service ACURA RL 2012 Owners Manual

µ Calif ornia Proposition 65 Warning
This product contains or emits chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth
def ects or other reproductive harm.
Event Data Recorders
This data belongs to the vehicle owner and may not be accessed by anyone else
except as legally required or with the permission of the vehicle owner.
Service Diagnostic Recorders
This vehicle is equipped with service-related devices that record inf ormation about powertrain perf ormance. The data
can be used to verif y emissions law requirements and/or help technicians diagnose and solve service problems. It may
also be combined with data f rom other sources f or research purposes, but it remains conf idential.
Calif ornia Perchlorate Contamination Prevention Act
The airbags, seat belt tensioners, and CR type batteries in this vehicle may contain perchlorate materials special
handling may apply. See
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate/
Introduction
WARNING:
This vehicle is equipped with one or more devices commonly ref erred to as event data recorders. These
devices record f ront seat belt use, f ront passenger seat occupancy, airbag deployment data, and the f ailure
of any airbag system component.
ii
11/07/20 17:59:09 31SJA670_003
ProCarManuals.com

(f luid capacities and tire pressures) (main controls)
(seat belts, SRS, and child protection)
(indicators, gauges, multi-inf ormation display, dashboard, and steering column)
()
(fuel, vehicle break-in, and cargo loading)
(engine and transmission operation)
(minders, f luid checking, minor services, and vehicle storage)
(vehicle specif ications, tires, and emissions controls)
(warranty and contact inf ormation)
(how to order) (f lat tire, jump starting, overheating, and f uses)
climate control, audio, steering wheel, security, cruise control, HomeLink, and other convenience items
Contents
................................................................................................................................................ Index.I
.................................................. Service Inf ormation Summary. last page ............................................................................................... Your Vehicle at a Glance.4
............................................................ Driver and Passenger Saf ety.7
....... Instruments and Controls.59
.............. Features. 203
....................................................................... Bef ore Driving. 381
......................................................................................... Driving. 399
............................................... Maintenance. 443
............................................. T echnical Inf ormation. 523
....................... Warranty and Client Relations (U.S. and Canada only) . 539
.................................................................................. A uthorized Manuals (U.S. only). 543 ........................................ T aking Care of the Unexpected. 495INDEX
1
11/07/20 17:59:32 31SJA670_006
ProCarManuals.com

A convenient ref erence to the
sections in this manual.
A quick ref erence to the main
controls in your vehicle.What gasoline to use, how to break-
in your new vehicle, and how to load
luggage and other cargo.
The proper way to start the engine,
shif t the transmission, and park; plus
what you need to know if you’re
planning to tow a trailer.ID numbers, dimensions, capacities,
and technical information.
The Maintenance Minder shows
you when you need to take your
vehicle to the dealer for maintenance
service. There is also a list of things
to check and instructions on how to
check them.
This section covers several problems
motorists sometimes experience,
and details how to handle them. Important inf ormation about the
proper use and care of your vehicle’s
seat belts, an overview of the
supplemental restraint system, and
valuable inf ormation on how to
protect children with child restraints.A summary of the warranties
covering your new vehicle, and how
to contact us for any reason. Refer to
your warranty manual f or detailed
inf ormation.
How to order manuals and other
technical literature.
A summary of the inf ormation you
need when you pull up to the f uel
pump. Explains the purpose of each
instrument panel indicator and gauge,
the multi-information display, and
how to use the controls on the
dashboard and steering column.
How to operate the climate control
system, the audio system, and other
convenience f eatures.
Overview of Contents
Your Vehicle at a Glance
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Instruments and ControlsBef ore Driving
Driving
MaintenanceT echnical Inf ormation Contents
T aking Care of the UnexpectedWarranty and Client Relations
(U.S. and Canada only)
Authorized Manuals
(U.S. only)
Index
Service Inf ormation Summary
Features
3
TM
11/07/20 17:59:50 31SJA670_008
ProCarManuals.com

