service Acura TSX 2006 Owner's Manual

2006 TSX Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.
Contents

Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safet y........................................................................\
.........................................ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.............................................4
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
...................................... 7
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Control s

........................................................................\
.........................................59
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Features ................................................................................................................................\
............159
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................227
What gasoline to use, how to break-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
......................................................................239
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................263
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take you r vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpecte d........................................................................\
..............................311
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, an d how to handle them.
Technical Informatio n........................................................................\
.............................................335
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................349
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manu als (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................353
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
.............................................................................. I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

µ
This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts. It
explains how your airbags work. And
it tells you how to properly restrain
inf ants and children in your vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions .8
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features .9
.....................................
Seat Belts .10
.........................................
Airbags .11
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens .13
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors .13
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats .14
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs .15
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints .16
5. Fasten and Position the Seat
.....................................
Belts .17
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .18
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women .19
...
Additional Safety Precautions .20
Additional Inf ormation About .......................
Your Seat Belts .21
..
Seat Belt System Components .21 ......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .22
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .23
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance .24
Additional Inf ormation About ...........................
Your Airbags .25
......
Airbag System Components .25
How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work .28
...
How Your Side Airbags Work .32
How Your Side Curtain Airbags
.........................................
Work .33
..
How the SRS Indicator Works .34
How the Side Airbag Of f
......................
Indicator Works .34
How the Passenger Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works .35
.............................
Airbag Service .35
...
Additional Safety Precautions .36
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines .37
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .37
All Children Should Sit in the .................................
Back Seat .38The Passenger’s Front Airbag
.........
Can Pose Serious Risks .38
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .40
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .40
...
Additional Safety Precautions .41
Protecting Inf ants and .........................
Small Children .42
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .42
.........
Protecting Small Children .43
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat .45
....................
Installing a Child Seat .46
Installing a Child Seat ............................
with LATCH .47
......
with a Lap/Shoulder Belt .49
...........................
with a Tether .50
...........
Protecting Larger Children .52
...............
Checking Seat Belt Fit .52
..................
Using a Booster Seat .53
When Can a Larger Child Sit
....................................
in Front .54
...
Additional Safety Precautions .55
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard .56
...................................
Saf ety Labels .57
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
7
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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.
Do not try to remove or replace
anyairbagbyyourself.Thismust
be done by your dealer or a
knowledgeable body shop.
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.
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, have the passenger
sit upright and wear the seat belt
properly.
This indicator alerts you that the
passenger’s side airbag has been
shut of f because weight sensors
detect the weight of an inf ant or a
small child on the f ront passenger’s
seat. It does mean there is a
problem with your side airbags.
Take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.
CONT INUED
Airbag Service
How the Passenger Airbag Of f
Indicator Works
An airbag ever inf lates.
not T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o a
problem.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
35
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF INDICATOR U.S.
Canada
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Improperly replacing
or covering f ront seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags f rom
inf lating during a side impact. 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. Make sure that the folded-down
rear seat does not press the f ront
passenger’s seat-back. Check the
passenger airbag of f indicator to
conf irm that the passenger’s
advanced front airbag is operating
properly.This will cause the
f ront passenger’s weight sensors
to work improperly. The system
may shut of f the f ront passenger’s
airbag and the passenger airbag
of f indicator will come on. The
seat belt reminder indicator and a
‘‘PASSENGER FASTEN
SEATBELT’’ message in the multi-
inf ormation display may also work
improperly.
Even if your
airbags do not inflate, your dealer
should inspect the driver’s seat
position sensor, the f ront
passenger’s weight sensors, the
f ront seat belt tensioners, and all
seat belts worn during the crash to
make sure they are operating
properly.
Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Do not cover or replace f ront seat -
back covers wit hout consult ingyour dealer.
Do not remove or modif y a f ront
seat without consulting yourdealer.
Do not expose the f ront seat-backsto liquid. Do not recline t he f ront passenger’s
seat-back as f ar to the rear aspossible with the right rear seatfolded down.
If your vehicle has a moderat e t o
severe impact .
Donotattempttodeactivateyourairbags.
Do not t amper wit h airbagcomponent s or wiring f or anyreason.Additional Saf ety Precautions
36
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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. For more inf ormation,
see page .When the engine oil lif e reaches 15 %,
the display shows ‘‘SERVICE DUE
SOON’’ and the code f or the
maintenance items to be perf ormed.
When the engine oil lif e reaches 5 %,
