Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important
responsibility.
To help you make informed
decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other information on labels and in
this manual. This information alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your vehicle. You must
use your own good judgement.You will find this important safety information in a variety of forms, including:
●Safety Labels
-on the vehicle.●Safety Messages -preceded by a safety alert symbol
and one of
three signal words: DANGER,WARNING ,orCAUTION .
These signal words mean:
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don't follow instructions.You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don't follow instructions.You CAN be HURT if you don't follow
instructions.
●Safety Headings -such as Important Safety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions.●Safety Section -such as Driver and Passenger Safety.●Instructions -how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information -please read it
carefully.
A Few Words About Safety
iii
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Your Vehicle at a Glance(main controls)
....................................................................................................................
3
Driver and Passenger Safety (seat belts, SRS, and child protection)
...........................................................................
5
Instruments and Controls (indicators, gauges, multi-information display, dashboard, and steering column)
...........
61
Features (
climate control, audio, steering wheel, security, cruise control, HomeLink
®, and other convenience items
)...
163
Before Driving (fuel, vehicle break-in, and cargo loading)
.......................................................................................
351
Driving (engine and transmission operation)
...........................................................................................................
371
Maintenance (minders, fluid checking, minor services, and vehicle storage)
..........................................................
409
Taking Care of the Unexpected (flat tire, jump starting, overheating, and fuses)
...................................................
453
Technical Information (vehicle specifications, tires, and emissions controls)
........................................................
477
Warranty and Client Relations (U.S. and Canada only) (warranty and contact information)
...............................
493
Index
..............................................................................................................................................................................
I
INDEX
Service Information Summary (fluid capacities and tire pressures)
...............................................................
last page
Contents
1
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Pay Appropriate Attention to the
Task of Driving Safely
Engaging in mobile phone
conversation or other activities that
keep you from paying close attention
to the road, other vehicles and
pedestrians could lead to a crash.
Remember, situations can change
quickly, and only you can decide
when it is safe to divert attention
away from driving.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 page 444).
Important Safety Precautions
7
Driver and Passenger Safety
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The U.S. instrument panel is shown. Differences for the Canadian models are noted in the text.
VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST (VSA)
SYSTEM INDICATOR
(P. 68)HIGH BEAM INDICATOR (P. 69)
LOW TIRE PRESSURE/TPMS INDICATOR
(P. 71, 390)
VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST (VSA)
ACTIVATION INDICATOR (P. 69) BRAKE SYSTEM INDICATOR (AMBER) (P. 67, 468)
LIGHTS ON INDICATOR
(P. 70)
IMMOBILIZER
SYSTEM
INDICATOR (P. 66)
LOW OIL PRESSURE
INDICATOR
(P. 65, 465)
CHARGING SYSTEM INDICATOR
(P. 65, 465) A/T TEMPERATURE INDICATOR
(P. 65) MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP
(P. 65, 466) SYSTEM MESSAGE INDICATOR
(P. 72)
FOG LIGHT INDICATOR (P. 70)
LOW FUEL INDICATOR (P. 68)SEAT BELT REMINDER INDICATOR (P. 20, 64)
SECURITY SYSTEM INDICATOR (P. 70) SH-AWD INDICATOR
ꭧ
(P. 70)PARKING BRAKE AND
BRAKE SYSTEM
INDICATOR (RED)
(P. 67, 467)
SIDE AIRBAG OFF
INDICATOR (P. 32, 66)
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM (SRS) INDICATOR
(P. 32, 65)
CRUISE CONTROL INDICATOR
(P. 69)
CRUISE MAIN INDICATOR (P. 69)
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS)
INDICATOR (P. 66, 388)
ꭧ : If equippedInstrument Panel
63
Instruments and Controls
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U.S. CanadaParking Brake and Brake System
Indicator (Red)
This indicator has two functions:1. It comes on when you turn the ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. It is a reminder to check
the parking brake. Driving with
the parking brake not fully
released can damage the brakes
and tires.
