ECO mode Acura TL 2004 Owner's Manual

T his Owner’s Manual should be considered
a permanent part of the vehicle, and should
remain with the vehicle when it is sold.
T his Owner’s Manual covers all models of
theAcuraTL.Youmayfinddescriptionsof
equipment and f eatures that are not on your
particular model.
T he inf ormation and specif ications included
in this publication were in ef f ect at the time
of approval f or printing. Honda Motor Co.,
Ltd. reserves the right, however, to
discontinue or change specif ications or
design at any time without notice and
without incurring any obligation whatsoever.
Owner’s Identif ication
POUR CLIENTS CANADIEN
A VIS IMPORT A NT : Si vous avez
besoin d’un Manuel du Conduct eur
en f rançais, veuillez demander à
votreconcessionnairede
commander le numéro de pièce
33SEPC00.
OWNER
ADDRESS
V. I. N.
DELIVERY DATE
DEALER NAMEDEALER NO.
ADDRESS
OWNER’S SIGNATURE
DEALER’S SIGNATURE
STREET
CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/
POSTAL CODE
(Date sold to original retail purchaser)
STREET
CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/
POSTAL CODE

You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe f rontal collision.
So even though your vehicle is
equipped with airbags, make sure
you and your passengers always
wear your seat belts, and wear them
properly (see page ).
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat. Infants and small children
should be restrained in a child seat.
Larger children should use a booster
and a lap/shoulder belt until theycanusethebeltproperlywithouta
booster (see page ).
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
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 drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ).
14 43
194
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Restrain All ChildrenBe Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and Drive
Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Driver and Passenger Saf ety6

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 ). Two side curtain airbags, one f or
each side of the vehicle. The
airbags are stored in the f ront,
center, and rear pillars. The f ront
and center pillars on both sides are
marked ‘‘SIDE CURTAIN
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Automatic front seat belt
tensioners (see page ).
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbags (see
page ).
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe front impact 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.
25 26
26 20
A irbag System Components
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety22

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
driver’s and f ront passenger’s f ront
airbags.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.
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.
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.
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How Your Front Airbags Work
Driver and Passenger Saf ety23

µµ
µ
(see pages ).(see pages ).
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in the
back seat. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration and
Transport Canada recommend that
all children age 12 and under be
properly restrained in the back seat. 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.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, in a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt (see page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children).
Children who ride in back are less
likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking.
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large and it can inf late 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.
34 35
4542
42
Inf ant s and small children must berest rained in an approved child seatt hat is properly secured t o t hevehicle
Larger children must be restrainedwit h a lap/shoulder belt and ride ona boost er unt il t he seat belt f it s t hemproperly Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwith passenger’s f ront airbag can behazardous.
Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag.
All Children Should Sit in the
Back Seat Small Children
L arger Children
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
Inf ants
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children General Guidelines
30

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
f or the seat, and the child is at least
one year old.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. In this vehicle, a rear-f acing child
seatcanbeplacedinanyseating
position in the back seat, but not in
the front.
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.
If the passenger’s
f ront airbag inf lates, it can hit the
back of the child seat with enough
f orce to kill or seriously injure an
inf ant.
In either of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat in a dif f erent back
seating position or get a smaller rear-
f acing child seat.
Protecting Inf ants and Small Children
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat ina f orward-f acing position. Child Seat Placement
Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe front seat.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety34
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.

Booster seats can be high-back or
low-back. Whichever style you select,
make sure the booster meets f ederal
saf ety standards and that you f ollow
the booster seat maker’s instructions.
If a child who uses a booster must
ride in f ront, move the vehicle seat
as far back as possible, and be sure
the child is wearing the seat belt
properly.A child may continue using a booster
seat until the tops of their ears are
even with the top of the vehicle’s or
booster’s seat-back. A child of this
height should be tall enough to use
the lap/shoulder belt without a
booster.
If the passenger’s f ront airbag
inf lates in a moderate to severe
f rontal collision, the airbag can cause
serious injuries to a child who is
unrestrained, improperly restrained,
sitting too close to the airbag, or out
of position.
The side airbag also poses risks. If
any part of a larger child’s body is in
the path of a deploying side airbag,
the child could receive possibly
serious injuries.
Some states also require children to
use a booster until they reach a
given age or weight (e.g., 6 years or
60lbs).Besuretocheckcurrent
laws in the state or states where you
intend to drive.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
Protecting L arger Children
When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front
Driver and Passenger Saf ety44

These labels are in the locations
shown. They warn you of potential
hazards that could cause serious
injury. Read these labels caref ully.
If a label comes of f or becomes hard
to read, contact your Acura dealer
f or a replacement.
CONT INUED
U.S. modelsCanadian models U.S. models only
Saf ety L abels
Driver and Passenger Saf ety47
HOOD
DASHBOARD
RADIATOR CAP

This indicator also blinks several
times when you turn the ignition
switch f rom ON (II) to ACCESSORY
(I) or LOCK (0). This indicator comes on f or a f ew
seconds when you turn the ignition
switch to ON (II). It then will go of f
if you have inserted a properly-coded
ignition key. If it is not a properly-
coded key, the indicator will blink
and the engine will not start (see
page ).This indicator is in the f uel gauge. It
comesonasareminderthatyou
must ref uel soon.This indicator comes on when you
turn on the fog lights. See page
f or inf ormation on f og light
operation.
81 75
U.S. models only
Immobilizer System
Indicator
L ow Fuel Indicator
Fog L ight Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
Inst rument s and Cont rols56
LOW FUEL INDICATOR

¼
When the multi-information display
is in the trip computer mode, press
the Select/Reset button. The display
changesasshownabove. Themessagesinthisdisplay
indicate:
When the display shows the initial
screen of the trip computer, press
the side of the INFO button to
display ‘‘MILES TO EMPTY’’. This
is the estimated distance you can
travelonthefuelremaininginthe
tank. This distance is estimated from
the f uel economy you received over
the last several miles, so it will vary
withchangesinspeed,traffic,etc.
AVG MPG: Average vehicle speed
AVG MPH: Average f uel economy
DIST: Distance traveled
TIME: Time traveled
To reset the values in the trip
computer, press Select/Reset button,
and hold it f or about 1 second.
Multi-Inf ormation Display
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Trip Computer
65