2013 HONDA RIDGELINE Owners Manual

When one or more doors are open,
the ‘‘DOOR OPEN’’ message will
come on.When the In-Bed Trunk is not tightly
closed, the ‘‘TRUNK OPEN’’
message will come on.When the tailgate is not tightly
closed, the ‘‘TAILGATE OPEN’’
message will come on.
Protecting A dults and Teens
12
12/08/09 16:00:40 31SJC670_019
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain f ull control of the vehicle.
Have a front passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers f rom
accidentally opening a door and
f alling out.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
This vehicle has auto door locking/
unlocking f eatures. See page f or
how to set them.
When the In-Bed Trunk, tailgate,
and one or more doors are not
tightly closed, the ‘‘DOOR, TRUNK
& TAILGATE OPEN’’ message will
come on. 104
CONT INUED
Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Front Seats
2.
13
12/08/09 16:00:47 31SJC670_020
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

If you sit too close to the steering
wheel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inf lating f ront
airbag, or by striking the steering
wheel or dashboard.Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comf ortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comf ortable, upright
position.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure it
is locked into position. See page
f or how to adjust the f ront seats.
If you cannot get f ar enough away
f rom the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest. In addition to
adjusting the seat, you can adjust the
steering wheel up and down (see
page ). 99
119
On RT, DX, VP, and Sport models
Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
14
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.
12/08/09 16:00:54 31SJC670_021
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

Adjust the driver’s head restraint so
the center of the back of your head
rests against the center of the
restraint.
Reclining a seat-back so that the
shoulder part of the belt no longer
rests against the occupant’s chest
reduces the protective capability of
the belt. It also increases the chance
of sliding under the belt in a crash
and being seriously injured. The
farther a seat-back is reclined, the
greater the risk of injury. When a passenger is seated in the
rear center seating position, make
sure the center head restraint is
adjusted to its highest position.
Properly adjusted head restraints
will help protect occupants f rom
whiplash and other crash injuries.
Have passengers adjust their head
restraints properly as well. Taller
persons should adjust their restraint
as high as possible.
See page f or how to adjust the
manual adjustable seat-back, and
page f or the power adjustable
seat-back. See page f or how to adjust the
head restraints and how the driver’s
and f ront passenger’s active head
restraints work.
120
121 123
Protecting A dults and Teens
A djust the Head Restraints
4.
15
Reclining the seat-back too far
can result in serious injury or
death in a crash.
Adjust the seat-back to an
upright position, and sit well
back in the seat. Improperly positioning head
restraints reduces their
effectiveness and you can be
seriously injured in a crash.
Make sure head restraints are
in place and positioned properly
before driving.
12/08/09 16:01:03 31SJC670_022
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt so the lap part f its snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Check that
the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash.
If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack, then check that
the belt rests across the center of
your chest and over your shoulder.
This spreads the f orces of a crash
over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm
instead of your shoulder, you need to
adjust the seat belt anchor height.
the Seat Belts
5.Fasten and Position
Protecting A dults and Teens
16
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.
12/08/09 16:01:09 31SJC670_023
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

CONT INUED
This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.
The front seats have adjustable seat
belt anchors. To adjust the height of
an anchor, squeeze the two release
buttons, and slide the anchor up or
down as needed (it has f our
positions). After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and head restraints, and
put on their seat belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
upright, well back in their seats, with
their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is safely parked and the
engine is of f .
Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your dealer check the belt as
soon as possible. Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
properly, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
20
Protecting A dults and Teens
Never place t he shoulder port ion of alap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
No one should sit in a seat wit h aninoperat ive seat belt .
Sitting Position
6 .M a in t a in a P r o p e r
17
RELEASE
BUTTONS
12/08/09 16:01:17 31SJC670_024
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inflating front airbag.If you are pregnant, the best way to
protect yourself and your unborn
child when driving or riding in a
vehicle is to always wear a seat belt,
and keep the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across the hips.When driving, remember to sit
upright and adjust the seat as f ar
back as possible while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. When riding
as a f ront passenger, adjust the seat
as far back as possible.
This will reduce the risk of injuries
to both you and your unborn child
that can be caused by a crash or an
inflating front airbag.
Each time you have a checkup, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
Advice f or Pregnant Women
Protecting A dults and Teens
18
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.
12/08/09 16:01:23 31SJC670_025
Driver and Passenger Saf ety

If they do, they could be very
seriously injured in a crash.
If they do, they could
be killed or very seriously injured
in a crash.
They could be
killed or injured in a crash, or
become ill or even die f rom carbon
monoxide poisoning if engine
exhaust enters the cap.
A passenger who is not
wearing a seat belt during a crash
or emergency stop can be thrown
against the inside of the vehicle,
against other occupants, or out of
the vehicle. If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can
reduce the protective capability of
the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash.
Carrying hard or sharp
objects on your lap, or driving with
a pipe or other sharp object in
your mouth, can result in injuries
if your f ront airbag inf lates.
If your
hands or arms are close to an
airbag cover, they could be injured
if the airbag inf lates. Objects on
the covers marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG’’
could interf ere with the proper
operation of the airbags or be
propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone if the airbags inf late.
If a side airbag or a
side curtain airbag inf lates, a cup
holder or other hard object
attached on or near the door could
be propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone.
Improperly replacing
or covering f ront seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags f rom
inf lating during a side impact.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Never let passengers ride in t he
area in front of a folded-up rearseat .
Never let passengers ride in t hepickup bed.
Never let passengers ride inside atruck cap (shell).
Passengers should not stand up orchange seats while the vehicle ismoving. T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on seatbelts.
Do not place hard or sharp object sbet ween yourself and a f rontairbag.
K eep your hands and arms awayf rom t he airbag covers. Do not at t ach or place object s on
the f ront airbag covers.
Do not at t ach hard object s on ornear a door.
Do not cover or replace f ront seat -back covers wit hout consult ingyour dealer.
19
12/08/09 16:01:32 31SJC670_026
Driver and Passenger Saf ety