2017 HONDA RIDGELINE ESP

A Few Words About Safety
Your safety, and the safety of others, is very important. And
operating this vehicle safely is an important responsibility.
To help you make informed decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and other information on labels and
in this manual. This information alerts you to potential hazards that
could hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or maintaining your vehicle. You
must use your own good judgment. You will find this impo
rtant safety information in a variety of forms,
including:
● Safety Labels - on the vehicle.
● Safety Messages - preceded by a safety alert symbol
3 and
one of three signal words: DANGER, WARNING , or CAUTION .
These signal words mean:
● Safety Headings - such as Important Safety Precautions.
● Safety Section - such as Safe Driving.
● Instructions - how to use this vehi cle correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information - please
read it carefully.
3 DANGERYou WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if
you don’t follow instructions.
3 WARNINGYou CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if
you don’t follow instructions.
3CAUTIONYou CAN be HURT if you don’t follow
instructions.

Contents
Child Safety P. 53Exhaust Gas Hazard P. 68Safety Labels P. 69
Opening and Closing the Tailgate P. 126 Opening and Closing the Trunk P. 128
Opening and Closing the Moonroof* P. 138 Operating the Switches Around the Steering Wheel P. 140
Interior Lights/Convenience It ems P. 169Climate Control System* P. 186
Audio System Basic Operation P. 204, 222 Audio Error Messages P. 292
Customized Features P. 303
Off-Highway Driving Guidelines P. 416 When Driving P. 418 Braking P. 474
Refueling P. 498 Fuel Economy and CO
2 Emissions P. 501
Maintenance Under the Hood P. 511 Replacing Light Bulbs P. 523
Checking and Maintaining Tires P. 531 Battery P. 540 Remote Transmitter Care P. 541
Cleaning P. 543 Accessories and Modifications P. 549
Engine Does Not Start P. 562Jump Starting P. 565 Shift Lever Does Not Move P. 568
Fuses P. 575 Emergency Towing P. 580
Refueling P. 582
Devices that Emit Radio Waves P. 589 Reporting Safety Defects P. 590
Authorized Manuals P. 595 Customer Service Information P. 596
Quick Reference GuideP. 4
Safe DrivingP. 27
Instrument PanelP. 71
ControlsP. 107
FeaturesP. 197
DrivingP. 395
MaintenanceP. 503
Handling the UnexpectedP. 551
InformationP. 585
IndexP. 597

28
Safe Driving
For Safe Driving
The following pages explain your vehicle’s safety features and how to use them
properly. The safety precautions below are ones that we consider to be among the
most important.
Important Safety Precautions
■Always wear your seat belt
A seat belt is your best protection in all types of collisions. Airbags are designed to
supplement seat belts, not replace them. So even though your vehicle is equipped
with airbags, make sure you and your passen gers always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly.
■Restrain all children
Children ages 12 and under should ride properly restrained in a back seat, not the
front seat. Infants and small children shoul d be restrained in a child seat. Larger
children should use a booster seat and a lap/ shoulder seat belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat.
■Be aware of airbag hazards
While airbags can save lives, they can caus e serious or fatal injuries to occupants
who sit too close to them, or are not prop erly restrained. Infants, young children,
and short adults are at the greatest risk. Be sure to follow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
■Don’t drink and drive
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even one dr ink can reduce your ability to respond to
changing conditions, and your reaction time gets worse with every additional drink.
So don’t drink and drive, and don’t let your friends drink and drive, either.
1Important Safety Precautions
Some states, provinces and territories prohibit the use
of cell phones other than hands-free devices by the
driver while driving.

43
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.
■Housing Locations
1Types of Airbags
The airbags can inflate whenever the power mode is
in ON.
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 reduce the
likelihood of head and chest injuries in frontal
crashes.

uuChild Safety uProtecting Child Passengers
54
Safe Driving
• Any child who is too small to wear a seat belt correctly must be restrained in an
approved child seat that is properly secu red to the vehicle using either the seat
belt or the lower anchor s of the LATCH system.
• Never hold a child on your lap because it is impossible to protect them in the
event of a collision.
• Never put a seat belt over yourself and a child. During a crash, the belt would
likely press deep into the child an d cause serious or fatal injuries.
• Never let two children use the same seat belt. Both children could be very
seriously injured in a crash.
• Do not allow children to operate the doors, windows or seat adjustments.
• Do not leave children in the vehicle unattended, especially in hot weather when
the inside of the vehicle can get hot enough to kill them. They could also activate
vehicle controls causing it to move unexpectedly.1 Protecting Child Passengers
To deactivate a lockable retractor, release the buckle
and allow the seat belt to wind up all the way.
To remind you of the pa ssenger’s front airbag
hazards and child safety, y our vehicle warning came
with a label on the dashboard (U.S. models) and has
labels on the front visors. Pl ease read and follow the
instructions on these labels. 2 Safety Labels P. 69
3WARNING
Allowing a child to play with a seat belt or
wrap one around their neck can result in
serious injury or death.
Instruct children not to play with any seat
belt and make sure any unused seat belt a
child can reach is buckled, fully retracted,
and locked.
3WARNING
Allowing a child to play on the pickup bed
can result in serious injury or death by
opening or closing the tailgate.

