Acura TL 2000 3.2 Owner's Guide

Protecting Adults
Remember, to get the best
protection from your car's airbags and other safety features, you mustsit properly and wear your seat belt
properly. Advice for Pregnant Women
Because protecting the mother is the
best way to protect her unborn child, a pregnant woman should always
wear a seat belt whenever she drives or rides in a car.
Remember to keep the lap portion of
the belt as low as possible across
your hips. Pregnant women should also sit
upright and as far back as possible
from the steering wheel or dashboard. This will reduce the risk
of injuries to both the mother and
her unborn child that can be caused
by a crash or an inflating airbag.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it's okay for you to drive.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults
Additional Safety Precautions
• Two people should never use thesame seat belt. If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
•
Do not put any accessories on seat
belts. Devices intended to improve occupant comfort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can
severely compromise the
protective capability of the seat
belt and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
• Do not place hard or sharp objects
between yourself and a front
airbag. Carrying hard or sharp
objects on your lap, or driving with
a pipe or other sharp object in
your mouth, can result in injuries if your front airbag inflates.
• Do not attach or place objects on
the front airbag covers. Any object
attached to or placed on the covers
marked "SRS AIRBAG," in the
center of the steering wheel and on top of the dashboard could
interfere with the proper operation of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inflate, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt someone. • Do not attach hard objects on or
near a front door. If a side airbag
inflates, a cup holder or other hard object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
car and hurt someone.
• Keep your hands and arms away from the airbag covers. If your
hands or arms are close to the airbag cover in the center of thesteering wheel or on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if
the front airbags inflate.
Driver and Passenger Safety
crash.

Protecting Children
Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to properly
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
other children in your car, be sure to
read this section. 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 properlyrestrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt. All Children Must Be Restrained
Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not properly restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one causeof death of children ages 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child deaths and injuries, every state andCanadian province requires that
infants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.
Any child who is too small to wear a seat belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. (See page 24.)
A larger child should always be restrained with a seat belt. (See page 35.)
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children
Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
According to accident statistics, children of all ages and sizes aresafer when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the front seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
In the back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inflating airbag
when they ride in the back. The Passenger's Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to Children
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger's front airbag is quite
large, and it inflates with tremendous speed.
Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag. If
the airbag inflates, it can hit the back of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an infant.
Small Children
Placing a forward-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag can
be hazardous. If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the child with enough force to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Larger Children Children who have outgrown child
seats are also at risk of being injured
or killed by an inflating passenger's
front air bag. Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back seat, properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page 35 for important information about protecting larger
children.)
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Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children
U.S. Models
To remind you of the passenger's front airbag hazards, and thatchildren must be properly restrained
in the back seat, your car has
warning labels on the dashboard and on the driver's and front passenger's
visors. Please read and follow the instructions on these labels.
DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can occur• Children 12 and under can be killed by the air bag• The BACK SEAT is the SAFEST place for children• NEVER put a rear-facing child seat in the front• Sit as far back as possible from the air bag• ALWAYS use SEAT BELTS and CHILD RESTRAINTS
WARNING
Canadian Models
To remind you of the front airbaghazards, your car has warning labelson the driver's and front passenger's
visors. Please read and follow the instructions on these labels.
CAUTIONTO AVOID SERIOUS INJURY:
• FOR MAXIMUM SAFETY PROTECTION IN ALL TYPES OF CRASHES, YOU MUST
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SAFETY BELT.
• DO NOT INSTALL REARWARD-FACING CHILD SEATS IN ANY FRONTPASSENGER SEAT POSITION.
• DO NOT SIT OR LEAN UNNECESSARILY CLOSE TO THE AIR BAG.
•
DO NOT PLACE ANY OBJECTS OVER THEAIR BAG OR BETWEEN THE AIR BAG
AND YOURSELF.
•
SEE THE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR FURTHERINFORMATION AND EXPLANATIONS.
PRECAUTION:POUR EVITER DES BLESSURES GRAVES:
• POUR PROFITER DUNE PROTECTION MAXIMALE LORS D'UNE COLLISION BOUCLEZ
TOUJOURS VOTRE CEINTURE DE SECURITE.
• NINSTALLEZ JAMAIS UN SIEGE POUR ENFANTS FAISANT FACE A L ARRIERE SUR
LE SIEGE DU PASSAGER AVANT.
•
NE VOUS APPUYEZ PAS ET NE VOUS ASSEYEZPAS PRES DU COUSSIN GONFLABLE.
• NE DEPOSEZ AUCUN OBJET SUR LE COUSSINGONFLABLE OU ENTRE LE COUSSIN
GONFLABLE ET VOUS.
• LISEZ LE GUIDE UTILISATEUR POUR DE PLUS AMPLES RENSEIGNEMENTS.
Driver and Passenger Safety
Children Can Be KILLED or INJURED
by Passenger Air Bag
The back seat is the safest place for children 12 and under.
Make sure all children use seat belts or child seats.
WARNING

