Acura RL 2000 3.5 Owner's Guide

Protectin
g Adult s

Remember, to get the best
protection from your car's airbags and other safety features, you must
sit properly and wear your seat belt
properly. Advic
e fo r Pregnan t Wome n
Because protecting the mother is the
best way to protect her unborn child, a pregnant woman should always
wear a seat belt whenever she drives or rides in a car.
Remember to keep the lap portion of
the belt as low as possible across
your hips. Pregnant women should also sit
upright and as far back as possible
from the steering wheel or dashboard. This will reduce the risk
of injuries to both the mother and
her unborn child that can be caused by a crash or an inflating airbag.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it's okay for you to drive.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Adult s

Additiona l Safet y Precaution sTwo people should never use the
same seat belt. If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a

crash.
Do not put any accessories on seat

belts. Devices intended to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the shoulder part of a seat belt can
severely compromise the
protective capability of the seat
belt and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
Do not place hard or sharp objects
between yourself and a front

airbag. Carrying hard or sharp
objects on your lap, or driving with
a pipe or other sharp object in
your mouth, can result in injuries if your front airbag inflates.
Do not attach or place objects on

the front airbag covers. Any object

attached to or placed on the covers
marked "SRS AIRBAG," in the
center of the steering wheel and on top of the dashboard, could
interfere with the proper operation
of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inflate, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt
someone.
Do not attach hard objects on or

near a front door. If a side airbag

inflates, a cup holder or other hard object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
car and hurt someone.
Keep your hands and arms away

from the airbag covers. If your

hands or arms are close to the airbag cover in the center of the
steering wheel or on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if
the front airbags inflate.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to properly
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
other children in your car, be sure to
read this section. Al
l Childre n Mus t B e Restraine d
Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, vehicle accidents are the number one cause
of death of children ages 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
infants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.
Any child who is too small to wear a seat belt should be properly

restrained in a child seat. (See page
24.)
A larger child should always be restrained with a seat belt. (See page 35.)
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y 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 properlyrestrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly restrained with a seat belt.

Protectin
g Childre n

Childre n Shoul d Si t i n th e Bac k

Sea t

According to accident statistics, children of all ages and sizes aresafer when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the front seat. The
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
In the back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inflating airbag
when they ride in the back. Th
e Passenger' s Fron t Airba g
Pose s Seriou s Risk s t o Childre n
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger's front airbag is quite
large, and it inflates with tremendous
speed.

Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag. If

the airbag inflates, it can hit the back of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
infant.
Small Children

Placing a forward-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag can

be hazardous. If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child's head is thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike thechild with enough force to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.

Larger Children
Children who have outgrown child
seats are also at risk of being injured or killed by an inflating passenger's

front airbag. Whenever possible,

larger children should sit in the back seat, properly restrained with a seat
belt. (See page 35 for important information about protecting larger
children.)
CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

U.S. Models

To remind you of the passenger's
front airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained

in the back seat, your car has

warning labels on the dashboard and
on the driver's and front passenger's

visors. Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.
Canadian Models

To remind you of the front airbag
hazards, your car has warning labels
on the driver's and front passenger's

visors. Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
CAUTIO
N

T O AVOI D SERIOU S INJURY :

FO R MAXIMU M SAFET Y PROTECTIO N IN
AL L TYPE S O F CRASHES , YO U MUS T
ALWAY S WEA R YOU R SAFET Y BELT .
D O NO T INSTAL L REARWARD-FACIN G
CHIL D SEAT S IN AN Y FRON T
PASSENGE R SEA T POSITION .
D O NO T SI T O R LEA N UNNECESSARIL Y
CLOS E T O TH E AIRBAG .
D O NO T PLAC E AN Y OBJECT S OVE R TH E
AI R BA G O R BETWEE N TH E AI R BA G
AN D YOURSELF .
SE E TH E OWNER' S MANUA L FO R FURTHE R
INFORMATIO N AN D EXPLANATIONS .
PRECAUTION
:

POU R EVITE R DE S BLESSURE S GRAVES :

POU R PROFITE R D'UN E PROTECTIO N
MAXIMAL E LOR S D'UN E COLLISIO N BOUCLE Z
TOUJOUR S VOTR E CEINTUR E D E SECURITE .
N'lNSTALLE Z JAMAI S U N SIEG E POU R
ENFANT S FAISAN T FAC E A L'ARRIER E SU R
L E SIEG E D U PASSAGE R AVANT .
N E VOU S APPUYE Z PA S E T N E VOU S ASSEYE Z
PA S PRE S D U COUSSI N GONFLABLE .
N E DEPOSE Z AUCU N OBJE T SU R L E COUSSI N
GONFLABL E O U ENTR E L E COUSSI N
GONFLABL E E T VOUS .
LISE Z L E GUID E UTILISATEU R POU R D E
PLU S AMPLE S RENSEIGNEMENTS .

