Acura MDX 2014 Owner's Guide

uuFor Safe DrivinguYour Vehicle’s Safety Features
30Safe Driving
For the safety of you and your passengers, make a habit of checking these items
each time before you drive.
•After everyone has entered the vehicle, be sure all doors and the tailgate are
closed and locked. Locking the doors and the tailgate helps prevent an occupant
from being ejected and an outsider from unexpectedly opening a door or the
tailgate.
2Locking/Unlocking the Doors from the Inside P. 124
•Adjust your seat to a position suitable for driving. Be sure the front seats are
adjusted as far to the rear as possible while allowing the driver to control the
vehicle. Sitting too close to a front airbag can result in serious or fatal injury in a
crash.
2Adjusting the Seats P. 161
•Adjust head restraints to the proper position. Head restraints are most effective
when the center of the head restraint aligns with the center of your head. Taller
persons should adjust their head restraint to the highest position.
2Adjusting the Head Restraints P. 164
•Always wear your seat belt, and make sure you wear it properly. Confirm that any
passengers are properly belted as well.
2Fastening a Seat Belt P. 34
•Protect children by using seat belts or child seats according to a child’s age, height
and weight.
2Child Safety P. 54
■Safety Checklist
1Safety Checklist
If the door and/or tailgate open message appears on
the multi-information display (MID), a door and/or
the tailgate is not completely closed. Close all doors
and the tailgate tightly until the message disappears.

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Continued
Safe Driving
Seat BeltsAbout Your Seat BeltsSeat belts are the single most effective safety device because they keep you
connected to the vehicle so that you can take advantage of many built-in safety
features. They also help keep you from being thrown against the inside of the
vehicle, against other passengers, or out of the vehicle. When worn properly, seat
belts also keep your body properly positioned in a crash so that you can take full
advantage of the additional protection provided by the airbags.
In addition, seat belts help protect you in almost every type of crash, including:
-frontal impacts
-side impacts
-rear impacts
-rollovers■Lap/shoulder seat belts
All seven seating positions are equipped with lap/shoulder seat belts with
emergency locking retractors. In normal driving the retractor lets you move freely
while keeping some tension on the belt. During a collision or sudden stop the
retractor locks to restrain your body. The front passenger’s, second row and third
row seat belts also have a lockable retractor for use with child seats.2Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/Shoulder Seat Belt P. 61
1About Your Seat Belts
Seat belts cannot completely protect you in every
crash. But in most cases, seat belts can reduce your
risk of serious injury.
Most states and all Canadian provinces and territories
require you to wear seat belts.
3
WARNING
Not wearing a seat belt properly increases
the chance of serious injury or death in a
crash, even though your vehicle has
airbags.
Be sure you and your passengers always
wear seat belts and wear them properly.

uuSeat BeltsuAbout Your Seat Belts
32Safe Driving
■Proper use of seat belts
Follow these guidelines for proper use:
•All occupants should sit upright, well back in the seat, and remain in that position
for the duration of the trip. Slouching and leaning reduce the effectiveness of the
belt and can increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
•Never place the shoulder part of a lap/shoulder seat belt under your arm or
behind your back. This could cause very serious injuries in a crash.
•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 the seat belts. Devices intended to improve comfort
or reposition the shoulder part of a seat belt can reduce the protective capability
and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
Your vehicle monitors front seat belt use. If
the power mode is set to ON before the
driver’s seat belt is fastened, the beeper will
sound and the indicator will blink. If the driver
does not fasten the belt before the beeper
stops, the indicator will remain on.
The beeper will also periodically sound and
the indicator will blink while driving until the
driver’s and front passenger’s seat belts are
fastened.■Seat Belt Reminder
1About Your Seat Belts
If a rear seat passenger moves around and extends
the seat belt, the lockable retractor may activate. If
this happens, release the retractor by unfastening the
seat belt and allow the belt to retract completely.
Then refasten the belt.1Seat Belt Reminder
The indicator will also come on if a front passenger
does not fasten their seat belt within six seconds after
the power mode is set to ON.
When no one is sitting in the front passenger’s seat,
the indicator will not come on and the beeper will not
sound.
The indicator also may not come on and the beeper
may not sound when the occupant is not heavy
enough to trigger the weight sensor. Such occupants
(e.g., infants and smaller children) should be moved
to the rear seat as a deploying front airbag likely will
injure or kill them.
2Protecting Child Passengers P. 54

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uuSeat BeltsuAbout Your Seat Belts
Safe Driving
The front seats are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners to enhance safety.
The tensioners automatically tighten the front
seat belts during a moderate-to-severe frontal
collision, sometimes even if the collision is not
severe enough to inflate the front airbags or
the driver’s knee airbag.
Are the motor-powered pretensioners that
start to retract the front seat belts when the
CMBS
TM, brake assist system, or VSA® system
is in operation. They may also activate when
you steer the vehicle hard, or the vehicle is
impacted. After retracted, the seat belts are
slackened to their original positions.
As convenient features, the e-pretensioners
slightly retract the seat belts when you latch
the seat belt buckle, depress the brake pedal
more aggressively than you normally do, or
make a sharp turn, and fully retract when you
release the seat belt buckle.
■Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
1Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
The seat belt tensioners can only operate once.
If a tensioner is activated, the SRS indicator will come
on. Have a dealer replace the tensioner and
thoroughly inspect the seat belt system as it may not
offer protection in a subsequent crash.
During a moderate-to-severe side impact, the
tensioner on that side of the vehicle also activates.
■Seat Belt e-pretensioners
*
1Seat Belt e-pretensioners
*
If only the e-pretensioners were activated, no
components need to be replaced.
The e-pretensioners may not work if:•Supplemental Restraint System Indicator is on.•Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA®) System Indicator is
on.
* Not available on all models

