airbag Acura MDX 2012 User Guide

3. Adjust the Seat-BacksAdjust the driver's seat-back to a
comfortable, upright position, leaving
ample space between your chest and
the airbag cover in the center of the
steering wheel.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comfortable, upright
position.
Reclining the seat-back too far
can result in serious injury or
death in a crash.
Adjust the seat-back to an
upright position, and sit well
back in the seat.
Reclining a seat-back so that the
shoulder part of the belt no longer
rests against the occupant's chest
reduces the protective capability of
the belt. It also increases the chance
of sliding under the belt in a crash
and being seriously injured. The
farther a seat-back is reclined, the
greater the risk of injury.
See page 149 for how to adjust the
seat-backs.4. Adjust the Head Restraints
Adjust the driver's head restraint so
the center of the back of your head
rests against the center of the
restraint.
Have passengers adjust their head
restraints properly as well. Taller
persons should adjust their restraint
as high as possible.
CONTINUED
Protecting Adults and Teens
15
Driver and Passenger Safety

6. Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and head restraints, and
put on their seat belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
upright, well back in their seats, with
their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is safely parked and the
engine is off.
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies
down, turns sideways, sits forward,
leans forward or sideways, or puts
one or both feet up, the chance of
injury during a crash is greatly
increased.In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the front seat can be
seriously or fatally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inflating front airbag.
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.
Protecting Adults and Teens18

Advice for Pregnant WomenIf 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 far
back as possible while allowing full
control of the vehicle. When riding
as a front 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 checkup, ask
your doctor if it's okay for you to
drive.
Protecting Adults and Teens
19
Driver and Passenger Safety

Additional Safety Precautions●
Never let passengers ride in the
cargo area or on top of a folded-
down back seat.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
●
Passengers should not stand up or
change seats while the vehicle is
moving.
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.
●
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 seat
belts.
Devices intended to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can
reduce the protective capability of
the belt and increase the chance of
serious injury in a crash.
●
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 injuries if your
front airbag inflates.
●
Keep your hands and arms away
from the airbag covers.
If your
hands or arms are close to an
airbag cover, they could be injured
if the airbag inflates.
●
Do not attach or place objects on
the front 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.
●
Do not attach hard objects on or
near a door.
If a side airbag or a
side curtain airbag inflates, a cup
holder or other hard object
attached on or near the door could
be propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone.
●
Do not cover or replace front seat-
back covers without consulting
your dealer.
Improperly replacing
or covering front seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags from
inflating during a side impact.
Protecting Adults and Teens20

The tensioners can be activated
during a collision in which the front
airbags
do not deploy.
In this case, the
airbags would not be needed, but the
extra tension in the seat belt could be
helpful.
If the tensioner is activated, the SRS
indicator comes on and the tensioner
must be replaced.Seat Belt e-pretensioners
On models with Collision Mitigation
Braking System™(CMBS™)For added safety, the front seat belts
are equipped with e-pretensioners
that work in combination with the
collision mitigation braking system™
(CMBS™) (see page 463) and the
brake pedal assist function (see page
460).If your vehicle gets too close to the
vehicle ahead of it in your lane, the
driver's e-pretensioner slightly
retracts the seat belt to alert the
driver of the approaching vehicle. If a
collision with the vehicle in front of
you is likely, the e-pretensioners on
both front seats retract the seat belts
with enough force to properly
restrain you and your front
passenger. After they activate, the e-
pretensioners release the retracted
seat belts.
To get the full benefit of the e-
pretensioners, you and your front
passenger must sit normally in your
seats and wear your seat belts
properly (see page 16).
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts24

If the automatic seat belt tensioners
are activated by a collision, both front
seat belts and all related components
must be replaced (see page 25). If
only the e-pretensioners were
activated, no components need to be
replaced.
In addition, the front passenger's e-
pretensioner does not activate when
the passenger's airbag is
automatically turned off because the
weight sensor detects a child in the
front passenger's seat.Seat Belt Maintenance
For safety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out fully, and look for
frays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
the belts retract easily. If a belt does
not retract easily, cleaning the belt
may correct the problem (see page
534). Any belt that is not in good
condition or working properly will
not provide good protection and
should be replaced as soon as
possible.
Acura provides a limited warranty on
seat belts. See your
Acura Warranty
Information
booklet for details.If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
you should have your dealer inspect
the belt, and replace it if necessary. 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 for damage and replace
them if needed. If the automatic seat
belt tensioners activate during a
crash, they must be replaced.
CONTINUED
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
25
Driver and Passenger Safety

