REPLACE Acura TL 2006 Owner's Manual

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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.
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 ).
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. 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 ). 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.
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 they
canusethebeltproperlywithouta
booster (see pages ). 16
49 52 209
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat BeltControl Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Restrain All Children Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and Drive
8

They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.
The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:
The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Your vehicle also has side curtain
airbags to help protect the heads of
the driver, f ront passenger, and
passengers in the outer rear seating
positions during a moderate to
severe side impact (see page f or
more inf ormation on how your side
curtain airbags work). Remember however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injures or
deaths that can occur in a severe
crash, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright and as f ar back f rom the
steering wheel as possible while
allowing f ull control of the vehicle. A
f ront passenger should move their
seat as far back from the dashboard
as possible.
To do
their job, airbags must inf late with
tremendous f orce. So while
airbags help save lives, they can
cause minor injuries or more
serious or even fatal injuries if
occupants are not properly
restrained or sitting properly.
30
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Airbags do not replace seat belts.
A irbags of f er no prot ect ion in rearimpact s, or minor f ront al or sidecollisions. What you should do:
A irbags can pose hazards.
12

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 primarily in f rontal collisions,
andtheyshouldactivateinany
collision severe enough to cause
f ront airbag inf lation.
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.
When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
manner.
If the f ront seat belt tensioners ever
activate, they must be replaced as
the belts will no longer retract
properly.
do not deploy
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
21

For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.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.
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. If a belt does
not retract easily, cleaning the belt
may correct the problem (see page
). Any belt that is not in good
condition or working properly will
not provide good protection and
should be replaced as soon as
possible.
We provide a lif etime warranty on
seat belts f or U.S. models. See your booklet
f or details. 231
231
Acura Warranty Inf ormation
Seat Belt Maintenance
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
22
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.

If no one is riding in the f ront seat,
the airbag will be automatically shut
of f . However, the indicator will not
come on.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:
Any airbag
that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. If a
f ront airbag inf lates, the seat belt
tensioners must also be replaced. Even if your
airbags do not inflate, your dealer
should inspect the driver’s seat
position sensor and the f ront
passenger’s weight sensors to
make sure they are operating
properly.
Take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly. Do not try to remove or replace
anyairbagbyyourself.Thismust
be done by your dealer or a
knowledgeable body shop.
If the indicator comes on with no
passenger in the f ront, or with an
adult in the seat, there may be a
problem with the advanced airbag
system. Have the vehicle checked by
your dealer as soon as possible.
The passenger airbag of f indicator
may also come on and of f repeatedly
if total weight on the seat is near the
airbag cutoff threshold.
If this happens, have the passenger
ride properly restrained in a back
seat. If the passenger must ride in
front, move the seat as far to the
rear as possible, and have the
passenger sit upright and wear the
seat belt properly.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Airbag Service
An airbag ever inf lates.
If your vehicle has a moderat e t o
severe impact .
T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o a problem.
32

Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
This could make the
driver’s seat position sensor or the
f ront passenger’s weight sensors
inef f ective. If it is necessary to
remove or modif y a f ront seat to
accommodate a person with disabilities, f irst contact Acura
Client Services at 800-382-2238.
If water or another liquid
soaks into a seat-back, it can
prevent the side airbag cutof f
system f rom working properly. Improperly replacing
or covering f ront seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags f rom
inf lating during a side impact.
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags.
Do not t amper wit h airbagcomponent s or wiring f or anyreason.
Do not remove or modif y a f rontseat without consulting yourdealer.
Do not expose the f ront seat-backs
to liquid. Do not cover or replace f ront seat -
back covers wit hout consult ingyour dealer.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
33

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 dealer for a
replacement.
U.S. modelsCanadian models U.S. models only
Saf ety L abels
54
HOOD
DASHBOARD
RADIATOR CAP

This indicator reminds you that the
exterior lights are on. It comes on
when the light switch is in either theor position. If you turn the
ignition switch to the ACCESSORY
(I) or the LOCK (0) position without
turning of f the light switch, this
indicator will remain on. A reminder
chime will also sound when you open
the driver’s door.
The lef t or right turn signal indicator
blinks when you signal a lane change
or turn. If an indicator does not blink
or blinks rapidly, it usually means
one of the turn signal bulbs is
burned out (see page ). Replace
the bulb as soon as possible, since
other drivers cannot see that you are
signaling.
When you press the hazard warning
button, both turn signal indicators
blink. All turn signals on the outside
of the vehicle should f lash.
This indicator also comes on with
reduced brightness when the
daytime running lights (DRL) are on
(see page ). This indicator comes on with the
high beam headlights. See pagef or inf ormation on the headlight
controls. If this indicator comes on when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON
(II) position and the parking brake is
released, it means there is a problem
in a circuit. Have your vehicle
checked by your dealer.
228
8484Canadian models only
Instrument Panel Indicators
Turn Signal and
Hazard Warning
Indicators ‘‘Daytime Running
Lights’’ Indicator
Lights On Indicator
High Beam Indicator
Inst rument s and Cont rols
63

This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position. If it comes on while driving,
it means that one or more of your
vehicle’s tires are extremely low on
pressure. You will also see a
‘‘CHECK TIRE PRESSURE’’
message on the multi-inf ormation
display. The multi-inf ormation
display will show you which tire has
lost the pressure and how much
pressure it has lost (see page ).This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
If this indicator comes on and stays
on at any other time, or if it does not
come on when you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position, there
is a problem with the TPMS. You will
also see ‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’
message on the multi-information
display. With this indicator on, the
low tire pressure indicator will not
come on, and the tire pressure
monitor on the multi-inf ormation
display will not be displayed.
If this happens, pull to the side of the
road when it is saf e, check which tire
has lost the pressure on the multi-
inf ormation display, and determine
the cause. If it is because of a flat tire,
replace the flat tire with the compact
spare (see page ), and have the
f lat tire repaired as soon as possible.
If two or more tires are underinf lated,
call a prof essional towing service.
For more inf ormation, see page .
245
204 204
Low Tire Pressure
Indicator
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (T PMS) Indicator
Instrument Panel Indicators
65

This shows the remaining lif e of the
engine oil. It shows 100% af ter the
engine oil is replaced and the display
is reset. The engine oil lif e is
calculated based on engine operating
conditions and accumulated engine
revolutions.When the engine oil lif e reaches 15
percent, the display shows
‘‘SERVICE DUE SOON’’ and the
code f or the maintenance items to be
perf ormed.Have your dealer do the indicated
maintenance as soon as you see this
message, and have them reset the
display af ter completing the service.
If you do not perf orm the indicated
maintenance or do not reset the
display, the message changes to
‘‘SERVICE PAST DUE’’ when the
engine oil lif e becomes 0 percent.
These messages appear on the multi-
inf ormation display each time you
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.
When the engine oil lif e reaches 5
percent, the display shows
‘‘SERVICE DUE NOW’’ along with
the same maintenance items. For details on engine oil lif e and
maintenance messages, ref er to page
.
Also ref er to page f or important
maintenance saf ety precautions. 209
208
Engine Oil L if e
Maintenance Messages
Multi-Inf ormation Display
73