Continued113
uuLocking and Unlocking the Doors uLocking/Unlocking the Doors from the Outside
Controls
■Locking the doors
Press the door lock button on a front door. u Some exterior lights flash; the beeper
sounds; all the doors lock; and the
security system sets.1Using the Smart Entry with Push Button Start System*
•Do not leave the smart entry remote in the vehicle
when you get out. Carry it with you.
•Even if you are not carrying the smart entry remote,
you can lock or unlock the doors or open the trunk
while someone else with the remote is within
range.
•The door may be unlocked if the door handle is
covered with water in heavy rain or in a car wash if
the smart entry remote is within range.
•If you grip a door handle wearing gloves, the door
sensor may be slow to respond or may not respond
by unlocking the doors.
•After locking the door, wait at least two seconds
before unlocking it by gripping the handle.
•The door might not open if you pull it immediately
after gripping the door handle. Grip the handle
again and confirm that th e door is unlocked before
pulling the handle.
•Even within the 32 inches (80 cm) radius, you may
not be able to lock/unlock the doors with the smart
entry remote if it is a bove or below the outside
handle.
•The smart entry remote may not operate if it is too
close to the door and door glass.
Door Lock Button
* Not available on all models

149
uuOperating the Switches Around the Steering Wheel uAuto High-Beam (High Beam Support System)*
Continued
Controls
Auto High-Beam (High Beam Support System)*
Uses the camera attached, monitors th e space ahead of your vehicle, and
automatically changes the low beam h eadlights to high beam headlights when
necessary.1 Auto High-Beam (High Beam Support System)*
The auto high-beam determines when to change the
headlight beams by responding to the brightness of
the lights ahead of your vehicle. In the following
cases, the system may not respond to the lights
properly:
•The brightness of the lights from the preceding or
oncoming vehicle is intense or poor.
•Visibility is poor due to the weather (rain, snow,
fog, windshield frost, etc.).
•Other light sources, such as streetlights and electric
billboards are illumina ting the road ahead.
•The brightness level of th e road ahead constantly
changes.
•The road is bumpy or with many curves.
•A vehicle cuts in front of you, or a vehicle in front
of you is not in the preceding or oncoming
direction.
•Your vehicle is tilted with a heavy load in the rear.
If you find the timing of beam changes inconvenient
for driving, change the headlight beams manually.
■The headlight switch is in AUTO.■The lever is in the low beam
position.
■The system recognizes that you
are driving at night and the low
beam headlights come on.
■The vehicle speed is above 25 mph
(40 km/h).
The system operates when:
The camera is not detecting any lights coming from preceding or oncoming
vehicles: The headlights change to high beams.
15-degrees
The camera detects lights coming from a preceding or oncoming vehicle: The
headlights are return
ed to low beams.
The camera monitors the range within the 30-degrees view angle. The distance
that the camera can detect lights ahead differs depending on conditions, such as
the brightness of the lights and the weather.
The system changes between high and low beam headlights when:
* Not available on all models

Continued179
uuInterior Lights/Convenience Items uInterior Convenience Items
Controls
The power mode is in ON to use the seat
heaters. The HI setting heats the seats faster
than the LO setting.
The appropriate indicator will be on while the
seat heater is on. For low heat and high heat,
press LO and HI respectively. Center the
rocker switch to tu rn the heater off.
■Front Seat Heaters*1Front Seat Heaters*
Do not use the seat heaters even in LO when the
engine is off. Under such conditions, the battery may
be weakened, making the engine difficult to start.
In the LO setting, the heater runs continuously and
does not automatically turn off.
3WARNING
Heat induced burns are possible when
using seat heaters.
Persons with a diminished ability to sense
temperature (e.g., persons with diabetes,
lower-limb nerve damage, or paralysis) or
with sensitive skin should not use seat
heaters.
* Not available on all models