ESP Acura TL 2009 Owner's Manual

Several warranties protect your new vehicle. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights
and responsibilities.As you read this manual, you will
f ind inf ormation that is preceded by
a
symbol. This
inf ormation is intended to help you
avoid damage to your vehicle, other
property, or the environment.
One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new vehicle is to
read this manual. In it, you will learn how to operate its driving controls and
convenience items. Af terwards, keep this owner’s manual in your vehicle so
youcanrefertoitatanytime.
Maintaining your vehicle according to the maintenance minder shown in the
instrument panel helps to keep your driving trouble-f ree while it preserves
your investment. When your vehicle needs maintenance, keep in mind that
your dealer’s staf f is specially trained in servicing the many systems unique
to your vehicle. Your dealer is dedicated to your satisf action and will be
pleased to answer any questions and concerns.
Congratulations! Your selection of a 2009 Acura TL was a wise investment. It
will give you years of driving pleasure.
Introduction
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Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important
responsibility.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your vehicle. You must
use your own good judgement.
You will f ind this important saf ety inf ormation in a variety of f orms,
including:
on the vehicle.preceded by a saf ety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: , , or .
These signal words mean:
such as Important Saf ety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions. such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
This entire book is f illed with important saf ety inf ormation please read it
caref ully.
To help you make inf ormed
decisions about saf ety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other inf ormation on labels and in
this manual. This inf ormation alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Saf ety L abels
Saf ety Messages
Saf ety Headings
Saf ety Section
Instructions
AFewWordsAboutSafety
DANGER WARNING CAUTION
iii
You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT 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.
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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.
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 ).
Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse withevery additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
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.
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat, not the front seat. Infants and
smallchildrenshouldberestrained
in a child seat. Larger children
should use a booster seat and a lap/
shoulder belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat
(see pages ). 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 ).
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.
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568
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Don’t Drink and Drive
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Restrain All ChildrenK eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Control Your Speed
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The above illustration shows that all
doors and the trunk are open.When one or more doors or the
trunk lid are not tightly closed, the
corresponding indicator f or each
condition will come on.
Theaboveexampleshowsthefront
right and rear lef t doors, and the
trunk open.
When the trunk is not tightly closed,
the ‘‘TRUNK OPEN’’ indicator will
come on.
Protecting A dults and Teens
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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.
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.
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.
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 a 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.
Only the driver’s airbag can deploy if
there is no passenger in the f ront
seat, or if the advanced airbag
system has turned the passenger’s
airbag off (see page ).
34
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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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.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 death of children age 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be properly
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
(see pages ). (see pages ).
4252 5356
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
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
37
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.
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If you turn the steering wheel to the
f ull lef t or right position repeatedly
while stopping or driving at very low
speed, you may f eel slightly harder
steering in order to prevent damage
to the steering box caused by
overheating.
You will also see a ‘‘CHECK POWER
STEERING SYSTEM’’ message on
the multi-information display.This indicator comes on red if any
door or the trunk lid is not closed
tightly.
You will also see a corresponding
indicator(s) on the multi-information
display to indicate which door and/
or the trunk is not closed tightly (see
page ).
If this happens, stop the vehicle in a
saf e place and turn of f the engine.
Reset the system by restarting the
engine. The indicator will stay on,
but should go of f af ter driving a
short distance. If it does not go of f ,
or comes back on again while driving,
take the vehicle to your dealer to
have it checked. With the indicator
on, the EPS may be turned of f ,
making the vehicle harder to steer.
This indicator comes on with the
high beam headlights. For more
inf ormation, see page .
This indicator also comes on with
reduced brightness when the
daytime running lights (DRL) are on
(see page ).
This indicator comes on when you
turn on the f og lights. For more
inf ormation, see page .
11 134
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137
Instrument Panel Indicators
Door/T runk Open
Indicator High Beam Indicator
Fog L ight Indicator
Inst rument s and Cont rols
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If there is a problem with your
vehicle, f or example, the engine oil
level is low or a door is not f ully
closed, the multi-inf ormation display
will show you the problem. It does
this by interrupting the current
display with one or more messages. The system message(s) triggers the
appropriate indicator(s) on the
instrument panel, including the
system message indicator, to come
on. The system message indicator
does not go of f until the problem(s)
is corrected.
You will also hear a beep when the
system message comes on f or the
first time.
Most of the messages are displayed
f or about 5 seconds, and then the
normal display returns. If there are
several system messages to be
shown, the display switches these
messages every 5 seconds.
To switch the message(s) bef ore 5
seconds have elapsed, press the
INFO( / )buttononthesteering
wheel.
Even if you press the INFO ( / )
button, some messages stay on or
come on again at regular intervals
until the problem is corrected.
If the system message indicator
remains lit on the instrument panel,
you can see the corresponding
message(s) again by pressing the
INFO ( / ) button repeatedly.
Here is a list of all messages:
CONT INUED
System Messages
Multi-Inf ormation Display
Inst rument s and Cont rols
87
SYSTEM MESSAGE INDICATOR
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If you try to enter the customizing
mode while the vehicle is moving,
you will see a ‘‘MUST STOP AND
SHIFTTOPARKTOCHANGE
SETTINGS’’ message and you
cannot change the settings.
You can customize some vehicle
control settings f or ‘‘DRIVER 1’’ and
‘‘DRIVER 2’’ separately.
To have the driver’s ID detected,
make sure the driver’s door is
unlocked with a corresponding
remote transmitter/keyless access
remote.
You can customize some vehicle
control settings. To change the
settings, the ignition switch must be
in the ON (II) position, and the
vehicle must be stopped with the
transmission in Park.
If you turn the ignition switch to the
ACCESSORY (I) or the LOCK (0)
position, or move the shif t lever out
of Park, the display will change to
the normal screen.
Models equipped with the
keyless access system have an
engine start/stop button instead
of an ignition switch. VEHICLE
OFF (LOCK) Mode is the
equivalent of LOCK (0),
ACCESSORY Mode is the
equivalent of ACCESSORY (I),
and ON Mode is the equivalent
of ON (II). For more
information, see pages and. If you use the key to unlock the
driver’s door, the system cannot
recognize either ‘‘DRIVER 1’’ or
‘‘DRIVER 2.’’
:
180 178On models without keyless access
system
Multi-Inf ormation Display
K eyless Memory Settings
Inst rument s and Cont rols
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If the system repeatedly does not
recognize the coding of your key or
keyless access remote, contact your
dealer.
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it. Electrical
problems could result that may make
your vehicle inoperable.
If you have lost your key or keyless
access remote and you cannot start
the engine, contact your dealer.As required by the FCC:This device complies with Part 15 of theFCC rules. Operation is subject to thef ollowing two conditions: (1) This devicemay not cause harmf ul interf erence, and(2) this device must accept anyinterf erence received, includinginterf erence that may cause undesiredoperation.
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with IndustryCanada Standard RSS-210.Operation is subject to the f ollowing twoconditions: (1) this device may not causeinterf erence, and (2) this device mustaccept any interf erence that may causeundesired operation of the device.
Immobilizer System
144
Always take the ignition key or the
keyless access remote with the built-in
key with you whenever you leave the
vehicle alone.
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