weight Acura RL 2000 3.5 Owner's Manual

Protectin
g Childre n

Protectin g Infant s

Child Seat Type

Only a rear-facing child seat provides
proper support for a baby's head, neck, and back. Infants up to aboutone year of age must be restrained in
a rear-facing child seat.
Two types of seats may be used: a seat designed exclusively for infants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
facing, reclining mode. We recommend that an infant be
restrained in a rear-facing child seat
until the infant reaches the seatmaker's weight or height limit and is
able to sit up without support.
Rear-Facing Child Seat Placement

In this car, a rear-facing child seat
can be placed in any seating position
in the back seat, but not in the front
seat.

Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front seat. If the passenger's
front airbag inflates, it can hit the
back of the child seat with enough
force to kill or seriously injure an infant. If an infant must be closely
watched, we recommend thatanother adult sit in the back seat
with the baby.

Do not put a rear-facing child seat in

a forward-facing position. If placed

facing forward, an infant could be
very seriously injured during a frontal collision.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the passenger's front airbag inflates.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the

front.

Protectin
g Childre n

4. After confirming that the belt is locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure.
To remove slack, it may help to put weight on the child seat, or
push on the back of the seat, while
pulling up on the belt. 5. Push and pull the child seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure enough tostay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract fully, then repeat these
steps.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt fully retract.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Protectin g Smal l Childre n

Child Seat Type

A child who can sit up without support, and who fits within the child
seat maker's weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
forward-facing, upright child seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a five-
point harness system as shown. We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit for the seat.

Child Seat Placement

In this car, the best place to install a
forward-facing child seat is in one of
the seating positions in the back seat.

Placing a forward-facing child seat in

the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag can

be hazardous. If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough force to cause
very serious or fatal injuries. If a small child must be closely watched,
we recommend that another adult sit in the back seat with the child. If it is necessary to put a forward-
facing child seat in the front, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as possible, be sure the child seat is
firmly secured to the car, and the child is properly strapped in the seat.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front seat can result in serious injury
or death if the front airbagsinflate.
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.

Protectin
g Childre n

4. After confirming that the belt is locked, grab the shoulder part ofthe belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure. It
may help to put weight on the child seat, or push on the back of
the seat, while pulling up on the belt.
5. Push and pull the child seat

forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving

maneuvers. If the child seat is not secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to

retract fully, then repeat these
steps.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism in order to remove a
child seat, unlatch the buckle,
unroute the seat belt, and let the belt
fully retract.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Additional Precautions for Small

Children
Never hold a small child on your

lap. If you are not wearing a seat
belt in a crash, you could be thrown forward into thedashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the child can be torn from your arms
during a crash. For example, if
your car crashes into a parked
vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 30-lb (14 kg) child will become a
900-lb (410 kg) force, and you will
not be able to hold on.
Never put a seat belt over yourself

and a child. During a crash, the

belt could press deep into the child
and cause very serious injuries.
Protectin
g Large r Childre n
When a child reaches the recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the child should sit in the back seat and
wear a lap/shoulder belt.
If a child is too short for the shoulder
part of the belt to properly fit, we recommend that the child use a
booster seat until they are tall enough to use the seat belt without a

booster.

The following pages give instructions on how to check proper
seat belt fit, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions for children
who must sit in the front seat.

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat canresult in injury or death if the
passenger's front airbag inflates.
If a larger child must sit in front,
make sure the child moves the
seat as far back as possible
and wears the seat belt properly.

Key
s an d Lock s

Trun k

You can open the trunk in three
ways:
Press the trunk release button on
the driver's door.
Use the master key to open the
trunk lock. The valet key does not
work in this lock. Press and hold the trunk release
button on the remote transmitter
for approximately one second (see

page 82).
To close the trunk, press down on
the trunk lid.
See page 174 for cargo loading and
weight limit information. Keep the
trunk lid closed at all times while driving to avoid damaging the lid,
and to prevent exhaust gas from
getting into the interior. See Carbo n
Monoxid e Hazar d on page 49. To protect items in the trunk when
you need to give the key to someone
else:

1. Disable the trunk release button on the driver's door by turning off
the trunk main switch in the glove

box.

