belt Acura RSX 2004 User Guide

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
vehicle is parked and the engine is
off.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 in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inf lating f ront airbag. Being struck
by an inf lating side airbag can
possibly result in serious injuries.
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety16
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.

If you are pregnant, the best way to
protect yourself and your unborn
child when driving or riding in a
vehicle is to always wear a seat belt,
and keep the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across the hips.When driving, remember to sit
upright and adjust the seat as f ar
back as possible while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. When riding
as a f ront passenger, adjust the seat
as far back as possible.
This will reduce the risk of injuries
to both you and your unborn child
that can be caused by a crash or an
inflating front airbag.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.
If they do, they
couldbeveryseriouslyinjuredina
crash.
Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can
reduce the protective capability of
the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash.
CONT INUED
Advice f or Pregnant Women Additional Saf ety Precautions
Protecting A dults and Teens
T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on seatbelts.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety17

Your seat belt system
includes lap/shoulder belts
in all f our seating positions.
The seat belt system includes an
indicator on the instrument panel to
remind you and your passengers to
f asten your belts.
If you turn the ignition switch to ON
(II) without f astening your belt, a
beeper will sound and the indicator
will blink. The beeper will stop af ter
a f ew seconds, but the indicator will
stay on until the driver’s seat belt is
f astened. The lap and shoulder belt goes over
your shoulder, across your chest,
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 (see page f or how to
properly position the belt).
To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESSbuttononthebuckle.Guide
the belt across your body so that it
retracts completely. Af ter exiting the
vehicle, 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 f reely 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 positions except
the driver’s have an additional
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat (see
page ).
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 f reely.
14
39
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
Driver and Passenger Saf ety19

To deactivate the locking
mechanism, unlatch the buckle, and
let the seat belt f ully retract. To
ref asten the belt, pull it out only as
f ar as needed.For added protection, the f ront seat
belts are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners. When activated,
the tensioners immediately tighten
the belts to help hold the driver and
a f ront passenger in place.The tensioners are designed to
activate primarily in f rontal collisions,
andtheyshouldactivateinany
collision severe enough to cause
front-airbag inflation.
When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
manner. However, the tensioners can be
activated during a collision where
the f ront airbags do not deploy. In
this case, the airbags would not be
needed, but the additional restraint
could be helpf ul.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Driver and Passenger Saf ety20

For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Acura provides a lif etime warranty
on seat belts f or U.S. models. See
your
booklet f or details.If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
it must be replaced by the dealer. 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 f or damage and replace
them if needed. If the automatic seat
belt tensioners activate during a
crash, they must be replaced.
For inf ormation on how to clean your
seat belts, see page .
Pull each belt out f ully and look f or
f rays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
the belts retract easily. Any belt that
is not in good condition or not
working properly will not provide
good protection and should be
replaced as soon as possible.
180
Acura Warranty Inf ormation
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt Maintenance
Driver and Passenger Saf ety21
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.

Your airbag system includes:Two SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System) f ront airbags. The driver’s
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the f ront
passenger’sairbagisstoredinthe
dashboard. Both are marked ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG.’’
Two side airbags, one f or the
driver and one f or a f ront
passenger. The airbags are stored
in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked ‘‘SIDE
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Automatic seat belt tensioners
(see page ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal or side
impact. A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records inf ormation about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, and driver and
frontpassengerseatbeltusewhen
the ignition is in the ON (II)
position.
If you ever have a moderate to
severe f rontal collision, sensors will
detect the vehicle’s rapid
deceleration. If the rate of
deceleration is high enough, the
control unit will instantly inf late the
driver’s and f ront passenger’s f ront
airbags, at the time and with the
f orce needed.
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbags (see
page ).
An indicator on the dashboard that
alerts you that the passenger’s
side airbag has been turned of f
(see page ).
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
20 26
27
25
Airbag System Components
How Your Front Airbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
22

During a f rontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
and the airbag helps protect your
head and chest.
Although both airbags normally
inf late within split second of each
other, it is possible f or only one
airbag to deploy.
This can happen if 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.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.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
may experience some temporary
discomf ort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is saf e to do
so.
CONT INUED
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
23

Your f ront airbags are dual-stage
airbags. This means they have two
inf lation stages that can be ignited
sequentially or simultaneously,
depending on crash severity.
In acrash, both stages
will ignite simultaneously to provide
the quickest and greatest protection.
In a crash, one stage will
ignite first, then the second stage
will ignite a split second later. This
provides longer airbag inf lation time
with a little less force. Your f ront airbags are also dual-
threshold airbags. Airbags with this
f eature have two deployment
thresholds that depend on whether
or not the occupant is wearing a seat
belt.
If the occupant’s belt is
,
the airbag will deploy at the same
threshold as a conventional airbag.
If the occupant’s belt , the
airbag will inf late at a slightly higher
threshold, when the airbag would be
needed to supplement the protection
provided by the seat belt.
Dual-Stage A irbags
more severeless severe not lat ched
is latchedDual-Threshold Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
24

If you ever have a moderate to
severe side impact, the sensors will
detect rapid deceleration and signal
the control unit to instantly inf late
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.If the side airbag cutof f indicator
comes on, 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 indicator will
go out.
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.
When you turn the ignition switch to
ON (II), the indicator should come
on brief ly and go out (see page ).
If it doesn’t come on, stays on, or
comes on while driving without a
passenger in the f ront seat, have the
system checked.
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.
27
How Your Side A irbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
25

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:If the SRS indicator does not come
on after you turn the ignition to
ON (II).
If the indicator stays on after the
engine starts.
If the indicator comes on or
f lashes on and of f while you drive.
If you see any of these indications,
airbags and seat belt tensioners may
not work properly when you need
them.
The SRS indicator alerts
you to a potential problem
with your f ront airbags, side airbags,
or f ront seat belt tensioners.
When you turn the ignition to ON
(II), this indicator will come on
brief ly then go out. This tells you
that the system is working properly. How the SRS Indicator Works
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
26
Ignoring the SRS indicator can
result in serious injury or death
if the airbag systems or
tensioners do not work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a
dealer as soon as possible if
the SRS indicator alerts you to
a possible problem.