light Acura TSX 2004 Owner's Manual

Your Car at a Glance
2
POWER WINDOW
SWITCHES
MIRROR CONTROLS
DOOR LOCK SWITCH HEATING/COOLING
CONTROLS
TRUNK RELEASE HANDLE/
FUEL FILL DOOR RELEASE HOOD RELEASE HANDLEHAZARD WARNING LIGHTS
DIGITAL CLOCK (P.135, 153) (P.75)
AUDIO SYSTEM
(P.129,148)
(P.115, 121)
(P.186)
(P.87/ 184)
(P.97) (P.81)
(P.102)

Your Car at a Glance
3
REAR WINDOW
DEFOGGER
MOONROOF
SWITCH HAZARD
WARNING LIGHTS
TILT/TELESCOPIC
ADJUSTMENT
HEADLIGHTS/
TURN SIGNALS
REMOTE AUDIO
CONTROLS
WINDSHIELD WIPERS/WASHERS
CRUISE CONTROLS
(P. 174)
(P.73/ 75)
(P.75)
(P. 75, 76)
HORN
(P. 76)
VEHICLE STABILITY ASSIST
SYSTEM OFF SWITCH
(P. 217)
(P.
101)
(P.
171)
(P.
70/ 73)

This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains your Supple-
mental Restraint System. And it tells
you how to properly restrain inf ants
andchildreninyourcar..........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.............
Your Car’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
...........................................
Airbags .9
..................
Seats and Seat-Backs . 10
..........................
Head Restraints .11
..................................
Door Locks .11
........
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist . 11
............................
Protecting Adults .12
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 12
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 13 ............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 14
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 15
5. Fasten and Position the Seat .....................................
Belts .15
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 18
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .18
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 19
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 20
........................
Protecting Children .21
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .21
Children Should Sit in the Back ...........................................
Seat .22
The Passenger’s Front Airbag Poses Serious Risks to ...............................
Children .22
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .24
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .25
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 25
General Guidelines f or Using ...............................
Child Seats .26
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .30
.........
Protecting Small Children . 33 .......
Protecting Larger Children . 36
Using Child Seats with .....................................
Tethers .39
.............................
Using LATCH .41
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .43
..
Seat Belt System Components . 43
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .43
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .44
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 45
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags .46
........................
SRS Components .46
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .46
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 48
How Your Side Curtain ..........................
Airbags Work .49
..
How the SRS Indicator Works . 49
How the Side Airbag Cutof f ...........
Indicator Light Works . 50
.............................
Airbag Service .51
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 52
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 53
...................................
Saf ety Labels .54
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
5

In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
When properly worn, seat belts:Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers.
Foryoursafety,andthesafetyof
your passengers, your car is
equipped with seat belts in all seating
positions.
Seat belts are the single most
effectivesafetydeviceforadultsand
larger children. (Inf ants and smaller
children must be properly restrained
in child seats.)
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your car has airbags.
Your seat belt system also
includes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to f asten your seat
belts.
These saf ety f eatures are designed
to reduce the severity of injuries in a
crash. However, you and your
passengers can’t take f ull advantage
of these saf ety f eatures unless you
remain sitting in a proper position
and
In f act, some saf ety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly.
Keep you connected to the car so
you can take advantage of the car’s
built-in saf ety f eatures.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Your Car’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
always wear your seat belts
properly.
8
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
if you have airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.

For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider f rom
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop. Your car has a door monitor light on
the instrument panel to indicate
when a specif ic door is not tightly
closed.
For saf ety, locking the doors reduces
thechancethatapassenger,
especially a child, will open a door
while the car is moving and
accidentally f all out. It also reduces
thechanceof someonebeingthrown
out of the car during a crash.
See page f or how to lock the
doors.
Af ter everyone has entered the car,
be sure the doors are closed and
locked. These instructions also apply to
children who have outgrown child
seats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page f or
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger
children.) The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult
occupants.
The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Remember, however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
36
81
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Adults
Close and L ock the Doors
Introduction
1.
12

