ESP Acura TL 2000 3.2 Owner's Manual

Introduction
Congratulations ! Your selection of a 2000 Acura 3.2 TL was a wise
investment. It will give you years of driving pleasure.
One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new Acura is to re\
ad
this manual. In it, you will learn how to operate its driving controls and
convenience items. Afterwards, keep this owner's manual in your car so y\
ou can refer to it at any time.
Several warranties protect your new Acura. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights and responsibilities.
Maintaining your car according to the schedules given in this manual hel\
ps
to keep your driving trouble-free while it preserves your investment. Wh\
en
your car needs maintenance, keep in mind that your Acura dealer's staff \
is specially trained in servicing the many systems unique to your Acura. Yo\
ur
Acura dealer is dedicated to your satisfaction and will be pleased to an\
swer any questions and concerns. As you read this manual, you will
find information that is preceded by
a symbol. This
information is intended to help you avoid damage to your Acura, other
property, or the environment.

A Few Words About Safety
Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
car safely is an important
responsibility.
To help you make informed decisions about safety, we have
provided operating procedures and other information on labels and in
this manual. This information alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
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. You will find this important safety information in a variety of forms,
including: • Safety Labels — on the car.
• Safety Messages — preceded by a safety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION.
These signal words mean:
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLYHURT if you don't follow instructions.
You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY HURT if you don't follow instructions.
You CAN be HURT if you don't follow instructions.
• Safety Headings — such as Important Safety Reminders or Important Safety Precautions.
• Safety Section — such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
• Instructions — how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is filled with important safety information — please\
read it carefully.
DANGER

Important Safety Precautions
You'll find many safetyrecommendations throughout thissection, and throughout this manual.
The recommendations on this page are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
Always Wear Your Seat Belt A seat belt is your best protection in all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inflate only in a
moderate to severe frontal 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 15.)
Restrain All Children Children are safest when they are
properly restrained in the back seat,
not the front seat. A child who is too small for a seat belt must be properly
restrained in a child safety seat. (See page 20.) Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
While airbags can save lives, they can cause serious or fatal injuries tooccupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Infants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be sure to follow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. (See page 9.)
Don't Drink and Drive
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 drinkand drive, and don't let your friends
drink and drive, either. Control Your Speed
Excessive speed is a major factor 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
faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Keep Your Car in Safe Condition
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical failure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently, and perform all regularly scheduledmaintenance. (See page 192 .)
Driver and Passenger Safety

Protecting Adults
Introduction
The following 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 35 for important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger children.)
1.Close and Lock the Doors
After everyone has entered the car, be sure the doors are closed and
locked. Your car has a door monitor light on
the instrument panel to indicate
when a specific door is not tightly closed.
For safety, locking the doors reduces
the chance that a passenger, especially a child, will open a door
while the car is moving and accidentally fall 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 from
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
See page 77 for how to lock the
doors. 2.Adjust the Front Seats
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 from being struck by an inflating front airbag
during a crash.
Driver and Passenger Safety

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

Additional Information About Your Front Airbags
During a frontal crash, your seat
belts help restrain your lower bodyand torso. Your airbag provides a
cushion to help restrain and protect
your head and chest.
Since both airbags use the samesensors, both airbags normally
inflate at the same time. However, it
is possible for only one airbag to
inflate.
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
sufficient protection, and the supplemental protection offered by
the airbag would be minimal. After inflating, the front airbags
immediately deflate, so they won't
interfere with the driver's visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
The total time for inflation and deflation is approximately one-tenth
of a second, so fast 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 from the airbag's surface.
Although the powder is not harmful, people with respiratory problems
may experience some temporarydiscomfort. If this occurs, get out of
the car as soon as it is safe to do so.
U.S. Owners
For additional information on how
your airbags work, see the booklet titled SRS: What You Need to Know
About Airbags that came with yourowner's manual.
Canadian Owners
For additional information on how
your airbags work, ask your dealer for a copy of the booklet titled SRS:
What You Need to Know About Airbags.
Driver and Passenger Safety

Keys and Locks
As required by the FCC:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device
may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired
operation.
Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with Industry
Canada Standard RSS-210.
Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interference, and (2) this device must
accept any interference that may cause
undesired operation of the device.Ignition Switch
The ignition switch is on the right side of the steering column. It has
four positions:
• LOCK (0)
• ACCESSORY (I)
• ON (II)
• START (IIP LOCK (0) - You can insert or
remove the key only in this position.
To switch from ACCESSORY to LOCK, you must push the key inslightly as you turn it. The shift lever
must also be in Park. The anti-theft
lock will lock the steering column
when you remove the key.
If the front wheels are turned, the
anti-theft lock may sometimes make
it difficult to turn the key from
LOCK to ACCESSORY. Firmly turn
the steering wheel to the left or to
the right as you turn the key.
CONTINUED
Instruments and Controls

Keys and Locks
As required by the FCC:This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device
may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including
Interference that may cause undesired operation.
Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with mdustryCanada Standard RSS-210.Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.Transmitter Care
Avoid severe shock to the trans- mitter, such as dropping or throwing
it. Also, protect it from extreme hotor cold temperatures.
Clean the transmitter case with a
soft 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 function
properly.
If you lose a transmitter, you will
need to have the replacement
programmed to your car's system by
your Acura dealer. Any other transmitters you have will also need
to be reprogrammed. Childproof Door Locks
LEVER
The childproof door locks are
designed to prevent children seated
in the rear from accidentally opening
the rear doors. Each rear door has a
lock lever near the edge. With the
lever in the LOCK position, the door
cannot be opened from the inside
regardless of the position of the lock
tab. To open the door, pull the lock
tab up and use the outside door handle.
Instruments and Controls

HomeLink Universal Transmitter
Retraining a Button
To train an already programmed transmitter button to operate a newdevice:
1. Select the transmitter button you want to train.
2. Press and hold the transmitter button until the red light begins toflash slowly (approximately 20seconds).
3. While continuing to hold the transmitter button, place the
remote control for the device 1 to
3 inches from the HomeLink
transmitter.
4. Press and hold the button on the remote control. Hold both buttons
until the red light begins to flash
rapidly. 5. Release both buttons. The
transmitter, should now be trained
to operate the device.
Erasing Codes
To erase the codes stored in all three buttons, press and hold the twooutside buttons until the red light
begins to flash, then release the
buttons.
You should erase all three codes before selling the car.As required by the FCC:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including
interference that may cause undesired operation.
Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with Industry
Canada Standard RSS-210. Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference that may causeundesired operation of the device.
Instruments and Controls

Audio System
Radio signals, especially on the FM
band, are deflected by large objects such as buildings and hills. Your
radio then receives both the direct signal from the station's transmitter,
and the deflected 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 affected 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 interference from passing
vehicles and stationary sources can cause temporary reception problems.
As required by the FCC:
Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
Comfort and Convenience Features