seats Acura RL 2008 Owner's Manual

µ
This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts. It
explains how your airbags work. And
it tells you how to properly restrain
inf ants and children in your vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions .8
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features .9
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens .13
.....
1.Close and Lock the Doors .13
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats .14
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs .15
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints .16
5. Fasten and Position the Seat
.....................................
Belts .17
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .18
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women .19
...
Additional Safety Precautions .20
Additional Inf ormation About .......................
Your Seat Belts .21
..
Seat Belt System Components .21 ......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .22
Automatic Seat Belt
...............................
Tensioners .23
..........
Seat Belt E-pretensioners .24
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance .25
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags .26
......
Airbag System Components .26
How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work .29
...
How Your Side Airbags Work .32
How Your Side Curtain
..........................
Airbags Work .34
..
How the SRS Indicator Works .34
How the Side Airbag Of f
......................
Indicator Works .35
How the Passenger Airbag ...............
Of f Indicator Works .35
.............................
Airbag Service .36
...
Additional Safety Precautions .37
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .38
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .38
All Children Should Sit in a .................................
Back Seat .39 The Passenger’s Front Airbag
.........
Can Pose Serious Risks .39
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .41
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .41
...
Additional Safety Precautions .41
Protecting Inf ants and Small ...................................
Children .43
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .43
.........
Protecting Small Children .44
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .45
....................
Installing a Child Seat .46
...............................
With LATCH .47
.........
With a Lap/Shoulder Belt .49
..............................
With a Tether .51
...........
Protecting Larger Children .52
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit .52
..................
Using a Booster Seat .53
When Can a Larger Child Sit in
.........................................
Front .54
...
Additional Safety Precautions .55
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard .56
...................................
Saf ety Labels .57
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
7
 — —
y   y
( y  
y
2008 RL

ÎÎ
Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
Some f eatures do not require any
action on your part. These include a
strong steel f ramework that f orms a
saf ety cage around the passenger
compartment; front and rear crush
zones; a collapsible steering column;
and tensioners that tighten the f ront
seat belts in a crash.
However, you and your passengers
can’t take full advantage of these
f eatures unless you remain sitting in
a proper position and. In fact, some safety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
always wear
your seat belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
9
(1)
(2)
(2) (4)
(5) (7)
(7)
(11)
(9)
(6)
(8)
(3)
(6)
(10)
(8)
(9)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
: On model with Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS) (6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags
(9) Side Curtain Airbags
(10) Door Locks
(11) Front Seat Belt Tensioners/
Seat Belt E-pretensioners
\f—\f—
y\f\fy
(\fy\f\f
y
2008 RL

Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children. (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.When properly worn, seat belts:
Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers. Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.
Always wear your seat belt, and
make sure you wear it properly.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
and a beeper to remind you and your
passengers to f asten your seat belts.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
What You Should Do:
10
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.
\f—\f—
y\f\fy
(\fy\f\f
y
2008 RL

Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain f ull control of the vehicle.
Have a f ront passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers f rom
accidentally opening a door and
f alling out.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
When both the trunk and one or
more doors are not tightly closed,
the ‘‘DOOR & TRUNK OPEN’’
indicator will stay on. See page f or how to lock the
doors.
152 Adjust the Front Seats
2.
Protecting A dults and Teens
14
\f—\f—
y\f
y
(\fy\f\f
y
2008 RL

If you sit too close to the steering
wheel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inf lating f ront
airbag, or by striking the steering
wheel or dashboard.Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comf ortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comf ortable, upright
position.
If you cannot get f ar enough away
f rom the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest. In addition to
adjusting the seat, you can adjust the
steering wheel up and down, and in
and out (see page ).
See page f or how to adjust the
f ront seats.
147 155
CONT INUED
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
15
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.
\f—\f—
y\f
y
(\fy\f\f\fy
2008 RL

After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and head restraints, and
put on their seat belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
upright, well back in their seats, with
their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is parked and the engine is
off.
This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
properly, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
The front seats have adjustable seat
belt anchors. To adjust the height of
an anchor, press and hold the release
buttons, and slide the anchor up or
down as needed (it has f our
positions). Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your dealer check the belt as
soon as possible. Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
21 Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
No one should sit in a seat wit h aninoperat ive seat belt .
Protecting A dults and Teens
18
RELEASE
BUTTON
\f—\f—
y\f\fy
(\fy\f\fy
2008 RL

