Acura MDX 2004 Owner's Guide

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 check-up, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
All passengers
must sit in locked, upright seats
andbeproperlyrestrainedbyseat
belts.
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.
CONT INUED
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Advice f or Pregnant Women Additional Saf ety Precautions
Never let passengers ride in t he
cargo area or on t op of a f olded-down back seat .
Passengers should not st and up orchange seats while the vehicle ismoving.
T wo people should never use t hesame seat belt .
17

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 objects in
your mouth, can result in injuries
if your f ront airbag inf lates.
Do not place the rear f loor mat
under the f ront passenger’s seat.
This could make the front
passenger’s weight sensors
inef f ective. Make sure the rear
f loor mat is hooked over the f loor
mat anchor (see page ). If your
hands or arms are close to an
airbag cover, they could be injured
if the airbag inf lates. 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.
This could cause
problems with the driver’s seat
position sensor or the f ront
passenger’s seat weight sensors.
(See page f or more inf ormation.) This could make the driver’s seat
position sensor or the f ront
passenger’s seat weight sensors
inef f ective (see page f or more
inf ormation).
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.
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Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not put any accessories on seat belts.
Do not place hard or sharp object sbet ween yourself and a f rontairbag. K eep your hands and arms away
f rom t he airbag covers. Do not at t ach hard object s on or
near a door.
Do not place any it ems under t hefront seats.
Do not modif y t he f ront seat s.
Do not at t ach or place object s on
the f ront airbag covers.
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Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in all seven seating
positions. The f ront seat belts are
also equipped with automatic seat
belt tensioners.The seat belt system
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel and a beeper to
remind you and your passengers to
f asten your belts.
If you continue driving without
f astening your seat belt, the beeper
sounds and the indicator f lashes
again at regular intervals. The lap/shoulder belts in the center
seat of the second row and both of
the third row seats are equipped with
a detachable anchor that has two
parts: a small latch plate and a
buckle.
The detachable anchor should
normally be latched whenever the
seats-backs are in an upright position.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is
latched (see page f or how to
properly position the belt).
To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESSbuttononthebuckle.Guide
the belt across your body so that it
retracts completely. Af ter exiting the
vehicle, be sure the belt is out of the
way and will not get closed in the
door.
All seat belts have an emergency
locking retractor. In normal driving,
the retractor lets you move f reely in
your seat while it keeps some
tension on the belt. During a collision
or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.
If you turn the ignition switch to ON
(II) bef ore f astening your seat belt,
the beeper will sound and the
indicator will f lash. If you do not
f asten your seat belt bef ore the
beeper stops, the indicator will stop
f lashing but remain on.
The lap and shoulder belt goes over
your shoulder, across your chest,
and across your hips. 14
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
19

The seat belts in all seating positions
except the driver’s have an additional
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat (see
page ).
If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking
mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move f reely.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt f ully retract. To
ref asten the belt, pull it out only as
f ar as needed.For added protection, the f ront seat
belts are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners. When activated,
the tensioners immediately tighten
the belts to help hold the driver and
a f ront passenger in place.When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
manner. The tensioners are designed to
activate in any collision severe
enough to cause a f ront, side, or side
curtainairbagtoinflate.
However, the tensioners can be
activated during a collision in which
there is no airbag deployment. In
this case, the airbags would not be
needed, but the additional restraint
provided by the tensioners could be
helpf ul.
44
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety20

For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out f ully and look f or
f rays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
the belts retract easily. Any belt not
in good condition or not working
properly will not provide good
protection and should be replaced as
soon as possible.Acura provides a lif etime warranty
on seat belts f or U.S. models. See
your
booklet f or details.
If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
it must be replaced by the dealer. A
belt that has been worn during a
crash may not provide the same level
of protection in a subsequent crash.
The dealer should also inspect the
anchors f or damage and replace
them if needed. If the automatic seat
belt tensioners activate during a
crash, they must be replaced.
For inf ormation on how to clean your
seat belts, see page .
218
Acura Warranty Inf ormation
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Seat Belt Maintenance
21
Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious
injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly when
needed.
Check your seat belts regularly
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible.

Your Airbag System (SRS) includes:Two side airbags, one f or the
driver and one f or a f ront
passenger. The airbags are stored
in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked ‘‘SIDE
AIRBAG’’ (see page ). Two SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System) f ront airbags. The driver’s
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the f ront
passenger’sairbagisstoredinthe
dashboard. Both are marked ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Two side curtain airbags, one f or
each side of the vehicle. The
airbags are stored in the f ront, and
rear pillars and above the windows.
The f ront and rear pillars on both
sides are marked ‘‘SIDE
CURTAIN AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Automatic seat belt tensioners
(see page ). 23
27
20
28
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
A irbag System Components
22
(5)
(3)
(4)
(4)
(5)(2)
(10) (8) (10)(8)(9)
(11)
(7)
(9)(1)
(6)
(1) Driver’s Front Airbag
(2) Passenger’s Front Airbag
(3) Control Unit
(4) Seat Belt Tensioners
(5) Side Airbags
(6) Side Curtain Airbags
(7) Driver’s Seat Position Sensor
(8) Front Passenger’s Seat Weight Sensors
(9) Front Impact Sensor
(10) Side Impact Sensors
(11) Passenger Airbag Off Indicator