This seat belt has a single belt that
goes over your shoulder, across your
chest and across your hips.The seat belts in all seating positions
except the driver’s have an additional
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat. (See
pages and f or instructions on
how to secure child seats with this
type of seat belt.) All seat belts have an emergency
locking retractor. In normal driving,
the retractor lets you move f reely in
your seat while it keeps some
tension on the belt. During a collision
or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body. Guide the belt across your body to
the door pillar. Af ter exiting the car,
be sure the belt is out of the way and
will not get closed in the door. To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESSbuttononthebuckle.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is
latched.
Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in all f ive seating
positions. The f ront seat belts are
also equipped with automatic seat
belt tensioners.
The seat belt system also
includes a light on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to f asten your belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not
fastened before the ignition is turned
ON (II), the light will come on and a
beeper will also sound. The beeper
will stop af ter a f ew seconds, but the
light will stay on until the driver’s
seat belt is f astened.
31 34
CONT INUED
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety43

See page f or instructions on how
to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly. To deactivate the locking
mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt f ully retract. To
ref asten the belt, pull it out only as
f ar as needed. If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking
mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move f reely.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.
The tensioners are independent of
the airbag system, so they can be
activated during a collision thatmight not cause the airbags to
deploy. In this case, the airbags
would not be needed but the
additional seat belt tension can be
helpf ul.
The tensioners will be activated in a
collision severe enough to cause the
f ront airbags to inf late.
When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
way.
The SRS indicator light will
come on if there is a
problem with your automatic seat
belt tensioners (see page ).
15
49
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety44

Your Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) includes:Two 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.’’
Emergency backup power in case
your car’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash. An indicator light on the
instrument panel that alerts you to
a possible problem with the
system (see page ). A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records inf ormation about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, and driver and
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition is ON (II).
Your car is equipped with dual-stage,
dual-threshold airbags to help reduce
the chance of airbag-caused injuries.
Automatic seat belt tensioners
(see page ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal
collision.
44
49
SRS Components
How Your Front A irbags Work
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety46

The SRS indicator alerts
you to a potential problem
with the f ront airbags or seat belt
tensioners. If equipped, it also alerts
you to a potential problem with the
side airbags, the automatic cutoff
system f or the passenger’s side
airbag, or the side curtain airbags.
In a moderate to severe side impact,
sensors will detect rapid deceleration
and signal the control unit to
instantly inflate the side curtain
airbag on the driver’s or the
passenger’s side of the car. If the
impact is on the passenger’s side, the
passenger’s side curtain airbag will
inflate even if there are no occupants
on that side of the car.
To get the best protection f rom the
side curtain airbags, occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
Your car is equipped with side
curtain airbags. These airbags are
stored in the f ront, center, and rear
pillars on both sides. The f ront and
rear pillars on both sides are marked
‘‘SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG.’’ When you turn the ignition switch to
ON (II), this indicator will light
brief ly then go out. This tells you
that the system is working properly.
CONT INUED
Standard on U.S. models, Optional on
Canadian models
How the SRS Indicator Works
How Your Side Curtain A irbags
Work
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety49
SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG

If the light comes on at any other
time, or does not come on at all, you
should have the system checked by
your dealer. For example:If the SRS indicator light does not
come on after you turn the ignition
switch to ON (II).
If the light stays on after the
engine starts.
If the light comes on or f lashes on
andoff whileyoudrive. This light alerts you that
the passenger’s side airbag
has been automatically shut off.
To reduce the risk of injury f rom an
inf lating side airbag, your car has an
automatic cutoff system for the
passenger’s side airbag.
It does not mean there is a problem
with your side airbags. It means that
thesideairbagcutoff systemhas
activated to prevent the side airbag
f rom deploying.
If you see any of these indications,
your airbags may not deploy, your
passenger’s side airbag automatic
cutof f system may not work properly,
or your seat belt tensioners may not
work when you need them. See your
Acura dealer as soon as possible.
How the Side Airbag Cutof f
Indicator L ight Works
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety50
Ignoring the SRS indicator light
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbags, cutoff
system, or tensioners do not
work properly.
Have your car checked by a
dealer as soon as possible if
the SRS light alerts you to a
potential problem.