the display shows ‘‘SERVICE DUE
NOW’’ along with the same
maintenance items.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 %.
266
Engine Oil L if e
Maintenance Messages
Multi-Inf ormation Display
74
U.S.model is shown U.S.model is shown
ENGINE OIL LIFE
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The standard audio system has
many f eatures. This section de-
scribes those f eatures and how to
use them. The climate control system in your
vehicle provides a comfortable
driving environment in all weather
conditions.
Your vehicle has an anti-theft audio
system that requires a code number
to enable it.
The security system helps to dis-
courage vandalism and thef t of your
vehicle................
Climate Control System .160
...............
Voice Control System .162
..........
Dual Temperature Control .167
..............
Climate Control Sensors .169
..........
Playing the AM/FM Radio .170
...............
Voice Control System .172
.....
To Play the AM/FM Radio .172
....................
To Select a Station .172
.....................
Adjusting the Sound .175
............
AM/FM Radio Reception .177
....................
Radio Frequencies .177
........................
Radio Reception .177
Playing the XM
Satellite
......................................
Radio .179
...............
Satellite Digital Radio . 179
..........
Operating the XM Radio . 180
..............
Satellite Radio Signals . 182
Receiving Satellite Radio ....................................
Service .183
......................
Auxiliary Input Jack .184
.................................
Playing Discs .185
.....
Operating the CD Changer . 187
Loading CDs in the CD .................................
Changer .187
.............................
To Play a CD .188
...............
To Stop Playing a CD . 192Removing CDs from the
.................................
Changer .192
.....
CD Changer Error Messages . 193
.....................
Protecting your CDs .194
.................
General Inf ormation . 194
..........................
Protecting CDs .194
...............................
Playing a Tape .195
..........................
To Play a Tape .197
............
To Stop Playing a Tape . 197
............
Tape Search Functions . 198
.....
Caring the Tape and Player . 199
.............
Steering Wheel Controls . 200
.................
Radio Thef t Protection . 201
..........................
Setting the Clock .202
............................
Security System .203
...............................
Cruise Control .204
HomeLink Universal ................................
Transceiver .207
..........................
HandsFreeLink .211
Features
Features
159
TM
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Depending on where you drive, you
may experience reception problems.
Interf erence can be caused by any of
these conditions:Drivingonaneast/westroadwith
a mountain on the south side of
the road.
There may be other geographic
situations that could af f ect satellite
radio reception. Driving on a single lane road
alongside dense trees taller than
50 ft. (15 m) to the south of you. Driving on the lower level of a
multi-tiered road. Driving on a road beside a vertical
wall, steep clif f , or hill to the south
of you. Driving in tunnels.
Driving on the north side of a
large commercial truck on an
east/west road.
If your XM Radio service has expired
or you purchased your vehicle f rom
a previous owner, you can listen to a
sampling of the broadcasts available
on XM Satellite Radio. With the
ignition switch in the ACCESSORY
(I) or ON (II) position, push the
PWR/VOL knob to turn on the audio
system and press the CD/AUX XM
button. A variety of music types and
styles will play.
If you decide to purchase XM
satellite radio service, contact XM
Radio at
, or at
1-800-852-9696. You will need to give
them your radio I.D. number and
your credit card number. Turn the TUNE knob until ‘‘0’’
appears in the display. Your I.D. will
appear in the display.
Af ter you have registered with XM
Radio, keep your audio system in the
SAT Radio mode while you await
activation. This should take about 30
minutes.
While awaiting activation, make sure
your vehicle remains in an open area
with good reception. Once your
audio system is activated, ‘‘category’’
or ‘‘CH’’ will appear in the display
and you will be able to listen to XM
Radio broadcasts. XM Radio will
continue to send an activation signal
to your vehicle for at least 12 hours
from activation request. If the
service has not been activated after
36 hours, contact XM Radio.As required by the FCC:
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
www.xmradio.com
CONT INUED
Playing the XMSatellite Radio (U.S. Models)
Receiving Satellite Radio Service To get your XM Satellite radio ID
number:Features
183
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Bef ore you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important f luids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
inf ormation in this section will help
you. If you plan to add any
accessories to your vehicle, please
read the information in this section
first..............................
Break-in Period .228
.................
Fuel Recommendation .228
.........
Service Station Procedures .229
....................................
Ref ueling .229
OpeningandClosingthe .......................................
Hood .230
...................................
Oil Check .232
.............
Engine Coolant Check .232
...............................
Fuel Economy .233
........
Improving Fuel Economy .233
...
Accessories and Modif ications .234
................................
Accessories .234
...........
Modif ying Your Vehicle .235
.............................
Carrying Cargo .236
................................
Load Limits .237
Carrying Cargo in the Trunk .................
or on a Roof Rack .238
Carrying Items in the .....
Passenger Compartment .238
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving
227
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Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not tow a trailer.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. Your vehicle is designed to operate
on premium unleaded gasoline with a
pump octane number of 91 or higher.
Useof aloweroctanegasolinecan
cause occasional metallic knocking
noises in the engine and will result in
decreased engine perf ormance. Use
of a gasoline with a pump octane
number less than 87 can lead to
engine damage.
You may hear a knocking noise from
the engine if you drive the vehicle at
low engine speed (below about 1,000
rpm) in a higher gear. To stop this,
raise the engine speed by shif ting to
a lower gear.
We recommend quality gasoline
containing detergent additives that
help prevent f uel system and engine
deposits.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we stronglyrecommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your authorized dealer f or service.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
.
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline. Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 % ethanol by
volume and up to 15 % MTBE by
volume. Do not use gasoline
containing methanol.
On vehicles with manual transmission
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period
Fuel Recommendation
Quick Start Guide
228
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Park with the driver’s side closest
to the gas pump.
To open the f uel f ill door, push
down on the lever located to the
lef t of the driver’s seat.Removethefuelfillcapslowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
The fuel fill cap is attached to the
f uel f iller with a tether. Put the
attachment on the fuel fill cap into
the slit on the fuel fill door.
3.
1.
2.
CONT INUED
Ref ueling
Service Station Procedure
Bef ore Driving
229
FUEL FILL CAP
Push
TETHER
ATTACHMENT
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.
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