child seat Acura MDX 2004 Owner's Manual

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This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains how your airbag
work, and it tells you how to properly
restrain inf ants and children in your
vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
...........................................
Airbags .9
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Protecting Adults and Teens . 11
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1. Close and Lock the Doors . 11
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2. Adjust the Front Seats . 11
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3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 12
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4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 13
5. Fasten and Position the Seat .....................................
Belts .14
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6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 16
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .16
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Advice f or Pregnant Women . 17
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Additional Safety Precautions . 17Additional Inf ormation About Your
.................................
Seat Belts .19
..
Seat Belt System Components . 19
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Lap/Shoulder Belt .19
........ 20
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Seat Belt Maintenance . 21
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .22
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Airbag System Components . 22
......... 23
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Advanced Airbag .25
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How Your Side Airbags Work . 27
How Your Side Curtain Airbag .........................................
Work .28
How the SRS Indicator Light .......................................
Works .28
How The Side Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .29
How the Passenger Airbag ...............
Of f indicator Works . 30
.............................
Airbag Service .31
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Additional Safety Precautions . 32
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .33
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .33 All Children Should Sit in a Back
...........................................
Seat .34
The Passenger’s Front Airbag Can Pose Serious Risks to ...............................
Children .34
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .36
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .36
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Additional Safety Precautions . 36
Protecting inf ants and .........................
Small Children .38
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Protecting Inf ants .38
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Protecting Small Children . 39
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Selecting a Child Seat .40
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Installing a Child Seat .41
Installing a Child Seat with .....................................
LATCH .42
Installing a Child Seat with ...............
a Lap/Shoulder Belt . 44
Installing a Child Seat with ...................................
a Tether .45
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Protecting Larger Children . 47
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Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 51
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Saf ety Labels .52
Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
How Your Front Airbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety5

You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ).
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe frontal impact,
side impact, or rollover collision. So
even though your vehicle is equipped
with airbags, make sure you and
your passengers always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly
(see page ).
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat. Infants and small children
should be restrained in a child seat.
Larger children should use a booster and a lap/shoulder belt until they
canusethebeltproperlywithouta
booster (see page ).
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink 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 f riends
drink and drive, either. While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
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Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Restrain All Children Don’t Drink and Drive Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
6

However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
saf ety f eatures unless you remain
sitting in a proper position and
always wear your seat belts properly.
Infact,somesafetyfeaturescan
contribute to injuries if they are not
used properly.Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers. Your seat belt system also
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to f asten your seat
belts.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats).
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts. When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers.
Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag, and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Why Wear Seat Belt s
Seat Belts
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
8

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The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver, adult passengers,
and teenagers who are large enough
and mature enough to ride in the
f ront seat. See pages f or
important guidelines on how to
properly protect inf ants, small
children, and larger children who
ride in your vehicle.
See page f or how to lock the
doors, and page f or how the
monitor light works. Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers f rom
accidentally opening a door and
f alling out.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop. Your vehicle has a door and tailgate
monitor indicator on the instrument
panel to indicate when a specif ic
door or the tailgate is not tightly
closed. Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors and
tailgate are closed and locked.Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain f ull control of the vehicle.
Have a front passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
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Protecting A dults and Teens
Introduction Close and L ock the DoorsA djust the Front Seats
1. 2.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety11

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 .
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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.
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A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety20

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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CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
How Your Front Airbags Work
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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

If you ever have a moderate to
severe side impact, sensors will
detect rapid deceleration and signal
the control unit to instantly inf late
either the driver’s or the passenger’s
side airbag.
Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger’s side, the passenger’s
side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger.The passenger’s side airbag has a
cutof f system designed to turn of f
the passenger’s side airbag if a child’s
head is in the airbag’s deployment
path (see page ).
If a short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the side airbag
deployment path, the system may
also shut of f the side airbag.
If the side airbag of f indicator comes
on (see page ), have the
passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the deployment
path of the side airbag, the system
will turn the airbag back on and the
indicator will go out.
There will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of airbag deployment path
and when the indicator comes on or
goes of f .
To get the best protection f rom the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
A f ront seat passenger should not
use a cushion or other object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutof f
system f rom working properly.
When you turn the ignition to ON
(II), the indicator should come on
brief ly and go out (see page ). If it
doesn’t come on, stays on, or comes
on while driving without a passenger
in the front seat, have the system
checked.
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Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
How Your Side A irbags Work
27

If the indicator comes on at any
other time, or does not come on at all,
you should have the system checked
by your dealer. For example:If the SRS indicator does not come
on after you turn the ignition to
ON (II).
If the indicator stays on after the
engine starts.
If the indicator comes on or
flashesonandoff whileyoudrive.
If you see any of these indications,
the airbags and the seat belt
tensioners may not work properly
when you need them. This indicator alerts you
that the passenger’s side
airbag has been automatically shut
of f . It does mean there is a
problem with your side airbags.
To reduce the risk of injury f rom an
inf lating side airbag, your vehicle has
an automatic cutoff system for the
passenger’s side airbag.
Although Acura does not encourage
children to ride in f ront, this system
is designed to shut of f the side
airbag if a child leans sideways and
the child’s head is in the side airbag
deployment path.
Objects placed on the f ront
passenger seat can also cause the
side airbag to shut off.
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
How the Side Airbag Of f
Indicator Works
not
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Ignoring the SRS indicator can
result in serious injury or death
if the airbag systems, or
tensioners do not work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a
dealer as soon as possible if
the SRS indicator alerts you to
a possible problem.