2022 ACURA NSX Owners Manual

47
uuAirbags uAirbag System Components
Safe DrivingAirbags can pose serious hazards. To do their job, airbags must inflate with
tremendous force. So, while airbags help to save lives, they can cause burns, bruises,
and other minor injuries, sometimes even fatal ones if occupants are not wearing
their seat belts properl y 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 possible while allowing full control of the
vehicle. A passenger should move their seat as far back from the dashboard as
possible.
Remember, however, that no safety system ca n prevent all injuries or deaths that
can occur in a severe crash, even when s eat 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 objects on the front and driver’s knee 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 hands 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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48
uuAirbags uTypes of Airbags
Safe Driving
Types of Airbags
Your vehicle is equipped with four types of airbags:
• Front airbags: Airbags in front of the driv er’s and passenger’s seats.
• Driver’s knee airbag: Airbag under the steering column.
• Side airbags: Airbags in the driver’s a nd 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 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 passe nger. 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)
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.
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Continued49
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe DrivingFront airbags are designed to inflate duri ng 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 a nd 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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50
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe Driving
■When front airbags should not deploy
Minor frontal crashes: Front airbags were designed to supplement seat belts and
help save lives, not to prevent minor scrape s, or even broken bones that might occur
during a less than moderate-to-severe frontal crash.
Side impacts: Front airbags can provide protection when a sudden deceleration
causes a driver or passenger to move towa rd the front of the vehicle. Side airbags
and side curtain airbags have been specifically designed to help reduce the severity
of injuries that can occur during a moderate-to-severe side impact which can cause
the driver or passenger to move toward 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 si gnificant 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 se at belt and a side curtain airbag. Front
airbags, however, are not designed to deploy 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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51
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe DrivingThe passenger’s airbag have advanced f eatures to help reduce the likelihood of
airbag related injuries to a smaller occupant. The passenger’s advanced airbag system has
weight sensors. The sensors are used for
occupant classification to activate or
deactivate the passenger’s airbag.
For adult size occupant s, the system will
automatically activate the passenger’s airbag.
If a small adult sits in the passenger seat and
the system does not recognize him/her as an
adult, see
2 Passenger Airbag Off Indicator P. 58
We advise against allowing a child age 12 or under to ride in the passenger’s seat.
However, if you do allow a small child or in fant to ride in the passenger’s seat, the
system is designed to automatically deacti vate the passenger’s airbag. Do not let a
small child or infant ride in the passenger’ s seat if the airbag does not automatically
deactivate.
■Advanced Airbags1 Advanced Airbags
If there is a problem with the passenger’s seat weight
sensors, the SRS indicator will come on, and in the
event of a crash, the airbag will deploy (regardless of
the passenger’s occupant cl assification) with a force
corresponding to the se verity of the impact.
2 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
Indicator P. 57
For the advanced front airbags to work properly,
confirm that:
•The occupant is sitting in an upright position,
wearing the seat belt prope rly and the seat-back is
not excessively reclined.
•The occupant is not leaning against the door or
center console.
•The occupant’s feet are plac ed on the floor in front
of them.
•There are no objects hanging from the passenger’s
seat.
•The steering wheel and passenger’s side dashboard
are not obstructed by any object.
•No liquid has been spille d on or under the seat.
•There are no objects placed under or beside the
passenger’s seat. Improperly positioned objects can
interfere with the advanced airbag sensors.
2 Passenger Airbag Off Indicator P. 58
Passenger’s
Seat Weight
Sensors
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52
uuAirbags uDriver’s Knee Airbag
Safe Driving
Driver’s Knee Airbag
The driver’s knee SRS airbag inflates in a moderate-to-severe fronta l collision to help
keep the driver in the proper position and to help maximize the benefit provided by
the vehicle’s other safety features.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) indica tes that the airbag is designed to
supplement seat belts, not replace them. Seat belts are the occupant’s primary
restraint system.
The driver’s knee airbag is housed under the
steering column.
The airbag is marked SRS AIRBAG.
When the driver’s front airbag inflates, the
driver’s knee airbag also inflates.
Even if the collision is not severe enough to
deploy the front airbag, the knee airbag may
inflate alone.
■Housing Locations
1 Driver’s Knee Airbag
Do not attach accessories on or near a knee airbag as
they can interfere with the proper operation of the
airbag, or even hurt someone if the airbag inflates.
The driver should not stor e any items under the seat
or behind their feet. The items can interfere with
proper airbag deployment in the event of a moderate
to severe frontal collision and may result in
inadequate protection.
Housing
Location
■Operation
When
inflated
Knee
Airbag
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53
uuAirbags uDriver’s Knee Airbag
Safe Driving
■When driver’s knee airbag deploys with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle framework or suspension might cause 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 driver’s knee airbag 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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54
uuAirbags uSide Airbags
Safe Driving
Side Airbags
The side airbags help protect the torso and pelvis of the driver or a 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 passenger always sit upright.
Leaning into the path of a side airbag can prevent the
airbag from deploying pr operly 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 th e seat-back covers without
consulting an authorized Acura NSX dealer.
Improperly replacing or covering seat-back covers can
prevent your side airbag s from properly deploying
during a side impact.
Housing
Location
■Operation
When
inflated
Side
Airbag
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