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uuSeat BeltsuFastening a Seat Belt
Safe Driving
Fastening a Seat BeltAfter adjusting a front seat to the proper position, and while sitting upright and well
back in the seat:2Adjusting the Seats P. 161
1.Pull the seat belt out slowly.
2.Insert the latch plate into the buckle, then
tug on the belt to make sure the buckle is
secure.
uMake sure that the belt is not twisted or
caught on anything.
When you or the front passenger insert the
latch plate into the buckle, the front seat
belt retracts automatically.
2Seat Belt e-pretensioners
* P. 33
1Fastening a Seat Belt
No one should sit in a seat with an inoperative seat
belt or one that does not appear to be working
correctly. Using a seat belt that is not working
properly may not protect the occupant in a crash.
Have a dealer check the belt as soon as possible.
Never insert any foreign objects into the buckle or
retractor mechanism.
Pull out slowly.
Correct
Seated
Posture.
Latch
Plate
Buckle
Models with CMBS
TM
* Not available on all models

Continued
35
uuSeat BeltsuFastening a Seat Belt
Safe Driving
3.Position the lap part of the belt as low as
possible across your hips, then pull up on
the shoulder part of the belt so the lap part
fits snugly. This lets your strong pelvic
bones take the force of a crash and reduce
the chance of internal injuries.
4.If necessary, pull up on the belt again to
remove any slack, then check that the belt
rests across the center of your chest and
over your shoulder. This spreads the forces
of a crash over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
The front seats have adjustable shoulder anchors to accommodate taller and shorter
occupants.
1.Move the anchor up and down while
holding the release button.
2.Position the anchor so that the belt rests
across the center of your chest and over
your shoulder.
1Fastening a Seat Belt
To release the belt, push the red PRESS button then
guide the belt by hand until it has retracted
completely.
When exiting the vehicle, be sure the belt is out of
the way and will not get caught by closing the door.
3
WARNING
Improperly positioning the seat belts can
cause serious injury or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are properly
positioned before driving.
Lap belt
as low as
possible
■Adjusting the Shoulder Anchor
1Adjusting the Shoulder Anchor
The shoulder anchor height can be adjusted to four
levels. If the belt contacts your neck, lower the height
one level at a time.
After an adjustment, make sure that the shoulder
anchor position is secure.
Push

uuSeat BeltsuFastening a Seat Belt
36Safe Driving
1.Pull out the seat belt’s small latch plate and
the latch plate from each holding slot in the
ceiling.
2.Line up the triangle marks on the small
latch plate and anchor buckle. Make sure
the seat belt is not twisted. Attach the belt
to the anchor buckle.
3.Insert the latch plate into the buckle.
Properly fasten the seat belt the same way
you fasten the lap/shoulder seat belt.
■Seat Belt with Detachable Anchor
1Seat Belt with Detachable Anchor
To unlatch the detachable anchor, insert the latch
plate into the slot on the side of the anchor buckle.
3
WARNING
Using the seat belt with the detachable
anchor unlatched increases the chance of
serious injury or death in a crash.
Before using the seat belt, make sure the
detachable anchor is correctly latched.
Small Latch PlateLatch Plate
Small Latch Plate
Latch PlateSmall Latch PlateAnchor BuckleLatch
PlateBuckle

37
uuSeat BeltsuFastening a Seat Belt
Safe Driving
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.■Advice for Pregnant Women
1Advice for Pregnant Women
Each time you have a checkup, ask your doctor if it is
okay for you to drive.
To reduce the risk of injuries to both you and your
unborn child that can be caused by an inflating front
airbag:•When driving, sit upright and adjust the seat as far
back as possible while allowing full control of the
vehicle.•When sitting in the front passenger’s seat, adjust
the seat as far back as possible.
Wear the shoulder belt
across the chest avoiding
the abdomen.
Wear the lap part of the
belt as low as possible
across the hips.

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uuSeat BeltsuSeat Belt Inspection
Safe Driving
Seat Belt InspectionRegularly check the condition of your seat belts as follows:
•Pull each belt out fully, and look for frays, cuts, burns, and wear.
•Check that the latches work smoothly and the belts retract easily.
uIf a belt does not retract easily, cleaning the belt may correct the problem. Only
use a mild soap and warm water. Do not use bleach or cleaning solvents. Make
sure the belt is completely dry before allowing it to retract.
Any belt that is not in good condition or working properly will not provide proper
protection and should be replaced as soon as possible.
A belt that has been worn during a crash may not provide the same level of
protection in a subsequent crash. Have your seat belts inspected by a dealer after
any collision.
1Seat Belt Inspection
3
WARNING
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.

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Continued
Safe Driving
AirbagsAirbag System Components
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