sport mode Acura MDX 2011 Owner's Manual

All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat
According to crash statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in a
back seat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
aged 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat. Some
states have laws restricting where
children may ride.
Children who ride in the back are
less likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back.The Passenger's Front Airbag Can
Pose Serious Risks
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger's front airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
force to cause very serious injuries.
Even though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system that
automatically turns the passenger's
front airbag off under certain
circumstances (see page 36), please
follow these guidelines:
Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat inthe front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag.
If the
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or very seriously injure an infant.
Small Children
Placing a forward-facing child seat inthe front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag can be
hazardous.
If the vehicle seat is too
far forward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough force to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Larger Children
Children who have outgrown childseats are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inflating passenger's
front airbag.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page 56 for important
information about protecting larger
children.)
Protecting Children －General Guidelines4010/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu

If a child who uses a booster seat
must ride in front, move the vehicle
seat as far back as possible and be
sure the child is wearing the seat belt
properly.
A child may continue using a booster
seat until the tops of their ears are
even with the top of the vehicle's or
booster's seat-back. A child of this
height should be tall enough to use
the lap/shoulder belt without a
booster seat.When Can a Larger Child Sit in
Front
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
age 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
If the passenger's front airbag
inflates in a moderate to severe
frontal collision, the airbag can cause
serious injuries to a child who is
unrestrained, improperly restrained,
sitting too close to the airbag, or out
of position.
A side airbag also poses risks. If any
part of a larger child's body is in the
path of a deploying side airbag, the
child could receive possibly serious
injuries.Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can safely ride in front,
there are other important factors you
should consider.
Physical SizePhysically, a child must be large
enough for the lap/shoulder belt to
properly fit (see pages 16 and 56). If
the seat belt does not fit properly,
with or without the child sitting on a
booster seat, the child should not sit
in front.MaturityTo safely ride in front, a child must
be able to follow the rules, including
sitting properly, and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride.
Protecting Larger Children5810/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu

Active Damper System
Indicator
If equippedThis indicator comes on briefly when
you turn the ignition switch to the
ON (II) position. If this indicator
comes on at any other time, there is a
problem in the system. While this
indicator is on, the comfort button
will not work, and the system will
remain in the sport mode. You will
also see a‘‘CHECK ADS SYSTEM ’’
message on the multi-information
display. Have the vehicle checked by
your dealer as soon as possible. For
more information, see page 478. Low Fuel Indicator
This indicator comes on as a
reminder that you must refuel soon.
When the indicator comes on, there
is about 2.9 U.S. gal (10.8 L) of fuel
remaining in the tank.
When the needle reaches E, there is
a very small amount of fuel in the
tank.Security System Indicator
This indicator comes on when the
security system is set. See page 337
for more information on the security
system.
LOW FUEL INDICATOR
SECURITY SYSTEM INDICATOR
Instrument Panel Indicators
75
Instruments and Controls
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Radio Data System (RDS) CategoryWith the FM band selected, you can
select the program type provided by
the RDS. Press the AUDIO button to
display the radio information on the
navigation screen. Push down the
interface selector, then turn the
interface dial to select RDS Search.
Press ENTER to set your selection.
The principal RDS categories are
shown as follows:ALL: All RDS category stations
COUNTRY: Country music.
TOP 40: Top 40 hits
ROCK: Rock, classic rock and soft
rock music
OLDIES: Nostalgia music and oldies
JAZZ: Jazz
SOFT: Adult hits and soft music
R & B: Rhythm and blues, and soft
rhythm and blues
CLASSIC: Classical music
RELIGION: Programs concerned
with religion
INFO: News, information, sports,
talk, foreign language, personality,
public, college, and weather
TRAFFIC: Traffic information
Turn the interface dial to select an
RDS category. You can use the
search or scan function to find radio
stations on the selected RDS
category by pressing the interface
selector to the left or the right. Press
ENTER to set your selection. If you
do nothing while the RDS category is
selected, the selected category is
canceled.
RDS SEARCH ICON
RDS CATEGORY
CONTINUED
Playing the AM/FM Radio (Models with navigation system)
215
Features
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The system provides two selectable
modes.
Sport mode: The system prioritizes
handling response, vehicle body
control and tire-to-road adhesion to
allow for higher performance
handling.
Comfort mode: The system
prioritizes road isolation to allow for a
more comfortable ride.
Either mode can be used in any type
of operating conditions, but the mode
may change temporarily to suit a
change in road surface.
To switch between comfort and sport
mode, press and release the active
damper system button located on the
center console to choose the desired
mode.
When comfort mode is selected, the
green indicator in the button comes
on, and the message‘‘COMFORT ’’
will appear on the multi-information
display for five seconds.
CONTINUED
Active Damper System
479
Driving
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When sport mode is selected, the
green indicator in the button goes
off, and the message‘‘SPORT ’’will
appear on the multi-information
display for five seconds.
Active Damper System
Indicator
If there is a problem with the active
damper system, the active damper
system shuts down and the active
damper system indicator on the
instrument panel comes on.
You will also see the ‘‘CHECK ADS
SYSTEM ’’message appear on the
multi-information display. If you see this warning indicator and
message, have your vehicle checked
at your dealer as soon as possible.
In this case, your vehicle still has the
normal damper function, but it will
not have the active damper function.
Active Damper System48010/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu

Handling Crosswinds and BuffetingCrosswinds and air turbulence
caused by passing trucks can disrupt
your steering and cause the trailer to
sway. When being passed by a large
vehicle, keep a constant speed, and
steer straight ahead. Do not try to
make quick steering or braking
corrections.Backing UpAlways drive slowly and have
someone guide you when backing
up. Grip the
bottom
of the steering
wheel, then turn the wheel to the left
to get the trailer to move to the left.
Turn the wheel to the right to move
the trailer to the right.
ParkingFollow all normal precautions when
parking, including putting the
transmission in Park and firmly
setting the parking brake. Also, place
wheel chocks at each of the trailer's
tires.
Retrieving a BoatIf the vehicle tires slip when
retrieving a boat from the water,
keep the transmission in the D
position and do not use the
sequential sport shift mode. This
prevents the transmission damage.
Towing Your Vehicle
Your vehicle is not designed to be
towed behind a motor home. If your
vehicle needs to be towed in an
emergency, see page 566. Trailer Stability Assist
Your vehicle is equipped with trailer
stability assist function. This function
works on the same sensors as the
vehicle stability assist (VSA) system.
This function helps to stabilize the
vehicle/trailer combination when the
trailer severely sways or oscillates.
For more information on the VSA
system, see page 467.
If the function detects vehicle/trailer
instability, it checks if the swaying is
caused by the trailer, and if the
trailer swaying or oscillation is
increasing.
The vehicle/trailer combination is
more affected by crosswinds,
buffeting, and improper tongue load.
These conditions can make the
trailer unstable, and cause it to sway.
Towing a Trailer, Trailer Stability Assist49210/06/29 11:59:04 11 ACURA MDX MMC North America Owner's M 50 31STX640 enu