2011 HONDA FIT airbag

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 rear impacts, or minor frontal or side
collisions.
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 airbagsdeploy.
Your Vehicle's Safety Features
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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 page 77).
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 page 93 for 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, uprightposition.
Protecting Adults and Teens
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In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the front seat can be
seriously or fatally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inflating front airbag.
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on thefloor.Advice for Pregnant Women
If you are pregnant, the best way to
protect yourself and your unborn
child when driving or riding in a
vehicle is to always wear a seat belt,
and keep the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across the hips. When driving, remember to sit
upright and adjust the seat as far
back as possible while allowing full
control of the vehicle. When riding
as a front passenger, adjust the seat
as far back as possible.
This will reduce the risk of injuries to
both you and your unborn child that
can be caused by a crash or an
inflating front airbag.
Each time you have a checkup, ask
your doctor if it's okay for you todrive.
Protecting Adults and Teens
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Additional Safety Precautions
Never let passengers ride in the
cargo 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 acrash.
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.

Do not cover or replace front seat- back covers without consulting
your dealer.
Improperly replacing
or covering front seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags from
inflating during a side impact.
Protecting Adults and Teens
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Driver and Passenger Safety
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Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
For added protection, the front seat
belts are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners. When activated,
the tensioners immediately tighten
the belts to help hold the driver and a
front passenger in position.The tensioners can be activated
during a collision in which the frontairbags
do not deploy. In this case, the
airbags would not be needed, but the
additional restraint could be helpful.
If the tensioner is activated, the SRS
indicator comes on and the tensioner
must be replaced. Seat Belt Maintenance
For safety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out fully, and look for
frays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
the belts retract easily. If a belt does
not retract easily, cleaning the belt
may correct the problem (see page
269). Any belt that is not in good
condition or working properly will
not provide good protection and
should be replaced as soon aspossible.
Honda provides a limited warranty
on seat belts. See your
Honda
Warranty Information
booklet for
details.
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
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Airbag System Components
(1)(3)
(6)
(12)
(4)(5) (11)
(4)
(7) (5)
(9)
(10)
(2)
(8)
(1) Driver's Front Airbag
(2) Passenger's Front Airbag
(3) Control Unit/Rollover Sensor
(4) Front Seat Belt Tensioners
(5) Side Airbags
(6) Driver's Seat Position Sensor
(7) Front Passenger's Weight Sensors
(8) Front Impact Sensors
(9) Passenger Airbag Off Indicator
(10) Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) Sensors
(11) ODS Unit
(12) Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Indicator
(13) Side Curtain Airbags
(14) Side Impact Sensors (First)
(15) Side Impact Sensors (Second)
(16) Safing Sensor (8)
(13)(15)
(16)
(15)
(14)
(13)
Additional Information About Your Airbags
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Your airbag system includes: Two SRS (supplemental restraint
system) front airbags. The driver's
airbag is stored in the center of the
steering wheel; the front
passenger's airbag is stored in the
dashboard. Both are marked ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG ’’(see page 24).
Two side airbags, one for the
driver and one for a front
passenger. The airbags are stored
in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked ‘‘SIDE
AIRBAG ’’(see page 28).
Two side curtain airbags, one for
each side of the vehicle. The
airbags are stored in the ceiling,
above the side windows. The front
and rear pillars are marked ‘‘SIDE
CURTAIN AIRBAG ’’(see page 29).
Automatic front seat belt
tensioners (see page 20).
Sensors that can detect a moderate
to severe front impact or sideimpact.
Sensors that can detect whether a
child is in the passenger's side
airbag path and signal the control
unit to turn the airbag off (see
page 28).
Sensors that can detect whether
the driver's seat belt and the front
passenger's seat belt are latched or
unlatched (see page 18).
A driver's seat position sensor that
monitors the distance of the seat
from the front airbag. If the seat is
too far forward, the airbag will
inflate with less force (see page26).
Weight sensors that monitor the
weight on the front passenger's
seat. If the weight is about 65 lbs
(29 kg) or less (the weight of an
infant or small child), the
passenger's front airbag will be
turned off (see page 27).
A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records information about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, the seat belt
tensioners, and driver and front
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition switch is in the ON (II)position.
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbag system
components (see page 30).
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Additional Information About Your Airbags
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Driver and Passenger Safety
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An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you that the
passenger's side airbag has been
turned off (see page 30).
An indicator on the dashboard that
alerts you that the passenger's
front airbag has been turned off
(see page 31).
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle's electrical system is
disconnected in a crash. How Your Front Airbags Work
If you ever have a moderate to severe
frontal collision, sensors will detect
the vehicle's rapid deceleration.
If the rate of deceleration is high
enough, the control unit will inflate
the driver's and front passenger's
airbags, at the time and with the
force needed. During a frontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
and the front airbag helps protect
your head and chest.
Although both airbags normally
inflate within a split second of each
other, it is possible for only one
airbag to deploy.
This can happen if the severity of a
collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether
or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will provide
sufficient protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by
the airbag would be minimal.
Only the driver's airbag can deploy if
there is no passenger in the front
seat, or if the advanced airbag
system has turned the passenger's
airbag off (see page 26).
Additional Information About Your Airbags
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