Acura MDX 2016 Workshop Manual

50
uuAirbags uSide Airbags
Safe Driving
Side Airbags
The side airbags help protect the torso and pelvis of the driver or a front passenger
during a moderate-to-severe side impact.
The side airbags are housed in the outside
edge of the driver’s and passenger’s seat-
backs.
Both are marked SIDE AIRBAG.
When the sensors detect a moderate-to-
severe side impact, the control unit signals the
side airbag on the impact side to immediately
inflate.
■Housing Locations
1 Side Airbags
Do not attach accessories on or near the side airbags.
They can interfere with the proper operation of the
airbags, or hurt someone if an airbag inflates.
Do not cover or replace the front seat-back covers
without consulting a dealer.
Improperly replac ing or covering front seat-back
covers can prevent your si de airbags from properly
deploying during a side impact.
Housing
Location
■Operation
When
inflated
Side
Airbag
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 50 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分

51
uuAirbags uSide Airbags
Safe Driving
■When a side airbag deploys with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden acceleration, a strong impact to the side
of the vehicle’s framework can cause a side airbag to deploy. In such cases, there
may be little or no damage, but the side impact sensors detected a severe enough
impact to deploy the airbag.
■When a side airbag may not deploy, even though visible damage appears
severe
It is possible for a side airbag to not deploy during an impact that results in
apparently severe damage. This can occur when the point of impact was toward the
far front or rear of the vehicle, or when the vehicle’s crushable body parts absorbed
most of the crash energy. In either case , the side airbag would not have been
needed nor provided protection even if it had deployed.
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 51 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分

52
uuAirbags uSide Curtain Airbags
Safe Driving
Side Curtain Airbags
Side curtain airbags help protect the head s of the driver and passengers in outer
seating positions during a moderate-to-sever e side impact. The side curtain airbags
equipped in this vehicle are also designed to help reduce the likelihood of partial and
complete ejection of vehicle occupants thro ugh side windows in crashes, particularly
rollover crashes.
The side curtain airbags are located in the
ceiling above the side windows on both sides
of the vehicle.
The side curtain airbag is designed to deploy
in a rollover or a moderate-to-severe side
impact.
■Housing Locations
1Side Curtain Airbags
If the SRS control unit sens es that your vehicle is
about to rollover, it imme diately deploys both side
curtain airbags and activates both front seat belt
tensioners.
The airbag on the passenger’s side will deploy, even
if there are no passengers on that side of the vehicle.
To get the best protecti on from the side curtain
airbags, occupants should wear their seat belts
properly and sit upr ight and well back in their seats.
Do not attach any objects to the side windows or roof
pillars as they can interfere with the proper operation
of the side curtain airbags.
Side Curtain Airbag Storage
■Operation
Deployed Side Curtain Airbag
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 52 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分

Continued53
uuAirbags uAirbag System Indicators
Safe Driving
■When side curtain airbags deploy in a frontal collision
One or both side curtain airb ags may inflate in a moderate-to-severe angled frontal
collision.
In this case, the side curtain airbags will deploy slightly after the front airbags.
Airbag System Indicators
If a problem occurs in the airbag system , the SRS indicator will come on and a
message appears on the MID.
■When the power mode is set to ON
The indicator comes on for a few seconds,
then goes off. This te lls you the system is
working properly.
If the indicator comes on at any other time, or
does not come on at all, have the system
checked by a dealer as s oon as possible. If you
don’t, your airbags and seat belt tensioners
may not work properly when they are needed.
■Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Indicator1 Supplemental Restraint Sy stem (SRS) Indicator
3WARNING
Ignoring the SRS indicator can result in
serious injury or death if the airbag systems
or tensioners do not work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a dealer as
soon as possible if th e SRS indicator alerts
you to a possible problem.
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 53 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分

uuAirbags uAirbag System Indicators
54
Safe Driving■When the passen ger airbag off
indicator comes on
The indicator comes on to alert you that the
passenger’s front airbag has been turned off.
This occurs when the front passenger’s weight
sensors detect 65 lbs (29 kg) or less, the
weight of an infant or small child, on the seat.
Infants and small children should always ri de properly restrained in a back seat.
2Child Safety P. 56
Objects placed on the seat can also cause the indicator to come on.
If the front passenger seat is empty, the pa ssenger’s front airbag will not deploy and
the indicator will not come on.
■Passenger Airbag Off Indicator1 Passenger Airbag Off Indicator
If the indicator comes on with no front passenger and
no objects on the passenger’s seat, or with an adult
riding there, something may be interfering with the
weight sensors, such as:
•An object hanging on the seat or in the seat-back
pocket.
•A child seat or other obj ect pressing against the
rear of the seat-back.
•A rear passenger pushing or pulling on the back of
the front passe nger’s seat.
•The front seat or seat-back is forced back against
an object on the seat or floor behind it.
•An object placed under th e front passenger’s seat.
If none of these conditions exist, have your vehicle
checked by a dealer as soon as possible.
The passenger airbag off indicator may come on and
goes off repeatedly if the to tal weight on the seat is
near the airbag cutoff threshold.
U.S. Canada
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 54 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分