If you drive without releasing the
parking brake, a beeper will sound,
and you will also see a ‘‘RELEASE
PARKING BRAKE ’’message on the
multi-information display (see page
79). 2. If it stays on after you have fully
released the parking brake while
the engine is running, or if it
comes on while driving, it can
indicate a problem in the brake
system. You will also see a
‘‘BRAKE FLUID LOW ’’or
‘‘ CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM ’’
message on the multi-information
display. For more information, see
page 467.
U.S. CanadaBrake System Indicator (Amber)
The brake system indicator (amber)
normally comes on when you turn
the ignition switch to the ON (II)
position and goes off after the engine
starts. If it comes on at any other
time, there is a problem in the brake
system including the electric vacuum
pump. If this happens, have your
vehicle checked by your dealer. For
more information, see page 468.
You will also see a ‘‘CHECK BRAKE
SYSTEM ’’message on the multi-
information display (see page 79).
CONTINUED
Instrument Panel Indicators
67
Instruments and Controls
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If this indicator blinks while driving,
it indicates the differential
temperature is too high.
You will also see an‘‘SH-AWD DIFF
TEMP. HIGH ’’message on the multi-
information display (see page 80).
Pull to the side of the road when it is
safe, shift to Park, and let the engine
idle until the indicator goes out. If
the indicator does not go out, take
your vehicle to a dealer to have it
checked.
For more information, see page 385.Continuing to drive with the SH-AWD
indicator blinking may cause serious
damage to the system.
Low Tire Pressure/TPMS
Indicator
This indicator normally comes on for
a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
This indicator has two functions:
1. If it comes on while driving, it indicates that one or more of your
vehicle's tires are significantly low
on pressure. You will also see a
‘‘CHECK TIRE
PRESSURE ’’message on the multi-
information display (see page 79).
Check the tire pressure monitor on
the multi-information display and
determine the cause (see page 392).
If this happens, pull to the side of the
road when it is safe, check which tire
has lost pressure on the multi-
information display, and determine
the cause. If it is because of a flat tire,
have the flat tire repaired as soon as
possible. If two or more tires are
underinflated, call a professional
towing service. For more
information, see page 475.
CONTINUED
Instrument Panel Indicators
71
Instruments and Controls
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2. If this indicator begins to flash,there is a problem with the tire
pressure monitoring system
(TPMS). You will also see a
‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM ’’
message on the multi-information
display. The indicator continues to
flash for a while (approximately 1
minute), then stays on. If this
happens, have your dealer check
the system as soon as possible.
For more information, see page
393.
System Message
Indicator
This indicator comes on when there
is a system message on the multi-
information display. Press the INFO
button on the steering wheel (see
page 74) to see the message (see
page 81).
Most of the time, this indicator
comes on along with other indicators
in the instrument panel such as the
seat belt reminder indicator, SRS
indicator, VSA system indicator, etc.
Instrument Panel Indicators7210/06/08 17:42:32 11 ACURA RDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STK640 enu
SH-AWD Torque Distribution
MonitorOn SH-AWD modelsThis monitor shows how much
torque is being delivered to each
wheel. For more information, see
page 384.
Tire Pressure Monitor
You can see the pressure of each tire
in this monitor. If one or more tire
pressure are low, inflate them to the
correct pressure. For more
information, see page 392.Temperature Gauge
This shows the temperature of the
engine's coolant. During normal
operation, the reading should rise
from the
‘‘C (Cold)’’ mark to about
the middle of the gauge. In severe
driving conditions, such as very hot
weather or a long period of uphill
driving, the reading may rise to near
the ‘‘H (Hot) ’’mark of the gauge. If it
reaches the ‘‘H ’’mark, pull safely to
the side of the road. See page 463 for
instructions and precautions on
checking the engine's coolant
system.
Bluetooth
®HandsFreeLink
®
You can receive or make phone calls
from your cell phone through your
vehicle's
Bluetooth
®HandsFreeLink
®
(HFL) system without touching your
cell phone.
To use the system, your cell phone
and the HFL system must be linked.
Not all cell phones are compatible
with this system. Refer to page 313
for instructions on how to link your
cell phone to HFL and how to receive
or make phone calls, or visit the
acura.com/handsfreelink website. In
Canada, visit
www.acura.ca
, or call 1-
(888) 9-HONDA-9.
Multi-Information Display7810/06/08 17:42:32 11 ACURA RDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STK640 enu