2013 Acura RDX ECO mode

19Quick Reference Guide
The rear door cannot be
opened from inside the
vehicle. Why?
Check if the childproof lock is in the
lock position. If so, open the rear
door with the outside door handle.
To cancel this function, push the
lever to the unlock position.
Why do the doors lock
after I unlocked the doors
using a remote
transmitter?
If you do not open the doors within 30 seconds, the doors are
relocked automatically for security.
Why does the beeper
sound when I open the
driver's door?
The beeper sounds when:●The exterior lights are left on.●The power mode is in ACCESSORY.
Why does the beeper
sound when I start driving?
The beeper sounds when:●Driver and/or front passenger are not wearing their seat belts.●The parking brake lever is not fully released.

uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
30Safe 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/shoulder seat belt under your arm or
behind your back. This could cause 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 front seat belt use. If
the power mode is set to ON 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 front passenger’s seat belts are
fastened.
■
Seat Belt Reminder
1About Your Seat Belts
If a rear seat passenger moves around and extends
the seat belt, the lockable retractor may activate. If
this happens, release the retractor 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 front passenger
does not fasten their seat belt within 6 seconds after
the power mode is set to ON.
When no one is sitting in the front 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.

38
uuAirbags uAirbag System Components
Safe Driving
The front, front side, and side curtain
airbags are deployed according to the
direction and severity of impact. Both side
curtain airbags are deployed in a rollover.
The airbag system includes:a
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.
b
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.
c
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 .
d
An electronic control unit that continually
monitors and records information about
the sensors, the airbag activators, the
seat belt tensioners, and driver and front
passenger seat belt use when the power
mode is in ON.
e
Automatic front seat belt tensioners. The
driver's and front passenger's seat belts
incorporate sensors that detect whether
or not they are fastened.
f
A driver's seat position sensor. If the seat
is too far forward, the airbag will inflate
with less force.
g
Weight sensors in the front passenger's
seat. The front 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).
h
Impact sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe front or side collision.
i
An indicator on the dashboard that alerts
you that the front passenger's front
airbag has been turned off.
j
Sensors that can detect if a child or small
statured adult is in the deployment path
of the front passenger's side airbag.
k
An indicator on the instrument panel that
alerts you to a possible problem with your
airbag system or seat belt tensioners.
l
An indicator on the instrument panel that
alerts you that the front passenger's side
airbag has been turned off.
m
Safing Sensor
n
A rollover sensor that detects whether
the vehicle is about to roll over.

Continued
41
uuAirbags uFront 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 Work
1 How the Front Airbags Work
After a front airbag inflates 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 front 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.

uuAirbags uAirbag System Indicators
48Safe Driving
■
When side curtain airbags deploy in a frontal collision
One or both side curtain airbags may inflate in a moderate to severe angled frontal
collision.
In this case, the side curtain airbags will deploy slightly after the front airbags.
Airbag System IndicatorsIf a problem occurs in the airbag system, the SRS indicator will come on and a
message appears on the multi-information display.
■
When the power mode is set to ON
The indicator comes on for a few seconds,
then goes off. This tells you the system is
working properly.
If the indicator comes on at any other time, or does not come on at all, have the
system checked by a dealer as soon as possible. If you don't, your airbags and seat
belt tensioners may not work properly when they are needed.
■
SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) Indicator
1 SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) Indicator
3
WARNING
Ignoring the SRS indicator can result in
serious injury or death if the airbag systems
or tensioners do not work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a dealer as
soon as possible if the SRS indicator alerts
you to a possible problem.

uuAirbags uAirbag System Indicators
50Safe Driving
■
When the side airbag off indicator comes on
This indicator comes on if the passenger's side airbag has been turned off because
the passenger is too small to be sitting in the front seat, is slouching or not sitting
upright, or has leaned into the airbag's deployment path.
Unless the passenger is a smaller statured adult or a child, the indicator should go
off when the passenger returns to a proper upright sitting position.
■
Side Airbag Off Indicator
1 Side Airbag Off Indicator
When you set the power mode to ON, the indicator
should come on for a few seconds and then go out.
If it doesn't come on, stays on, or comes on while
driving without a passenger in the front seat, have
the system checked by a dealer as soon as possible.
U.S. CanadaU.S.
Canada

51
uuAirbags uAirbag Care
Safe Driving
Airbag CareYou do not need to, and should not, perform any maintenance on or replace any
airbag system components yourself. However, you should have your vehicle
inspected by a dealer in the following situations:■
When the airbags have deployed
If an airbag has inflated, the control unit and other related parts must be replaced.
Similarly, once an automatic seat belt tensioner has been activated, it must be
replaced.
■
When the vehicle has been in a moderate-to-severe collision
Even if the airbags did not inflate, have your dealer inspect the following: the driver’s
seat position sensor, weight sensors in the passenger’s seat, front seat belt
tensioners, and each seat belt that was worn during the crash.
■
Do not remove or modify a front seat without consulting a dealer
This would likely disable the driver's seat position sensor or the weight sensors in the
passenger's seat. If it is necessary to remove or modify a front seat to accommodate
a person with disabilities, contact an Acura dealer. For U.S. vehicles, Acura Client
Service at 800-382-2238 and for Canadian vehicles, Acura Client Service at 888-9-
ACURA-9.
1 Airbag Care
We recommend against the use of salvaged airbag
system components, including the airbag, tensioners,
sensors, and control unit.

65Safe Driving
Safety LabelsLabel LocationsThese labels are in the locations shown. They warn you of potential hazards that can cause serious injury or death. Read these labels
carefully.
If a label comes off or becomes hard to read (except for the U.S. dashboard label which may be removed by the owner), contact a dealer
for a replacement.
Sun Visor
U.S. models Canadian models
Radiator Cap U.S. models
U.S. models only
Dashboard
Canadian modelsDoorjambs
U.S. models only
Sun Visor