Protecting Children
If You Must Drive with SeveralChildren
Your car has three seating positions in the back seat where children can
be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry more than
three children in your car:
• Place the largest child in the front seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page 35).
• Move the vehicle seat as far to the rear as possible (see page 12).
• Have the child sit upright and well back in the seat (see page 16).
• Make sure the seat belt is properly positioned and secured (see page
15). If a Child Requires Close
Attention Many parents say they prefer to put
an infant or small child in the front
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires attention.
Placing a child in the front seat
exposes the child to hazards from
the passenger's front airbag, and paying close attention to a childdistracts the driver from the
important tasks of driving, placing
both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attentionor frequent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the backseat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.Additional Safety Precautions
• Use childproof door locks to prevent children from opening thedoors. Using this feature will
prevent children from opening the
doors and accidentally falling out (see page 81 ).
• Use the main power window switch to prevent children from
opening the rear windows. Using
this feature will prevent children
from playing with the windows,
which could expose them to hazards or distract the driver (see
page 96 ).
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Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children
• Do not leave children alone in your
vehicle. Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, infants and small
children left in a vehicle on a hot day can die from heatstroke. And
children left alone with the key in
the ignition can accidentally set the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others. General Guidelines for Using
Child Seats
The following pages give general guidelines for selecting and installing
child seats for infants and smallchildren.
Selecting a Child Seat
To provide proper protection, a child seat should meet three
requirements:
1. The child seat should meet safety
standards. The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213) or Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer's statement of compliance on the box and seat.2. The child seat should be of the proper type and size to fit the child.
Infants: Children up to about one
year old should be restrained in a
rear-facing, reclining child seat. Only a rear-facing seat provides the
proper support to protect an infant's
head, neck, and back. See page 28 for additional information on
protecting infants.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children
Small Children: A child who is too
large for a rear-facing child seat, and
who can sit up without support, should be restrained in a forward-
facing child seat. See page 32 for additional information on protectingsmall children. 3. The child seat should fit the
vehicle seating position (or
positions) where it will be used.
Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not fit all vehicle seating positions.
However, Acura is confident that one
or more child seat models can fit and
be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions in
your car. Before purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specific vehicle
seating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does not fit, you may need to buy a different one that will fit.
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Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children
Placing a Child Seat
This page briefly summarizes Acura'srecommendations on where to place
rear-facing and forward-facing childseats in your car.
Airbags Pose SeriousRisks to Children
The passenger's front airbag inflates with enough force to killor seriously injure an infant in a
rear-facing child seat.
A small child in a forward-facing child seat is also at risk. If the
vehicle seat is too far forward, or the child's head is thrown
forward during a collision, an inflating front airbag can kill orseriously injure the child.
If a small child must ride in the
front, follow the instructions provided in this section. Front Passenger's Seat
Infants: Never in the front seat, due
to the front airbag hazard.
Small children: Not recommended,
due to the front airbag hazard. If a
small child must ride in front,
move the vehicle seat to the rear- most position and secure a front-
facing child seat with the seat belt (see page 32).
Back Seats
Infants: Recommended positions. Secure a rear-facing child seat
with the seat belt (see page 28).
Small children: Recommended positions. Secure a front-facing
child seat with the seat belt (see
page 32).
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Children
Installing a Child Seat
After selecting a proper child seat, and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in installing the seat:
1. Secure the child seat to the car with a seat belt. All child seats
must be secured to the car with
the lap part of a lap/shoulder belt.
A child whose seat is not properly secured to the car can be
endangered in a crash. See pages 29 and 33 for instructions on how
to secure child seats in this car.
2. Make sure the child seat is firmly secured. After installing a childseat, push and pull the seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure. To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as firmly as possible.
However, a child seat does not need
to be "rock solid." In some vehicles or seating positions, it may be
difficult to install a child seat so that
it does not move at all. Some side-to-side or back-and-forth movement can
be expected and should not reduce the child seat's effectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a different seating
position, or use a different style of
child seat that can be firmly secured
in the desired seating position. 3. Secure the child in the child seat.
Make sure the child is properly
strapped in the child seat
according to the child seat maker's
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
can be thrown out of the seat in a
crash and seriously injured.
Storing a Child Seat
When you are not using a child seat, either remove it and store it in a safe
place, or make sure it is properly secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.
Driver and Passenger Safety