Head Acura RDX 2013 Owner's Manual

3Quick Reference Guide
❙Headlights/Turn Signals
(P 122)
❙Fog Lights
* (P 125)
❙
(SEL/RESET) Knob
(P 128)
❙Brightness Control
(P 128)
❙Wipers/Washers
(P 126)
❙Cruise Control Buttons
(P 248)
❙Navigation System Voice Control Buttons
*
() See Navigation System Manual❙Bluetooth ® HandsFreeLink ® System
Voice Control Buttons
(P 196)
❙MODE Button
(P165)
❙CH (Channel) Buttons
(P165)
❙VOL (Volume) Buttons
(P165)
❙Horn (Press an area around .)
* Not available on all models

Visual Index
6Quick Reference Guide
❙Windshield Wipers
(P 126, 297)
❙Door Lock/Unlock Control
(P 99)
❙How to Refuel
(P 264)
❙High-Mount Brake Light
(P 296)
❙Opening/Closing the Tailgate (P 107)❙Rear Wiper
(P 127, 299)
❙Back-Up Lights
(P 294)
❙Brake/Taillights
(P 292)
❙Rear Turn Signal Lights
(P 292)
❙Rear Side Marker Lights
(P 292)
❙Power Door Mirrors
(P 134)
❙Maintenance Under the Hood
(P 275)
❙Fog Lights
* (P 125, 289)
❙Multi-View Rear Camera
(P 262)
❙Front Turn Signal/Parking Lights
(P 122, 291)
❙Side Marker Lights
(P 122, 291)
❙Tires
(P 301, 319)
❙Headlights
(P 122, 287)
❙Tailgate Release Button
(P 108)

7Quick Reference Guide
Safe Driving
(P 23)
Airbags
(P 37)
● Your vehicle is fitted with airbags to help protect you and
your passengers during a moderate-to-severe collision.
Child Safety
(P 52)
● All children 12 and younger should be seated in the rear seat.
● Smaller children should be properly restrained in a forward-facing child seat.
● Infants must be proper ly restrained in a rear-facing child seat.
Exhaust Gas Hazard
(P 64)
● Your vehicle emits dangerous exhaust gases that contain carbon
monoxide. Do not run the engine in confined spaces where carbon
monoxide gas can accumulate.
Before Driving Checklist
(P 28)
● Before driving, check that the front seats, head restraints,
steering wheel, and mirrors have been properly adjusted.
Seat Belts
(P 29)
● Fasten your seat belt and sit upright well
back in the seat.
● Check that your passengers are wearing
their seat belts correctly.
Fasten your lap belt as
low as possible.* Not available on all models

22Quick Reference Guide
A Few Words About SafetyYour safety, and the safety of others, is very important. And
operating this vehicle safely is an important responsibility.
To help you make informed decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and other information on labels and
in this manual. This information alerts you to potential hazards that
could hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or maintaining your vehicle. You
must use your own good judgement.You will find this important safety information in a variety of forms,
including:
●
Safety Labels - on the vehicle.
● Safety Messages - preceded by a safety alert symbol
3
and
one of three signal words: DANGER, WARNING , or CAUTION .
These signal words mean:
● Safety Headings - such as Important Safety Precautions.
● Safety Section - such as Safe Driving.
● Instructions - how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information - please
read it carefully.
3
DANGER
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if
you don't follow instructions.
3
WARNING
You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if
you don't follow instructions.
3
CAUTION
You CAN be HURT if you don't follow
instructions.

27
uuFor Safe Driving uYour Vehicle's Safety Features
Continued
Safe Driving
Your Vehicle's Safety FeaturesThe following checklist will help you take an active role in protecting yourself and
your passengers.
1Your Vehicle's Safety Features
Your vehicle is equipped with 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 zones, a collapsible steering
column, and tensioners that tighten the front seat
belts in a sufficient crash.
However, you and your passengers 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.
a
Safety Cage
b
Crush Zones
c
Seats and Seat-Backs
d
Head Restraints
e
Collapsible Steering Column
f
Seat Belts
g
Front Airbags
h
Side Airbags
i
Side Curtain Airbags
j
Door Locks
k
Seat Belt Tensioners
l
Occupant Position Detection
System (OPDS) Sensor
a
bb e
f
il
j
k
g h
d
c
g j h
i

uuFor Safe Driving uYour Vehicle's Safety Features
28Safe 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.
2 Locking/Unlocking the Doors from the Inside P. 104
•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. 136
•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.
2 Adjusting the Head Restraints P. 138
•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. 32
•Protect children by using seat belts or child seats according to a child's age, height
and weight.
2 Child Safety P. 52
■
Safety Checklist
1Safety Checklist
If the door and/or the tailgate open indicator is on, a
door and/or the tailgate is not completely closed.
Close all doors and the tailgate tightly until the
indicator goes off.
2 Door and Tailgate Open Indicator P. 73

