ESP ACURA RL 2012 Owners Manual

One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new vehicle is to
read this manual. In it, you will learn how to operate its driving controls and
convenience items. Af terwards, keep this owner’s manual in your vehicle so
youcanrefertoitatanytime.
Several warranties protect your new vehicle. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights
and responsibilities.As you read this manual, you will
f ind inf ormation that is preceded by
a symbol. This
inf ormation is intended to help you
avoid damage to your vehicle, other
property, or the environment.
Maintaining your vehicle according to the Maintenance Minder shown in
the instrument panel helps to keep your driving trouble-f ree while it
preserves your investment. When your vehicle needs maintenance, keep in
mind that your dealer’s staff is specially trained in servicing the many
systems unique to your vehicle. Your dealer is dedicated to your satisf action
and will be pleased to answer any questions and concerns. Congratulations on your selection of the 2012 Acura RL. We are certain you
will be pleased with your purchase of one of the f inest luxury vehicles in the
world.
Introduction
i
TM
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µ Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important
responsibility.
To help you make inf ormed
decisions about saf ety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other inf ormation on labels and in
this manual. This inf ormation alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your vehicle. You must
use your own good judgement.You will f ind this important saf ety inf ormation in a variety of f orms,
including:
on the vehicle.
preceded by a saf ety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: , , or .
such as Important Saf ety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions.
such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is f illed with important saf ety inf ormation please read it
caref ully.These signal words mean: Saf ety L abels
Saf ety Messages
Saf ety Headings
Saf ety Section
Instructions
AFewWordsAboutSafety
DANGER WARNING CAUTION
iii
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions.
You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions.
You CAN be HURT if you don’t follow
instructions.
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µ You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your passengers
always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly (see page ).
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat, not the front seat. Infants and
smallchildrenshouldberestrained
in a child seat. Larger children
should use a booster seat and a lap/
shoulder belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat
(see pages ).While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for currentconditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ).
Engaging in mobile phone
conversation or other activities that
keep you f rom paying close attention
to the road, other vehicles and
pedestrians could lead to a crash.
Remember, situations can change
quickly, and only you can decide
when it is saf e to divert attention
away f rom driving. 17
38 55445
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Restrain All ChildrenBe Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and Drive
Control Your SpeedK eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Pay Appropriate Attention to the
Task of Driving Saf ely
8
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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.
See page f or how to lock the
doors. When the trunk is not tightly closed,
the ‘‘TRUNK OPEN’’ indicator will
come on.When one or more doors and the
trunk lid are not tightly closed, the
corresponding indicator f or each
condition and the ‘‘DOOR & TRUNK
OPEN’’ indicator will come on.153
Protecting A dults and Teens
14
This shows the front and rear left
doors, and the trunk open.
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CONT INUED
Af ter inf lating, the f ront airbags will
immediately def late, so they won’t
interf ere with the driver’s visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
The total time for inflation and
def lation is one-tenth of a second, so
f ast 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 actually
powder f rom the airbag’s surf ace.
Although the powder is not harmf ul,
people with respiratory problems
mayexperiencesometemporary
discomf ort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is saf e to do
so.Your vehicle is equipped with dual-
stage, multiple-threshold f ront
airbags (SRS). During a f rontal crash
severe enough to cause one or both
f ront airbags to deploy, the airbags
can inf late at dif f erent rates,
depending on the severity of the
crash, whether or not the seat belts
are latched, and/or other factors.
Front airbags are designed to
supplement the seat belts to help
reduce the likelihood of head and
chest injuries in f rontal crashes.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Dual-Stage, Multiple-T hreshold
Front A irbags (SRS)
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
29
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If you have children, or ever need to
drive with a child in your vehicle, be
sure to read this section. It begins
with important general guidelines,
then presents special inf ormation f or
infants, small children, and larger
children.Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In f act, traf f ic
collisions are the number one cause
of death of children age 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state,
Canadian province and territory
requires that inf ants and children be
properlyrestrainedwhentheyridein
a vehicle.
(see pages ).(see pages ). Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to protect child
passengers.
55 52
51 43
properly
Protecting Children General Guidelines
All Children Must Be Restrained
Inf ant s and small children must be
rest rained in an approved child seat
t hat is properly secured t o t he
vehicleLarger children must be restrained
wit h a lap/shoulder belt and ride on
a boost er seat unt il t he seat belt f it s
t hem properly
38
Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt and
use a booster seat if necessary.