Protectin
g Childre n

I f Yo u Mus t Driv e wit h Severa l
Childre n
Your car has three seating positions in the back seat where children can
be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry more than
three children in your car: Place the largest child in the front
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page 35). Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page 12). Have the child sit upright and well
back in the seat (see page 17). Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page 15). I
f a Chil d Require s Clos e
Attentio n
Many parents say they prefer to put
an infant or small child in the front
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires attention.
Placing a child in the front seat
exposes the child to hazards from
the passenger's front airbag, and
paying close attention to a child distracts the driver from the
important tasks of driving, placing
both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or frequent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front. Additiona
l Safet y Precaution s
Use childproof door locks to
prevent children from opening the
doors. Using this feature will
prevent children from opening the doors and accidentally falling out (see page 85).

Use the main power window
switch to prevent children from
opening the rear windows. Using

this feature will prevent children
from playing with the windows,
which could expose them to
hazards or distract the driver (see
page 106).

CONTINUED

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre nDo not leave children alone in your

vehicle. Leaving children without

adult supervision is illegal in most states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, infants and small
children left in a vehicle on a hot
day can die from heatstroke. And
children left alone with the key in
the ignition can accidentally set the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others. Genera
l Guideline s fo r Usin g
Chil d Seat s
The following pages give general guidelines for selecting and installingchild seats for infants and small
children.
Selecting a Child Seat
To provide proper protection, a child seat should meet three
requirements:

1. The child seat should meet safety
standards. The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer's statement of compliance on the box and seat.
2. The child seat should be of the

proper type and size to fit the child.

Infants: Children up to about one
year old should be restrained in a rear-facing, reclining child seat. Onlya rear-facing seat provides the
proper support to protect an infant's
head, neck, and back. See page 28 for additional information on
protecting infants.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Small Children: A child who is too
large for a rear-facing child seat, and
who can sit up without support, should be restrained in a forward-
facing child seat. See page 32 for additional information on protecting
small children. 3. The child seat should fit the
vehicle seating position (or
positions) where it will be used.
Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not fit all
vehicle seating positions.
However, Acura is confident that one
or more child seat models can fit and
be properly installed in all recommended seating positions in
your car. Before purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specific vehicle
seating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does not fit, you may need to buy adifferent one that will fit.
CONTINUED
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Protectin
g Childre n

Placing a Child Seat
This page briefly summarizes Acura's recommendations on where to place
rear-facing and forward-facing child seats in your car.
Front Passenger's Seat

Infants: Never in the front seat, due
to the front airbag hazard.

Small children: Not recommended,
due to the front airbag hazard. If asmall child must ride in front,
move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position and secure a front-
facing child seat with the seat belt (see page 32).
Back Seats

Infants: Recommended positions.
Secure a rear-facing child seat
with the seat belt (see page 28).

Small children: Recommended
positions. Secure a front-facingchild seat with the seat belt (see
page 32).
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Airbag
s Pos e Seriou s
Risk s t o Childre n
The passenger's front airbag inflates with enough force to kill
or seriously injure an infant in a
rear-facing child seat.
A small child in a forward-facing child seat is also at risk. If the
vehicle seat is too far forward, or the child's head is thrown
forward during a collision, an inflating front airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
If a small child must ride in the
front, follow the instructions
provided in this section.

Protectin
g Childre n

Installing a Child Seat

After selecting a proper child seat, and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:

1. Secure the child seat to the car
with a seat belt. All child seats
must be secured to the car with
the lap part of a lap/shoulder belt.
A child whose seat is not properly secured to the car can be
endangered in a crash. See pages 29 and 33 for instructions on how
to secure child seats in this car.
2. Make sure the child seat is firmly
secured. After installing a child

seat, push and pull the seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure. To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as firmly as possible.
However, a child seat does not need
to be "rock solid." In some vehicles or seating positions, it may be
difficult to install a child seat so that
it does not move at all. Some side-to- side or back-and-forth movement can
be expected and should not reduce
the child seat's effectiveness.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a different seating
position, or use a different style of
child seat that can be firmly secured
in the desired seating position. 3. Secure the child in the child seat.
Make sure the child is properlystrapped in the child seat
according to the child seat maker's
instructions. A child who is not properly secured in a child seat
can be thrown out of the seat in a
crash and seriously injured.
Storing a Child Seat
When you are not using a child seat, either remove it and store it in a safe
place, or make sure it is properly secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the car during a crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.

Driver an d Passenge r Safet y