airbag off Acura MDX 2012 Owner's Manual

ᤳ1: To use the horn, press the center pad of the steering wheel.
ᤳ2: If equipped
ᤳ3: Refer to the navigation system manual. For how to operate
Bluetooth
®HandsFreeLink by voice, see page 383.
BLIND SPOT INFORMATION
SYSTEM (BSI) OFF BUTTON
ᤳ2
(P. 482)VEHICLE STABILITY
ASSIST SYSTEM
OFF BUTTON
(P. 474)
MIRROR CONTROLS
(P. 166)BSI ALERT INDICATOR
ᤳ2
(P. 479)
COLLISION MITIGATION
BRAKING SYSTEM™(CMBS™)
OFF BUTTON
ᤳ2
(P.467)
HEADLIGHT WASHER
BUTTON
ᤳ2
(P. 127)
HORN
ᤳ1
STEERING WHEEL
ADJUSTMENTS
(P. 134)HEADLIGHT/TURN SIGNAL/
FRONT FOG LIGHTS
(P. 128)
STEERING WHEEL
AUDIO CONTROLS
(P. 305)WINDSHIELD
WIPERS/WASHERS
(P. 126)INSTRUMENT PANEL
BRIGHTNESS
(P. 133)
PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF INDICATOR
(P. 37)
HAZARD WARNING
BUTTON
(P. 132)
REAR WINDOW
DEFOGGER
(P. 132)
ACCESSORY POWER
SOCKETS
(P. 177)
SEAT HEATER SWITCHES
(P. 157) /
SEAT HEATER AND SEAT
VENTILATION BUTTONS
ᤳ2
(P. 158)
ACTIVE DAMPER
SYSTEM BUTTON
ᤳ2
(P. 484) CRUISE CONTROL BUTTONS (P. 345) /
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL (ACC)
BUTTONS
ᤳ2
(P. 353) PADDLE SHIFTERS
(P. 447)
DISTANCE
BUTTONᤳ2
(P. 357)
BLUETOOTH
HANDSFREELINK
BUTTONS (P. 365)VOICE CONTROL
BUTTONS
ᤳ3
Your Vehicle at a Glance4

This section gives you important
information about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It shows
you how to use seat belts. It explains
how your airbags work. And it tells you
how to properly restrain infants and
children in your vehicle.
Important Safety Precautions
..............
6
Your Vehicle's Safety Features
............
8
Seat Belts
.....................................
9
Airbags
.......................................
10
Protecting Adults and Teens
.............
12
1. Close and Lock the Doors
..........
12
2. Adjust the Front Seats
...............
14
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs
................
15
4. Adjust the Head Restraints
.........
15
5. Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
...................................
16
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
...............................
18
Advice for Pregnant Women
..........
19
Additional Safety Precautions
........
20
Additional Information About Your
Seat Belts
...............................
21
Seat Belt System Components
.......
21Lap/Shoulder Belt
........................
22
Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
.....
23
Seat Belt e-pretensioners
...............
24
Seat Belt Maintenance
..................
25
Additional Information About Your
Airbags
...................................
27
Airbag System Components
..........
27
How Your Front Airbags Work
......
30
How Your Side Airbags Work
........
33
How Your Side Curtain Airbags
Work
......................................
35
How the SRS Indicator Works
.......
36
How the Side Airbag Off Indicator
Works
.....................................
36
How the Passenger Airbag Off
Indicator Works
.......................
37
Airbag Service
.............................
38
Additional Safety Precautions
........
39
Protecting Children－General
Guidelines
..............................
40
All Children Must Be
Restrained
...............................
40
All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat
........................................
41
The Passenger's Front Airbag Can
Pose Serious Risks
...................
41If You Must Drive with Several
Children
..................................
43
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
.................................
43
Additional Safety Precautions
........
44
Protecting Infants and Small
Children
.................................
45
Protecting Infants
.........................
45
Protecting Small Children
.............
46
Selecting a Child Seat
......................
48
Installing a Child Seat
......................
49
Installing a Child Seat with
LATCH
...................................
50
Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/
Shoulder Belt
...........................
53
Installing a Child Seat with a
Tether
.....................................
54
Protecting Larger Children
...............
57
Checking Seat Belt Fit
..................
57
Using a Booster Seat
....................
58
When Can a Larger Child Sit in
Front
.......................................
59
Additional Safety Precautions
........
60
Carbon Monoxide Hazard
................
61
Safety Labels
..................................
62
Driver and Passenger Safety
5
Driver and Passenger Safety

The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:●
Airbags do not replace seat belts.They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.
●
Airbags offer no protection in rear
impacts, or minor frontal or side
collisions.
●
Airbags can pose serious hazards.To do their job, airbags must
inflate with tremendous force. So
while airbags help save lives, they
can cause minor injuries or more
serious or even fatal injuries if
occupants are not properly
restrained or sitting properly.
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
front passenger should move their
seat as far back from the dashboard
as possible.The rest of this section gives more
detailed information about how you
can maximize your safety.
Remember, however, that no safety
system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in a severe
crash, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags
deploy.
Your Vehicle's Safety Features
11
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

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

The driver's advanced front airbag
system includes a seat position
sensor under the seat. If the seat is
too far forward, the airbag will inflate
with less force, regardless of the
severity of the impact.
If there is a problem with the sensor,
the SRS indicator will come on, and
the airbag will inflate in the normal
manner regardless of the driver's
seating position.
The passenger's advanced front
airbag system has weight sensors
under the seat. Although Acura does
not encourage carrying an infant or
small child in front, if the sensors
detect the weight of an infant or
small child (up to about 65 lbs or 29
kg), the system will automatically
turn the passenger's front airbag off.Be aware that objects placed on the
passenger's seat can also cause the
airbag to be turned off.
When the passenger airbag gets
turned off by the weight sensors, a
‘‘passenger airbag off’’indicator in
the center of the dashboard comes
on (see page 37).
If the weight sensors detect there is
no passenger in the front seat, the
airbag is automatically turned off.
However, the passenger airbag off
indicator in this situation will not
come on.
DRIVER'S
SEAT
POSITION
SENSOR
PASSENGER'S
SEAT
WEIGHT
SENSOR
Additional Information About Your Airbags32