2017 HONDA CIVIC Owners Manual

uuAirbags uAirbag System Components
48
Safe DrivingAirbags can pose serious hazards. To do their job, airbags must inflate with
tremendous force. So, while airbags help save lives, they can cause burns, bruises,
and other minor injuries, sometimes even fatal ones if occupants are not wearing
their seat belts properly and sitting correctly.
What you should do: Always wear your seat belt properly, and sit upright and as
far back from the steering wheel as possi ble while allowing full control of the
vehicle. A front passenger should move their seat as far back from the dashboard as
possible.
Remember, however, that no safety system can prevent all injuries or deaths that
can occur in a severe crash, even when seat belts are properly worn and the airbags
deploy.
Do not place hard or sharp objects between yourself and a front airbag.
Carrying hard or sharp objects on your lap, or driving with a pipe or other sharp
object in your mouth, can result in in juries if your front airbag inflates.
Do not attach or place object s on the front airbag covers. Objects on the
covers marked SRS AIRBAG could interfere with the proper operation of the airbags
or be propelled inside the vehicle and hurt someone if the airbags inflate.
■Important Facts About Your Airbags1 Important Facts About Your Airbags
Do not attempt to deactivate your airbags. Together,
airbags and seat belts pr ovide the best protection.
When driving, keep hand s and arms out of the
deployment path of the front airbag by holding each
side of the steering wheel. Do not cross an arm over
the airbag cover.
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49
uuAirbags uTypes of Airbags
Continued
Safe Driving
Types of Airbags
Your vehicle is equipped wi th three types of airbags:
• Front airbags: Airbags in front of the driver’s and front passenger’s seats.
• Side airbags: Airbags in the driver’s and front passenger’s seat-backs.
• Side curtain airbags: Airbags above the side windows.
Each is discussed in the following pages.
Front Airbags (SRS)
The front SRS airbags inflate in a moderate-to-severe frontal collision to help protect
the head and chest of the driver and/or front passenger.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) indica tes that the airbags are designed to
supplement seat belts, not replace them . Seat belts are the occupant's primary
restraint system.
The front airbags are housed in the center of the steering wheel for the driver, and
in the dashboard for the front pass enger. Both airbags are marked SRS AIRBAG.
*1: Models with the smart entry system have an ENGINE START/STOP button instead of an
ignition switch.
■Housing Locations
1 Types of Airbags
The airbags can inflate whenever the ignition switch
is in ON
(w*1.
After an airbag inflates in a crash, you may see a
small amount of smoke. This is from the combustion
process of the infl ator material and is not harmful.
People with respiratory pr oblems may experience
some temporary discomfort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
1 Front Airbags (SRS)
Dual-Stage, Multiple-Threshold Front Airbags
(SRS)
Your vehicle is equipped wi th 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, dependi ng on the severity of the
crash, whether or not the se at belts are latched, and/
or other factors. Frontal airbags are designed to
supplement the seat belts to help to reduce the
likelihood of head and chest injuries in frontal
crashes.
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uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
50
Safe DrivingFront airbags are designed to inflate du ring 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 th ey see them lying in front of them.
■Operation
■How the Front Airbags Work1How the Front Airbags Work
Although the driver's and fr ont passenger's airbags
normally inflate within a spli t 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 protec tion, and the supplemental
protection offered by the airbag would be minimal.
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51
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Continued
Safe Driving
■When front airbags should not deploy
Minor frontal crashes: Front airbags were designed to supplement seat belts and
help to save lives, not to prevent minor scrapes, or even broken bones that might
occur during a less than mode rate-to-severe frontal crash.
Side impacts: Front airbags can provide protection when a sudden deceleration
causes a driver or front passenger to move towards the front of the vehicle. Side
airbags and side curtain airbags have been specifically designed to help to reduce
the severity of injuries that can occur du ring a moderate-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 significant protection and are not designed
to deploy in such collisions.
Rollovers: In a rollover, your best form of protection is a seat belt or, if your vehicle
is equipped with a rollover sensor, both a seat belt and a side curtain airbag. Front
airbags, however, are not designed to depl oy in a rollover as they would provide
little if any protection.
■When front airbags deploy with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle framework or suspension might caus e 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 th e vehicle chassis. Since the impact is
underneath the vehicle, damage may not be readily apparent.
■When front airbags may not deploy , 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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uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
52
Safe DrivingThe airbags have advanced features to help reduce the likelihood of airbag related
injuries to smaller occupants.
The driver’s advanced airbag system includes a
seat position sensor.
Based on information from this sensor and the
severity of the impact, the advanced airbag
system determines the optimal deployment of
the driver’s airbag.
The front passenger’s ad vanced airbag system
has weight sensors.
We advise against allowing a child under the
age of 12 to ride in th e front passenger’s seat.
However, if you do allow a child under 12
to ride in the front passenger’s seat, note
that the system will automatically turn off the
front passenger’s airbag if the sensors detect
that the child is appr oximately 65 lbs (29 kg)
or less.
■Advanced Airbags1 Advanced Airbags
If there is a problem with the driver’s seat position
sensor, the SRS indicator wi ll come on and the airbag
will inflate with full (normal) force, regardless of the
driver’s seating position.
For the advanced 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 pos itioned objects can
interfere with the advanced airbag sensors.
•All occupants should sit upri ght and wear their seat
belts properly.
•Do not cover the passenger ’s side dashboard with
a cloth, towel, cover, etc. 2Passenger Front Airbag Off Indicator
P. 58
Driver’s
Seat
Position
Sensor
Passenger’s
Seat
Weight
Sensors
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53
uuAirbags uSide Airbags
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Safe Driving
Side Airbags
The side airbags help protect the torso and pelvis of the driver or a front 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
1 Side Airbags
Make sure you and your front seat passenger always
sit upright. Leaning into the path of a side airbag can
prevent the airbag from deploying properly and
increases your risk of serious injury.
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.
Do not cover or replace the front seat-back covers
without consulting a dealer.
Improperly replac ing or covering front seat-back
covers can prevent your si de airbags from properly
deploying during a side impact.
Housing
Location
■Operation
When
inflated
Side
Airbag
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uuAirbags uSide Airbags
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 toward the
far front or rear of the vehicle, or when the vehicle’s crushable body parts absorbed
most of the crash energy. In either case , the side airbag would not have been
needed nor provided protection even if it had deployed.
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uuAirbags uSide Curtain Airbags
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Safe Driving
Side Curtain Airbags
The side curtain airbags help protect the heads of the driver and passengers in the
outer seating positions during a moderate-to -severe side impact. The side curtain
airbags equipped in this vehicle are also designed to help reduce the likelihood of
partial and complete ejection of vehicle occupants through side windows in crashes,
particularly rollover crashes.
The side curtain airbags are located in the
ceiling above the side windows on both sides
of the vehicle.
The side curtain airbag is designed to deploy
in a rollover or a moderate-to-severe side
impact.
■Housing Locations
1 Side Curtain Airbags
If the SRS control unit sens es that your vehicle is
about to rollover, it imme diately deploys both side
curtain airbags and activates both front seat belt
tensioners.
If the impact is on the passenger’s side, the
passenger’s side curtain airbag deploys even if there
is no passenger in the passenger seat.
To get the best protecti on from the side curtain
airbags, occupants should wear their seat belts
properly and sit upr ight and well back in their seats.
Do not attach any objects to the side windows or roof
pillars as they can interfere with the proper operation
of the side curtain airbags.
Side Curtain Airbag Storage
■Operation
Deployed Side Curtain Airbag
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