2012 HONDA CR-Z sensor

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uuFor Safe DrivinguYour Vehicle's Safety Features
Safe Driving
Your Vehicle's Safety Features
The following checklist will help you take an active role in protecting yourself and your passenger.
1Your Vehicle's Safety Features
Your vehicle is equipped with many features that
work together to help protect you and your
passenger during a crash.
Some features do not require any action on your part.
These include a strong steel framework that forms a
safety cage around the passenger compartment,
front and rear crush zones, a collapsible steering
column, and tensioners that tighten the seat belts in
a sufficient crash.
However, you and your passenger cannot take full
advantage of these features unless you remain seated
in the correct position and always wear your seat
belts. In fact, some safety features can contribute to
injuries if they are not used properly.
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Safety Cage
Crush Zones
Seats and Seat-Backs
Head Restraints
Collapsible Steering Column
Seat BeltsFront Airbags
Side Airbags
Side Curtain Airbags
Door Locks
Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners Occupant Position Detection
System (OPDS) Sensor
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a b c d e fg h i j k l

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uuSeat BeltsuAbout Your Seat Belts
Safe Driving
■Proper use of seat belts
Follow these guidelines for proper use: • All occupants should sit upright, well back in the seat, and remain in that position
for the duration of the trip. Slouching and leaning reduces the effectiveness of
the belt and can increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
• Never place the shoulder part of a lap/sh oulder seat belt under your arm or
behind your back. This could ca use very serious injuries in a crash.
• Two people should never use the same seat belt. If they do, they could be very
seriously injured in a crash.
• Do not put any accessories on the seat belts. Devices intended to improve comfort
or reposition the shoulder part of a seat belt can reduce the protective capability
and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
Your vehicle monitors seat belt use. If the
ignition switch is turned to ON
(w before the
driver's seat belt is fastened, a beeper will
sound and the indicator will blink. If the driver
does not fasten the belt before the beeper
stops, the indicator will remain on.
The beeper will also periodically sound and
the indicator will blink while driving until the
driver's and passenger’s seat belts are
fastened.
■Seat Belt Reminder
1About Your Seat Belts
If your passenger moves around and extends the seat
belt, the lockable retractor may activate. If this
happens, release the retr actor by unfastening the
seat belt and allow the belt to retract completely.
Then refasten the belt.
1Seat Belt Reminder
The indicator will also come on if a passenger does
not fasten their seat belt within 6 seconds after the
ignition switch is turned to ON
(w .
When no one is sitting in the passenger's seat, or a
child or small adult is riding there, the indicator will
not come on.
This is because the weight sensors in the seat cannot
detect their presence.

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uuAirbagsuAirbag System Components
Safe Driving
The front, front side, and side curtain
airbags are deployed according to the
direction and severity of impact. The airbag
system includes:
aTwo SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
front airbags. The driver's airbag is stored
in the center of the steering wheel; the
passenger's airbag is stored in the
dashboard. Both are marked “SRS AIRBAG.”
bTwo side airbags, one for the driver and
one for a passenger. The airbags are
stored in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked “SIDE AIRBAG.”
cTwo 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.”
dAn electronic control unit that continually
monitors and records information about
the sensors, the airbag activators, the
seat belt tensioners, and driver and
passenger seat belt use when the ignition
switch is in ON
(w .
eAutomatic seat belt tensioners. The
driver's and passenger's seat belts
incorporate sensors that detect whether
or not they are fastened.
fA driver's seat position sensor. If the seat
is too far forward, the airbag will inflate
with less force.
gWeight sensors in the passenger's seat.
The passenger's airbag will be turned off if the weight on the seat is 65 lbs (29 kg)
or less (the weight of an infant or small child).
hImpact sensors that can detect a
moderate-to-severe front or side
collision.
iAn indicator on the dashboard that alerts
you that the passenger's front airbag has
been turned off.
jSensors that can detect if a child or small
statured adult is in the deployment path
of the passenger's side airbag.
kAn indicator on the instrument panel that
alerts you to a possible problem with your
airbag system or seat belt tensioners.
lAn indicator on the instrument panel that
alerts you that the passenger's side
airbag has been turned off.

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uuAirbagsuFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe Driving
Front airbags are designed to inflate during moderate-to-severe frontal collisions.
When the vehicle decelerates suddenly, the sensors send information to the control
unit which signals one or both front airbags to inflate.
A frontal collision can be either head-on or angled between two vehicles, or when a
vehicle crashes into a stationary object, such as a concrete wall.
While your seat belt restrains your torso, the
front airbag provides supplemental protection
for your head and chest.
The front airbags deflate immediately so that
they won't interfere with the driver's visibility
or the ability to steer or operate other
controls.
The total time for inflation and deflation is so fast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until they see them lying in front of them.
■Operation
■How the Front Airbags Work1How the Front Airbags Work
After a front airbag inflat es in 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 do so.
Although the driver's and passenger's 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.

