2010 HONDA ELEMENT service

If either of you do not fasten your
seat belt while driving, the beeper
will sound and the indicator will flash
again at regular intervals. For more
information, see page 18.
Supplemental Restraint
System Indicator
This indicator comes on briefly 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 front airbags. This
indicator will also alert you to a
potential problem with your side
airbags, passenger's side airbag
cutoff system, side curtain airbags,
automatic seat belt tensioners,
driver's seat position sensor, or the
front passenger's weight sensors.
For more information, see page 31. U.S. Canada
Side Airbag Off Indicator
This indicator comes on briefly 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
information, see page 32.
Anti-lock Brake System
(ABS) Indicator
This indicator normally comes on for a
few 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
function. For more information, see
page 226.
Maintenance Minder Indicator
This indicator comes on for a few
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position. It
reminds you that it is time to take
your vehicle in for scheduled
maintenance. The maintenance main
items and sub items will be displayed
in the information display. See page
243 for more information on the
maintenance minder.
This indicator goes off when your
dealer resets it after completing the
required maintenance service.
CONTINUED
Instrument Panel Indicators
59
Instruments and Controls
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Vehicle Stability Assist
(VSA) System Indicator
This indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position and when the ignition switch
is turned to the START (III) position.
It flashes when VSA is active (see
page 230).
If it comes on and stays on at any
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. Take
your vehicle to a dealer to have it
checked. Without VSA, your vehicle
still has normal driving ability, but
will not have VSA traction and
stability enhancement. See page 230
for more information on the VSAsystem.VSA OFF Indicator
It comes on as a reminder that you
have turned off the vehicle stability
assist (VSA) system.
This indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position and when the ignition switch
is turned to the START (III) position.
See page 230 for more information
on the VSA system.Low Tire Pressure Indicator
This indicator normally comes on for
a few 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 significantly low onpressure.
If this happens, pull to the side of the
road when it is safe, 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 282), and have the
flat tire repaired as soon as possible.
If two or more tires are underinflated,
call a professional towing service
(see page 303). For more
information, see page 227.
Instrument Panel Indicators
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If the system still detects a leak in
your vehicle's evaporative emissions
system, the malfunction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the fuel fill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine off, and check or
retighten the fuel fill 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 off,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more information, see
page 296.Temperature Gauge
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 293 for instructions and
precautions on checking the engine's
cooling system.
Maintenance Minder
The information display in the
instrument panel shows you the
engine oil life and maintenance
service items when the ignition
switch is in the ON (II) position. This
information helps to keep you aware
of the periodic maintenance your
vehicle needs for continued trouble-
free driving. Refer to page 243 for
more information.
Gauges
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Instruments and Controls
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Depending on where you drive, you
may experience reception problems.
Interference can be caused by any of
these conditions:● Driving on the north side of an
east/west mountain road.
● Driving on the north side of a large
commercial truck on an east/westroad.
● Driving in tunnels.
● Driving on a road beside a vertical
wall, steep cliff, or hill to the south
of you.
● Driving on the lower level of a
multi-tiered road.
● Driving on a single lane road
alongside dense trees taller than
50 ft. (15 m) to the south of you.
● Large items carried on a roof rack.
There may be other geographic
situations that could affect XM Radioreception.As required by the FCC: Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible forcompliance could void the user'sauthority to operate the equipment.
Receiving XM Radio Service
If your XM Radio service has expired or
you purchased your vehicle from a
previous owner, you can listen to a
sampling of the broadcasts available on
XM Radio. With the ignition switch in the
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II) position,
push the VOL/PWR knob to turn on the
audio system and press the XM button. A
variety of music types and styles will play.
If you decide to purchase XM Radio
service, contact XM Radio at
www.xmradio.com,or at 1-800-852-9696.
In Canada, contact XM CANADA at
www.xmradio.ca, or at 1-877-209-0079.
You will need to give them your radio I.