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
......... Protecting Adults and Teens . 13
..... 1. Close and Lock the Doors . 13
........... 2. Adjust the Front Seats . 15
............ 3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 16
... 4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 16
5. Fasten and Position the Seat
..................................... Belts . 17
6. Maintain a Proper Sitting
................................ Position . 19
..... 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 e-pretensioners . 24
............... Seat Belt Maintenance . 25
Additional Inf ormation About
........................... Your Airbags . 26
...... Airbag System Components . 26
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 . 35
How the Passenger Airbag
............... Of f Indicator Works . 35
............................. Airbag Service . 36
... Additional Safety Precautions . 37
Protecting Children General
................................ Guidelines . 38
All Children Must Be
............................... Restrained . 38
All Children Should Sit in a
................................. Back Seat . 39The Passenger’s Front Airbag
......... Can Pose Serious Risks . 39
If You Must Drive with Several
................................... Children . 41
If a Child Requires Close
.................................. Attention . 41
... Additional Safety Precautions . 41
Protecting Inf ants and Small
................................... Children . 43
....................... Protecting Inf ants . 43
......... Protecting Small Children . 44
..................... Selecting a Child Seat . 45
.................... Installing a Child Seat . 46
............................... With LATCH . 47
......... With a Lap/Shoulder Belt . 49
.............................. With a Tether . 51
........... 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
11/07/20 18:00:14 31SJA670_012
ProCarManuals.com

If the indicator comes on with no
f ront seat passenger and no objects
on the seat, or with an adult riding
there, something may be interf ering
with the weight sensors. Look f or
and remove:
Any items under the f ront
passenger’s seat.
Any object hanging on the seat or
in the seat-back pocket.
Any object(s) touching the rear of
the seat-back.
If no obstructions are f ound, have
your vehicle checked by a dealer as
soon as possible.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. Any
seat belt tensioner that activates
must also be replaced.Take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.
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 and their anchors worn
during a crash to make sure they
are operating properly. We recommend against the use of
salvaged airbag system
components, including the airbag,
tensioners, sensors, and control
unit.
Do not try to remove or replace
anyairbagbyyourself.Thismust
be done by an authorized dealer or
a knowledgeable body shop.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Airbag Service
An airbag ever inf lates.T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o a
problem.
If your vehicle has a moderat e t o
severe impact .
36
11/07/20 18:04:07 31SJA670_041
ProCarManuals.com

Pull to the side of the road when it is
saf e, shif t to Park, and let the engine
idle until the indicator goes out. This indicator normally comes on f or
a f ew seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to the ON (II)
position.
This indicator has two f unctions:
If it comes on while driving, it
indicates that one or more of your
vehicle’s tires are signif icantly low
on pressure.
Check the tire pressure monitor on
the multi-inf ormation display and
determinethecause(seepage ). You will also see a ‘‘CHECK TIRE
PRESSURE’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display (see page ).
If this happens, pull to the side of the
road when it is saf e, check which tire
has lost pressure on the multi-
inf ormation display, and determinethe cause. If it is because of a flat tire,
have the flat 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 .
If this indicator begins to f lash,
there is a problem with the tire
pressure monitoring system
(TPMS). You will also see a
‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’
message on the multi-inf ormation
display. The indicator continues to
f lash f or a while (approximately 1
minute), then stays on. If this
happens, have your dealer check
the system as soon as possible.
For more inf ormation, see page
. 1.2.
431
431433521
Instrument Panel Indicators
Low Tire Pressure/
TPMS Indicator
Inst rument s and Cont rols
67
Continuing to drive with the SH-AWD
indicator blinking may cause serious
damage to the system.
11/07/20 18:08:40 31SJA670_072
ProCarManuals.com

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.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%.
These messages appear on the multi-
inf ormation display each time you
turn the ignition switch to the ON
(II) position.
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. When the engine oil lif e reaches 5%,
the display shows ‘‘SERVICE DUE
NOW’’ along with the same
maintenance items. To use the system, your cell phone
and the HFL system must be linked.
Not all cell phones are compatible
with this system. Ref er to page
for instructions on how to link
your cell phone to HFL and how to
receive or make phone calls, or visit
the acura.com/handsf reelink
website. In Canada, visit
, or call 1-888-9-ACURA-9. 354
445
444
www.acura.
ca
Maintenance Messages
Multi-Inf ormation Display
Inst rument s and Cont rols
77
11/07/20 18:10:06 31SJA670_082
ProCarManuals.com