The e-pretensioners do not activate
when the seat belts are not worn or
when the vehicle stability assist
(VSA) of f indicator on the
instrument panel is on.
For added saf ety, the f ront seat belts
are equipped with e-pretensioners
that work in combination with the
collision mitigation brake system
(CMBS) (see page ) and the
brake pedal assist f unction (see page ). If your vehicle gets too close to the
vehicle ahead of it in your lane, the
driver’s e-pretensioner slightly
retracts the seat belt to alert the
driver of the approaching vehicle. If
a collision with the vehicle in f ront of
you is likely, the e-pretensioners on
both front seats retract the seat belts
with enough f orce to properly
restrain you and your f ront
passenger. After they activate, the
e-pretensioners release the retracted
seat belts.
To get the f ull benef it of the
e-pretensioners, you and your f ront
passenger must sit normally in your
seats and wear your seat belts
properly (see page ).
In addition, the f ront passenger’s
e-pretensioner does not activate
when the passenger’s airbag is
automatically turned off because the
weight sensor detects a child in the
f ront passenger’s seat.
If the automatic seat belt tensioners
are activated by a collision, both
f ront seat belts and all related
components must be
replaced (see page ). If only the
e-pretensioners were activated, no
components need to be replaced.
17 25
361
358
On models with Collision Mitigation Brake System
Seat Belt e-pretensioners
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
24
\f—\f—
y\f\fy
(\fy\f\fy
2008 RL

CONT INUED
Your f ront airbags are also advanced
airbags. The main purpose of this
feature is to help prevent airbag-
caused injuries to short drivers and
children who ride in f ront.
For both advanced airbags to work
properly:Occupants must sit upright and
wear their seat belts properly.
Back-seat passengers should not
put their f eet under the f ront seats.
Failure to f ollow these instructions
could damage the sensors or prevent
them f rom working properly. The driver’s advanced front airbag
system includes a seat position
sensor under the seat. If the seat is
too far forward, the airbag will
inf late with less f orce, regardless of
the severity of the impact.
If there is a problem with the sensor,
the SRS indicator will come on, and
the airbag will inf late in the normal
manner regardless of the driver’s
seating position.The passenger’s advanced f ront
airbag system has weight sensors
under the seat. Although Acura does
not encourage carrying an inf ant or
small child in f ront, if the sensors
detect the weight of an inf ant or
small child (up to about 65 lbs or 29
kg), the system will automatically
turn the passenger’s front airbag off.
Do not spill any liquids on or
under the seats, cover the sensors,
or put any objects or metal items
under the f ront seats.
Be aware that objects placed on the
passenger’s seat can also cause the
airbag to be turned off.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Advanced Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
31
DRIVER’S
SEAT
POSITION
SENSORPASSENGER’S
SEAT WEIGHT
SENSOR
\f—\f—
y\f
y
(\fy\f\fy
2008 RL

There will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of the airbag deployment
pathandwhentheindicatorcomes
on or goes of f .
A f ront seat passenger should not
use a cushion or other object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutof f
system f rom working properly.
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 f rom the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
If the side airbag of f indicator comes
on (see page ), have the
passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the airbag’s
deployment path, the system will
turn the airbag back on, and the
indicator will go out.
Your vehicle has a side airbag cutof f
system designed primarily to protect
a child riding in the f ront passenger’s
seat.
Although Acura does not encourage
children to ride in f ront, if the
position sensors detect a child has
leaned into the side airbag’s
deployment path, the airbag will shut
off.
Thesideairbagmayalsoshutoff if a
short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the airbag’s
deployment path.
Objects placed on the f ront
passenger seat can also cause the
side airbag to be shut of f . 35
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Side A irbag Cut of f Syst em
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
33
\f—\f—
y\fy
(\fy\f\fy
2008 RL

If the impact is on the passenger’s
side, the passenger’s side curtain
airbag will inflate even if there are no
occupants on that side of the vehicle.
To get the best protection f rom the
side curtain airbags, occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.If the indicator comes on or
flashesonandoff whileyoudrive.
If the indicator stays on after the
engine starts.
If the SRS indicator does not come
on after you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position.The SRS indicator alerts
you to a potential problem
with your airbags, seat belt
tensioners, and, on models with
CMBS, seat belt e-pretensioners.
If the indicator comes on at any
other time, or does not come on at all,
you should have the system checked
by your dealer. For example:
In a moderate to severe side impact,
sensors will detect rapid acceleration
and signal the control unit to
instantly inflate the side curtain
airbag and activate the seat belt
tensioner on the driver’s or the
passenger’s side of the vehicle. When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, this indicator
comes on brief ly then goes of f . This
tells you the system is working
properly.
How Your Side Curtain A irbags
Work
How the SRS Indicator Works
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
34
SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG
\f—\f—
y\fy
(\fy\f\fy
2008 RL