2021 HONDA RIDGELINE child seat

9
Quick Reference Guide
❚Side Curtain Airbags (P54)
❚Grab Handle
❚Coat Hook (P180)
❚Seat Belts (P40)
❚Sun Visors
❚Vanity Mirrors
❚Moonroof Switch* (P143)
❚Map Lights (P176)
❚HomeLink® Buttons* (P324)
❚Sunglasses Holder (P181)
❚Front Seat (P166)
❚Side Airbags (P52)
❚Seat Belt (Installing a Child Seat) (P67)
❚Seat Belt to Secure a Child Seat (P69)
❚LATCH to Secure a Child Seat (P64)
❚Rear Seat (P169)
❚Map Lights (P176)
❚Back Window Switch* (P141)
* Not available on all models

13
Quick Reference Guide
Safe Driving (P31)
Airbags (P44)
●Your vehicle is fitted with airbags to help protect you and
your passengers during a moderate-to-severe collision.
Child Safety (P59)
●All children 12 and younger should be seated in the rear seat.●Smaller children should be properly restrained in a forward-facing child seat.●Infants must be properly restrained in a rear-facing child seat.
Exhaust Gas Hazard (P74)
●Your vehicle emits dangerous exhaust gases that contain carbon
monoxide. Do not run the engine in confined spaces where carbon
monoxide gas can accumulate.
Before Driving Checklist (P36)
●Before driving, check that the front seats, head restraints,
steering wheel, and mirrors have been properly adjusted.
Seat Belts (P37)
●Fasten your seat belt and sit upright well
back in the seat.
●Check that your passengers are wearing
their seat belts correctly.
Fasten your lap belt as
low as possible.

31
Safe Driving
You can find many safety recommendations throughout this chapter, and throughout this manual.
For Safe Driving
Important Safety Precautions.............. 32
Important Handling Information ......... 34
Your Vehicle’s Safety Features ............ 35
Safety Checklist ................................. 36
Seat Belts About Your Seat Belts ........................ 37
Fastening a Seat Belt .......................... 40
Seat Belt Inspection ............................ 43 Airbags
Airbag System Components ............... 44
Types of Airbags ................................ 47
Front Airbags (SRS) ............................ 47
Side Airbags....................................... 52
Side Curtain Airbags .......................... 54
Airbag System Indicators .................... 55
Airbag Care ....................................... 58 Child Safety
Protecting Child Passengers ............... 59
Safety of Infants and Small Children .... 61
Safety of Larger Children ................... 72
Exhaust Gas Hazard Carbon Monoxide Gas ....................... 74
Safety Labels Label Locations .................................. 75

32
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 passengers 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 cause 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 te rritories prohibit the use
of cell phones other than hands-free devices by the
driver while driving.

36
uuFor Safe Driving uSafety Checklist
Safe Driving
Safety Checklist
For the safety of you and your passenge rs, make a habit of checking these items
each time before you drive.
• After everyone has entered the vehicle, be sure all doors are closed and locked.
Locking the doors helps prevent an occupant from being ejected and an outsider
from unexpectedly opening a door.
2 Locking/Unlocking the Doors from the Inside P. 127
•Adjust your seat to a position suitable for driving. Be sure the front seats are
adjusted as far to the rear as possible while allowing the driver to control the
vehicle. Sitting too close to a front airbag can result in serious or fatal injury in a
crash.
2 Seats P. 166
•Adjust head restraints to the proper position. Head restraints are most effective
when the center of the head restraint alig ns with the center of your head. Taller
persons should adjust their head restraint to the highest position.
2 Adjusting the front head restraint positions P. 171
•Always wear your seat belt, and make sure you wear it properly. Confirm that any
passengers are properly belted as well.
2 Fastening a Seat Belt P. 40
•Protect children by using seat belts or child seats according to a child’s age, height
and weight.
2 Child Safety P. 59
1Safety Checklist
If the door, trunk and/or tailgate open message
appears on the multi-inform ation display, the door,
the trunk and/or the tailgate is not completely closed.
Close all doors, the trunk and the tailgate tightly until
the message disappears. 2 Multi-Information Display Warning and
Information Messages P. 96

