Acura RL 2001 3.5 Service Manual
Manufacturer: ACURA, Model Year: 2001, Model line: RL, Model: Acura RL 2001Pages: 333, PDF Size: 4.28 MB
Page 41 of 333
Protecting Children
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.
Driver and Passenger Safety
Page 42 of 333
Protecting Children
Using Child Seats with Tethers
Your car has three tether anchorage points under the rear window for
securing a 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, then tighten the strap according to the child seat
maker's instructions.
Driver and Passenger Safety
Page 43 of 333
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt System Components
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's seat belt is fastened. Lap/Shoulder Belt
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 collision
or 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.)
Driver and Passenger Safety
Page 44 of 333
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
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. Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
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 behelpful.
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 and Passenger Safety
SRS
Page 45 of 333
Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt Maintenance
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 o r
replace any seat belt component
that fails to function properly
during normal use. Please see
your Acura Warranty Information
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 level
of protection in a subsequent crash.
The dealer should also inspect the anchors for damage and replace
them if needed.
Automatic seat bel t tensioners that
deployed during a crash must be
replaced.
For information on how to clean your seat belts, see page 267.
Driver and Passenger Safety
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.
Page 46 of 333
Additional Information About Your Airbags
SRS Components
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 andrecords information about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, and driver and
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition is ON (II).
An indicator light on the
instrument panel that alerts you to
a possible problem with the
system (see page 45).
Emergency backup power in case
your car's electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
How Your Front Airbags Work
If you ever have a moderate to
severe frontal collision, the sensors
will detect the vehicle's rapid deceleration. If the rate of
deceleration is high enough, the
control unit will instantly inflate the
front airbags.
CONTINUED
Driver and Passenger Safety
Page 47 of 333
Additional Information About Your Airbags
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 same sensors, 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 whetheror 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. 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 problemsmay experience some temporary
discomfort. 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.
Driver and Passenger Safety
Page 48 of 333
Additional Information About Your Airbags
How Your Side Airbags Work
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."
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's side 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.
Driver and Passenger Safety
Page 49 of 333
Additional Information About Your Airbags
How the SRS Indicator Light
Works
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 45).
When you turn the ignition ON (II), this indicator will light briefly then
go out. This tells you that the system is working properly. If the light comes on at any other
time, or does not come on at all, 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 assoon as possible.
Driver and Passenger Safety
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.
SRS
Page 50 of 333
Additional Information About Your Airbags
How The Side Airbag Indicator
Light Works This light alerts you thatthe passenger's side airbag
has been automatically shut off.
To reduce the risk of injury from an inflating side airbag, your car has an
automatic cutoff system for the
passenger's side airbag.
Although Acura does not encourage children to ride in the front seat, thissystem is designed to shut off the
side airbag if a child leans sideways
and the child's head is in the side
airbag deployment path. If a small-statured adult leans
sideways, or larger adult slouches
and leans sideways into the
deployment path of the side airbag,
the system may also shut off the side
airbag.
If the side airbag indicator light
comes on, you should have the
passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the deployment
path of the side airbag, the system
will turn the airbag back on and the light will go out. A front seat passenger should not
use a cushion or other object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutoff system from working properly.
When you turn the ignition ON (II), the indicator should light briefly and
go out (see page 55). If it doesn't
light, stays on, or comes on whiledriving without a passenger in the
front seat, have the system checked.
Driver and Passenger Safety
SIDE
AIRBAG