Acura MDX 2016 Owner's Guide

30
uuFor Safe Driving uImportant Handling Information
Safe Driving
Important Handling Information
Your vehicle has higher ground clearance than a passenger vehicle designed for use
only on pavement. Higher ground clearance has many advantages for off-highway
driving. It allows you to travel over bum ps, obstacles, and rough terrain. It also
provides good visibility so you can anticipate problems earlier.
These advantages come at some cost. Beca use your vehicle is taller and rides higher
off the ground, it has a higher center gravity making it more susceptible to tripping
or roll over if you make abrupt turns. Utili ty vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehicles. In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a pe rson wearing a seat belt. As a reminder,
make sure you and your passeng ers always wear seat belts.1Important Handling Information
For information on how to reduce the risk of rollover,
read:
2 Driving Guidelines for Your Utility Vehicle
P. 345
2 Off-Highway Driving Guidelines P. 338
Failure to operate your vehi cle correctly might result
in a crash or a rollover.
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31
uuFor Safe Driving uYour Vehicle’s Safety Features
Continued
Safe Driving
Your Vehicle’s Safety Features
The following checklist will help you take an active role in protecting yourself and
your passengers.
1Your Vehicle’s Safety Features
Your vehicle is equipped wi th many features that
work together to help protect you and your
passengers during a crash.
Some features do not require any action on your part.
These include a strong steel framework that forms a
safety cage around the passenger compartment,
front and rear crush zone s, a collapsible steering
column, and tensioners that tighten the front seat
belts in a sufficient crash.
However, you and your passe ngers cannot take full
advantage of these features unless you remain seated
in the correct position and always wear your seat
belts. In fact, some safety features can contribute to
injuries if they are not used properly.
678910
12
Safety Cage
Crush Zones
Seats and Seat-Backs
Head Restraints
Collapsible Steering Column
Seat Belts
Front Airbags
Side Curtain Airbags
Door Locks Side Airbags
11
Seat Belt Tensioners/Seat Belt
e-pretensioners*
6
7
8
9
9
10
11
11
12
7
Knee Airbag
10
* Not available on all models
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uuFor Safe Driving uYour Vehicle’s Safety Features
32
Safe DrivingFor the safety of you and your passenge rs, 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.
2 Locking/Unlocking the Doors from the Inside P. 138
•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.
2 Adjusting the Seats P. 175
•Adjust head restraints to the proper position. Head restraints are most effective
when the center of the head restraint alig ns with the center of your head. Taller
persons should adjust their head restraint to the highest position.
2 Adjusting the Head Restraints P. 178
•Always wear your seat belt, and make sure you wear it properly. Confirm that any
passengers are properly belted as well.
2 Fastening a Seat Belt P. 36
•Protect children by using seat belts or chil d seats according to a child’s age, height
and weight.
2 Child Safety P. 56
■Safety Checklist1Safety Checklist
If the door and/or tailga te 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 unt il the message disappears.
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33Continued
Safe Driving
Seat Belts
About Your Seat Belts
Seat 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 be ing 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 dr iving 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. 63
1About Your Seat Belts
Seat belts cannot complete ly 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.
The emergency locking retrac tor may lock if you lean
forward too quickly. Slower movements will allow
the belt to extend fu lly without locking.
3WARNING
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.
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uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
34
Safe 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 be lts. Devices intended to improve comfort
or reposition the shoulder part of a seat be lt 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
1 About 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 th e front passenger’s seat,
the indicator will not come on and the beeper will not
sound.
The indicator also may no t 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.
2 Protecting Child Passengers P. 56
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35
uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
Safe DrivingThe front seats are equi pped 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 fu lly retract when you
release the seat belt buckle.
■Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners1 Automatic 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-pretensione rs were activated, no
components need to be replaced.
The e-pretensioners may not work if:
•A warning message for e- pretensioners appears on
multi-information display.
•Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA® ) System Indicator is
on.
* Not available on all models
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36
uuSeat Belts uFastening a Seat Belt
Safe Driving
Fastening a Seat Belt
After adjusting a front seat to the proper position, and while sitting upright and well
back in the seat:
2 Adjusting the Seats P. 175
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.
u Make 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.
2 Seat Belt e-pretensioners* P. 35
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 be lt 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 obj ects into the buckle or
retractor mechanism.
Pull out slowly.
Correct
Seated
Posture.
Latch
Plate
BuckleModels with CMBSTM
* Not available on all models
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Continued37
uuSeat Belts uFastening 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 reduces
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. Th is spreads the forces
of a crash over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
The front seats have adjustab le 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.1 Fastening 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 ca ught by closing the door.
3WARNING
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 Anchor1Adjusting 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
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uuSeat Belts uFastening a Seat Belt
38
Safe Driving1. 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 Anchor1Seat Belt with Detachable Anchor
To unlatch the detachable anchor, insert the latch
plate into the slot on the side of the anchor buckle.
3WARNING
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 Plate Latch Plate
Small Latch Plate
Latch Plate
Small Latch Plate
Anchor Buckle
Latch
Plate
Buckle
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39
uuSeat Belts uFastening a Seat Belt
Safe DrivingIf you are pregnant, the best way to prot ect 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 Women1 Advice 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 inju ries to both you and your
unborn child that can be caus ed by an inflating front
airbag:
•When driving, sit upright a nd 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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