Acura RSX 2006 Owner's Guide

To deactivate the locking
mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt f ully retract. To
ref asten the seat 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 in any collision severe
enough to cause the f ront airbags to
inf late.
If the f ront seat belt tensioners ever
activate, they must be replaced as
the belts will no longer retract
properly. When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
manner. The tensioners can also be activated
during a collision in which the f ront
airbags
. In this case, the
airbags would not be needed, but the
additional restraint could be helpf ul.
do not deploy
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
20

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. 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.If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
it must be replaced by your dealer. A
belt that has been worn during a
crash may not provide the same level
of protection in a subsequent crash.
For inf ormation on how to clean your
seat belts, see page . 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.
191
Acura Warranty Inf ormation
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt Maintenance
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
21
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 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 ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal or side
impact. Automatic front seat belt
tensioners (see page ). Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
Sensors that can detect whether a
child is in the passenger’s side
airbag path and signal the control
unit to turn the airbag of f (see
page ).
A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records inf ormation about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, the seat belt
tensioners, and driver and f ront
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition switch is in the ON (II)
position.
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbags,
sensors, or seat belt tensioners
(see page ).
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you that the
passenger’s side airbag has been
turned of f (see page ).
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’’ (see page ).
23
20
25
27
26
25
A irbag System Components
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
22

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.
During a f rontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
and the f ront 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.
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 front airbags, at the time
and with the f orce needed.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How Your Front Airbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
23

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.
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 a
crash, 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.
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.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Dual-Threshold Airbags
Dual-Stage Airbags
not lat ched
is latched
more severe
less severe
24

If you ever have a moderate to
severe side impact, 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.
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.
Thesideairbagmayalsoshutoff if a
short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the airbag’s
deployment path.
Objects placed on the f ront
passenger seat can also cause the
side airbag to be shut off. Your vehicle has a side airbag cutof f
system designed primarily to protect
a child riding in the f ront passenger’s
seat.
Although Acura does not encourage
children to ride in f ront, if sensors
detect a child has leaned into the
side airbag’s deployment path, the
airbag will shut off.
CONT INUED
How Your Side A irbags Work
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Side A irbag Cut of f Syst em
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
25

If you see any of these indications,
the airbags and seat belt tensioners
may not work properly when you
need them.
If the side airbag of f indicator comes
on (see page ), have the
passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the airbag’s
deployment path, the system will
turn the airbag back on, and the
indicator will go out.
There will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of the airbag deployment
pathandwhentheindicatorcomes
on or goes of f .
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
the ON (II) position, this indicator
comes on brief ly then goes out. This
tells you the system is working
properly.
If the indicator comes on or
flashesonandoff whileyoudrive. If the indicator stays on after the
engine starts. If the SRS indicator does not come
on after you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position.
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: The SRS indicator alerts
you to a potential problem
with your airbags, sensors, or seat
belt tensioners.
27
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How the SRS Indicator Works
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.

Do not try to remove or replace
anyairbagbyyourself.Thismust
be done by your dealer or a
knowledgeable body shop.Take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly. Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
Improperly replacing
or covering f ront seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags f rom
inf lating during a side impact.
This indicator
alerts you that the
passenger’s side airbag has been
automatically shut off. It does
mean there is a problem with your
side airbags.
When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, the indicator
should come on brief ly and go out
(see page ). If it doesn’t come on,
it stays on, or it comes on while
driving without a passenger in the
f ront seat, have the system checked. Any airbag
that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. Any
seat belt tensioner that activates
must also be replaced.
If water or another liquid
soaks into a seat-back, it can
prevent the side airbag cutof f
system f rom working properly.
Your airbag systems are virtually
maintenance f ree, and there are no
parts you can saf ely service.
However, you must have your
vehicle serviced if:
52
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How the Side Airbag Of f
Indicator Works Airbag Service
Additional Saf ety Precautions
T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o a
problem. Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
Do not t amper wit h airbagcomponent s or wiring f or anyreason.
Do not cover or replace f ront seat -back covers wit hout consult ingyour dealer.
not
An airbag ever inf lates.
Do not expose the f ront seat-backsto liquid.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
27
U.S. Canada

µµ
µ
Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to protect child
passengers.
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.To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every U.S. state
and Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be properly
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
(see pages ). (see pages ).
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 the death of children age 12 and
under.
4441
32 40
properly
All Children Must Be Restrained
Inf ant s and small children must be
rest rained in an approved child seatt hat is properly secured t o t hevehicle Larger children must be restrained
wit h a lap/shoulder belt and ride ona boost er seat unt il t he seat belt f it st hem properly
Protecting Children General Guidelines
28
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.

µ
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt (see page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children).
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collisions. To do this
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
f orce to cause very serious injuries.
If
the airbag inf lates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
inf ant. If the vehicle seat is too
f ar f orward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in a
back seat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
age 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat. Some
states have laws restricting where
children may ride.
Children who ride in back are less
likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back.
41
Children who have outgrown child
seat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
Inf ant s
Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag. Small Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwith passenger’s f ront airbag can behazardous.
Larger Children
All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
29