To switch the f unction between on
andoff,pressandholdtheDISP
button. With the system on, you will
see the ‘‘RDS INFO ON’’ message on
the upper display. If the station you
are listening to is an RDS station, the
displayed f requency switches to the
station name. On the FM band, you can select a
favorite station and display the
program service name provided by
the radio data system (RDS).
The RDS INFO display f unction
shows the name of the station you
are listening to. With the audio
system on and the FM band selected,
you can turn this f unction on or of f . You will see ‘‘0’’ displayed if auto
select cannot f ind a strong station f or
every preset button.
If you do not like the stations auto
select has stored, you can store
other f requencies on the preset
buttons (icons) as previously
described.
To turn of f auto select, press
ENTER on the interf ace selector
(press the A.SEL button) again. This
restores the presets you originally
set.
For inf ormation on AM/FM radio
f requencies and reception, see page
. 224
Audio System
Radio Data System (RDS)
RDS INFO Display
218
RDS INFO ON MESSAGE
11/07/20 18:28:12 31SJA670_223
ProCarManuals.com

Driving on the lower level of a
multi-tiered road.
Driving on a single lane road
alongside dense trees taller than
50 ft. (15 m) to the south of you.
There may be other geographic
situations that could af f ect satellite
radio reception.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 Radio. With the ignition
switch in the ACCESSORY (I) or the
ON (II) position, press the
button. A variety of music
types and styles will play.
If you decide to purchase XM radio
service, contact XM Radio at
,orat
1-800-852-9696. In Canada, contact
XM CANADA
at , or
at 1-877-209-0079. You will need to
give them your radio I.D. number
and your credit card number. To get
your radio I.D. number, press the
side of the TUNE bar until ‘‘0’’
appears in the display. Your I.D. will
appear in the display.After you’ve registered with XM
Radio, keep your audio system in the
XM Radio mode while you wait f or
activation. This should take about 30
minutes.
While waiting for 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,
andyou’llbeabletolistentoXM
Radio broadcasts. XM Radio will
continue to send an activation signal
to your vehicle for at least 12 hours
from the activation request. If the
service has not been activated after
36 hours, contact XM
Radio. In
Canada, contact XM CANADA
.
As required by the FCC:
Changes or modif ications not expressly
approved by the party responsible f or
compliance could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.www.siriusxm.com
www.xmradio.ca
This Category II radiocommunication
device complies with Industry Canada
Standard RSS-310.
Operation is subject to the f ollowing two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interf erence, and (2) this device must
accept any interf erence, including
interf erence that may cause undesired
operation of the device.
Audio System
Receiving XM Radio Service
Features
235
11/07/20 18:30:24 31SJA670_240
ProCarManuals.com

Limitations, on Reverse Engineering,
Decompilation, and Disassembly.
You may not reverse engineer,
decompile, or disassemble the
SOFTWARE, except and only to the
extent that such activity is expressly
permitted by applicable law not with
standing this limitation.
Additional Sof tware/Services. The
SOFTWARE may permit ALPINE
ELECTRONICS, INC.,, MS,
Microsof t Corporation or their
af f iliates to provide or make
available to you SOFTWARE
updates, supplements, add-on
components, or Internet- based
services components of the
SOFTWARE af ter the date you
obtain your initial copy of the
SOFTWARE (‘‘Supplemental
Components’’). No Liability f or Certain Damages,
EXCEPT AS PROHIBITED BY LAW,
MS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY
FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING
FROM OR IN CONNECTION
WITH THE USE OR
PERFORMANCE OF THE
SOFTWARE. THIS LIMITATION
SHALL APPLY EVEN IF ANY
REMEDY FAILS OF ITS
ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. IN NO
EVENT SHALL MS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY AMOUNT IN EXCESS
OF U.S.TWO HUNDRED FIFTY
DOLLARS (U.S.$250.00). NO WARRANTIES FOR THE
SOFTWARE. THE SOFTWARE is
provided ‘‘AS IS’’ and with all f aults.
THEENTIRERISKASTO
SATISFACTORY QUALITY,
PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY,
AND EFFORT (INCLUDING LACK
OF NEGLIGENCE) IS WITH YOU.
ALSO, THERE IS NO WARRANTY
AGAINST INTERFERENCE WITH
YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE
SOFTWARE OR AGAINST
INFRINGEMENT. IF YOU HAVE
RECEIVED ANY WARRANTIES
REGARDING THE DEVICE OR
THE SOFTWARE, THOSE
WARRANTIES DO NOT
ORIGINATE FROM, AND ARE
NOT BINDING ON, MS.
Compass Syst em (U.S. model wit hout navigat ion syst em)
302
11/07/20 18:39:11 31SJA670_307
ProCarManuals.com