Instrument s an d Control s

TRUN
K RELEAS E BUTTO N MASTE
R KE Y

TRUNK MAI N SWITC H

Sk
i Sleev e

2. Open the trunk. Remove the ski sleeve from its storage bag.
3. Attach the ski sleeve to the trunk
pass-through.

4. Load the skis into the ski sleeve from the trunk. Make sure the tipof the ski sleeve is resting on the
center console. 5. Use the strap on the ski sleeve to
secure it tightly to the rear seatarmrest. Follow these precautions when you
use the ski sleeve: Do not transport skis that are
longer or heavier than these limits: Maximum length: 84 in (215 cm)
Maximum weight: 55 Ibs (25 kg) After use, make sure the ski
sleeve is dry both inside and out
before folding it up for storage.
This will help to prevent mildew.
Instrument s an d Control s

Fuel
Econom y

The condition of your car and your driving habits are the two most
important things that affect the fuel
mileage you get.
Ca r Conditio n
Always maintain your car according to the maintenance schedule. This
will keep it in top operating condition.
An important part of that mainte- nance is the Owne r Maintenanc e
Check s (see page 213 ). For
example, an underinflated tire
causes more "rolling resistance,"
which uses fuel. It also wears out
faster, so check the tire pressure at
least monthly.
In winter, the build-up of snow on
your car's underside adds weight and rolling resistance. Frequent cleaning
helps your fuel mileage and reduces
the chance of corrosion. Drivin
g Habit s
You can improve fuel economy by driving moderately. Rapid acceler-
ation, abrupt cornering, and hard
braking use more fuel.
Always drive in the highest gear that allows the engine to run and acceler-
ate smoothly.
Depending on traffic conditions, try
to maintain a constant speed. Every
time you slow down and speed up,
your car uses extra fuel. Use the cruise control, when appropriate, toincrease fuel economy. A cold engine uses more fuel than a
warm engine. It is not necessary to "warm-up" a cold engine by letting it
idle for a long time. You can drive
away in about a minute, no matter
how cold it is outside. The engine will warm up faster, and you get
better fuel economy. To cut down on
the number of "cold starts," try to combine several short trips into one.
The air conditioning puts an extra load on the engine which makes ituse more fuel. Turn off the A/C orset the climate control to a higher
temperature to cut down on air
conditioning use. Use the flow-
through ventilation when the outside
air temperature is moderate.

Before Drivin g

Carryin
g Carg o

CONSOL E COMPARTMEN T

FRONT DOO R POCKE T
TRUN K SEAT-BACK POCKE T GLOVE BO X Your car has several convenient
storage areas so you can stow cargo

safely.

The glove box, and the pockets in the front doors and seat-back, are designed for small, lightweight items.
The trunk is intended for larger, heavier items.
However, carrying too much cargo,
or improperly storing it, can affect
your car's handling, stability and operation and make it unsafe. Before
carrying any type of cargo, be sure to
read the following pages.

Befor e Drivin g

Carryin
g Carg o

Loa d Limi t
The maximum load for your car is 850 Ibs(395 kg).
This figure includes the total weight of all occupants, cargo, accessories,
and the tongue weight if you are
towing a trailer.
To figure out how much cargo you can carry: Add up the weight of all occupants.
If you are towing a trailer, add the
tongue weight to the number
above.

Subtract the total from 850 Ibs
(395 kg).

The final number is the total weight
of cargo you can carry.
Carryin
g Item s i n th e Passenge r
Compartmen t
Store or secure all items that could
be thrown around and hurt someone during a crash.
Do not put any items on top of the
rear shelf. They can block your
view and be thrown around the car during a crash. Be sure items placed on the floor
behind the front seats cannot roll under the seats and interfere with
the driver's ability to operate the
pedals, or with the proper operation of the seats.
Keep the glove box closed while
driving. If the lid is open, a
passenger could injure their knees during a crash or sudden stop.

Before Drivin g

Overloading or improper
loading can affect handling and
stability and cause a crash in
which you can be hurt or killed.
Follow all load limits and other
loading guidelines in this

manual.