37Continued
Safe Driving
Seat Belts
About Your Seat Belts
Seat belts are the single most effective safety device because they keep you
connected to the vehicle so that you can take advantage of many built-in safety
features. They also help keep you from be ing thrown against the inside of the
vehicle, against any passengers, or out of the vehicle. When worn properly, seat
belts also keep your body properly positioned in a crash so that you can take full
advantage of the additional protection provided by the airbags.
In addition, seat belts help protect you in almost every type of crash, including:
- frontal impacts
- side impacts
- rear impacts
- rollovers
■Lap/shoulder seat belts
All five seating positions are equipped with lap/shoulder seat belts with emergency
locking retractors. In normal driving the retractor lets you move freely while keeping
some tension on the belt. During a collision or sudden stop the retractor locks to
restrain your body.
The front passenger’s and rear seat belts al so have a lockable retractor for use with
child seats.
2 Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/Shoulder Seat Belt P. 67
1About Your Seat Belts
If a front and/or 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.
If you extend the seat belt t oo quickly, it will lock in
place. If this happens, sli ghtly retract the seat belt,
then extend it slowly.
3WARNING
Not wearing a seat belt properly increases
the chance of serious injury or death in a
crash, even though your vehicle has
airbags.
Be sure you and your passengers always
wear seat belts and wear them properly.
3WARNING
Allowing passengers to ride in the pickup
bed or on the tailgate can result in death or
serious injury in a crash.
Make sure all passengers ride in a seat and
wear a seat belt properly.

uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
38
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 reduc e 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 be lts. Devices intended to improve comfort
or reposition the shoulder part of a seat be lt can reduce the protective capability
and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
The seat belt system includes an indicator on
the instrument panel to remind the driver or a
front passenger or both to fasten their seat
belts.
If you set the power mode to ON and a seat
belt is not fastened, a beeper will sound and
the indicator will blink. After a few seconds,
the beeper will stop and the indicator will
come on and remain illuminated until the seat
belt is fastened.
The beeper will periodically sound and the
indicator will blink while the vehicle is moving
until the seat belt is fastened.
■Seat Belt Reminder
1 About Your Seat Belts
Seat belts cannot complete ly protect you in every
crash. But in most cases, seat belts can reduce your
risk of serious injury.
Most states and all Canadian provinces and territories
require you to w ear seat belts.
The pickup bed is not equipp ed with seats or seat
belts. Do not let anyone ride in the pickup bed as they
can easily be thrown out and be killed or seriously
injured.
1 Seat Belt Reminder
The indicator will also co me on if a front passenger
does not fasten their seat be lt within six seconds after
the power mode is set to ON.
When no one is sitting in th e front passenger’s seat,
the indicator will not come on and the beeper will not
sound.
The indicator also may no t come on and the beeper
may not sound when the occupant is not heavy
enough to trigger the weight sensor. Such occupants
(e.g., infants and smaller children) should be moved
to the rear seat as a deploying front airbag likely will
injure or kill them. 2 Protecting Child Passengers P. 59

uuSeat Belts uFastening a Seat Belt
42
Safe DrivingIf 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 possi ble across the hips.
■Advice for Pregnant Women1Advice for Pregnant Women
Each time you have a checkup, ask your doctor if it is
okay for you to drive.
To reduce the risk of inju ries to both you and your
unborn child that can be caus ed by an inflating front
airbag:
•When driving, sit upright a nd adjust the seat as far
back as possible while allowing full control of the
vehicle.
•When sitting in the front passenger’s seat, adjust
the seat as far back as possible.
Wear the shoulder belt
across the chest avoiding
the abdomen.
Wear the lap part of the
belt as low as possible
across the hips.