seats Acura RSX 2002 Owner's Manual

This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains your Supple-
mental Restraint System. And it tells
you how to properly restrain inf ants
andchildreninyourcar..........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.............
Your Car’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
.........................................
Airbags .10
.....................
Seats & Seat-Backs .11
..........................
Head Restraints .11
..................................
Door Locks .11
........
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist . 12
............................
Protecting Adults .13
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 13 ...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 13
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 14
4. Fasten and Position the Seat .....................................
Belts .16
....
5. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 17
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .18
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 19
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 19
........................
Protecting Children .21
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .21
Children Should Sit in the Back ...........................................
Seat .22
The Passenger’s Front Airbag Poses Serious Risks to ...............................
Children .22
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .24
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .24
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 25
General Guidelines f or Using ...............................
Child Seats .26
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .30
.........
Protecting Small Children . 34 .......
Protecting Larger Children . 37
Using Child Seats with .....................................
Tethers .41
.............................
Using LATCH .42
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .44
..
Seat Belt System Components . 44
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .44
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .45
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 46
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags .48
........................
SRS Components .48
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .48
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 50
How the SRS Indicator Light .......................................
Works .51
How the Side Airbag Cut-of f ...........
Indicator Light Works . 52
.............................
Airbag Service .53
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 53
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 54
...................................
Saf ety Labels .55
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
5

Foryoursafety,andthesafetyof
your passengers, your car is
equipped with seat belts in all seating
positions.
These saf ety f eatures are designed
to reduce the severity of injuries in a
crash. However, you and your
passengers can’t take f ull advantage
of these saf ety f eatures unless you
remain sitting in a proper position
and
In f act, some saf ety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly. Your seat belt system also
includes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to f asten your seat
belts. 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 car has airbags.
In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
always wear your seat belts
properly. Why Wear Seat Belt s
8

How you adjust your seats and seat-
backs can also affect your safety. For
example, sitting too close to the
steering wheel or dashboard
increases the risk of you or your
passenger being injured by striking
theinsideof thecar,orbyan
inf lating airbag.
Reclining a seat-back too f ar reduces
the seat belt’s ef f ectiveness and
increases the chance that the seat’s
occupant will slide under the seat
belt in a crash and be seriously
injured. Your car’s seats are designed to keep
you in a comf ortable, upright
position so you can take f ull
advantage of the protection offered
by seat belts and the energy
absorbing materials in the seats.Move the f ront
seats as far back as possible, and
keep adjustable seat-backs in an
upright position whenever the car is
moving. Keeping your doors locked reduces
thechanceof beingthrownoutof
the car during a crash. It also helps
prevent occupants f rom accidentally
opening a door and f alling out, and
outsiders f rom unexpectedly opening
your doors.
Head restraints can help protect you
f rom whiplash and other injuries.
Seats & Seat-Backs
Door L ocks
Head Restraints
What you should do:
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
11

All adults, and children who have
outgrown child saf ety seats, are
wearing their seat belts and
wearingthemproperly(seepage).
Any inf ant or small child is
properly restrained in a child seat
inthebackseat(seepage ).
To make sure you and your
passengers get the maximum
protection f rom your car’s saf ety
f eatures, check the f ollowing each
time before you drive away:
The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Remember, however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
Seat-backs are upright (see page
).
Frontseatoccupantsaresitting
upright and as f ar back as possible
f rom the steering wheel and
dashboard (see page ).
All cargo is properly stored or
secured (see page ). Both doors are closed and locked
(see page ).
16
21 13
14
13164
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
Driver and Passenger Saf ety12

The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult
occupants.
These instructions also apply to
children who have outgrown child
seats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page f or
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger
children.)Any driver who sits too close to the
steering wheel is at risk of being
seriously injured or killed by striking
the steering wheel or f rom being
struck by an inflating front airbag
during a crash.
Af ter everyone has entered the car,
be sure the doors are closed and
locked.
For saf ety, locking the doors reduces
the chance that a passenger,
especially a child, will open a door
while the car is moving and
accidentally f all out. It also reduces
the chance of someone being thrown
out of the car during a crash.
For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider f rom
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
See page f or how to lock the
doors.
37
79
CONT INUED
Introduction A djust the Front Seats
Close and L ock the Doors
1. 2.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety13

To reduce the chance of injury, wear
your seat belt properly, sit upright
with your back against the seat and
movetheseatawayfromthe
steering wheel to the f arthest
distance that allows you to maintain
f ull control of the car.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
adjust the seat so the center of the
chest is at least 10 inches away f rom
the center of the steering wheel.
Also make sure your f ront seat
passenger moves the seat as f ar to
the rear as possible.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. If you
sit too close to the steering wheel,
you could be injured if the f ront
airbag inflates.
Most shorter drivers can get f ar
enough away f rom the steering
wheel and still reach the pedals.
However, if you are concerned about
sitting too close, we recommend that
you investigate whether some type
of adaptive equipment may help.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure
the seat is locked in position.
See page f or how to adjust the
f ront seats. 86
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
14
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.

After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on 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
car is parked and the engine is of f .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.
In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured by
striking interior parts of the car, or
by being struck by an inf lating f ront
airbag. Being struck by an inflating
side airbag can result in possibly
serious injuries.
Remember, to get the best
protection f rom your car’s airbags
and other safety features, you must
sit properly and wear your seat belt
properly.
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety18
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.

The f ollowing pages give general
guidelines f or selecting and installing
child seats f or inf ants and small
children.Childrenuptoaboutone
year old should be restrained in a
rear-facing, reclining child seat. Only
a rear-f acing seat provides the
proper support to protect an inf ant’s
head, neck, and back. See page for additional information on
protecting inf ants.
To provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:
The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Saf ety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer’s statement
of compliance on the box and seat.
30
General Guidelines f or Using
Child Seats
Inf ant s:
Select ing a Child Seat T he child seat should meet saf et y
st andards.
T he child seat should be of theproper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
2.
1.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety26

Bef ore purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specif ic vehicle
seating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not f it, you may need to buy a
different one that will fit.
Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not f it all
vehicle seating positions.
A child who is too
large f or a rear-f acing child seat, and
who can sit up without support,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing child seat. See page f or
additional inf ormation on protecting
small children. However, Acura is conf ident that one
or more child seat models can f it and
be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions in
your car.
Your car has lower anchorages
installed f or use with LATCH-
compatible child seats. For more
inf ormation, see page .
34 42
CONT INUED
T he child seat should f it the
vehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
Small Children: 3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27

Never in the f ront seat, due
to the f ront airbag hazard.
The passenger’s f ront airbag
inf lates with enough f orce to kill
or seriously injure an inf ant in a
rear-facing child seat.
A small child in a f orward-f acing
child seat is also at risk. If the
vehicle seat is too f ar f orward,
or the child’s head is thrown
f orward during a collision, an
inf lating f ront airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
If a small child must ride in the
f ront, f ollow the instructions
provided in this section. Not recommended,
due to the f ront airbag hazard. If a
small child must ride in f ront,
move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position and secure a f ront-
f acing child seat with the seat belt
(see page ).
Recommended positions.
Properlysecurearear-facingchild
seat (see page ).
Recommended
positions. Properly secure a f ront-
f acing child seat (see page ).
This page brief ly summarizes Acura’s
recommendations on where to place
rear-f acing and f orward-f acing child
seats in your car.
35
31 35
Placing a Child Seat Front Passenger’s Seat
Inf ant s:
Back Seat s
Small children:
Inf ant s:Small children:
Airbags Pose SeriousRisks to Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety28