2011 HONDA FIT Owners Manual

If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
it must be replaced by your dealer. A
belt that has been worn during a
crash may not provide the same level
of protection in a subsequent crash.
The dealer should also inspect the
anchors for damage and replace
them if needed. If the automatic seat
belt tensioners activate during a
crash, they must be replaced.
Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious
injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly whenneeded.
Check your seat belts regularly
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible.
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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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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After inflating, the front airbags
immediately deflate, so they won't
interfere with the driver's visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate othercontrols.
The total time for inflation and
deflation is one-tenth of a second, so
fast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until
they see them lying in their laps.After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder from the airbag's surface.
Although the powder is not harmful,
people with respiratory problems
may experience some temporary
discomfort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is safe to doso.
Dual-Stage, Multiple-Threshold Front
Airbags (SRS)
Your vehicle is equipped with dual-
stage, multiple-threshold front
airbags (SRS). During a frontal crash
severe enough to cause one or both
front airbags to deploy, the airbags
can inflate at different rates,
depending on the severity of the
crash, whether or not the seat belts
are latched, and/or other factors.
Front airbags are designed to
supplement the seat belts to help
reduce the likelihood of head and
chest injuries in frontal crashes.
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Additional Information About Your Airbags
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Advanced Airbags
Your front airbags are also advanced
airbags. The main purpose of this
feature is to help prevent airbag-
caused injuries to short drivers and
children or small statued adults who
ride in front.For both advanced airbags to workproperly:
Occupants must sit upright and
wear their seat belts properly.
Do not spill any liquids on or
under the seats, cover the sensors,
or put any objects or metal items
under the front seats.
Objects placed or pushed under
the front passenger's seat may
cause the sensor to malfunction,
increasing the risk of injury in acrash.
Failure to follow these instructions
could damage the sensors or prevent
them from working properly.
The driver's advanced front airbag
system includes a seat position
sensor under the seat. If the seat is
too far forward, the airbag will inflate
with less force, regardless of the
severity of the impact.
If there is a problem with the sensor,
the SRS indicator will come on, and
the airbag will inflate in the normal
manner regardless of the driver's
seating position.
DRIVER'S SEAT POSITION SENSOR
Additional Information About Your Airbags
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The passenger's advanced front
airbag system has weight sensors
under the seat. Although Honda does
not encourage carrying an infant or
small child in front, if the sensors
detect the weight of an infant or
small child (up to about 65 lbs or 29
kg), the system will automatically
turn the passenger's front airbag off.
Be aware that objects placed on the
passenger's seat can also cause the
airbag to be turned off.When the passenger airbag gets
turned off by the weight sensors, a‘‘
passenger airbag off ’’indicator in
the center of the dashboard comes
on (see page 31).
If the weight sensors detect there is
no passenger in the front seat, the
airbag is automatically turned off.
However, the passenger airbag off
indicator in this situation will not
come on.
To ensure that the passenger's
advanced front airbag system will
work properly,
do not do anything
that would increase or decrease the weight on the front passenger's seat.
This includes:
A rear passenger pushing or
pulling on the back of the front
passenger's seat.
Moving the front seat forcibly back
against cargo on the seat or floor
behind it.
Hanging heavy items on the front
passenger seat, or placing heavy
items in the seat-back pocket.
Moving the front seat or seat-back
forcibly back against the folded
rear seat.
Back seat passengers should not
wedge objects or intentionally
force their feet under the front
passenger seat.
If your vehicle has optional floor
mats, make sure the mat behind the
driver's seat is hooked to the floor
mat anchor (see page 269). If it is
not, the mat may interfere with the
proper operation of the sensors and
operation of the seat.
PASSENGER'S
SEAT WEIGHT SENSORS
Additional Information About Your Airbags
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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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