Acura RL 2000 3.5 Service Manual

Protectin
g Childre n

Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of when a child can safely ride in the
front, there are other important
factors you should consider. Physical Size
Physically, a child must be large
enough for the lap/shoulder belt to
properly fit over the hips, chest, and shoulder (see pages 15 and 35). If
the seat belt does not fit properly, the child should not sit in the front.

Maturity

To safely ride in front, a child must be able to follow the rules, includingsitting properly and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride. If you decide that a child can safely
ride up front, be sure to: Carefully read the owner's manual
and make sure you understand all seat belt instructions and all safety
information. Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position. Have the child sit up straight, back
against the seat, and feet on or
near the floor.
Check that the child's seat belt is
properly positioned and secured.
Supervise the child. Even mature
children sometimes need to be
reminded to fasten the seat belts
or sit properly.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Usin g Chil d Seat s wit h Tether s
Your car has three tether anchorage points on the rear shelf for securinga tether-style child seat to the car.
Since a tether can provide additional
security, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available.
Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point as shown in
the illustration and tighten the strapaccording to the child seat maker's
instructions.

Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Sea t Belt s
Sea t Bel t Syste m Component s

Your seat belt system includes lap/ shoulder belts in all five seating
positions. The front seat belts are
also equipped with automatic seat
belt tensioners.
The seat belt system alsoincludes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to fasten your belts. If the driver's seat belt is not
fastened before the ignition is turned ON (II), the light will come on and a
beeper will also sound. The beeper
will stop after a few seconds, but the light will stay on until the driver'sseat belt is fastened. Lap/Shoulde
r Bel t
This seat belt has a single belt that goes over your shoulder, across yourchest and across your hips.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch plate into the buckle, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is

latched.
To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESS button on the buckle.
Guide the belt across your body to
the door pillar. After exiting the car,
be sure the belt is out of the way and
will not get closed in the door.
All seat belts have an emergency locking retractor. In normal driving,the retractor lets you move freely in
your seat while it keeps some tension on the belt. During a collisionor sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.
The seat belts in all seating positions except the driver's have an additional
locking mechanism that must be activated to secure a child seat. (See
pages 29 and 33 for instructions on
how to secure child seats with this
type of seat belt.)
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Sea t Belt s

If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow the passenger to move freely.
To deactivate the locking mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt fully retract. To
refasten the belt, pull it out only as
far as needed.
See page 15 for instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly.
Automati
c Sea t Bel t Tensioner s

For added protection, the front seat
belts are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners. When activated,

the tensioners immediately tighten
the belts to help hold the driver and a front passenger in place.
The tensioners are designed to activate primarily in frontal collisions.
The tensioners are independent of the airbag system, so they can beactivated during a collision that might not cause the airbags to
deploy. In this case, the airbags
would not be needed but the additional seat belt tension can be

helpful.

The tensioners will be activated in a collision severe enough to cause the
front airbags to inflate.
When the tensioners are activated, the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
way.
The SRS indicator light willcome on if there is a
problem with your automatic seat
belt tensioners (see page 45).
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y
S R S

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Sea t Belt s
Sea t Bel t Maintenanc e
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
that the lap/shoulder belts retract easily. Any belt not in good condition
or not working properly will not
provide good protection and should
be replaced as soon as possible.

U.S. Models

Acura provides a lifetime warranty on seat belts. Acura will repair or
replace any seat belt component
that fails to function properly during normal use.
Please see your Acura WarrantyInformation 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 levelof protection in a subsequent crash.
The dealer should also inspect the anchors for damage and replace
them if needed.
Automatic seat belt tensioners that deployed during a crash must be

replaced.

For information on how to clean your
seat belts, see page 264 .

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
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.

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Fron t Airbag s
SR S Component s

Your Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) includes: Two 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." Automatic seat belt tensioners
(see page 41). Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal

collision.