D. number and your credit card number.
To get your radio I.D. number, turn the
TUNE knob until ‘‘0 ’’ appears in the
display. Your I.D. will appear in thedisplay. After you've registered with XM Radio,
keep your audio system in the XM Radio
mode while you wait for activation. This
should take about 30 minutes.
While waiting for activation, make sure
your vehicle remains in an open area
with good reception. Once your audio
system is activated, you'll be able to
listen to XM Radio broadcasts. XM Radio
will continue to send an activation signal
to your vehicle for at least 12 hours from
the activation request. If the service has
not been activated after 36 hours, contact
XM Radio. In Canada, contact XM CANADA.
Playing the XM®Radio (Models without navigation system)
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Depending on where you drive, you
may experience reception problems.
Interference can be caused by any of
these conditions:● Driving on the north side of an
east/west mountain road.
● Driving on the north side of a large
commercial truck on an east/westroad.
● Driving in tunnels.
● Driving on a road beside a vertical
wall, steep cliff, or hill to the south
of you.
● Driving on the lower level of a
multi-tiered road.
● Driving on a single lane road
alongside dense trees taller than
50 ft. (15 m) to the south of you.
● Large items carried on a roof rack.
There may be other geographic
situations that could affect XM Radioreception.As required by the FCC: Changes or modifications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user'sauthority to operate the equipment.
Receiving XM Radio Service
If your XM Radio service has expired
or you purchased your vehicle from a
previous owner, you can listen to a
sampling of the broadcasts available
on XM Radio. With the ignition
switch in the ACCESSORY (I) or ON
(II) position, push the power/volume
knob to turn on the audio system and
press the CD/XM button. A variety
of music types and styles will play. If you decide to purchase XM Radio
service, contact XM Radio at
www.
xmradio.com,
or at 1-800-852-9696. In
Canada, contact XM CANADA at
www.xmradio.ca,or at 1-877-209-0079.
You will need to give them your radio
I.D. number and your credit card
number. To get your radio I.D.
number, press the TUNE bar until‘‘ 0 ’’ appears in the display. Your I.D.
will appear in the display.
After you've registered with XM
Radio, keep your audio system in the
XM Radio mode while you wait for
activation. This should take about 30 minutes.
Playing the XM®Radio (Models with navigation system)
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While waiting for activation, make
sure your vehicle remains in an open
area with good reception. Once your
audio system is activated, you'll be
able to listen to XM Radio
broadcasts. XM Radio will continue
to send an activation signal to your
vehicle for at least 12 hours from the
activation request. If the service has
not been activated after 36 hours,
contact XM Radio. In Canada, contact
XM CANADA.
Playing the XM®Radio (Models with navigation system)
139
Features
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Before you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important fluids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
information in this section will help
you. If you plan to add any
accessories to your vehicle, please
read the information in this section first.Break-in Period........................... 198
Fuel Recommendation ................
198
Service Station Procedures .........199
Refueling .................................
199
Opening and Closing the Hood ................................... 200
Oil Check ................................ 201
Engine Coolant Check ............201
Fuel Economy .............................
202
Accessories and Modifications .......................... 205
Carrying Cargo ........................... 207
Before Driving
197
Before Driving

Break-in Period
Help assure your vehicle's future
reliability and performance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the first 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:● Avoid full-throttle starts and rapidacceleration.
● Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
● Avoid hard braking for the first 200
miles (300 km).
● Do not tow a trailer.
You should also follow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. Fuel Recommendation
Your vehicle is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 87 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise that can lead to enginedamage.
On vehicles with manual transmission
You may hear a knocking noise from
the engine if you drive the vehicle at
low engine speed (below about 1,000
rpm) in a higher gear. To stop this,
raise the engine speed by shifting to
a lower gear.
We recommend using quality
gasoline containing detergent
additives that help prevent fuel
system and engine deposits.In addition, in order to maintain good
performance, fuel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
fuel additives such as MMT.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely affect performance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your authorized dealer for service.
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10% ethanol by
volume and up to 15% MTBE by
volume. Do not use gasoline
containing methanol.
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
198
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