40
uuAirbags uTypes of Airbags
Safe Driving
Types of AirbagsYour vehicle is equipped with three types of airbags:
• Front airbags: Airbags in front of the driver's and front passenger's seats.
• Side airbags: Airbags in the driver's and front passenger's seat-backs.
• Side curtain airbags: Airbags above the side windows.
Each is discussed in the following pages.Front Airbags (SRS)The front SRS airbags inflate in a moderate-to-severe frontal collision to help protect
the head and chest of the driver and/or front passenger.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) indicates that the airbags are designed to
supplement seat belts, not replace them. Seat belts are the occupant's primary
restraint system.
The front airbags are housed in the center of the steering wheel for the driver, and
in the dashboard for the front passenger. Both airbags are marked SRS AIRBAG.■
Housing Locations
1Types of Airbags
The airbags can inflate whenever the power mode is
in ON.1Front Airbags (SRS)
Dual-Stage, Multiple-Threshold Front Airbags
(SRS)
Your vehicle is equipped with dual-stage, multiple-
threshold front airbags (SRS).
During a frontal crash severe enough to cause one or
both front airbags to deploy, the airbags can inflate
at different rates, depending on the severity of the
crash, whether or not the seat belts are latched, and/
or other factors. Frontal airbags are designed to
supplement the seat belts to help reduce the
likelihood of head and chest injuries in frontal
crashes.

Continued
41
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe Driving
Front airbags are designed to inflate during moderate-to-severe frontal collisions.
When the vehicle decelerates suddenly, the sensors send information to the control
unit which signals one or both front airbags to inflate.
A frontal collision can be either head-on or angled between two vehicles, or when a
vehicle crashes into a stationary object, such as a concrete wall.
While your seat belt restrains your torso, the
front airbag provides supplemental protection
for your head and chest.
The front airbags deflate immediately so that
they won't interfere with the driver's visibility
or the ability to steer or operate other
controls.
The total time for inflation and deflation is so fast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until they see them lying in front of them.■
Operation
■
How the Front Airbags Work
1 How the Front Airbags Work
After a front airbag inflates in a crash, you may see
what looks like smoke. This is actually powder from
the airbag's surface. Although the powder is not
harmful, people with respiratory problems may
experience some temporary discomfort. If this occurs,
get out of the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
Although the driver's and front passenger's 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.

42
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe Driving
■
When front airbags should not deploy
Minor frontal crashes: Front airbags were designed to supplement seat belts and
help save lives, not to prevent minor scrapes, or even broken bones that might occur
during a less than moderate-to-severe frontal crash.
Side impacts: Front airbags can provide protection when a sudden deceleration
causes a driver or front passenger to move towards the front of the vehicle. Side
airbags and side curtain airbags have been specifically designed to help reduce the
severity of injuries that can occur during a moderate-to-severe side impact which
can cause the driver or passenger to move towards the side of the vehicle.
Rear impacts: Head restraints and seat belts are your best protection during a rear
impact. Front airbags cannot provide any significant protection and are not designed
to deploy in such collisions.
Rollovers: Seat belts and, in vehicles equipped with a rollover sensor, side airbags
and side curtain airbags offer the best protection in a rollover. Because front airbags
could provide little if any protection, they are not designed to deploy during a
rollover.
■
When front airbags deploy with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle framework or suspension might cause one or more of the airbags to deploy.
Examples include running into a curb, the edge of a hole, or other low fixed object
that causes a sudden deceleration in the vehicle chassis. Since the impact is
underneath the vehicle, damage may not be readily apparent.
■
When front airbags may not deploy, even though exterior damage
appears severe
Since crushable body parts absorb crash energy during an impact, the amount of
visible damage does not always indicate proper airbag operation. In fact, some
collisions can result in severe damage but no airbag deployment because the airbags
would not have been needed or would not have provided protection even if they
had deployed.

47
uuAirbags uSide Curtain Airbags
Continued
Safe Driving
Side Curtain AirbagsSide curtain airbags help protect the heads of the driver and passengers in outer
seating positions during a moderate-to-severe 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 through 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 senses that your vehicle is
about to rollover, it immediately deploys both side
curtain airbags and activates both front seat belt
tensioners.
The airbag on the passenger's side will deploy, and
the seat belt tensioner will activate, even if there are
no passengers on that side of the vehicle.
To get the best protection from the side curtain
airbags, occupants should wear their seat belts
properly and sit upright 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
■
OperationDeployed Side Curtain Airbag