A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records information about thesensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, driver and
passenger seat belt use, and all
related wiring when the ignition is ON (II). An indicator light on the
instrument panel that alerts you to
a possible problem with thesystem (see page 45). Emergency backup power in case
your car's electrical system is disconnected in a crash. Ho
w You r Fron t Airbag s Wor k
If you ever have a moderate to severe frontal collision, the sensors
will detect the vehicle's rapid deceleration. If the rate ofdeceleration is high enough, the
control unit will instantly inflate the
front airbags.
CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Fron t Airbag s

During a frontal crash, your seat
belts help restrain your lower body and torso. Your airbag provides a
cushion to help restrain and protect
your head and chest.
Since both airbags use the samesensors, both airbags normally
inflate at the same time. However, it
is possible for only one airbag to
inflate.
This can occur when 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 providesufficient protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by
the airbag would be minimal. 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.
The total time for inflation and deflation is approximately one-tenth
of a second, so fast that most
occupants are not aware that the
airbags deployed until they see them
lying in their laps. After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actuallypowder from the airbag's surface.
Although the powder is not harmful, people with respiratory problems
may experience some temporarydiscomfort. If this occurs, get out of
the car as soon as it is safe to do so.

U.S. Owners

For additional information on how

your airbags work, see the booklet
titled SRS: What You Need to Know

About Airbags that came with your

owner's manual.

Canadian Owners

For additional information on how

your airbags work, ask your dealer
for a copy of the booklet titled SRS:
What You Need to Know About Airbags.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Fron t Airbag s
Ho w th e SR S Indicato r Ligh t
Work s
The purpose of the SRSindicator light is to alert
you to a potential problem with your
front airbags. This light will also alert you to a potential problem with
your automatic seat belt tensioners (page 41); or your side airbags or
passenger's side airbag automatic
cutoff system (page 46).
When you turn the ignition ON (II), this indicator will light up briefly
then go out. This tells you that the system is working properly. However, if the light comes on at any
other time, you should have the
system checked by your dealer. For

example:
If the SRS indicator light does not
come on after you turn the ignition

ON (II).
If the light stays on after the

engine starts.
If the light comes on or flashes on
and off while you drive.
If you see any of these indications,
your front or side airbags may not deploy, your passenger's side airbag
automatic cutoff system may not
work properly, or your seat belt
tensioners may not work when you
need them. See your Acura dealer as soon as possible.
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y
Ignoring the SRS indicator light
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbags, cutoff
system, or tensioners do not
work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a
dealer as soon as possible if
the SRS light alerts you to a potential problem.S R S

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Sid e Airbag s

Your car is equipped with side airbags for the driver and a front
seat passenger. The airbags are
stored in the outer edges of the front
seat-backs, and both are marked
"SIDE AIRBAG." Ho
w You r Sid e Airbag s Wor k

If you ever have a moderate to severe side impact, the sensors will
detect rapid deceleration and signal
the control unit to instantly inflate either the driver's or the passenger'sside airbag.
Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger's side, the passenger's side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger. To get the best protection from the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Additiona
l Informatio n Abou t You r Sid e Airbag s

Ho w Th e Sid e Airba g Indicato r
Ligh t Work s
The purpose of this light is to alert you if the
passenger's side airbag has been automatically shut off.
Although Acura does not encourage children to ride in the front, to help
prevent injury, your car has an automatic cutoff system for the
passenger's side airbag. This system is designed to shut off the airbag if a
child leans sideways and the child's
head is in the deployment path of the side airbag.
The side airbag may also shut off if a small adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans sideways, and the adult's head is in
the deployment path of the airbag. A front seat passenger should not
use a cushion or other object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutoff system from working properly.
If this light comes on, you should
have the passenger sit upright. Once
the passenger is out of the deployment path of the side airbag,
the airbag will turn on and the light
will go out.
When you turn the ignition ON (II), the indicator light should light up
briefly and go out (see page 55). If it doesn't light, or it stays on or comes
on without a passenger in the front
seat, have the system checked. The SRS indicator light will
come on if there is a
problem with your side airbags or
the automatic cutoff system (see
page 45).
Driver an d Passenge r Safet y

S
R S

SID E

AIRBA G