ABS Acura RL 2000 3.5 Owner's Manual

You
r Car' s Safet y Feature s

(1 ) Safet y Cag e
(2 ) Crus h Zone s
(3 ) Seat s & Seat-Back s
(4 ) Hea d Restraint s
(5 ) Collapsibl e Steerin g Colum n
(6 ) Sea t Belt s
(7 ) Fron t Airbag s
(8 ) Sid e Airbag s
(9 ) Sea t Bel t Tensioner s
(10 ) Doo r Lock s Your car is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers during a crash.
Some safety 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 that are designed to crumple and absorb energy during a
crash; a collapsible steering column;
and seat belt tensioners that
automatically tighten the front seat
belts in the event of a crash.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

You
r Car' s Safet y Feature s
Airbags offer no protection in rear

impacts, rollovers, or minor

frontal or side collisions.
Airbags can pose serious hazards.

To do their job, airbags must
inflate with tremendous force andspeed. So while airbags help save
lives, they can cause minor injuries, or more serious or even fatal
injuries if occupants are not
properly restrained or sitting
properly.

What you should do: Always wear

your seat belt properly, and sit upright and as far back as possible
from the steering wheel or
dashboard.
Seat
s & Seat-Back s
Your car's seats are designed to keep you in a comfortable, upright
position so you can take full
advantage of the protection offered
by seat belts and the energy absorbing materials in the seats.
How you adjust your seats and seat-
backs can also affect your safety. For
example, sitting too close to thesteering wheel or dashboard
increases the risk of you or your
passenger being injured by striking the inside of the car, or by an
inflating airbag.
Reclining a seat-back too far reduces
the seat belt's effectiveness and
increases the chance that the seat's occupant will slide under the seat
belt in a crash and be seriously

injured.
What you should do: Move the front

seats as far back as possible, and
keep adjustable seat-backs in an
upright position whenever the car is

moving.

Hea d Restraint s
Head restraints can help protect you
from whiplash and other injuries. For maximum protection, the back of
your head should rest against the center of the head restraint.
Doo r Lock s
Keeping your doors locked reduces
the chance of being thrown out of
the car during a crash. It also helps
prevent occupants from accidentally opening a door and falling out, and
outsiders from unexpectedly opening
your doors.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Indicato
r Light s

Vehicl e Stabilit y Assis t
(VSA ) Syste m Indicato r
This indicator normally comes on for a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch ON (II).
If this light comes on and stays on at
any other time, or it does not come
on when you turn the ignition switch ON (II), there is a problem with the
VSA system. Take the car to your dealer to have it checked. Without
VSA, your car still has normal driving ability, but will not have VSA
traction and stability enhancement. See page 189 for more information
on the VSA system. VS
A Activatio n Indicato r
This indicator has three functions:
1. It comes on as a reminder that you have turned off the VehicleStability Assist (VSA) system.
2. It flashes when VSA is active (see page 189).
3. It comes on along with the VSA system indicator if there is a
problem with the VSA system.
This indicator normally comes on for a few seconds when you turn the
ignition switch ON (II). See page 189 for more information on the
VSA system.
Anti-loc
k Brak e
Syste m (ABS )
Indicato r

This light normally comes on for a few seconds when you turn theignition switch ON (II), and when
the ignition switch is turned toSTART (III). If this light comes on at
any other time, there is a problem in
the ABS. If this happens, take the car to your dealer to have it checked.
With the light on, your car still has normal braking ability but no anti-
lock. For complete information, see page 187.
Instrument s an d Control s
V
SA

U.S
.
Canad
a

AB S

Key
s an d Lock s

Lockout Prevention
If you forget and leave the key in the
ignition switch, Lockout Prevention
will not allow you to lock the driver's door. With the driver's door open
and the key in the ignition, both
master door lock switches are disabled. However, if the driver's
door is not open, the master door
lock switches are not disabled. Pushing the switch down on the
open passenger's door will lock all
doors. If you try to lock an open
driver's door by pushing in the lock
tab, the tabs on all doors pop out. Pushing in the lock tab on the
passenger's door only locks that door. Remot
e Transmitte r
You can lock and unlock your car with the remote transmitter. When
you push the LOCK button, all doorslock. You will hear a beep, and the
parking lights, taillights and license
plate lights will flash once. When you push the UNLOCK button
once, only the driver's door unlocks.
The remaining doors unlock when you push the button a second time.
You will hear two beeps, and the outside lights will flash twice, each
time you push the button.
The ceiling lights (if the ceiling light switch is in the center position) and
the door courtesy lights will come on
when you press the UNLOCK button. If you do not open any door, the
lights stay on for about 10 seconds,
then fade out. If you relock the doors
with the remote transmitter before 10 seconds have elapsed, the lights
will go off immediately.
Instrument s an d Control s
LE
D

UNLOC K
BUTTO N
LOC
K

BUTTO N
TRUN K

RELEAS E

BUTTO N
PANI C
BUTTO N

Parkin
g Brake , Digita l Cloc k

Parkin g Brak e
To apply the parking brake, depress the pedal fully. To release it, pull therelease lever. The parking brake
light on the instrument panel should
go out when the parking brake is
fully released with the engine running (see page 54). If you try to
drive the car without releasing the
parking brake, the ABS indicator may come on, and the ABS may not
work properly. The VSA system indicator will also come on along
with the ABS indicator (see page

187).

