2011 HONDA FIT belt

How the Passenger Airbag Off
Indicator Works
This 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 meanthere is a problem
with the airbag.
Be aware that objects placed on the
front seat can cause the indicator to
come on.
If the weight sensors detect there is
no passenger in the front seat, the
airbag will be off. However, the
passenger airbag off 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 hanging on the seat or
in the seat-back pocket.
Any object(s), such as a folded-
down back seat, that are 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 INDICATOR
On vehicle with navigation system U.S.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF INDICATOR
On vehicle without navigation system
U.S. Canada
Additional Information About Your Airbags
31
Driver and Passenger Safety
Main MenuTable of Contents

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 worn
during a crash to make sure they
are operating properly.
Additional Information About Your Airbags
32
Main MenuTable of Contents

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
a seat-back, it can prevent the side
airbag cutoff system from workingproperly.
Do not remove or modify a front
seat without consulting your
dealer.
This could make the
driver's seat position sensor or the
front passenger's weight sensors
ineffective. If it is necessary to
remove or modify a front seat to
accommodate a person with
disabilities, first contact Honda
Automobile Customer Service at
(800) 999-1009 in the US, or Honda
Customer Relations at
1-888-9-HONDA-9 in Canada.
Additional Information About Your Airbags
33
Driver and Passenger Safety
Main MenuTable of Contents

Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to
properlyprotect 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 largerchildren. 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, vehicle
collisions are the number one cause
of the death of children aged 12 andunder.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state,
Canadian province and territory
requires that infants and children be
properly 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 39 48).
Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in acrash.
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 abooster seat until the seat belt fits
them properly
(see pages 49 52).
Protecting Children General Guidelines
34
Main MenuTable of Contents

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).
CONTINUED
Protecting Children General Guidelines
35
Driver and Passenger Safety
Main MenuTable of Contents

If You Must Drive with Several Children
Your vehicle has a back seat where
children can be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry a group of
children, and a child must ride infront: 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 93).
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 page14). If a Child Requires CloseAttention
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 requiresattention.
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 close physical
attention or frequent visual contact,
we strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in a back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.
Protecting Children
General Guidelines
37
Driver and Passenger Safety
Main MenuTable of Contents

Additional Safety Precautions
Never hold an infant or child on
your 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 orkilled.

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 acrash.
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 pages 45 and 46 for how to
activate and deactivate the
lockable retractor.)

Use the childproof door locks to prevent children from opening the
rear doors.
This can prevent
children from accidentally falling
out (see page 83).

Do not leave children alone in a vehicle.
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states, Canadian provinces and
territories, and can be veryhazardous. 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 and the tailgate 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/remote transmitters out of the reach of
children.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition
switch, and open the tailgate,
which can lead to accidental injury
or death.
Protecting Children General Guidelines
38
Main MenuTable of Contents

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
41
Driver and Passenger Safety
Main MenuTable of Contents