child seat Acura RSX 2004 User Guide

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Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
f rontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or f requent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap. If you are not wearing a
seat belt in crash, you could be
thrown f orward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt the child can be torn
from your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed.
Never put a seat belt over yourself
or a child. During a crash, the belt
could press deep into the child and
cause serious or f atal injuries.
Never let two children use the
same seat belt. If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.Do not leave children alone in a
vehicle. Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, inf ants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition can accidentally set the
vehicle in motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others.
Lock both doors and the hatch
when your vehicle is not in use.
Children who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside the
vehicle. Teach your children not to
play in or around vehicles.
Protecting Children General Guidelines
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Driver and Passenger Saf ety32

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Keep vehicle keys and remote
transmitters out of reach of
children. Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the hatch, which can
lead to accidental injury or death.Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision.
Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back.
An inf ant must be properly
restrained in a rear-f acing, reclining
child seat until the child reaches the
seat maker’s weight or height limit
for the seat, and the child is at least
one year old.
CONT INUED
Child Seat Type
Protecting Children General Guidelines, Protecting Inf ants
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Inf ants
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat in
a f orward-f acing position.
33
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.

In this vehicle, a rear-f acing child
seatcanbeplacedineitherseating
position in the back seat, but not in
the front seat.If the passenger’s
f ront airbag inf lates, it can hit the
back of the child seat with enough
forcetokillorseriouslyinjurean
inf ant.
When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront passenger f rom
moving the seat as far back as
recommended, or f rom locking the
seat-back in the desired position.
In either of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat directly behind the
f ront passenger seat, move the f ront
seat as far forward as needed, and
leave it unoccupied. Or you may wish
to get a smaller child seat that allows
you to saf ely carry a f ront passenger. A child who is at least one year old,
and who fits within the child seat
maker’s weight and height limits,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing, upright child seat.We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit f or the seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown. We strongly recommend placing a
forward-facing child seat in a back
seat,notthefront.Evenwith
advanced airbags, which can
automatically turn the passenger’s
f ront airbag of f (see page ), a
back seat is the safest place for a
small child.
27
Child Seat Type
Child Seat Placement
Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe front seat. Child Seat Placement
Protecting Small Children
Protecting Inf ants, Protecting Small Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety34

If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the vehicle, and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.When buying a child seat, you need
to choose between a conventional
child seat, or one designed f or use
with the Lower Anchors and Tethers
f or Children (LATCH) system.
Conventional child seats must be
secured to a vehicle with a seat belt,
whereas LATCH-compatible seats
are secured by attaching the seat to
hardware built into the rear seats.
Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style.
We also recommend selecting a
LATCH-compatible seat with a rigid,
rather than a f lexible, anchor (see
page ).In seating positions and vehicles not
equipped with LATCH, a LATCH-
compatible child seat can be installed
using a seat belt.
38
CONT INUED
Protecting Small Children, Selecting a Child Seat
Selecting a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety35
Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat can result
in serious injury or death if the
front airbag inflates.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible, and properly restrain
the child.

Whatever type of seat you choose, to
provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:Look f or FMVSS
213 or CMVSS 213 on the box.
Rear-facing for infants, forward-
f acing f or small children.
Bef ore purchasing a conventional
child seat, or using a previously
purchased one, we recommend that
you test the seat in the specif ic
vehicle seating position, or positions,
where the seat will be used. Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
and a good place to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:
All child seats must be
secured to the vehicle with the lap
part of a lap/shoulder belt or with
the LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers f or Children) system. A
child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered in a crash.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure. A child seat secured with a seat belt
should be installed as f irmly as
possible. However, it does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid’’. Some side-to-side
movement can be expected and
should not reduce the child seat’s
ef f ectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured.
Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
canbeseriouslyinjuredinacrash.
1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3.
Selecting a Child Seat, Installing a Child Seat
T he child seat should meet U.S. or
Canadian Mot or Vehicle Saf et ySt andard 213.
T he child seat should be of theproper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
T he child seat should f it thevehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used. Properly secure t he child seat t o
the vehicle.
Make sure t he child seat is f irmlysecured. Secure the child in the child seat.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety36

Your vehicle is equipped with
LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers f or Children) at the rear
seats. The lower anchors are located
between the seat-back and seat
bottom, and are to be used only with
a child seat designed f or use with
LATCH.
To install a LATCH-compatible child
seat:Move the seat belt buckle or
tongue away f rom the lower
anchors.
Make sure there are no objects
near the anchors that could
prevent a secure connection
between the child seat and
anchors.
The f ollowing pages provide
guidelines on how to properly install
a child seat. A f orward-f acing child
seat is used in all examples, but the
instructions are the same f or a rear-
f acing child seat.
Small marks are positioned to
indicate the locations of each anchor
point. 1.
2.
CONT INUED
Installing a Child Seat
Installing a Child Seat Using
LATCH
Driver and Passenger Saf ety37
LOWER ANCHORS LOWER ANCHOR
MARKS

Place the child seat on the vehicle
seat, and attach the seat to the
lower anchors according to the
child seat maker’s instructions.
Some LATCH-compatible seats
have a rigid-type connection as
shown above.Other LATCH-compatible seats have
a f lexible-type connection as shown
above.
Whatever type you have, f ollow
the child seat maker’s instructions
f or adjusting or tightening the f it. Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchor, then tighten the
strap as instructed by the child
seat maker. Route the tether strap over the
seat-back, making sure the strap is
not twisted.
Pushandpullthechildseat
f orward and f rom side-to-side to
verif y that it is secure.
3.
4.5.
6.
7.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety38
Rigid type
Flexible type

When not using the LATCH system,
all child seats must be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a lap/
shoulder belt.
In addition, the lap/shoulder belts in
the back seating positions, and in the
f ront passenger seat, have a locking
mechanism that must be activated to
secure a child seat.With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker’s instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the
buckle.To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt feed back into the
retractor.
Af ter the belt has retracted, tug on
it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
thebeltout,itisnotlocked,and
you will need to repeat these steps.
1.
2.
3.
CONT INUED
Installing a Child Seat
Installing a Child Seat with a L ap/
Shoulder Belt
Driver and Passenger Saf ety39

Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is f irmly secured. If
the child seat is not secure,
unlatch the belt, allow it to retract
f ully, then repeat these steps.
Af ter conf irming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat while
pulling up on the belt.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt f ully retract. A child seat with a tether can be
installed in either seating position in
the back seat, using one of the
anchorage points.
Since a tether can provide additional
security to the lap/shoulder belt
installation, we recommend using a
tether whenever one is required or
available. (Tethers are required in
Canada.)
4. 5.
Installing a Child Seat
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Installing a Child Seat with a
Tether
40

The tether anchorage points are
located under plastic covers. Pivot
the cover downward to access the
anchorage point.Attach the tether strap hook to the
tether anchorage point as shown in
the illustration, then tighten the
strap according to the child seat
maker’s instructions. Make sure
strap is not twisted.When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the
child should sit in a back seat on a
booster and wear a lap/shoulder belt.
The f ollowing pages give
instructions on how to check proper
seat belt f it, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions f or a child
who must sit in f ront.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Installing a Child Seat, Protecting L arger Children
Protecting L arger Children
41
TETHER ANCHORAGE POINT
COVER
Allowing a large child age 12 or
under to sit in front can result in
injury or death if the passenger’s
front airbag inflates.
If a large child must ride in front,
move the vehicle seat as far
back as possible, use a booster
seat if needed, have the child
sit up properly and wear the
seat belt properly.