2009 Acura MDX Owner's Manual

This section gives you important
information 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 infants and
children in your vehicle.
Important Safety Precautions
.............
6
Your Vehicle's Safety Features
..........
7
Seat Belts
.....................................
8
Airbags
........................................
9
Protecting Adults and Teens
...........
11
1. Close and Lock the Doors
.........
11
2. Adjust the Front Seats
..............
12
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs
...............
13
4. Adjust the Head Restraints
.......
14
5. Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
...................................
15
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
...............................
17
Advice for Pregnant Women
.........
18
Additional Safety Precautions
.......
19
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
...............................
20
Seat Belt System Components
......
20 Lap/Shoulder Belt
.......................
21
Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
..............................
22
Seat Belt Maintenance
.................
23
Additional Information 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 Off Indicator Works
.....................................
33
How the Passenger Airbag Off Indicator Works
......................
34
Airbag Service
.............................
35
Additional Safety Precautions
.......
35
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 Infants and Small Children
.................................
42
Protecting Infants
........................
42
Protecting Small Children
............
43
Selecting a Child Seat
.....................
45
Installing a Child Seat
.....................
46
Installing a Child Seat with
LATCH
...................................
47
Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/ Shoulder Belt
..........................
50
Installing a Child Seat with a Tether
....................................
51
Protecting Larger Children
.............
54
Checking Seat Belt Fit
.................
54
Using a Booster Seat
....................
55
When Can a Larger Child Sit in
Front
......................................
56
Additional Safety Precautions
.......
57
Carbon Monoxide Hazard
...............
58
Safety Labels
..................................
59
Driver and Passenger Safety
5
Driver and Passenger Saf et y
08/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

You'll find many safety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
The recommendations on this page
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
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
page15).Restrain All Children
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat, not the front seat. Infants and
small children should be restrained
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 pages37
－57).
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
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.
Infants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to follow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. Don't Drink and Drive
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 friends
drink and drive, either.
Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor 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
faster than is safe for current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Keep Your Vehicle in Safe
Condition
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical failure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page415).Important Safety Precautions608/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to protect
you and your passengers during a
crash.
Some features do not require any
action on your part. These include a
strong steel framework that forms a
safety cage around the passenger
compartment, front and rear crush
zones, a collapsible steering column,
and tensioners that tighten the front
seat belts in a crash.
However, you and your passengers
can't take full advantage of these
features unless you remain sitting in
a proper position and
always wear
your seat belts.
In fact, some safety
features can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
The following pages explain how you
can take an active role in protecting
yourself and your passengers.
(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
(1)
(3)
(7)
(5) (2)(11) (6)
(10) (8)
(2)
(9)
(4)
Your Vehicle's Safety Features
7
Driver and Passenger Saf et y
08/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

Seat Belts
Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
and a beeper to remind you and your
passengers to fasten your seat belts.Why Wear Seat BeltsSeat belts are the single most
effective safety device for adults and
larger children. (Infants 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.
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.
When properly worn, seat belts:●Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle's built-in safety features.●Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including: – frontal impacts
– side impacts
– rear impacts
– rollovers
●Help keep you from being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.●Keep you from 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 from an inflating airbag and
allows you to get the best
advantage from the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash. But in most cases, seat belts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.What you should do:
Always wear
your seat belt, and make sure you
wear it properly.
Your Vehicle's Safety Features808/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

AirbagsYour vehicle has a supplemental
restraint system (SRS) with front
airbags to help protect the heads and
chests of the driver and a front seat
passenger during a moderate to
severe frontal collision (see page27
for more information on how your
front airbags work).
Your vehicle also has side airbags to
help protect the upper torso of the
driver or a front seat passenger
during a moderate to severe side
impact (see page30for more
information on how your side airbags
work).
In addition, your vehicle has side
curtain airbags to help protect the
heads of the driver, front passenger,
and passengers in the outer rear
seating positions during a moderate
to severe side impact or rollover (see
page32for more information on how
your side curtain airbags work).
CONTINUED
Your Vehicle's Safety Features
9
Driver and Passenger Saf et y
08/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:●Airbags do not replace seat belts.They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.●Airbags offer no protection in rearimpacts, or minor frontal or sidecollisions.●Airbags can pose serious hazards.To do their job, airbags must
inflate with tremendous force. So
while airbags help save lives, they
can cause minor injuries or more
serious or even fatal injuries if
occupants are not properly
restrained or sitting properly.
What you should do:
Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright and as far back from the
steering wheel as possible while
allowing full control of the vehicle. A
front passenger should move their
seat as far back from the dashboard
as possible. The rest of this section gives more
detailed information about how you
can maximize your safety.
Remember, however, that no safety
system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in a severe
crash, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags
deploy.
Your Vehicle's Safety Features1008/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

Introduction
The following pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver, adult passengers,
and teenage children who are large
enough and mature enough to drive
or ride in the front.
See pages37－41for important
guidelines on how to properly protect
infants, small children, and larger
children who ride in your vehicle.
1. Close and Lock the Doors
After everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors and the
tailgate are closed and locked. Your vehicle has a door and tailgate
open indicator on the multi-
information display to indicate when
a specific door or the tailgate is not
tightly closed. You will see the
appropriate indicator and the
message for each condition.
When one or more doors are not
tightly closed, the
‘‘DOOR OPEN’’
message will come on.
When the tailgate is not tightly
closed, the ‘‘TAILGATE OPEN ’’
message will come on.
CONTINUED
Protecting Adults and Teens
11
Driver and Passenger Saf et y
08/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX

When both tailgate and one or more
doors are not tightly closed, the
‘‘DOOR & TAILGATE OPEN’’
message will come on. Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers from
accidentally opening a door and
falling out.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider from unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
Your vehicle has the auto door
locking/unlocking feature. For more
information, see page130.
2. Adjust the Front Seats
Adjust the driver's seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain full control of the vehicle.
Have a front passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
Protecting Adults and Teens1208/06/06 16:58:07 09 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX620 enu
2009 MDX