55
uuAirbags uAirbag Care
Safe Driving
Airbag Care
You do not need to, and should not, perform any maintenance on or replace any
airbag system components yourself. However, you should have your vehicle
inspected by a dealer in the following situations:
■When the airbags have deployed
If an airbag has inflated, th e control unit and other related parts must be replaced.
Similarly, once an automatic seat belt te nsioner has been activated, it must be
replaced.
■When the vehicle has been in a moderate-to-severe collision
Even if the airbags did not infl ate, have your dealer inspect the following: the driver’s
seat position sensor, weight sensors in the passenger’s seat, front seat belt
tensioners, and each seat belt that was worn during the crash.
■Do not remove or modify a fron t seat without consulting a dealer
This would likely disable the driver’s seat po sition sensor or the weight sensors in the
passenger’s seat. If it is necessary to remove or modify a front seat to accommodate
a person with disabilities, contact an Acur a dealer. For U.S. vehicles, Acura Client
Relations at 800-382-2238 and for Canadian vehicles, Acura Client Services at 1-
888-9-ACURA-9.
1 Airbag Care
We recommend against the use of salvaged airbag
system components, including the airbag, tensioners,
sensors, and control unit.
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 55 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分

56
Safe Driving
Child Safety
Protecting Child Passengers
Each year, many children are injured or killed in vehicle crashes because they are
either unrestrained or not properly restra ined. In fact, vehicle accidents are the
number one cause of death of children ages 12 and under.
To reduce the number of child deaths and in juries, every state, Canadian province
and territory requires that infants and childre n be properly restrained when they ride
in a vehicle.
Children should sit properly restrained in a rear seat. This is because:
• An inflating front or side airbag can injure
or kill a child sitting in the front seat.
• A child in the front seat is more likely to
interfere with the driver ’s ability to safely
control the vehicle.
• Statistics show that ch ildren of all sizes and
ages are safer when they are properly
restrained in a rear seat.1 Protecting Child Passengers
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
and Transport Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properl y restrained in a rear
seat. Some states or provin ces/territories have laws
restricting where ch ildren may ride.
3WARNING
Children who are unrestrained or
improperly restrained can be seriously
injured or killed in a crash.
Any child too small for a seat belt should be
properly restrained in a child seat. A larger
child should be properly restrained with a
seat belt, using a booster seat if necessary.
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 56 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分

57
uuChild Safety uProtecting Child Passengers
Safe Driving
• Any child who is too small to wear a seat belt correctly must be restrained in an
approved child seat that is properly secured to the vehicle using either the lap belt
portion of the lap/shoulder belt or the lower anchors of the LATCH system.
• Never hold a child on your lap because it is impossible to protect them in the
event of a collision.
• Never put a seat belt over yourself and a child. During a crash, the belt would
likely press deep into the child and cause serious or fatal injuries.
• Never let two children use the same seat belt. Both children could be very
seriously injured in a crash.
• Do not allow children to operate the doors, windows or seat adjustments.
• Do not leave children in the vehicle unatte nded, especially in hot weather when
the inside of the vehicle can get hot enough to kill them. They could also activate
vehicle controls causing it to move unexpectedly.1 Protecting Child Passengers
To deactivate a lockable retractor, release the buckle
and allow the seat belt to wind up all the way.
To remind you of the pa ssenger’s front airbag
hazards and child safety, y our vehicle warning came
with a label on the dashboard (U.S. models) and has
labels on the front visors. Pl ease read and follow the
instructions on these labels.
2 Safety Labels P. 69
3WARNING
Allowing a child to play with a seat belt or
wrap one around their neck can result in
serious injury or death.
Instruct children not to play with any seat
belt and make sure any unused seat belt a
child can reach is buckled, fully retracted,
and locked.
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 57 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分

58
uuChild Safety uSafety of Infants and Small Children
Safe Driving
Safety of Infants and Small Children
An infant must be properly restrained in a rear-facing, reclining child seat until the
infant reaches the seat manufacturer’s weig ht or height limit for the seat, and the
infant is at least one year old.
■Positioning a rear-facing child seat
Child seats must be placed and secured in a
rear seating position.
When properly installed, a rear-facing child seat may prevent the driver or a front
passenger from moving their seat all the way back, or from locking their seat-back
in the desired position.
It can also interfere with pr oper operation of the passenger’s advanced front airbag
system.
2 Airbags P. 41
If this occurs, we recommend that you install the child seat directly behind the front
passenger’s seat, move the seat as far fo rward as needed, and leave it unoccupied.
Or, you may wish to get a sm aller rear-facing child seat.
■Protecting Infants1Protecting Infants
Rear-facing child seats should never be installed in a
forward facing position.
Always refer to the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions before installation.
3WARNING
Placing a rear-facing child seat in the front
seat can result in serious injury or death
during a crash.
Always place a rear-fac ing child seat in the
rear seat, not the front.
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 58 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分

Continued59
uuChild Safety uSafety of Infants and Small Children
Safe DrivingIf a child is at least one year old and with in the weight range indicated by the child
seat manufacturer, the child should be pr operly restrained in a firmly secured
forward-facing child seat.
■Forward-facing child seat placement
We strongly recommend placing a forward-
facing child seat in a rear seating position.
Placing a forward-facing child seat in th e front seat can be hazardous, even with
advanced front airbags that automatically turn the passeng er’s front airbag off. A
rear seat is the safest place for a child.
■Protecting Smaller Children1 Protecting Smaller Children
Educate yourself about th e laws and regulations
regarding child seat use wh ere you are driving, and
follow the child seat manufacturer’s instructions.
Many experts recommend us e of a rear-facing seat
for a child up to two years old if the child’s height and
weight are appropriate for a rear-facing seat.
3WARNING
Placing a forward-facing child seat in the
front seat can result in serious injury or
death if the front airbag inflates.
If you must place a forward-facing child
seat in front, move the vehicle seat as far
back as possible, and properly restrain the
child.
16 ACURA MDX-31TZ56200.book 59 ページ ２０１５年３月４日　水曜日　午後２時５９分