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This shows the temperature of the
engine’s coolant. During normal
operation, the pointer should rise
from the bottom white mark to about
the middle of the gauge. In severe
driving conditions, such as very hot
weather or a long period of uphill
driving, the pointer may rise to theupper end of the white section of the
gauge. If it reaches the red (hot)
mark, pull saf ely to the side of the
road. For more inf ormation, see page
.This shows how much f uel you
have. It may show slightly more
or less than the actual amount.
The needle returns to the
bottom after you turn off the
ignition.
505
Gauges
Temperature GaugeFuel Gauge
70
U.S. model is shown.TACHOMETER TEMPERATURE GAUGESPEEDOMETER
FUEL GAUGE
Avoid driving with an extremely low
f uel level. Running out of f uel could
cause the engine to misf ire, damaging
the catalytic converter.
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The system may not recognize your
key’s coding if another immobilizer
key or other metal object (i.e. key
chain) is near the ignition switch
when you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position.
If the system repeatedly does not
recognize the coding of your remote
or built-in key, contact your dealer.
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it. Electrical
problems could result that may make
your vehicle inoperable.
If you have lost your remote or
built-in key and cannot start the
engine, contact your dealer.The ignition switch has f our
positions: LOCK (0), ACCESSORY
(I), ON (II), and START (III).
To use the built-in key, you have to
remove the cover (see page ).178As required by the FCC:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
f ollowing two conditions: (1) This device
may not cause harmf ul interf erence, and
(2) this device must accept any
interf erence received, including
interf erence that may cause undesired
operation.
Changes or modif ications not expressly
approved by the party responsible f or
compliance could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with Industry
Canada Standard RSS-210.
Operation is subject to the f ollowing two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interf erence, and (2) this device must
accept any interf erence that may cause
undesired operation of the device.
CONT INUED
Ignition Switch
Immobilizer System, Ignition Switch
Inst rument s and Cont rols
151
IGNITION SWITCHBUILT-IN KEY
COVER
Always take the keyless access remote
and built-in key with you whenever you
leave the vehicle alone.
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Your vehicle has a memory feature
f or the steering wheel, driver’s seat,
and outside mirror positions.
Two seat, steering wheel, and
outside mirror positions can be
stored in separate memories. You
select a memorized position by
pushing the appropriate button.
You can also select the memorized
positions by unlocking the doors
with the remote. Each remote has a
driver’s ID (see page ). The
driver’s ID (Driver 1) corresponds to
the memorized positions stored with
the memory button (1). The driver’s
ID (Driver 2) corresponds to the
memorized positions stored with the
memory button (2).Store a driving position only when
the vehicle is parked.
Turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position. You cannot add a
new driving position to the
memory unless the ignition switch
is in the ON (II) position. You can
recall a memorized position with
the ignition switch in any position.
Adjust the seat to a comfortable
position (see page ).
Adjust the steering wheel to a
comf ortable position (see page
).
Adjust the outside mirrors f or best
visibility (see page ).Press the MEMO button on the
driver’s door. You will hear a beep.
The indicator in the memory
buttons (1 and 2) will blink.
Immediatelypressoneof the
memory buttons (1 or 2) until you
hear two beeps. The indicator in
the memory button will stay on.
The current positions of the
driver’s seat, steering wheel, and
outside mirrors are now stored. 1.
2.
148 174 3.
156
161
Driving Posit ion Memory Syst em
Storing a Driving Position in
Memory
164
MEMORY
BUTTONSMEMO BUTTON
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The handle of each f ront door has a
sensor. That sensor works with the
remote so you can automatically
unlock/lock the door(s).
By def ault, only the driver’s door
unlocks when you grab its handle.If a remote is within operating range
while you wash your vehicle or when
it is raining heavily, the door sensors
may respond by unlocking the doors.
The unlock sensors do not operate
when:
Theremoteisnotwithinthe
operating range.
The remote is too close to the
vehicle.
When the doors are unlocked.
Theremotebatteryisdead.
The vehicle battery is dead.
If you do not open any of the doors
within 30 seconds, they will
automatically relock. If you wear a glove while grabbing a
f ront door handle, the door sensor
maybeslowtorespondormaynot
respond by unlocking the doors. To change the ‘‘KEYLESS ACCESS
BEEP’’ setting, see page . To change the ‘‘KEYLESS ACCESS
LIGHT FLASH’’ setting, see page
. When you unlock the door(s), some
exterior lights blink twice and the
system beeps twice. All the doors unlock when you grab
the handle of the f ront passenger’s
door. To change the ‘‘DOOR UNLOCK
MODE’’ setting, see page .
To unlock the remaining doors and
the trunk, press the UNLOCK
button on the remote or the rear of
the master door lock switch on the
driver’s door.109
111
113 Unlocking the Door(s)
K eyless A ccess System
Inst rument s and Cont rols
169
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