Driving the car with the parking brake applied can damage the rear brakes
and axles.
Digita
l Cloc k

3.5 RL without Navigation System

The digital clock displays the time with the ignition switch ON (II). To see the time with the ignition off,
press and hold the wide button to the right of the clock.
Instrument s an d Control s

RELEAS
E LEVE R
PARKIN G

BRAK E PEDA L
NOTIC
E

Drivin
g

This section gives you tips on starting the engine under various
conditions, and how to operate the
automatic transmission. It also
includes important information on
parking your car, the braking system,
the Vehicle Stability Assist System, and facts you need if you are
planning to tow a trailer. Preparing to Drive......................... 178
Starting the Engine........................ 179
Starting in Cold Weather at High Altitude ..................... 179
Automatic Transmission............... 180 Shift Lever Position Indicator.. 180
Shift Lever Positions................. 180
Engine Speed Limiter............... 182
Shift Lock Release..................... 183

Parking............................................ 184

The Braking System...................... 185 Brake Wear Indicators.............. 185
Brake System Design................ 186
Anti-lock Brakes........................ 186 Important Safety
Reminders.......................... 187

ABS Indicator......................... 187
Vehicle Stability Assist System.... 189 Driving in Bad Weather................ 192
Towing a Trailer............................ 194

Driving

Th
e Brakin g Syste m

Your Acura is equipped with disc brakes at all four wheels. A powerassist helps reduce the effort needed
on the brake pedal. The ABS helps
you retain steering control when braking very hard.
Put your foot on the brake pedal only
when you intend to brake. Resting
your foot on the pedal keeps the brakes applied lightly, causing them
to build up heat. Heat build-up can
reduce how well your brakes work. Italso keeps your brake lights on all
the time, confusing drivers behind

you.
Constant application of the brakes
when going down a long hill builds up heat and reduces their effective-
ness. Use the engine to assist the
brakes by downshifting to a lower
gear and taking your foot off the accelerator pedal.
Check your brakes after driving
through deep water. Apply the
brakes moderately to see if they feel normal. If not, apply them gently and
frequently until they do. Since a
longer distance is needed to stop
with wet brakes, be extra cautious and alert in your driving. Brak
e Wea r Indicator s
All four brakes have audible brake wear indicators.
When the brake pads need replacing, you will hear a distinctive metallic "screeching" sound when you apply
the brakes. If you do not have the
brake pads replaced, they will begin screeching all the time.
Your brakes may sometimes squeal or squeak when you apply them
lightly. Do not confuse this with the
brake wear indicators. They make a
very audible "screeching."
Driving

Th
e Brakin g Syste m

Brak e Syste m Desig n
The hydraulic system that operates the brakes has two separate circuits.Each circuit works diagonally across
the car (the left-front brake is connected with the right-rear brake,
etc.). If one circuit should develop a
problem, you will still have braking at two wheels.
Anti-loc
k Brake s

Your car has an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) as standard
equipment. ABS helps to prevent the
wheels from locking up and skidding during hard braking, allowing you to
retain steering control.
When the front tires skid, you lose steering control; the car continues
straight ahead even though you turn
the steering wheel. The ABS helps to
prevent lock-up and helps you retain steering control by pumping the
brakes rapidly; much faster than a
person can do it.
The ABS also balances the front-to rear braking distribution according
to vehicle loading. Yo
u shoul d neve r pum p th e
brak e pedal , this defeats the
purpose of the ABS. Let the ABS
work for you by always keeping firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal
as you steer away from the hazard.
This is sometimes referred to as
"stomp and steer."

You will feel a pulsation in the brake pedal when the ABS activates, and
you may hear some noise. This is normal, it is the ABS rapidly
pumping the brakes.
Activation varies with the amount of traction your tires have. On dry
pavement, you will need to press on
the brake pedal very hard before youactivate the ABS. However, you may
feel the ABS activate immediately if
you are trying to stop on snow or ice.

Drivin g

Fron
t

Th
e Brakin g Syste m

Important Safety Reminders

AB S doe s no t reduc e th e tim e o r
distanc e i t take s t o sto p th e car , it
only helps with steering control
during braking. You should always
maintain a safe following distance
from other vehicles.
AB S wil l no t preven t a ski d tha t
result s fro m changin g directio n
abruptly , such as trying to take a
corner too fast or making a sudden
lane change. Always drive at a safe,
prudent speed for the road and
weather conditions.
AB S canno t preven t a los s o f
stability . Always steer moderately
when you are braking hard. Severe or sharp steering wheel movement
can still cause your car to veer into
oncoming traffic or off the road. A
vehicl e wit h AB S ma y requir e a
longe r distanc e t o sto p on loose or
uneven surfaces, such as gravel or snow, than a vehicle without anti-
lock. Slow down and allow a greater distance between vehicles under
those conditions.
ABS Indicator
* U.S . indicato r show n
The ABS is self-checking. If anything goes wrong, the ABS indicator on
the instrument panel comes on (see
page 56). This means the anti-lock function of the braking system has
shut down. The brakes still work like
a conventional system without anti-
lock, providing normal stopping ability. You should have the dealer
inspect your car as soon as possible
if this light stays on after you start
the engine, or comes on while driving.
CONTINUED
Drivin g
AB
S INDICATOR *

Th
e Brakin g Syste m

If the ABS indicator and the brake system indicator come on together,
and the parking brake is fully
released, the front-to-rear braking distribution system may also shut

down.

Test your brakes as instructed on page 285 . If the brakes feel normal,drive slowly and have your car
repaired by your dealer as soon as
possible. Avoid sudden hard braking
which could cause the rear wheels to lock up and possibly lead to a loss of
control.

The VSA system indicator may come on along with the ABS indicator if
there is a problem with the anti-lock
brake system.
Driving