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uuAirbagsuFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe Driving
■When front airbags should not deploy
Minor frontal crashes: Front airbags were designed to supplement seat belts and
help save lives, not to prevent minor scrapes, or even broken bones that might occur
during a less than moderate-to-severe frontal crash.
Side impacts: Front airbags can provide protection when a sudden deceleration
causes a driver or passenger to move towards the front of the vehicle. Side airbags
and side curtain airbags have been specifically designed to help reduce the severity
of injuries that can occur during a mode rate-to-severe side impact which can cause
the driver or passenger to move towards the side of the vehicle.
Rear impacts: Head restraints and seat belts are your best protection during a rear
impact. Front airbags cannot provide any sig nificant protection and are not designed
to deploy in such collisions.
Rollovers: Seat belts and, in vehicles equipped with a rollover sensor, side airbags,
and side curtain airbags offer the best protection in a rollover. Because front airbags could provide little if any protectio n, they are not designed to deploy during a
rollover.
■ When front airbags deploy with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses s udden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle framework or suspension might cause one or more of the airbags to deploy.
Examples include running into a curb, the edge of a hole, or other low fixed object
that causes a sudden deceleration in the vehicle chassis. Since the impact is
underneath the vehicle, damage may not be readily apparent.
■ When front airbags may not depl oy, even though exterior damage
appears severe
Since crushable body parts absorb crash energy during an impact, the amount of
visible damage does not always indicate proper airbag operation. In fact, some
collisions can result in severe damage but no airbag deployment because the airbags
would not have been needed or would not have provided protection even if they
had deployed.

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uuAirbagsuFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe Driving
Your front airbags have advanced features to help reduce the likelihood of airbag
related injuries to smaller occupants.The driver's advanced front airbag system
includes a seat position sensor.
If the seat is too far forward, the airbag
inflates with less force, regardless of the
severity of the impact. The passenger's advanced front airbag system
has weight sensors.
Although Honda recommends against
carrying an infant or small child in the
passenger seat, if the sensors detect the
weight of a child (up to about 65 lbs or 29 kg),
the system will automatically turn off the
passenger's front airbag.
■Advanced Airbags1Advanced Airbags
If there is a problem with the driver's seat position
sensor, the SRS indicator will come on and the airbag
will inflate with full (normal) force, regardless of the
driver's seating position.
For both advanced front airbags to work properly: • Do not spill any liquid on or under the seats.
• Do not put any object under the passenger’s seat.
• Make sure any objects are positioned properly on
the floor. Improperly positioned objects can
interfere with the advanced airbag sensors.
• All occupants should sit upright and wear their seat belts properly.
• Do not place any cover over the passenger side dashboard.
Driver’s Seat Position Sensor
Passenger’s Seat
Weight
Sensors

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uuAirbagsuSide Airbags
Safe Driving
Side Airbags
The side airbags help protect the upper torso of the driver or a passenger during a
moderate-to-severe side impact.The side airbags are housed in the outside
edge of the driver's and passenger's seat-
backs.
Both are marked SIDE AIRBAG.
When the sensors detect a moderate-to-
severe side impact, the control unit signals the
side airbag on the impact side to immediately
inflate.
■Housing Locations
1Side Airbags
Do not attach accessories on or near the side airbags.
They can interfere with the proper operation of the
airbags, or hurt someone if an airbag inflates.
If the impact is on the passenger side, the airbag
deploys even if there is no passenger in the passenger seat.
Do not cover or replace the seat-back covers without consulting a dealer.
Improperly replacing or covering seat-back covers can
prevent your side airbags from properly deploying
during a side impact.
Housing
Location
■Operation
When
inflated
Side Airbag

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uuAirbagsuSide Airbags
Continued
Safe Driving
■When a side airbag deploys with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden acceleration, a strong impact to the side
of the vehicle's framework can cause a side airbag to deploy. In such cases, there
may be little or no damage, but the side impact sensors detected a severe enough
impact to deploy the airbag. ■ When a side airbag may not deploy, even though visible damage appears
severe
It is possible for a side airbag to not deploy during an impact that results in
apparently severe damage. This can occur when the point of impact was towards
the far front or rear of the vehicle, or wh en the vehicle's crushable body parts
absorbed most of the crash energy. In ei ther case, the side airbag would not have
been needed nor provided protection even if it had deployed.