ESP Acura RSX 2003 Owner's Manual

As you read this manual, you will
f ind inf ormation that is preceded by
asymbol. This
inf ormation is intended to help you
avoid damage to your Acura, other
property, or the environment.
Several warranties protect your new Acura. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights
and responsibilities. One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new Acura 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 car so you
can ref er to it at any time.
Maintaining your car according to the schedules given in this manual helps
to keep your driving trouble-f ree while it preserves your investment. When
your car needs maintenance, keep in mind that your Acura dealer’s staf f is
specially trained in servicing the many systems unique to your Acura. Your
Acura dealer is dedicated to your satisf action and will be pleased to answer
any questions and concerns.
Calif ornia Proposition 65 Warning This product contains or emits chemicals known to the State of
Calif ornia to cause cancer and birth def ects or other reproductive harm. Congratulations! Your selection of a 2003 Acura RSX was a wise investment.
It will give you years of driving pleasure.
Introduction
WARNING:
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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.
You will f ind this important saf ety inf ormation in a variety of f orms,
including:
This entire book is f illed with important saf ety inf ormation please read it
caref ully.
such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
such as Important Saf ety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions. These signal words mean: preceded by a saf ety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: , , or .
Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
car saf ely is an important
responsibility.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your car. You must use
your own good judgement. on the car.
how to use this car correctly and saf ely.
AFewWordsAboutSafety
Saf ety Section Saf ety Headings Saf ety Messages Saf ety L abels
Instructions DANGER WARNING CAUTION
ii
You CAN be HURT if you don’t follow
instructions. You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions. You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions.

Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the
risk, but serious accidents can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
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. (See page
.)
Children are saf est when they are
properly restrained in the back seat,
notthefrontseat.Achildwhoistoo
smallforaseatbeltmustbeproperly
restrained in a child saf ety seat. (See
page .) 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 .)
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
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe f rontal collision.
So even though your car is equipped
with airbags, make sure you and
your passengers always wear your
seat belts, and wear them properly.
(See page .)
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.
16
21 196
13
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards Control Your Speed
Restrain All Children K eep Your Car in Saf e Condition
Don’t Drink and Drive
6

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

(See page
.)
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle. Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In f act, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of death of children ages 12 and
under.
Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
otherchildreninyourcar,besureto
read this section. (See page .)
26
37
properly
CONT INUED
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
All Children Must Be Restrained
Anychildwhoistoosmalltowearaseat belt should be properlyrest rained in a child seat .
A larger child should always berest rained wit h a seat belt , and use aboost er, if needed.
21
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.

This can occur when the severity of
a collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether
or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will provide
suf f icient protection, and the
supplemental protection of f ered by
the airbag would be minimal. Since both airbags use the same
sensors, both airbags normally
inf late at the same time. However, it
is possible f or only one airbag to
inf late.Af ter inf lating, the f ront airbags
immediately def late, so they won’t
interf ere with the driver’s visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
During a f rontal 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.
The total time for inflation and
def lation is approximately 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 car as soon as it is safe to do so.
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety49

CONT INUED
As required by the FCC:This device complies with Part 15 of theFCC rules. Operation is subject to thef ollowing two conditions: (1) This devicemay not cause harmf ul interf erence, and(2) this device must accept anyinterf erence received, includinginterf erence that may cause undesiredoperation.
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with IndustryCanada Standard RSS-210.Operation is subject to the f ollowing twoconditions: (1) this device may not causeinterf erence, and (2) this device mustaccept any interf erence that may causeundesired operation of the device.
The ignition switch is on the right
side of the steering column. It has
f our positions:
LOCK(0)
 ACCESSORY (I)
 ON (II)
 START (III)
The Immobilizer System indicator
will also blink several times when
you turn the ignition switch f rom ON
(II) to ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0).
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it. Electrical
problems could result that may make
your car undriveable.
If you have lost your key and you
cannot start the engine, contact your
Acura dealer.
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Ignition Switch
77

´
Remove the old battery and note the
polarity. Make sure the polarity of
the new battery is the same ( side
f acing up), then insert it in the
transmitter.
Snapthetwohalvesof the
transmitter case back together. Avoid severe shock to the trans-
mitter, such as dropping or throwing
it. Also, protect it f rom extreme hot
or cold temperatures.
Clean the transmitter case with a
sof t cloth. Do not use strong
cleaners or solvents that could harm
the case. Immersing the transmitter
in any liquid will harm the trans-
mitter and cause it to not f unction
properly.
If you lose a transmitter, you will
need to have the replacement
programmed to your vehicle’s
system by your Acura dealer. Any
other transmitters you have will also
need to be reprogrammed.
As required by the FCC:
This device complies with Part 15 of theFCC rules. Operation is subject to thef ollowing two conditions: (1) This devicemay not cause harmf ul interf erence, and(2) this device must accept anyinterf erence received, includinginterf erence that may cause undesiredoperation.
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with IndustryCanada Standard RSS-210.Operation is subject to the f ollowing twoconditions: (1) this device may not causeinterf erence, and (2) this device mustaccept any interf erence that may causeundesired operation of the device.
CONT INUED
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Transmitter Care
83

Radio signals, especially on the FM
band, are def lected by large objects
such as buildings and hills. Your
radio then receives both the direct
signal f rom the station’s transmitter,
and the def lected signal. This causes
the sound to distort or flutter. This is
a main cause of poor radio reception
in city driving.Radio reception can be af f ected by
atmospheric conditions such as
thunderstorms, high humidity, and
even sunspots. You may be able to
receive a distant radio station one
day and not receive it the next day
because of a change in conditions.
Electrical interf erence f rom passing
vehicles and stationary sources can
cause temporary reception problems.
As required by the FCC:
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures132

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Downshif ting gives you more power
when climbing or provides engine
braking when going down a steep hill.
If you try to manually downshif t at a
speed that would cause the engine to
exceed the redline in a lower gear,
the transmission will not downshif t.
Thegearindicatorwillflashthe
numberof thelowergearseveral
times, then return to the higher gear.
If the car speed slows to below the
redline of the selected lower gear
position while the indicator is
f lashing, the transmission will
downshif t and the display will show
the selected lower gear.
The transmission will also shif t
automatically as the car comes to a
complete stop. It will downshif t to
f irst gear when the car speed is
under 6 mph (10 km/h).
The transmission may automatically
downshif t f rom the higher gear to
the lower gear under the f ollowing
conditions:
If you drive uphill between54:4533mph
(72 52 km/h)
43:3320mph
(52 32 km/h)
The car speeds drops below
5 4:33mph(52km/h)
4 3:20mph(32km/h) Thetableshowsthespeedranges
f or upshif ting and downshif ting.
If you press the brake pedal as you
drive downhill. To shift from
12
23
34
45 Speed range
over 0 mph (0 km/h)
over 6 mph (10 km/h)
over 20 mph (32 km/h)
over 33 mph (52 km/h)
Automatic Transmission
Driving177