2011 HONDA ELEMENT belt

How the Passenger Airbag Off
Indicator WorksThis indicator alerts you that the
passenger's front airbag has been
shut off because weight sensors
detect about 65 lbs (29 kg) or less
(the weight of an infant or small
child) on the front passenger's seat.
It does
not mean
there is a problem
with the airbag. Be aware that objects placed on the
front seat can cause the indicator to
come on.
If no weight is detected on the front
seat, the airbag will be automatically
shut off. However, the indicator will
not come on.
The passenger airbag off indicator
may come on and off repeatedly if the
total weight on the seat is near the
airbag cutoff threshold.
If an adult or teenage passenger is
riding in front, move the seat as far to
the rear as possible, and have the
passenger sit upright and wear the
seat belt properly.
If the indicator comes on with no
front seat passenger and no objects
on the seat, or with an adult riding
there, something may be interfering
with the weight sensors. Look for
and remove:
●Any items under the front
passenger's seat.●Any object(s) hanging on the seat
or in the seat-back pocket.●Any object(s) touching the rear of
the seat-back.
If no obstructions are found, have
your vehicle checked by a dealer as
soon as possible.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF INDICATORAdditional Information About Your Airbags3210/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu

Airbag Service
Your airbag systems are virtually
maintenance free, and there are no
parts you can safely service.
However, you must have your
vehicle serviced if:●An airbag ever inflates.
Any airbag
that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. Any
seat belt tensioner that activates
must also be replaced.
Do not try to remove or replace
any airbag by yourself. This must
be done by an authorized dealer or
a knowledgeable body shop.
●The SRS indicator alerts you to a
problem.
Take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.
●If your vehicle has a moderate to
severe impact.
Even if your airbags
do not inflate, your dealer should
inspect the driver's seat position
sensor, the front passenger's
weight sensors, the front seat belt
tensioners, and all seat belts and
their anchors worn during a crash
to make sure they are operating
properly. Additional Safety Precautions
●Do not attempt to deactivate your
airbags.
Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
●Do not tamper with airbag components or wiring for any
reason.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
●Do not expose the front
passenger's seat-back to liquid.
If
water or another liquid soaks into
the seat-back, it can prevent the
side airbag cutoff system from
working properly.
CONTINUED
Additional Information About Your Airbags
33
Driver and Passenger Safety
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Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to
properly
protect child
passengers.
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 information for
infants, small children, and larger
children. All Children Must Be Restrained
Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, traffic
collisions are the number one cause
of death of children age 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state
requires that infants and children be
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
Infants and small children must be
restrained in an approved child seat
that is properly secured to the vehicle(see pages 40 －48).
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.
Larger children must be restrained
with a lap/shoulder belt and ride on a
booster seat until the seat belt fits
them properly
(see pages 49 －51).
Protecting Children －General Guidelines
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All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat
According to crash statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in a
back seat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration recommends that all
children aged 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.The Passenger's Front Airbag Can
Pose Serious Risks
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger's front airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
force to cause very serious injuries.
Even though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system that
automatically turns the passenger's
front airbag off under certain
circumstances (see page 32), please
follow these guidelines:
Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat inthe front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag.
If the
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or very seriously injure an infant.
Small Children
Placing a forward-facing child seat inthe front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag can be
hazardous.
If the vehicle seat is too
far forward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough force to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Larger Children
Children who have outgrown childseats are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inflating passenger's
front airbag.
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 49 for important
information about protecting larger
children).
Protecting Children －General Guidelines3610/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu

If You Must Drive with Several
Children
Your vehicle has two back seats
where children can be properly
restrained. If you ever have to carry a
group of children, and a child must
ride in front:●Place the largest child in the front
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly (see page 49).●Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page 83).●Have the child sit upright and well
back in the seat (see page 15).●Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page
14).If a Child Requires Close
Attention
Many parents say they prefer to put
an infant or a small child in the front
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the front seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
frontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or frequent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.Protecting Children
－General Guidelines3810/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu

Additional Safety Precautions●Never hold an infant or child onyour lap.
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.
●Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child.
During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
●Never let two children use the
same seat belt.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
●Make sure any unused seat belt that a child can reach is buckled,the lockable retractor is activated,
and the belt is fully retracted and
locked.
If a child wraps a loose
seat belt around their neck, they
can be seriously or fatally injured.
(See page 46 for how to activate
and deactivate the lockable
retractor.)
●Do not leave children alone in a
vehicle.
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states, and can be very hazardous.
For example, infants and small
children left in a vehicle on a hot
day can die from heatstroke. A
child left alone with the key in the
ignition switch can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
●Lock all doors, the tailgate and the hatch when your vehicle is not in
use.
Children who play in vehicles
can accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles.
●Keep vehicle keys and remote transmitters out of the reach of
children.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the tailgate or hatch,
which can lead to accidental injury
or death.
Protecting Children －General Guidelines
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Even with advanced front airbags that
automatically turn the passenger's front
airbag off (see page 32), a back seat is
the safest place for a small child.
If it is necessary to put a forward-facing
child seat in the front, move the vehicle
seat as far to the rear as possible, and
be sure the child seat is firmly secured
to the vehicle and the child is properly
strapped in the seat.
Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the front
airbag inflates.
If you must place a forward-facing
child seat in front, move the
vehicle seat as far back as
possible, and properly restrain
the child.
Selecting a Child Seat
When buying a child seat, you need
to choose either a conventional child
seat, or one designed for use with
the Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren (LATCH) system.
Conventional child seats must be
secured to a vehicle with a seat belt,
whereas LATCH-compatible seats
are secured by attaching the seat to
hardware built into the rear seats.
Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style.In seating positions and vehicles not
equipped with LATCH, a LATCH-
compatible child seat can be installed
using a seat belt.
Whatever type of seat you choose, to
provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
1.
The child seat should meet Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
213.
Look for FMVSS 213 on the
box.
2.
The child seat should be of the proper type and size to fit the child.Rear-facing for infants, forward-
facing for small children.
Protecting Infants and Small Children, Selecting a Child Seat4210/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu

3.The child seat should fit the vehicleseating position (or positions)where it will be used.Before purchasing a conventional
child seat, or using a previously
purchased one, we recommend that
you test the seat in the specific
vehicle seating position or positions
where the seat will be used. Installing a Child Seat
After selecting a proper child seat
and a good place to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:
1.
Properly secure the child seat to
the vehicle.
All child seats must be
secured to the vehicle with the lap
part of a lap/shoulder belt or with
the LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers for CHildren) system. A
child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered in a crash.
2.
Make sure the child seat is firmly secured.
After installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
forward and from side-to-side to
verify that it is secure. A child seat secured with a seat belt
should be installed as firmly as
possible. However, it does not need
to be
‘‘rock solid. ’’Some side-to-side
movement can be expected and
should not reduce the child seat's
effectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a different seating
position, or use a different style of
child seat that can be firmly secured.
3.
Secure the child in the child seat.Make sure the child is properly
strapped in the child seat
according to the child seat maker's
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
can be seriously injured in a crash.
The following pages provide
guidelines on how to properly install
a child seat. A forward-facing child
seat is used in all examples, but the
instructions are the same for rear-
facing child seats.
Selecting a Child Seat, Installing a Child Seat
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