page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children).
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53
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Small Children
Larger Children
Inf ant s Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag. Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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To remind you of the passenger’s
f ront airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained
in a back seat, your vehicle has
warninglabelsonthedashboard(on
U.S. models, the dashboard label is
removedbytheowner)andonthe
f ront visors. Please read and f ollow
the instructions on these labels.
Protecting Children General Guidelines
U.S. ModelsCanadian Models
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DASHBOARD
SUN VISORS
SUN VISORS
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Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or a small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
f rontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page
).
Your vehicle has two rows of back
seats where children can be properly
restrained. If you ever have to carry
a group of children, and a child must
ride in f ront:
If a child requires close physical
attention or f requent visual
contact, we strongly recommend
that another adult ride with the
child in a back seat. The back seat
is f ar saf er f or a child than the
front.
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18
18 13
Protecting Children General Guidelines
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
If You Must Drive with Several
Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt, the child can be torn
from your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash. For example, infants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition switch can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
Children who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles.
If a child wraps a loose
seat belt around their neck, they
can be seriously or f atally injured.
(See pages and f or how to
activate and deactivate the
lockable retractor.)
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. This can prevent
children f rom accidentally f alling
out (see page ).
During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition
switch, and open the tailgate,
which can lead to accidental injury
or death.
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4950
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap.
Never let two children use thesame seat belt . Lock all doors and the tailgate
when your vehicle is not in use.
Make sure any unused seat belt
t hat a child can reach is buckled,the lockable retractor is activated,and the belt is f ully retracted andlocked.
Do not leave children alone in avehicle.
Use t he childproof door locks t o
prevent children f rom opening t herear doors.
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child.
K eep vehicle keys/remot etransmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
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CONT INUED
An inf ant must be properly
restrained in a rear-f acing, reclining
child seat until the child reaches the
seat maker’s weight or height limit
f or the seat, and the child is at least
one year old.
Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back.Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision. If the passenger’s front airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough f orce to kill or
seriously injure an inf ant.
A rear-f acing child seat can be placed
in any seating position in the back
seat, but not in the f ront.
When properly installed in the
second row, a rear-f acing child seat
maypreventthedriverorafront
passenger f rom moving their seat as
f ar back as recommended, or f rom
locking their seat-back in the desired
position.
It can also interf ere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ypeDo not put a rear-f acing child seat in
a f orward-f acing position. Rear-f acing Child Seat Placement
Never put a
rear-f acing child seat in t he f ront seat .
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown.
In any of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat directly behind the
f ront passenger’s seat, move the seat
as far forward as needed, and leave it
unoccupied. Or, you may wish to get
a smaller rear-f acing child seat.
A child who is at least one year old,
and who fits within the child seat
maker’s weight and height limits,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing, upright child seat.We also recommend that a small
child use the child seat until the child
reaches the weight or height limit
for the seat.
We strongly recommend placing a
forward-facing child seat in a back
seat, not the f ront.
If the vehicle seat is too
f ar f orward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inf lating airbag can strike the child
with enough force to cause very
serious or fatal injuries.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Protecting Small Children
Child Seat T ype Child Seat Placement
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwith a passenger’s airbag can behazardous.
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Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death during a
collision.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.
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