A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records inf ormation about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, and driver and
frontpassengerseatbeltusewhen
the ignition is in the ON (II)
position.If you ever have a moderate to
severe f rontal collision, sensors will
detect the vehicle’s rapid
deceleration. If the rate of
deceleration is high enough, the
control unit will instantly inf late the
driver’s and f ront passenger’s f ront
airbags, at the appropriate time and
with the f orce needed.
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal impact,
side impact or rollover.
A driver’s seat position sensor that
monitors the distance of the seat
from the front airbag. If the seat is
too f ar f orward, the airbag will
inf late with less f orce.
Sensors that can detect whether a
child’s head is in the deployment
path of the passenger’s side airbag
and automatically turn the airbag
of f (see page ). Front passenger’s weight sensors
that monitor the weight on the
f ront passenger’s seat. These
prevent the passenger’s f ront
airbag from inflating if the weight
is less than about 65 lbs (30 kg)
(see page ).
An indicator on the dashboard that
alerts you that the passenger’s
f ront airbag has been turned of f
(see page ). An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you that the f ront
passenger’s side airbag has been
turned of f (see page ). Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash. The SRS indicator on the
instrument panel that alerts you to
a possible problem with your
airbags (see page ).
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29
30
27 28
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
How Your Front Airbags Work
23

During a f rontal crash, your seat belt
help restrains your lower body and
torso and the airbag helps protect
your head and chest.
Although both airbags normally
inf late within a split second of each
other, it is possible f or 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
suf f icient protection, and the
supplemental protection of f ered by
the airbag would be minimal.
Only the driver’s airbag can deploy if
there is no passenger in the f ront
seat, or if the advanced airbag
system has turned the passenger’s
airbag off (see page ).Af ter inf lating, the f ront airbags will
immediately def late, so they won’t
interf ere with the driver’s visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.The total time for inflation and
def lation is one-tenth of a second, so
f ast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until
they see them lying in their laps.
After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder f rom the airbag’s surf ace.
Although the powder is not harmf ul,
people with respiratory problems
mayexperiencesometemporary
discomf ort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is saf e to do
so.
30
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety24

CONT INUED
Your f ront airbags are dual-stage
airbags. This means they have two
inf lation stages that can be ignited
sequentially or simultaneously,
depending on crash severity.
In acrash, both stages
will ignite simultaneously to provide
the quickest and greatest protection.
In a crash, one stage will
ignite first, then the second stage
will ignite a split second later. This
provides longer airbag inf lation time
with a little less force. Your f ront airbags are also dual-
threshold airbags. Airbags with this
f eature have two deployment
thresholds that depend on whether
or not the occupant is wearing a seat
belt.
If the occupant’s belt is
,
the airbag will deploy at the same
threshold as a conventional airbag,
because the occupant would need
extra protection.
If the occupant’s belt , the
airbag will inf late at a slightly higher
threshold, when the airbag would be
needed to supplement the protection
provided by the seat belt. Your f ront airbags are also advanced
airbags. The main purpose of this
feature is to prevent airbag-caused
injuries to short drivers and children
who ride in f ront.
For the advanced airbags to work
properly, occupants must sit upright
and wear their seat belts properly. If
a child seat is installed in the f ront, it
must be properly secured.
In addition, do not spill any liquids on
or under the seats, cover the sensors,
or put any cargo or metal objects
under the f ront seats. Ask second
row passengers to not put their f eet
under the f ront seats. Any of these
actions could damage the sensors or
prevent them f rom working properly.
Failure to f ollow these instructions
could damage the sensors or prevent
them f rom working properly.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Dual-Stage A irbags
more severeless severe Dual-T hreshold A irbags
not lat chedis latchedAdvanced Airbags
25

The driver’s advanced front airbag
system includes a seat position
sensor under the seat. If the seat is
positioned too f ar f orward, the
airbag will inf late sequentially,
regardless of the severity of the
impact.When the airbag is turned of f , an
indicator in the center of the
dashboard will come on indicating
‘‘Passenger Airbag Of f ’’ (see page
).
To ensure that the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system will
work properly,
This includes: A rear passenger pushing or
pulling on the back of the
passenger’s seat.
Moving the f ront seat f orcibly
back against cargo on the seat or
f loor behind it.
Hanging heavy items on the f ront
passenger seat, or placing heavy
items in the seat-back pocket.
If there is no passenger in the f ront
seat, the
but the
indicator .
The passenger’s advanced f ront
airbag system has weight sensors
under the seat. If the sensors detect
a total weight on the seat of about 65
lbs ( 30kg) or less, the system will
automatically turn the passenger’s
front airbag off.
If there is a problem with the sensor,
the SRS indicator will come on in the
instrument panel and the airbag will
inf late in the normal manner
regardless of the driver’s seating position.
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Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
do not do anyt hing
t hat would increase or decrease t he weight on t he f ront passenger’s seat . airbag will be of f
will not come on
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DRIVER’S
SEAT
POSITION
SENSOR PASSENGER’S
SEAT WEIGHT
SENSOR