Airbag System Componentsᤳ: On models with CMBS(5) Side Airbags
(6) Driver's Seat Position Sensor
(7) Front Passenger's Weight Sensors
(8) Passenger Airbag Off Indicator
(9) Occupant Position Detection System
(OPDS) Sensors
(10) Front Passenger's Weight Sensors/OPDS
Sensors Control Unit
(11) SRS Indicator
(1)(11)(8)
(6)(2)
(3)
(5) (10)
(9) (7)
(4)
(5)
(4)
(1) Driver's Front Airbag
(2) Passenger's Front Airbag
(3) Control Unit
(4) Front Seat Belt Tensioners/Seat Belt
e-pretensioners
ᤳ
(12) e-pretensioner Control Unit
ᤳ
(13) Front Impact Sensors
(14) Side Curtain Airbags
(15) Side Impact Sensors (First)
(16) Side Impact Sensors (Second)
(17) Safing Sensor
(13)(13)
(14)
(15)
(16)(16)
(17) (12)(14)
CONTINUED
Additional Information About Your Airbags
27
Driver and Passenger Safety

Your Airbag System (SRS) includes:●
Two SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System) front airbags. The driver's
airbag is stored in the center of the
steering wheel; the front
passenger's airbag is stored in the
dashboard. Both are marked‘‘SRS
AIRBAG’’(see page 30).
●
Two side airbags, one for the
driver and one for a front
passenger. The airbags are stored
in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked‘‘SIDE
AIRBAG’’(see page 33).
●
Two side curtain airbags, one for
each side of the vehicle. The
airbags are stored in the ceiling
above the side windows. The front
and rear pillars are marked‘‘SIDE
CURTAIN AIRBAG’’(see page 35).
●
On models with CMBS, front seat
belt e-pretensioners (see page 24).
●
Automatic front seat belt
tensioners (see page 23).
●
Sensors that can detect a moderate
to severe front impact, side impact,
or if your vehicle is about to
rollover.
●
Sensors that can detect whether a
child is in the passenger's side
airbag path and signal the control
unit to turn the airbag off (see
page 34).
●
Sensors that can detect whether
the driver's seat belt and the front
passenger's seat belt are latched or
unlatched (see page 21).
●
A driver's seat position sensor that
monitors the distance of the seat
from the front airbag. If the seat is
too far forward, the airbag will
inflate with less force (see page
31).
Additional Information About Your Airbags28

●
Weight sensors that monitor the
weight on the front passenger's
seat. If the weight is about 65 lbs
(29 kg) or less (the weight of an
infant or small child), the
passenger's front airbag will be
turned off (see page 31).
●
A rollover sensor that can detect if
your vehicle is about to roll over
and signal the control unit to
deploy both side curtain airbags
(see page 35).
●
A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records information about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, the seat belt
tensioners, and driver and front
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition switch is in the ON (II)
position.
●
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbag system
components (see page 36 and 67).
●
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you that the
passenger's side airbag has been
turned off (see page 36).
●
An indicator on the dashboard that
alerts you that the passenger's
front airbag has been turned off
(see page 37).
●
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle's electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
Additional Information About Your Airbags
29
Driver and Passenger Safety

How Your Front Airbags WorkIf you ever have a moderate to severe
frontal collision, sensors will detect
the vehicle's rapid deceleration.
If the rate of deceleration is high
enough, the control unit will inflate
the driver's and front passenger's
airbags, at the time and with the
force needed.During a frontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
and the front airbag helps protect
your head and chest.
Although both airbags normally
inflate within a split 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 protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by
the airbag would be minimal.
Only the driver's airbag will deploy if
there is no passenger in the front
seat, or if the advanced airbag
system has turned the passenger's
airbag off (see page 37).
After inflating, the front airbags
immediately deflate, so they won't
interfere with the driver's visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate other
controls.
Additional Information About Your Airbags30