2011 HONDA FIT seats

How Your Side Airbags Work
If you ever have a moderate to severe
side impact, sensors will detect rapid
acceleration and signal the control
unit to instantly inflate either the
driver's or the passenger's sideairbag.Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger's side, the passenger's
side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger.
To get the best protection from the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
Side Airbag Cutoff System
Your vehicle has a side airbag cutoff
system designed primarily to protect
a child riding in the front passenger'sseat.
Although Honda does not encourage
children to ride in front, if the
position sensors detect a child has
leaned into the side airbag's
deployment path, the airbag will shutoff.
The side airbag may also shut off if a
short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the airbag's
deployment path.
Objects placed on the front
passenger seat can also cause the
side airbag to be shut off.
Additional Information About Your Airbags
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If the side airbag off indicator comes
on (see page 30), have the passenger
sit upright. Once the passenger is
out of the airbag's deployment path,
the system will turn the airbag back
on, and the indicator will go out.
There will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of the airbag deployment
path and when the indicator comes
on or goes off.
A front seat passenger should not
use a cushion or another object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutoff
system from working properly.How Your Side Curtain AirbagsWork
In a moderate to severe side impact,
sensors will detect rapid acceleration
and signal the control unit to
instantly inflate the side curtainairbag.If the impact is on the passenger's
side, the passenger's side curtain
airbag will inflate even if there are no
occupants on that side of the vehicle.
One or both side curtain airbags may
inflate in a moderate to severe frontal
collision which causes the front
airbags to deploy.
To get the best protection from the
side curtain airbags, occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG
Additional Information About Your Airbags
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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 and Transport
Canada recommend 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 31), 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 equippedwith 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 largerchildren).
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Protecting Children General Guidelines
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Protecting Infants
Child Seat Type
An infant must be properly restrained
in a rear-facing, reclining child seat
until the child reaches the seat
maker's weight or height limit for the
seat, and the child is at least one yearold.
Only a rear-facing child seat provides
proper support for a baby's head,
neck, and back.Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively for infants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
facing, reclining mode.
Do not put a rear-facing child seat in
a forward-facing position.
If placed
facing forward, an infant could be
very seriously injured during a
frontal collision.
Rear-facing Child Seat Placement
A rear-facing child seat can be placed
in any seating position in the back
seat, but not in the front.
Never put a
rear-facing child seat in the front seat.
If the passenger's front airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough force to kill or
seriously injure an infant.
When properly installed, a rear-
facing child seat may prevent the
driver or a front passenger from
moving their seat as far back as
recommended, or from locking their
seat-back in the desired position.
It could also interfere with proper
operation of the passenger's
advanced front airbag system.
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Protecting Infants and Small Children
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In any of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat directly behind the
front passenger's seat, move the seat
as far forward as needed, and leave it
unoccupied. Or, you may wish to get
a smaller rear-facing child seat.
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death during acrash.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not thefront.Protecting Small Children
Child Seat Type
Many states, Canadian provinces and
territories allow a child one year of age
or order who also meets the minimum
size and weight requirements to
transition from a rear-facing child seat
to a forward facing seat. Know the
requirements where you are driving
and follow the child seat instructions.
Many experts recommend use of a
rear-facing seat up to age two, if the
child's height and weight are
appropriate for a rear-facing seat. Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a five-
point harness system as shown.
We also recommend that a small child
use the child seat until the child
reaches the weight or height limit for
the seat.
Child Seat Placement
We strongly recommend placing a
forward-facing child seat in a back
seat, not the front.
Placing a forward-facing child seat in
the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's 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
airbag can strike the child with
enough force to cause very serious or
fatal injuries.
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Even with advanced front airbags that
automatically turn the passenger's
front airbag off (see page 31), 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 two outer
seating positions in the back seat.
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 threerequirements: 1.
The child seat should meet Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 213.
Look for FMVSS
213 or CMVSS 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.
3.
The child seat should fit the vehicle seating 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.
Protecting Infants and Small Children, Selecting a Child Seat
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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 tothe 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 firmlysecured. 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.
Installing a Child Seat
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Installing a Child Seat with LATCH
Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers
for CHildren) at the outer rear seats.
The lower anchors are located
between the seat-back and seat
bottom, and are to be used only with
a child seat designed for use withLATCH.
The location of each lower anchor is
indicated by a small button above the
anchor point.
You can find lower anchors in the
slits in the seat-backs.
To install a LATCH-compatible child seat:
1. Move the seat belt buckle ortongue away from the lower anchors.
2. Make sure there are no objects near the anchors that could
prevent a secure connection
between the child seat and the anchors.3. Place the child seat on the vehicleseat, then attach the seat to the
lower anchors according to the
child seat maker's instructions.
Some LATCH-compatible seats
have a rigid-type connector as
shown above.
LOWER ANCHORS
BUTTONRigid type
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Installing a Child Seat
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