2009 HONDA FIT seats

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
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6
Your Vehicle's Safety Features
.........
7
Seat Belts
....................................
8
Airbags
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9
Protecting Adults and Teens
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11
1. Close and Lock the Doors
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11
2. Adjust the Front Seats
............
11
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs
.............
12
4. Adjust the Head Restraints
.....
13
5. Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
..................................
14
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
.............................
15
Advice for Pregnant Women
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16
Additional Safety Precautions
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17
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
...............................
18
Seat Belt System Components
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18 Lap/Shoulder Belt
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19
Automatic Seat Belt
Tensioners
............................
20
Seat Belt Maintenance
...............
20
Additional Information About Your Airbags
..................................
22
Airbag System Components
.......
22
How Your Front Airbags Work
...
25
How Your Side Airbags Work
....
28
How Your Side Curtain Airbags Work
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30
How the SRS Indicator Works
....
30
How the Side Airbag Off
Indicator Works
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31
How the Passenger Airbag Off Indicator Works
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31
Airbag Service
...........................
32
Additional Safety Precautions
.....
33
Protecting Children －General
Guidelines
.............................
34
All Children Must Be Restrained
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34
All Children Should Sit in a Back Seat
.......................................
35
The Passenger's Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
..........
35 If You Must Drive with Several
Children
................................
37
If a Child Requires Close Attention
...............................
37
Additional Safety Precautions
.....
38
Protecting Infants and Small Children
................................
39
Protecting Infants
......................
39
Protecting Small Children
..........
40
Selecting a Child Seat
....................
41
Installing a Child Seat
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42
Installing a Child Seat with LATCH
..................................
43
Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/Shoulder Belt
.................
45
Installing a Child Seat with a Tether
...................................
47
Protecting Larger Children
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49
Checking Seat Belt Fit
...............
49
Using a Booster Seat
..................
50
When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front
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51
Additional Safety Precautions
.....
52
Carbon Monoxide Hazard
..............
53
Safety Labels
.................................
54
Driver and Passenger Safety
5
Driver and Passenger Safety
2009 Fit

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.
(7) (1)
(4)
(5) (9)
(3)
(11)
(2)(8)
(10) (6) (2)
(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
Your Vehicle's Safety Features
7
Driver and Passenger Safety
2009 Fit

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 Features8
2009 Fit

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 pages34－38for 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 instrument panel to indicate
when any door or the tailgate is not
tightly closed.
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 and the tailgate
also helps prevent an outsider from
unexpectedly opening a door or the
tailgate when you come to a stop.
See page81for how to lock the
doors, and page62for how the door
and tailgate open indicator works.
Some models have the auto door
locking/unlocking feature. For more
information, see page83. 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.
CONTINUED
Protecting Adults and Teens
11
Driver and Passenger Safety
2009 Fit

If you sit too close to the steering
wheel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inflating front
airbag, or by striking the steering
wheel or dashboard.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest. In addition to
adjusting the seat, you can adjust the
steering wheel up and down, and in
and out (see page77).
If you cannot get far enough away
from the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help.
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.
Once a seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and forth to make sure it
is locked in position.
See page93for how to adjust the
front seats. 3. Adjust the Seat-Backs
Adjust the driver's seat-back to a
comfortable, upright position, leaving
ample space between your chest and
the airbag cover in the center of the
steering wheel.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comfortable, upright
position.
Protecting Adults and Teens12
2009 Fit

The front seats have adjustable seat
belt anchors. To adjust the height of
an anchor, squeeze the two release
buttons, and slide the anchor up or
down as needed (it has four
positions).
Never place the shoulder portion of alap/shoulder belt under your arm or
behind your back.
This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
properly, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
No one should sit in a seat with an
inoperative seat belt.
Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your dealer check the belt as
soon as possible.
See page18for additional
information about your seat belts and
how to take care of them. 6. Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and head restraints, and
put on their seat belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
upright, well back in their seats, with
their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is parked and the engine is
off.
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies
down, turns sideways, sits forward,
leans forward or sideways, or puts
one or both feet up, the chance of
injury during a crash is greatly
increased.
RELEASE BUTTONS
CONTINUED
Protecting Adults and Teens
15
Driver and Passenger Safety
2009 Fit

Additional Safety Precautions●Never let passengers ride in thecargo area or on top of a folded-
down back seat.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
●Never let passengers ride in the area in front of a folded-up rearseat or on top of a folded-down rear
seat.
If they do, they could be very
seriously injured in a crash.
●Passengers should not stand up or change seats while the vehicle is
moving.
A passenger who is not
wearing a seat belt during a crash
or emergency stop can be thrown
against the inside of the vehicle,
against other occupants, or out of
the vehicle.
●Two people should never use the
same seat belt.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
●Do not put any accessories on seat
belts.
Devices intended to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can
reduce the protective capability of
the belt and increase the chance of
serious injury in a crash.
●Do not place hard or sharp objects between yourself and a front
airbag.
Carrying hard or sharp
objects on your lap, or driving with
a pipe or other sharp object in your
mouth, can result in injuries if your
front airbag inflates.
●Keep your hands and arms away
from the airbag covers.
If your
hands or arms are close to an
airbag cover, they could be injured
if the airbag inflates.
●Do not attach or place objects on
the front airbag covers.
Objects on
the covers marked ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG ’’could interfere with the
proper operation of the airbags or
be propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone if the airbags inflate.
●Do not attach hard objects on or
near a door.
If a side airbag or a
side curtain airbag inflates, a cup
holder or other hard object
attached on or near the door could
be propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone.
Protecting Adults and Teens
17
Driver and Passenger Safety
2009 Fit

Advanced AirbagsYour front airbags are also advanced
airbags. The main purpose of this
feature is to help prevent airbag-
caused injuries to short drivers and
children who ride in front.
For both advanced airbags to work
properly:●Occupants must sit upright and
wear their seat belts properly.●Do not spill any liquids on or
under the seats, cover the sensors,
or put any objects or metal items
under the front seats.●Back-seat passengers should not
put their feet under the front seats.
Failure to follow these instructions
could damage the sensors or prevent
them from working properly.
The driver's advanced front airbag
system includes a seat position
sensor under the seat. If the seat is
too far forward, the airbag will inflate
with less force, regardless of the
severity of the impact.
If there is a problem with the sensor,
the SRS indicator will come on, and
the airbag will inflate in the normal
manner regardless of the driver's
seating position.
The passenger's advanced front
airbag system has weight sensors
under the seat. Although Honda does
not encourage carrying an infant or
small child in front, if the sensors
detect the weight of an infant or
small child (up to about 65 lbs or 29
kg), the system will automatically
turn the passenger's front airbag off.
Be aware that objects placed on the
passenger's seat can also cause the
airbag to be turned off.
DRIVER'S
SEAT
POSITION
SENSOR
PASSENGER'S
SEAT WEIGHT
SENSORS
CONTINUED
Additional Information About Your Airbags
27
Driver and Passenger Safety
2009 Fit